February 17, 2017
I’m Back
It felt like home when I walked through the door. I switched on the light at my front door. The electricity was still on. I went in the laundry room and checked the pilot in the water heater. It was on, so the gas was still on. I got out my phone and checked the Internet. That was not working. So, some things would be working and some things not.
I had planned in my head what I would do that first day back, after I had a shower. Thursday would be time to pay all my bills. My first stop was next door at the Banco Fassil, where I could use my debit card to get bolivianos and pay my electricity and gas. My debit card didn’t work. I’d have to figure that out later. Instead I changed dollars into bolivianos, as I was paying my electricity and gas. My gas was only about $2 – I can’t believe it is so cheap! My electricity a bit higher, but about $50 less than I expected for nearly three months absent from Bolivia. Why can’t the States figure out how to make utilities so cheap?
When I was finished, it was drizzling
outside and warm. But the shady walk
across the Plazuela Blacutt was not difficult.
The birds were singing, especially a pandemonium of parrots who live
there most of the time. I bet you didn’t
know a flock of parrots is called a pandemonium. I had to look it up!
Across the street from the Plazuela is the Banco Ganadero. Here is where I pay my rent. Usually it is so packed that I must wait 20 minutes or more. Today I was out in about 5 minutes. Across the street from that is Tigo, where I have my phone contract. Several things turned out to be a blessing. I forgot I had paid my telephone two months in advance. I don’t remember my reasoning for it when I did it, but I only owed one month and that is less than $30. A clerk changed my ATT chip for the Tigo chip and I was gone in 10 minutes.
I still had to take care of my Internet with Cotas, and that is near the main plaza. That is a nine block and usually I would walk it, but fatigue from my plane trip was getting to me, so I took a taxi. It is only 10 Bs. for that distance and 10 Bs. is less than $1.50.
For weeks, I had dreamed of eating at my
little restaurant across the street from the Plaza. The excitement was growing inside me as I
entered. Before I left, two of the
servers, Sebastian and Fabiola, knew what I was going to order before I sat down. Sebastian saw me and gave me a big
smile. He put out his hand and as he was
shaking my hand, asked, “the usual?” Of
course! I love their fried yucca. Not much of a meal, but I had dreamed of that
for weeks. I will be back soon for a
real meal.
Around the corner is Cotas, where I headed
after eating. I was praying I wouldn’t
have problems getting my internet started again. The girl said it was easy to fix. She typed in something on her computer and
said it would be working as soon as I pay my bill. I walked to the cashier and was blessed with
another surprise. They didn’t charge me
for the months I was gone. Their reasoning
is I wasn’t using their service, so why should I pay? Instead of paying an anticipated $120 for
three months, I only paid $40 for the month of February. Again I was thinking, why can’t the States
figure out simple customer service ideas like these?
I tried my debit card when I arrived home, but it still didn’t work. I was exhausted and would try again the next morning.
I woke early on Friday. My hours were off, and still on Tuesday, as I write this, my hours are still off. My goal for the day was clean my apartment, unpack my bags, and call my bank. I got one done!
At 11:00, knowing it was two hours earlier in Kaufman, Texas, I called my bank. I was on hold for about five minutes and that gets me stressed. Finally, I talked to a customer service agent and told her my story. She didn’t understand why my debit card didn’t work. I was put on hold again. When she came back, she said I was being transferred to the fraud department. My stress was turning into panic. So I started praying. God if you want me here, then you can solve this problem. A few stressful minutes later and she was back on the line.
It seems my debit card is good for six months overseas. After six months, I must request it to be reactivated. It is not a big deal, but scary if you don’t know that. She said it was reactivated, so I went downstairs to my neighbor bank. I put in my debit card, and yes, it worked.
It wasn’t noon yet, but I was exhausted. Everything was back to order. I am home now. By two or three that afternoon I was asleep. Almost all of Saturday and Sunday I slept.
It is good to be home!
So good to hear you're back in SCZ. Ceci and I arrive on the 10th of March and will be down there until the 13th of April. Most of that time we'll be up at Monte Blanco Camp. Hopefully we can see you.
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