Culture Stress!!! (by Joe)

In my first month of life here on the other side of the world the source of my culture stress has been one of the most western institutions you can find, a bank. Both of the banks I have dealt with are western owned, but that does not mean they actually operate like they do back home. In just 5 weeks a total of 5 checks I have sent to various people have been denied, the reason being that the signatures did not match what the bank had in their computer records. When was the last time you had someone deny your credit card purchase or check because of a faulty signature? It would actually be encouraging to have this happen every
now and then back home.

Here on the other side, your signature must be exactly the same each and every time you sign your name. On top of that every check must have anofficial stamp from your organization. Where do you get such official stamps? A banker once told my friend living here that he simply needed to go to the market and create one himself. After signing perfectly and stamping with your official stamp you can be almost sure that you are ready to send the check, and that the recipient will be able to get their money.

This banking stress, or rather minor nuisance, has of course led to disproportionate anger. The colonial impulses, which I thought I was free from, quickly kick in and lead to a lot of nasty faces and demeaning thoughts/words. The good news is that life is the same on this side of the world, the fight for faith and patience is the same, just played out in a new context with slightly different twists (Heb 6:12).