Day 46 - Bank

[dotinthesky]

After 7 months of living in Brazil, I finally opened a bank account.

I’ve set myself up as a translator and need somewhere for my future fortune to go. My new account also allows me to generate invoices.

Took them an hour to call me over. Then I got moved on to the bank manager. She was curious to know how long I’d lived in London – she’s planning a holiday there in May. She was even more curious about my birth in South Africa. She asked me to write down “Johannesburg” so she could look it up later on Google.

Comments

[alefy]

You were born in Johannesburg? Were you there for long?

I sometimes get similar reactions when I tell people I was born in Tehran. :)

[picosgemeos.livejournal.com]

We lived there until I was 6. Then we moved back to Brasil (my mom's home country) and were here until I was 16. Then my dad got transferred to Singapore, then Hong Kong - by which time I finished high school and went off to Canada for uni. :)

Lived in Canada for 5 blissful years and met my (now ex) boyfriend. When my visa was done there, we moved together to the UK and lived in London for 18 years!

How long were you in Tehran?

[alefy]

Interesting.

I am ethnically Iranian. My dad’s home country is Iran; but I spent my formative years in Mosul (Iraq) for my dad’s work.

We moved to Australia during the Iraq-Iran war when I was 6. My most childhood memories have bits of the river Tigris in them, even though I haven’t been there for 30 years now. Through my growing-up years, we lived in a few South Asian countries (Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) for dad’s work as well; a year here and another there.

I visited Hong Kong a few years back on my own, for work. Did you like it there?

[picosgemeos.livejournal.com]

I liked HK a lot, but I'm aware I had a very privileged life there. Also, i was a teenager and didn't enjoy it as much as I could! (I preferred McDonalds to Chinese meals, for example, back then). The last time I was there was for the handover in 97. It must have changed so much since then.

Do you wish you could travel back to Iran?

[alefy]

I have spent more time in Iraq, than I have in Iran. I have many many fond memories of middle-east; but all of them portrays my father. My dad has passed away a few years back. It's bitter-sweet.

To answer your question honestly, I would like to take my son for a visit that part of the world one day... but to me, Australia is home.

I was angry when USA killed Soleimani in Baghdad though. I still am. I guess I am far from indifferent. I guess it's complicated.

[picosgemeos.livejournal.com]

I can imagine how complicated it must feel, especially when you consider your own son as well and his own experience of these cultures.

When Soleimani was killed, the media painted such a WWIII scenario - but it seems to have died down a bit, hasn't it? Though I imagine the US are planning other strikes.

[alefy]

I have suspected that the impending 'impeachment' thing had something to do with it. Sadly, 'fear' is a rather effective currency of the world these days.