With a little luck we were able to find a wireless connection at our new apartment that wasn't locked. We are still waiting on our Colombian ID's so we can get Directv and internet, but until then I will take gladly accept this nice little wireless signal. It's not the most reliable, but I am working on getting back to blogging.
In the midst of moving in and getting settled my 30 Day Photography Challenge began and I promise, I have actually followed it each day (are you shocked, because I sort of am...)
(i am proceeding with the dates these were actually taken, so if it sounds like I am speaking from the future, that's because I am.)
Day One: Self Portrait
June 1st was the day we packed up and shipped out of the Hilton. It was an early day for me and Matt actually got to sleep in. We started around 6 am, had our last Hilton breakfast, and a driver came to get us and the rest of our luggage. We made a pit-stop at our new casa to drop off our luggage and then headed to the grocery store to stock up. Like most "first time" grocery shopping trips it was full of necessities and was quite expensive. Many consumer items can be quite costly here. Did I mention I paid $8 USD for shaving cream. Yep. I also saw some dried cranberries for 34,000 pesos. That's over 15 dollars.
After unloading our groceries we headed to the mall. There is a store called the Home Center which looks pretty much identical to Lowes, but also has a slight Bed Bath & Beyond vibe. We walked through each aisle and had a cart full. This is where our day got really interesting. We are still using our bank cards from the US. Before we left for Colombia we called each customer service line and informed them of our move and that any activity in Colombia should not be viewed as suspicious. Apparently that memo ran out. Our cards were declined.
We had spent the last 2.5 hours walking around with a list and filling a cart with things we needed, but weren't going to be able to leave with a thing. Thankfully, I had a credit card in my wallet and we were able to use that.
Since our apartment only has one tv (and we all know I have an addiction) we are going to purchase an additional television. So after our Home Center debacle we head on over to the electronic store and Matt picks out his tv. I am not going to lie, I had some anxiety about trying this card situation again. However, Matt was confident that I had nothing to worry about. So, there we are in line. Trying to buy a television. Every card DECLINED. I don't know if this has every happened to you before, but it's pretty embarrassing. Then slap a language barrier on it. Stupid Americans. That evening Matt contacted the bank (through a very broken up Magic Jack phone conversation) to discuss with them our residency and need for our cards to be reliable. There comment was, "Well sir, you're traveling in Colombia, there is valid reason to be suspicious. Touche. But we had to set him straight. No Travel. Vivo aqui. Let's hope it's taken care of because that wasn't very fun.
After a full day I still had to take my self portrait.
And oh, isn't she lovely. Not a stitch of make up. Hair fresh out of the shower. Nice.
I look like a girl who's bank/credit cards got declined.
Oh, that's because I am.
No comments :
Post a Comment