sâmbătă, 22 ianuarie 2011

A 50 euros Odyssey

It's the ocean air, warm, surrounding you. It's Lisbon, it is late in the prolonged summer. It's hostel with friends.
It's the third day of this first Erasmus trip and we are on our way to Sintra, for the moment in the Rossio train station. I have to buy a ticket from the vending machine and, as I have no change, I place a 50 euros bill in the machine. The machine gladly swallows my money and give me back a nice, warm nothing. Though I appreciate the nothingness as it characterizes most of our world, I didn't took it with delight. As the line was getting longer and the air heavier and as the robot sent from the future to make my day black, when I would've preferred to keep it in the warm blue that the portuguese sky holds, wasn't returning nor ticket, nor money, I file a complaint with Rodrigo's telephone number. And we continue our way to Sintra. Which makes it remove the goal in my stomach with its splendor.
After a month Rodrigo receives a call from Rossio. I receive a message.
After two months I receive a letter stating that I will receive a check.
After three months we call again.
When I'm back from the holidays, I find the letter with the check attached. I go to the bank. But the bank cannot cash it as "it has two lines on it", which means it is to be deposited, then withdrawn from the ATM. So I have to make a portuguese bank card. But to make this type of card I have to go to the portuguese IRS and register myself. I did this the following day, for a moderate sum. But it was useless as I found that Maite has a portuguese bank card so we deposited the check in her account. And a few days later I have my money back.
It wasn't so hard. You, Entity, could do better.

Thank you Rodrigo and Maite for helping me!