I have had many bad experiences with banks: A bank in America, a bank in Spain, big bank – international, famous banks, not normal ones. I thought these kinds of internationally famous banks would have good service, easy for my life. It’s not true. And internationally famous ones also from Germany, America, Spain, France – oh, I tried all kinds of banks. They make so much trouble for me, so much bureaucracy. And one time, I wanted to give for the (Hurricane) Katrina disaster. They also made trouble for me. I had to write a lot of things so that they could send money for that (Hurricane) Katrina to help the victims. I prefer people don’t know my name; in the back of my mind, intuitively, maybe also for safety reasons. I don’t want people to know that I have so much money here and there. For normal people, it’s a lot. I don’t have so much like many of the people you know, but for other people, or even for a robber, it’s a lot of money.
If you have cash, it’s very simple just to give it to anyone, anytime when you see fit. Or even I buy things for the food bank from the shop, or for poor people, because sometimes the council or the mayor of some city announces it. So, I just go to the shop and buy it and leave it there at the shop for the manager of the shop to send it. I don’t send it myself. In those cases, I just buy with cash. That’s why sometimes I have a lot of cash. I don’t do it anymore, especially while in retreat, of course. But I don’t want to give it by check or credit card because people can find out.
Like one time in Canada, I didn’t have any more cash, and I had to use a credit card. Then the police even went to the shop to ask, “Who bought it? Is it real money or…?” Because it was a lot, so they doubted whether or not there was something fishy. So, they went to the shop and asked. And they saw, “OK, this is Her credit card. It’s Her name. It’s all OK.” And then they would know my name. And then even went on the newspapers and television. Oh my God. That’s the thing that I least wanted. In this world, it’s so complicated even to do some good things. But I guess for you, you are not very known to too many people, so you could use a credit card or your bank transfer or something. But on the street, for the homeless, you can’t give a credit card to them, you can’t give a check to them. I’m not sure if they can even go to any shop and produce a check to have some food. I’m not sure.
One time I made trouble for myself, even with a check. In some countries there are two or three systems, like in the United Kingdom for example. I can’t remember very well. It was long ago. Somewhere like Northern Ireland also belongs to the United Kingdom. I can’t remember if it was in Northern Ireland, or it was already in England? Northern Ireland also belongs to UK, United Kingdom. But I did not know that there are different monies spent there. And in Ireland, southern Ireland, they use euro, for example, nowadays. But when you go to Northern Ireland, they don’t accept it. That is the thing. And it causes a lot of trouble too. It’s not just that you have money, then you don’t have trouble; it’s just less trouble. I normally don’t like to use a credit card because there are names and sometimes people can copy it and take the money out of the bank of the person who lent me the credit card – my team. It’s easier for them to handle a credit card and they lend it to me when I’m traveling; I use an ATM or something like that.
But then, I didn’t know that even in one island, they use different money. Like Ireland, southern Ireland, Dublin, they use European money. In Northern Ireland, they don’t accept it because it belongs to the United Kingdom. And then, one time I used a credit card because I didn’t have any more cash. If you keep giving away, then even the mountain will fall down. That’s what the Aulacese (Vietnamese) people say. So, I borrowed a credit card. It’s my money, anyway. My team who take care of my money take care of that for me so that I can have some emergency use of my money from an ATM. I don’t even know how to use it. I have to ask somebody nearby in the shop, “Please show me how to use the machine.” And then, they show me: “First you push this and push that and then the money will come out.” I did that several times.
And now in that country, it was Northern Ireland, I pushed in the credit card, but I used it in the wrong machine, believe it or not. I thought all the machines give the same money. No. In that area – I’m sure that was Northern Ireland – I put a credit card in the machine and some other money (different banknotes) came out, but I did not even look. I’m not an expert in money differences. Even though everybody would know it, I don’t handle too much money in a strange country, so I didn’t know. So a different money came out. And later I could pay in a shop around that area to buy some shoes, because I needed a pair of shoes. So I bought that, and some new clothes – a jacket just for warmth. And I could pay then. And I also could pay even a vegan sandwich shop, fine. So I thought no problem. So the rest of the money, I put it together with the other money, English money or European money, euro. And then I went back to England, to London.
And I didn’t have any more English money; I paid for a taxi, or airplane, or whatever already. So I didn’t have any more English money, cash. So I went to a shop – I saw a long queue going there. And they told me that you can change money in there, because I had some other money that the shop did not accept. And then I realized this is a different money. It’s not English money. You can spend that in Northern Ireland, but not there in London at that time. They told me, “Not here, not here. You can’t spend this in London, not here. You have to change it.” So then I had to go in that shop. And before that, I stood in front of that shop waiting in queue. I had a lot of EU money (euros) in my purse, so I wanted to change euros. And I poured out one. At that time I did not know that money was different. I wanted to change euros, because that money is not a lot anyway. I wanted to change a lot of euros to go find a hotel, go in a taxi and go eat something.
And then I saw a man sitting on the floor – very poor, in tattered clothes – so I thought he needed money. So I took out some money from my purse and gave it to him. And he saw the money and he said, “No, not here. You can’t spend it here. This is not English money.” I said, “Oh, OK. I didn’t know that. So now you could go in that shop there, in front here, and change the money into pounds. They will change it for you. You go in front of me.” I gave him my place. And then later he went in, and he changed it. He came out and he told me, “Oh, I changed it. It’s good.” So, I thought it was no problem. I went in, and I also wanted to change the same money. And then, they wouldn’t change it for me. They scolded me. They said, “You don’t do this kind of thing. You send a man in first to change it for you, and now you come in and change it. I won’t do this for you.”
I said, “Oh, no, sir. I did not know. So what do you change? Do you change euros then?” He said, “Yes, of course.” So, I had to step aside and let somebody else come in first because I had to open my luggage and get more money out. And then they didn’t change it. They gave me a very hard time and were scolding me about all kinds of things. I didn’t know why they were scolding me. I just wanted to change some money. I guess they suspected me of something. Because I’m not English-looking – of course I’m not. And so I said, “OK, can you please change as much as you can, so that I can get a taxi, go to a hotel and wash because I need to wash, and I need something to eat.” So, they changed 300 euros for me into English money. Oh, I did not know it was so difficult just to change money. So when I went out to get a taxi, I also didn’t know how to get a taxi there!
So I asked the people who were queuing with me, “Do you have a taxi number so that I can call a taxi for me?” So one kind lady dropped from the queue, and said, “Over there, there is a shop. Inside you have a free phone to call for a taxi.” I said, “Oh, wow, there are such things? So kind! And where is the shop?” She pointed her finger. “What is the name of the shop? How do I get there?” She said, “OK, I’ll take you there.” So she brought me to the shop. I gave that post office a couple of thousand euros, but they only changed for me finally when I said, “Please, change some so that I can go have something to eat.” Then they changed only 300 euros. They didn’t change more. I said, “OK, thank you anyway, thank you anyway.”
And then the lady later also told me, the one who brought me to the shop, she told me, “You can go to that shop. They change everything for you, any money, and bigger amounts for you.” I said, “Oh, really? So kind!” So later, when I got the taxi from that free phone… She even showed me how to call that phone: “Just pick it up and somebody will talk to You, and then You say You want a taxi, and You tell them where You are, and they will come.” I also didn’t know where I was. So I said, “The shop.” And they said, “We have so many shops like that. So You have to tell me the address.” So I asked the shop workers to come and talk to the taxi (driver). I was a “stranger in the land of Egypt.” So they helped me and I got a taxi.
Photo Caption: Some Might Seem Similar, but Always Look Closer for Distinctive Quality – Difference.
