A place for my monies

One of the stipulations of my grant is that, in order to be paid, I need to have a German bank account (the German government, through one of its agencies, is actually the one paying me, and I guess they want to make sure the money goes through a German bank). Opening an account here had me and a lot of the other assistants worried, since bank terminology and all those polysyllabic words like “guarantee” and “safety deposit” aren’t things usually included in your common and garden Deutsch Eins textbook.

The other day, I had gotten out of school at about 1:30 and headed over to an office near the apartment in order to register my address with the local authorities (which everyone has to do, not just foreigners). That didn’t take too long, and when that was done, I was heading back toward the apartment when I passed a bank, and suddenly it occurred to me that since I already had my passport and registration form on me, I might as well try to open the account that afternoon. So I walked in.

The people who opened the account for me were actually very patient. (I noticed this when I bought my cell phone as well. Then and when I went to the bank, I opened the conversation by explaining that I would have to ask for their patience because my German wasn’t very good. In both cases, the people helping me didn’t even acknowledge what I’d said. They just gave this brief little nod, as if to say, “Yes, I’ve already noticed that your German isn’t very good. Now how is it that I can help you?”). And the whole experience wasn’t too bad – I’d forgotten how much of the whole process of opening an account consists of the teller explaining things to you and how little you actually need to say.

So, anyway, I now have a bank account and can be paid, and pay my rent, which is exciting.