Wow. Today I don’t know where and how to begin…maybe…mmmh…maybe…or maybe, I guess…yes…yes, I am certain…so…here we go…
I start with a HUGE-BIG-THANK-YOU to all of you, who supported me and my Washing Machine Project! 540.500 Costa Rican bills were collected!
H O O R R A Y ! ! !
Saturday evening, 19th of August.
“I do have a surprise for you!” I inform mis Padres.
“What….? A surprise…???”
“YEP! Tomorrow, after church, here in the kitchen, about half past nine? Do you have time?”
“Sí claro!!!” they say delighted. “Oh dear, now I can’t sleep all night…I am so excited!” cheers Madre Margarita happy.
Geez. I’m excited too. I hope they like my idea…someone from Austria put the egg (*) in my ear, that my family could feel degraded because I’m collecting money…
(*) Well, you know, I am not to good with sayings…and okay, maybe it is wrong to say to put an egg into one’s ear. But a bug. Yesyesyes…But it is not TOTALLY wrong to say egg…I mean, the bug could lay an egg right in the moment when put into your ear…and then indirectly you had put an egg into your ear…right?
Anyway, my fear was ungrounded – their joy was gigantic!
We all are a bit nervous because of the camera infront of our face 😉 but I wanted to catch the moment for you!
After the end of the “shooting” some tears would roll…not only out of Madres eyes, no, even padres is deeply emotional!
Carefully I ask if they really want to buy a new washing machine – after all, I would not want to force a benefit to them but give pleasure! And so I would like to leave them the decision what makes them very happyI
But I can’t finish my sentence as Madre Margarita grins like a Cheshire cat: “I want the new washing machine!!!”
“How nice!” I grin with her. “Padre Memo, would you like to come with me to San Isidro tomorrow? I will go on vacation, to Corcovado, and need to go there for my bus. And before I leave we could go to the bank and I give you the money?”
San Isidro is the closest city with banks, supermarkets and washing-machine-shops…
Margarita unfortunately can’t come with us as tomorrow is Monday – and she has to go to work…
Margarita, despite beeing 65 years old, has to go to work. She is the cook in San Gerardo’s school. And so she cooks from Monday ’til Friday for the students and after that washes the dishes (by hand) as well as the tables and the floor…
“Mummy, would you like to go to San Isidro with them tomorrow? Then you could go and buy the washing machine together…” Mirna, my sister, says, “…I could work instead of you tomorrow…!”
Now Margarita is dancing through the kitchen. And I join her.
How nice!
Monday, 21st of August
At 7 am we go by bus to San Isidro. Padre Memo, Madre Margarita and I. Today we will buy the washing machine!
Shortly after 8 am we are in front of the bank. I push my bankcard into the cash machine and want to withdraw 540.500 Colones. Yes. Tee-hee. It’s not working. The machine babbles something in Spanish. I try again.
“Nope. I said nope.” slures the machine.
I perspire. And not only because we have about fifteen degrees Celsius more then up in the mountains.
I wave mis padres over. “What is this machine talking? I can’t understand!” Mis padres listen prayerfully – but don’t understand either. Of course they understand the words, but not the bank-language… A young man comes over and explains me the problem: “Here you can only withdraw 50.000 Colones at one time. How much do you need? 540.500 Colones? Well, then you only have to withdraw eleven times.”
Are they crazy? I have to pay fees to the bank everytime I withdraw something. And 50.000 Colones are not even 90 Dollars! Pshaw! I’m sure there will be the possibility to withdraw more then 90 Dollars!!!
“This is shit”, I say “let’s go to another financial institution!”
I try to explain (without knowing the Spanish words for bank account, fee, and withdrawing money) that I have to pay a fee everytime I withdraw some money from my bank account. And therefore it would be way cheaper to just withdraw ONE time. And I called my bank a few days ago and clarified that I can do so!
So we march to another bank. Here my bank card is not accepted. Hmpf. We go to bank number three. Nope, my card is not desired.
I check my watch. It’s already 9 am. At 11 am my bus leaves for Corcovado. I need a ticket as once the bus is full you can’t buy one anymore. So we hobble to the bus terminal and I buy my ticket. Then we leave for the next bank.
Ah, my bank card is accepted. Nice. I enter my PIN and the sum of 540.500. “This is out of the question!” so the machine.
“No-o-o-pe :-)” smirks the dumb-chine
I talk to someone of the bank-stuff and explain my problem. Or, I stammer in chaotic Spanish scraps of conversation. I think he understands and he gives me an answer. In a really short time I hear really many Spanish words…
“Por favor, otra vez. Más, mááás despacio!” – Please, Mister, again. And maybe a little, but a little bit slower, Mister?
He starts over again and I think he really tries to tell me that my account is not covered… I pull my phone. No problem, I do have a bank-app that describes that I DO have both enough money and the permission to get it! “Un momento!” I gasp.
“Due to technical reasons blablalba try later again.” my app tells me.
“Bollock. Shitty-bolloc.” I swear. Don’t need this shitty app. I just log in my bank account online! Then I smile calmingly.
Stupidly exactly now my telephone credit is empty. I pull myself together and don’t smash the bank-crappy-machine with my phone but walk with mis padres to a shop to buy new credit. Internet is still not working. Whatever! It is a city! There will be more then only four banks.
Bank number five. Of course I don’t get the desired amount. But at least I could withdraw 100.000 Colones…
Hmmm…Idea: “Padres, we could go to the washing-machine-supermarket and ask if I can pay by credit card?”
Uff. It’s nearly 10 am, only one more hour. I really haven’t thought it could be that complicated! Especially since I already DID withdraw more than 200 Dollars – without any problems.
In the shop it is nice and cool and I can place down my luggage. And the dollar signs in the eyes of the salesman are flashing ? It doesn’t matter how I pay, the matter is we buy!
And buying works ricky tick!
“Maybe this one! The one over there!”
“Yes! This one is nice!”
3, 2, 1 – mine
I push my credit card over the counter and stop breathing. The dollar signs in our seller’s eyes are flashing benevolently. Card accepted. Oh yes. At least we have the washing machine in our pocket.
Now we rush back to the 100.000 Colones machine. 300.000 bills I still need. That’s a withdrawal of three times. I push the card into the slot. Enter the PIN code. And withdraw 100.000. Great. The notes flutter in my open hand.
Let’s do it again! Once again, 100.000 banknotes are coming out of the machine.
I relax. I enter again the known numbers and: nothing. No more money. Secretly I kick against the bugger. Then we move to another bank. Heavily breathing! But here, too, any further withdrawal is denied.
I have to go and catch the bus. At least I can deliver 200.000 and I promise to bring the rest on my way back.
Exhausted and sweaty, I fall into the seat of my bus and have five hours to find relaxation for my holidays in Corcovado …
Five days later I am back in San Gerardo and am allowed to do my laundry in the new washing machine…HOW nice!
Then I hand over the remaining 100.000 the bank machine had given me without any problems. And I get again huggs and a few tears.
All in all: HAPPY END!
PS: In the video, I am told by mis Padres that I have a family in Costa Rica and am always welcome and could live with them at any time – and of course free of charge. Whoever thinks this is only because of this action, is wrong. My family had invited me much earlier, when they knew nothing about what will happen … I am very happy, because I know that it is genuine and not just because of the money I brought…
PPS: Supplement on the 8th of September 2017
Today I received a WhatsApp message and a photo of Madre Margarita: the new window is installed!
Before – a basic wooden wall
After – ‘Luciendo mi linda ventana‘ quote Margarita (‘my wonderful new window looks good’)
