Money and Buses

A fellow expat commented on the ATMs here in the Netherlands in a recent blog and that reminded Erin of the new things she learned about retrieving money from an ATM in the past couple weeks. John is usually the one to get cash out of the ATM. Since there are no bills here smaller than a 5 and John despises carrying coins around, Erin can usually survive by just picking through the change he leaves on the table, sometimes adding up to €10-15! Besides, most of the shopping Erin does can be paid for using her Pin card anyway. However, with John working all the time lately, Erin has had the task of going to the ATM for him.

When choosing how much money to take out of the ATM, one must decide carefully because if you decide later in the day that you really need more cash you will be out of luck. There is a limit to using your card to get cash from an ATM: only one transaction per day. Erin found this out the hard way after accidentally pushing the wrong button and getting much less cash than John had asked for. Luckily, he didn't need all the cash the same day so Erin just made another trip to the ATM the next day.

Also, it is luck of the draw what kind of bills you will receive out of the machine. For instance, when asking for €50, you could get a €50 bill or perhaps two 20s and a 10. It is quite frustrating that many stores expect customers to have exact change and seem very put out when all you have is a €50 to pay for a €26 item or a €20 to pay for an €8 bill. So of course receiving smaller bills is preferable to receiving large ones from the ATM (unless, like our fellow expat, you happen to get 25 €10 bills that won't even fit in your wallet). After pressing your cash choice, you wait anxiously while the machine whirs and clanks, finally spitting out your cash. It is a happy moment when multiple bills appear and you know you will avoid the wrath of some sales clerk because you now have a €10 bill.

In case anyone needs a tip on public transportation in Amsterdam, Erin has one: trams run more often and closer to their scheduled departure times than do buses. Actually, Erin has yet to find a bus schedule that means anything. Since bus times are few and far between to begin with, once the buses get off schedule there is no telling how long you might have to wait for one to appear. Trams, on the other hand, while not always accurate, run more often. Even if the trams are not on schedule, one will usually show up within 8 minutes.

We heard this week that temperatures in Texas reached the 100s...and it's only April! And we thought our weather here was getting warmer! The mid-50s we've been enjoying seem downright frigid in comparison! Such hot temperatures in Texas are certainly no motivation to return. The redeeming qualities of Dallas definitely have nothing to do with the weather. People speak English and there is an abundance of great Mexican food - now those are redeeming qualities!