Home Sweet Home

it is 12:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed.  i just got back from town.  i just ate a few dried figs to break my nightly fast, which today; was 17 hours.  i got up at 6:00 a.m. and walked the dogs.  i needed to get to the bank this morning.  i haven't been inside the bank in nearly a year.  things have changed.  now with the rona, you can only get a number to see the personal banker person on your smart phone.

the machine inside the bank and the one outside; only gives you a number for the teller who gives out cash.  i needed cash so i took a number.  there weren't so many people in the bank.  someone sent me money for my son and my debit card would not allow me to draw it out.  apparently, i needed to have the dollars converted into shekels.  i guess i could have just taken the dollars and gone to the change store down the street; but i didn't have the mental prowess to make that sort of decision. 

breathing through a surgical mask and wearing glasses in the heat, seems to diminish ones' hearing and eyesight.  i wasn't all that knowledgeable about current Israeli banking policies and i didn't recall ever having received dollars in the bank.  whatever.....  i was directed to the personal banker service and yet there was no place to get a number.  there was a Russian lady who was having a meltdown at the same time as i .  i started shrieking in Hebrew and she started screaming in Russian.   she had been there for an hour.  i was only a half an hour in.  it made no sense.  no one would help us.  one young lady; who i believe was the manager; started in on the Russian lady.

i went into the outside cubicle and screamed to anyone who looked official.  all i wanted was a number so i could take a seat inside and wait my turn.  i had already been there around 30 minutes.  one young man came over and actually asked me if i needed help.  i explained what had already taken place and how i was desperately searching a number for a personal banking assistant.

he took pity on me and walked me right back to the original money teller.  she told him that i needed to see a personal account's personal.  and how did you get a number?  you needed to use the application on your smart phone.  and if you didn't have a smart phone you needed to use your home computer.  and if you didn't have a home computer or a smart phone there was a pretty young thing in the corridor who would help you if you had all day to wait for her.  i tried to get her attention while she was schmoozing with some younger customers.  i started shrieking again.  i was losing it.

the young lady manager came into the corridor as i was shrieking again.  she asked me what my problem was.  she wasn't trying to help me.  she was being nasty.  she didn't like that i was aggravated and falling apart.  i muttered under my mask that i would explain to her my problem when she turned 70 years old.   to think that i have been a customer of this bank for over 30 years.

the young man, who was my guardian angel, went over to a personal account's clerk and asked her to do me a favor.   in about 5 minutes she had transferred the money onto my account.  i then went back to the teller for the third time and finally received my shekels.  it only took an hour.  i was spent.  my walking buddy wanted to go to town and i needed to de-stress.  it was only about a twenty minute walk so i agreed.  i stopped off in town and went into the $ store where you can buy cheap things for the kids.  i only spent abut $15.  i got puzzles and imitation lego and tons of stickers and little containers of slime.  ironically, i bought a 100 piece police lego set for my grandson.

believe it or not, i just got a call to join in a survey about my bank.  talk about your karma!  i didn't hold back..  she asked if i wanted to speak with someone from the bank.  bring it on!!! i can't wait to let someone have it.  i am so upset.  the reality is that banks will probably go totally digital soon and it will all be done by smart phone.  i have to get my phone taken care of soon and i got to learn how to use it.  i am paying a fortune for long distance calls.  i can't wait to cancel the service.

we then