faire le robinson

I had been warned that it might be complicated for me to open a bank account in France, especially since I don't yet have a bill proving I live here. Heck, I don't even have a mailbox at the house yet, but that's for another time...

Saturday, Laurence took me to the Crédit Agricole to inquire about opening an account. I had to make an appointment for later in the week, and it's been at the forefront of my mind for days. Because I didn't need a French bank account when I lived here as a student all those years ago, and it's so easy to withdraw funds on my account in the States with my ATM card, I don't have an extensive knowledge of banking vocabulary.

Being a prompt American, I arrived at the bank a few minutes early. It should be noted that here, banks are closed for lunch, usually from 12:30 - 2:00pm. Precisely at 2:00, the metal gate opened and I nervously entered. I didn't even have to remind the receptionist who I was - she immediately got up, greeted me with a firm handshake, and went to find the woman with whom I had an appointment. Less than a minute later, I was approached by Mlle Anne-Sophie Dourlens. and a gentleman whose name I regret that I didn't catch. He explained that he was sitting in on our appointment, either shadowing her or observing her - that part was never clear. We went into her office, closed the door, and sat down to business. Sort of.

The first ten minutes were spent discussing my unique situation. They were extremely curious about the exchange, and the man in particular was concerned about the process of exchanging housing. "What if there's damage when you get home?" he asked. I explained that we'd signed a housing contract, but that I'm also an optimist and believe this year will be successful no matter what. He also wondered if I came to France voluntarily, and if so, why. Why!? Why not, I say. To practice my French. For a change. For a new adventure. At this point, Mlle Dourlens interjected to point out that I have the perfect name. I learned that in French, there's an expression that when someone goes out on an adventure, they faire le Robinson, or "do a Robinson" - as in Robinson Crusoe. How have I never learned this before?!

We finally got around to talking about opening a bank account. I explained that until last week when I helped Nathalie, I didn't even know how to open one at home, since I've had my account since I was an adolescent. I presented my passport, my attestation d'échange from the Fulbright Commission in Paris, another form from the French CIEP, as well as a letter from Nathalie stating that I was staying in her house for the duration of the year. They asked me if I needed a carte bancaire (a debit card) so I could withdraw funds from the DAB (distributer automatique de billets), as well as pay for things. Mais oui! And did I also need a checkbook? Je sais pas, I replied... do you think I need one? In the end, we decided I did, to pay for things like car insurance (if I get a car) and the fuel to heat the house in the winter. There is a monthly charge of just over 5euros for the bank card, and I confess I didn't even ask about the checkbook. To get my bank card, I'll have to stop back by the bank in 8-10 days to pick it up, along with my first book of checks. All of my papers were then put in a fancy binder for me. Both Mlle Dourlens and her colleague were so kind and patient when I had a complete loss of vocabulary for a brief moment. They said over and over that if I had any questions or problems, to call her direct number and she'd be glad to help me, as she's the employee who will be overseeing my account.

I made my first deposit I withdrew from my account at home using the DAB, and I was off on my next Robinson...