Lost & Found

This isn't a story about losing and re-finding my mind, body and spirit in tropical paradise. It's simply what I call beach brain.

Our yoga teacher training schedule starts at the crack of dawn and finishes after the sun has set. Routines set in very quickly here because there is barely enough time during the break before we're back in session. Here's what my Mondays look like:

6:00am - 8:00am Yoga Session
8:00am - 8:30am Breakfast
8:30am - 10:00am Spanish Lesson
10:00am - 1:30pm Morning Session
1:30pm - 2:00pm Lunch
2:00pm - 5:00pm Bank
5:00pm - 6:00pm Sunset
6:00pm - 8:30pm Evening Session

What is wrong with this schedule? Right, the whole afternoon at the bank. On the first day after arrival, I forgot to retrieve my bank card after withdrawing money from the bank machine. My first reaction is grave panic. After the mini heart attack, I asked one of the staff to call the bank for me to see if the machine still had my bank card. Luckily, the bank has it! I walked home to get my ID and then walked all the way back into town. It's not a far walk at all, but in the hot afternoon sun, every step feels that much farther.

Entering a bank is like going through an airport security. First, you're asked what is your business here. Second, you go through a security check point and bag search. Finally, you're allowed inside the air-conditioned (thank goodness!) waiting room. You get a number from the machine and wait, and wait, and wait some more. The bank is always packed no matter what time of the day it is. Banco Populare is a fitting name!

45 minutes later, my number was called. I practiced my Spanish: "Me olvidé mi tarjeta en el cajero de automático." A few minutes later, the teller checked my ID, had me sign the "lost & found" register, and handed me my bank card. Happy dance!

Unfortunately, I forgot my bank card in the machine a second time within the first week. This time, I had to wait until Monday when the bank reopened to go back to retrieve my card. So I went through the same process again, except the wait was 1.5 hours. There were 40 people waiting ahead of me. Sigh! There goes my afternoon siesta time!

Since usage of electronics is prohibited in the bank (not that I have a smartphone to play with), I spent a good portion of the 1.5-hour wait time writing this out to make sure that I've learned my lesson this time.