EDITORS NOTE – I give up. Just when I thought nobody would want to read about a layover, now Mark decides to do an entire post on banking? Banking?! In keeping with Hollywood analogies, this isn’t “The Big Short.” And you aren’t Ryan Gosling. Or Brad Pitt. And definitely not Margot Robbie in a bathtub.
An expat, or an expatriate for those who prefer the “Queen’s English,” is a term used to describe an “individual living and/or working in a country other than his or her country of citizenship.” Whether for work, leisure, or a drunken promise to “move to (insert nation) if (insert presidential candidate that rhymes with Frump) is elected,” this collection of lost souls have come together to form a like-minded community in their new home away from home. And have done so by managing to unearth every possible loophole to navigate through the maze of legal requirements that stand before them. Requirements that weren’t necessarily meant to keep expats out, but were more so, established with the notion that expats would never want… in. (Shout out to Sumji, the ONLY registered Mongolian expat living in Iceland. You do you Sumji!) Now, as a first-generation American citizen, born to two South African parents, who at the time of my “earthly arrival” were still attempting to pass their citizenship exam, this small technicality in the delay of their citizenship, afforded me the opportunity to obtain my own dual citizenship with South Africa. Which in turn, enabled the passing of this “somewhat useful but not really useful” torch to our boys, Lincoln & Finn. It’s like the familial transmission of DNA, except in this case, the end result does not involve failing to grow to a height greater than that of a rollercoaster’s “you must be this tall to ride” sign. (Damn you Cedar Point and your lack of empathy for the undersized community!) Thus, arriving to South Africa, as three shorter-than-average-expats-but-not-expats, and one “wife in tow,” we began the time-consuming process of establishing our lives here, piece by piece. Bit by bit. Corrupt system by even more corrupt system. And in doing so, lessons were learned, and what should be a fairly informative blog post series developed unto itself (at least for those who can make it through the 1st few paragraphs -- Julie tapped out pretty early). Also, shout out to Moondust Management for their very educational “how to run a successful blog” session – I actually took a few notes and hopefully paid attention? TBD. Without further ado, learn, learn away dear readers! Lesson #1 - Bank Accounts
As a note that, there of course is a fee that the South African bank charges to “receive” the money, to which a friend here put best, “Why would we ever charge America for sending money to us?! Give us your bloody dollars!”
Finally, a minimal fee is charged by the bank on both sides of the transaction (did you miss the fee section above?). And somehow this arrangement functions fairly efficiently, with almost every US-based privacy law broken. Hurray?
Sorry, no pics this week, although I do recommend googling “South African Currency” – The combination of Nelson Mandela & safari animals is an unstoppable combination. Next Post: How to be an Expat, When You Aren't Technically an Expat (Part 2 - Health Insurance) – Please try to contain your excitement for this one.
3 Comments
Melissa
8/30/2021 06:04:37 am
Please assign me completion credit for getting to the end of this.
Reply
Mark
8/30/2021 01:12:07 pm
Done and done! Your diligence is duly noted, and hopefully your brain now encompasses some very useful knowledge on the South African banking system. To be used... never?
Reply
carol segal
9/4/2021 10:00:16 pm
lovely hearing from you Mark. Keep up your blogs - I registered but it seems to have not worked. Lovew to Julie and the boys. Carol
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
PRIOR BLOG POSTS: Year Abroad Intro: • Welcome to our Newest Blog! Again! • The Move - Dissected, Probed and Then Probed Some More • The Voyage (Part 1) - If At First You Don't Succeed, Trying Again Won't Work Either • The Voyage (Part 2) - The Layover to Rule All Other Layovers • A Personal Life Update - Establishing Our Shallow Roots A Guide to South Africa: • How to be an Expat When You Aren't Technically an Expat (Part 1 - Bank Accounts) • How to be an Expat, When You Aren't Technically an Expat (Part 2 - Health Insurance) • Load Shedding - Keeping the Lights Off in South Africa Since 2007 • 195 Ways to Fight a Pandemic - The South Africa Edition • Halloween in South Africa - Playing Catch-Up Since 2016 • SnapScan - South Africa's Glimpse into America's Future • Thanksgiving in South Africa - Where My Turkeys Be At? • Life at the Epicenter of Omicron - A Different Type of Cancel Culture • Playgrounds - The Starbucks of South Africa • Cost of Living in South Africa - An Exploratory Journey of Everyday Expenses Trips: • Namibia Roadtrip (1 of 3) - Driving a Shake Weight to Sossusvlei • Namibia Roadtrip (2 of 3) - Searching for Souls in Swakopmund • Namibia Roadtrip (3 of 3) - Getting our Safari on at Etosha National Park • Weekend Getaway in Robertson - A Trip Down Pleasantville Lane • Summer Holiday Trip (1 of 3) - Glamping Without the Glam in the Drakensberg Mountains • Summer Holiday Trip (2 of 3) - The Historical Chronicles of Kruger National Park • Summer Holiday Trip (3 of 3) - Searching for Whales and Spare Tires in the Overberg • Visitors Round 1 - The Woodmans - An Expedited Exploration of Everything • The Great Wildebeest Migration - 15 Years of Waiting Decided in 15 Minutes • Ngorongoro Crater - A Pre-Migration Layover Inside an Inverted Volcano • Ndutu - The Safari to Rule All Other Safaris • Serengeti National Park - Seeking Out Simba at an Abandoned Pride Rock • Zanzibar - The Island of Sugar, Spice and Most Things Nice • Visitors Round 2 - Let's Ignore Our Sanity & Do All The Things • Wild Coast - A Little Tatse of the O.G. South Africa Cape Towning: • Spring Break in September - Just as Strange as it Sounds • A Day in the Life of a South African Expat - The Visual Edition • A Wrinkle in Our Spare Time • Our Final Week in South Africa - A Bittersweet Symphony of Bucket Lists The Other Stuff: • This is 40: The South Africa Version |