Banking

Banking in Bolga

Being quite earnest to arrive early to do banking, I leapt on the moto (a 125 cc motorbike – roads are full of them!) for the 30 minute ride to Bolgatanga. I find the ride ying-yangish – I like the challenge of slaloming the many potholes yet I do not relish the thought, that, should I fall, this not-youngish body would find much pain and slow recovery.

Making it to “Bolga’ in fine fashion, I scurry off to enter the bank, only to see little floor space for standing. I’m talkin’ 250 plus customers waiting. I have bank drafts to do for two students in our scholarship/loan project. Were I to accept the challenge of waiting in line, It would be an all-day experience with no assurance you would reach the teller’s window before closing. Not an option as I must teach at 12:30.

I will never complain about banking service in the states. Any inconveniece there pales to the extraordinary marathon taking place here. Lots of paperwork, little use of the computer, and slow deliberate tellers. The banks name is The Ghana Commercial Bank, which is the ‘poor mans’ bank here. They offer the lowest interest rate so it is popular, but only because of that. Nary a smile from any employees. More noticable is how patient the waitiing customers are. I am not sure even in my best moments that I would be capable of such waiting without a few exasperated sighs or verbal laments. I highly admire the way Ghanaians handle waiting. I am convinced that I will ever learn this style of resolve as I have not improved yet having been here accumulatively 14 months. I guess, instead, I will keep trying to improve my ability to speak Nab’t. “Eah tooma ah yealah?” – “How is your waiting?”.