If money be not thy servant, it will be thy master.
Francis Bacon
The banks opened yesterday after a week of crisis. Ilhumdulila! By 1:30pm, however, my bank had run out of money and locked its doors; so today I arrived early. I was impressed by the enhanced organization and the relative calm considering that many people have been worried about their money.
My bank has a system whereby you take a number when you enter and sit in not uncomfortable chairs to wait for your number to flash above a teller. There are three number sequences based on who you are and what you want to do (à la Egyptian democracy): withdrawal, deposit or BIG deposit. I think the last group represents business transactions but the Arabic translates literally as 'big deposits'. On normal days, 'withdrawal' numbers seem to be called forward more slowly than the other options but today it all seemed quite egalitarian. In an unusual turn, all six teller positions were operational and no one was allowed to jump the queue. As a result, I happily had my money within 20 minutes.
Having (a lot of) money in one's pocket during a crisis is a good thing because credit cards might not be accepted for important purchases, such as when a friend wanted to buy an airline ticket to get out. 'Cash only' had become the airline's policy at a time when banks were closed and most ATMs were not functioning. I've learn a lot in the past week!
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