No, it can’t be true (pt. 2)
And now the day really begins. We move on to S.C.B., as suggested by Tyrone, to exchange my traveler’s cheques. Well, I guess the incident at B.I.C.E.C in Bafoussam should’ve been a clue. As it turns out, this bank also wanted to see the original receipts, and once again I had to try and figure out the logic behind the request.
The teller gave me the same rationale as the other bank. You know, the “there’s so much counterfeiting going on in Cameroon that that’s the only way to determine whether the checks are valid. Again, I asked why someone would carry the receipts if it is the only way they have to track down lost or stolen checks.
Since the tellers here spoke English, I decided it was time to handle the discussions without bother Akilah. Well actually, she was kind of frustrated with the entire situation and wanted to just sit back after I took care of it. And that’s what I did.
Who are we to think that because the bank has marbled floors and closely resembles a branch in the states, which has nothing to do with the mentality of the employees or policy of the bank.
After I requested to speak with a supervisor everything appeared to be going uphill. The exchange rate for traveler’s cheques was 697.96 CFAs per USD. I’m thinking, that’s not bad at all; especially since I know the rate was only about 40 CFAs difference about four weeks ago.
What the supervisor didn’t tell me was that there was also a bank service fee that would be imposed. Again, thinking that’s not to bad, it can’t really be too much, I was wrong. They actually had the audacity to tell me the fee was 21500 CFAs for the transaction. That’s $30! I don’t pay fees like that at Bank of America, why would I here?
Now I’m really fuming, not only have I been here about forty minutes, no one is giving me the full scoop each time I speak to them. Why can’t people just be up front about everything and not act like it’s a big secret. Don’t they know this has an effect upon how people deal with them in the future?
Instead of staying there and blowing my top, I decided to just head out. Couldn’t think of anything else to do. I didn’t want to begin saying thing’s that would be offensive to others, but also, I didn’t want to allow myself to get that upset. Not a bad thought either.
However, after rationalizing things out in my head, I decided to head back and ask the supervisor some questions. Initially the teller who gave me the exhange fee didn’t want to get her, but she finally gave in when my being at the counter drew the attention of other tellers.
It’s worth asking questions when you notice sensible folks. Turns out the fee for exchanging traveler’s cheques is 21500 CFAs, however, the fee for exchanging cash is 2350 CFAs. If they don’t want you to exchange traveler’s cheques, why not just say so? Why charge you ten times the rate for cash, when these things are probably a little more secure.
I can’t believe that someone in Cameroon is able to counterfeit an American Express Traveler’s Cheque with a Bank of America logo and the foil imprint of the AMEX logo. Who do these administrator’s think they’re talking to when it comes to counterfeiting? I’m a graphic designer for goodness sake, the logic of what they’re trying to explain to me doesn’t make sense.
Then all of a sudden, Akilah and I realized one thing, if we attempt to deal logically with people, the way we would in the states, we’ll only frustrate ourselves. But should I walk around thinking I’m better than these people because their logic is warped? I mean they’re very intelligent folks.
You can find taxi driver’s who’ve completed the equivalent of a Master’s degree at one of the University’s in the country. Besides that, there seems to be a knack amongst the people to debate and discuss issues that some in the states would just pass over. So why can’t they have begin instituting “sane” logic into everyday activities?
Another thing we realized? Development is not about paved streets, or capital improvements within a municipal area. It’s strictly about a certain mindset. It’s not that Cameroonians don’t want to develop their country, it’s that for the most part, there are leaders and a good number of citizens that don’t exemplify the mindset that’s conducive to developing a nation.
That’s the only explanation for what we witness when we see little children walking around with raggedy clothing and older family members decked out in the nicest pagne possible. There’s something wrong there.
After finally rectifying the incorrect information about exchanging cash, I did what I needed to and headed out. It was laughable that the teller tried to make me believe she thought I was inquiring about depositing the traveler’s cheques into a new account, when I specifically asked her for the exchange for cash and she responded it was the same. Ha!