In Korea, being technologically smart, they have an automatic bill pay machine at the bank. You don't send in your bills like you do in America. You go to the bank to pay your bills. You just insert your bills into the machine, press a few buttons, swipe your bank card, then presto! Bills paid!
This machine, no matter how simple it may be to the average Korean 5 year old, has been the bain of my existence since I've had to start paying bills here. It is not in English. There are no English options. It shouts Korean at you when it wants you to press a button. Its scary.
No matter how many times I've been shown how to work the stupid thing, I usually ended up needed some kind Korean to assist me with the process; usually a pissed off ajuma--old married woman, literally--to cluck and sigh at me, then push me out of the way, rip my bills out of my hand, clucking the whole time, then push me when it is time to enter my pin number. Another reason why it is so scary--man I thought Mom had a good evil eye!
Anyways, after four months of paying bills, I can now proudly say that I can do it my self, thank you very much! Yesterday, I went to pay bills. I ponied up to the machine, pressed all the right buttons, swiped my card twice (once was the wrong way), and pleased the ajumas behind me because I was fast. When I finished, I wanted to turn to the person behind me and give them a hug (or have them hug me because I did something all by myself). I wanted someone to pat me on the back, to say congratulations! But then I remembered that I was at the Korean bank, and they don't really care about me, except that I'm a foreigner in their bank (WOW!!). So I did get patted a few times, but because I'm pretty, not because I did something all by myself!
So moral of this story: Its okay that it takes me five times to get something right, I'll eventually get it. At least now I can pay my bills with out help. Can you?
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