Frustrations

Frustrations. They're a part of life, right? And how well we "roll with the punches" tells a lot about our character and "what we're made of."

There's no such thing as "totally free checking" in Germany. Bank fees are a part of life. So we deal with it. However, a couple of months ago we decided to be brave and switch to internet banking in hopes of cutting back on both fees and number of trips that we make to the bank. I've been a bit mystified the past few months since our fees have been higher (tripled perhaps?) and we received a statement in the mail (which isn't supposed to happen with internet banking). So I went to the bank today to find out what was going on. Evidently our account hadn't been switched to an internet banking account (which I thought it had been) - we had just gotten internet banking access, and as a result, we have been paying every time we do an online transaction. Oh well, live and learn. Glad that we figured it out now and not later.

I have a feeling that this mix up can be attributed to the language barrier. Or our incomplete understanding of German banking. But at the same time, I realize that sometimes these things (mix-ups, frustrations, etc.) just happen, even in our home language and culture.

Case in point: I had to renew my OH teaching license this summer. While we were in the US, I mailed in all of the necessary paperwork. I hadn't seen anything in the mail or heard anything, so two weeks ago, I called the OH Dept. of Ed. They told me that my license had been mailed on Aug. 9th. I told them that I had not received anything, and that the mail does not usually take that long. So they said that they would mail me another one. It has been over two weeks and I still haven't received anything. I'm going to wait a few more days, but if it hasn't come by the end of the week, I'll call ODE again.

But today I'm going to call my bank in the US because I locked myself out of my internet account last night. I'll spare you the gory details, but let's just say that the instructions for their new internet login system did not make sense.

Such is life. Roll with the punches. Besides, I don't want a boring and predictable life. :)