On Thursday I found myself short of funds so I intuitively reached into my secret luggage hiding place and seized some traveler checks that I had procured in Korea in order to exchange for some Polish Zloty. * Because of some befuddling reasons foreigners aren't allowed to use their Korean Atm cards outside of The RoK, I guessed it would be simply be a much of a muchness to transfer that same amount into checks. When it came to going on vacation with traveler checks I didn't have any problems. It had worked in Thailand, and it was problem free in Japan-and I even managed to receive an even exchange in sunny Cambodia!# However; just an FYI, that if you come to Poland with travelers checks, you'll either becloud the exchange agents and bankers or just get sent back out into the cold from where you came from.
When it finally did become apparent that I had found a place that was able to exchange my checks, which was in the main bank in the center of Warsaw, I was given a number and instructed to wait. I was used to waiting the ususual four or five minutes that is required in Suncheon. Furthermore I was expecting to be offered a free yoghurt drink by a pleasant bank clerk. Alas, neither of those possiblilites were the case. However, what I was verily expected to do was wait, and wait I did. After about thrity minutes the clerk hesitantly called me to her kiosk and glanced at the three hundred dollars in checks I had placed on the counter. She asked to see my passport, and then in the manner of a Vogon checking prisoner release forms instructed me to fill out some information on some dotted lines, which chewed up another half hour or so. When this was completed, some tidy little stamps were place on each document, which required my signature on each form. After signing, it was time for the signature inpsection on each piece. In completion of this step, I was told to write my home address. When this was completed, the clerk disappeard-with my passport. When she reappeared, she dutiffuly returned my passport, but disappeared again. Glancing at my mobile phone I noticed it had been just over an hour since I arrived in the bank.
When she re-reappeared she promptly gave me a sheet of paper with the exchange rate on it, but no money. However, she quickly instructed me to go to another window. I assumed that's where I would receive my money. Which was actually true. After an hour and ten minutes I exchanged my travelers' Checks. It was an even exchange rate to boot! So, if you come to Europe, I think it is best to use a bankcard, or cash. Even though American Express says 'don't leave home with out it,' you should leave the AMX Travelers Checks at the bank back home-or be prepared to spend much more time in a bank then you would in Korea-without yoghurt drinks!
Please don't think I am having a lousy time in Poland. In the end I was just pleased to get a fair exchange rate and be able to practice my Polish in a natural setting. It was so cold outside anyway, and the warm bank was a cozy place to duck out of the snowy, sloshy streets of Warsaw. Besides, when you are on vacation waiting isn't such a dilema. Anyway, it was cold last week. So cold in fact that I was completly unprepared by not actually packing long underwear. I never wore long underwear around in Korea. By not doing this I forgot how cold other parts of the world can actually be. Now that I have procured some, it isn't an issue, and the daytime tempratures are actually nearing zero! Since things are starting to warm up, I think I will saunter outside a bit today instead of looking at the days pass from inside.
*I have never really appreciated this law against foreigners. to me it seems a bit strange that those who are working legally in a country aren't able have the same monetary rights the locals have. Despite this being a positive blog about Korea, I thought it was necessary to write about in this entry since I wanted to explain my reasons for requesting traveler checks in the first place.
#It wouldn't take a genius to see that the above mentioned countries in the paragraph are all Asain, so I should have therefore done some research before I came to Europe instead of assuming that Europeans offered the same exchanges as Asains...anyway for your amusement, my number one rule in life is NEVER to ASSUME ANYTHING. It's also ironic that I ALWAYS ASSUME things.
When it finally did become apparent that I had found a place that was able to exchange my checks, which was in the main bank in the center of Warsaw, I was given a number and instructed to wait. I was used to waiting the ususual four or five minutes that is required in Suncheon. Furthermore I was expecting to be offered a free yoghurt drink by a pleasant bank clerk. Alas, neither of those possiblilites were the case. However, what I was verily expected to do was wait, and wait I did. After about thrity minutes the clerk hesitantly called me to her kiosk and glanced at the three hundred dollars in checks I had placed on the counter. She asked to see my passport, and then in the manner of a Vogon checking prisoner release forms instructed me to fill out some information on some dotted lines, which chewed up another half hour or so. When this was completed, some tidy little stamps were place on each document, which required my signature on each form. After signing, it was time for the signature inpsection on each piece. In completion of this step, I was told to write my home address. When this was completed, the clerk disappeard-with my passport. When she reappeared, she dutiffuly returned my passport, but disappeared again. Glancing at my mobile phone I noticed it had been just over an hour since I arrived in the bank.
When she re-reappeared she promptly gave me a sheet of paper with the exchange rate on it, but no money. However, she quickly instructed me to go to another window. I assumed that's where I would receive my money. Which was actually true. After an hour and ten minutes I exchanged my travelers' Checks. It was an even exchange rate to boot! So, if you come to Europe, I think it is best to use a bankcard, or cash. Even though American Express says 'don't leave home with out it,' you should leave the AMX Travelers Checks at the bank back home-or be prepared to spend much more time in a bank then you would in Korea-without yoghurt drinks!
Please don't think I am having a lousy time in Poland. In the end I was just pleased to get a fair exchange rate and be able to practice my Polish in a natural setting. It was so cold outside anyway, and the warm bank was a cozy place to duck out of the snowy, sloshy streets of Warsaw. Besides, when you are on vacation waiting isn't such a dilema. Anyway, it was cold last week. So cold in fact that I was completly unprepared by not actually packing long underwear. I never wore long underwear around in Korea. By not doing this I forgot how cold other parts of the world can actually be. Now that I have procured some, it isn't an issue, and the daytime tempratures are actually nearing zero! Since things are starting to warm up, I think I will saunter outside a bit today instead of looking at the days pass from inside.
*I have never really appreciated this law against foreigners. to me it seems a bit strange that those who are working legally in a country aren't able have the same monetary rights the locals have. Despite this being a positive blog about Korea, I thought it was necessary to write about in this entry since I wanted to explain my reasons for requesting traveler checks in the first place.
#It wouldn't take a genius to see that the above mentioned countries in the paragraph are all Asain, so I should have therefore done some research before I came to Europe instead of assuming that Europeans offered the same exchanges as Asains...anyway for your amusement, my number one rule in life is NEVER to ASSUME ANYTHING. It's also ironic that I ALWAYS ASSUME things.
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