At Work – WMF Offices

My Boss – Ginevra

                At work, Monday morning.  Finally, three days of travel later, I am face to  face with Ginevra, Project Leader for WMF in Cambodia/Angkor.  She is quite warm and charming as she projected in many WMF videos and is quite respectful even though she is the boss.  Probably my great head of grey hair.

                We sat and reviewed the work plan, which in person seems very difficult.  Review fifteen years of documentation and summarize them.  The plan is simple, execution is daunting. Good news, the documentation is on line;  bad news, documentation includes thousands of photos, and organization is not immediately clear.

                Then we jumped into the WMF car, a Toyota small truck, endemic in Asia.  Seats plus cargo capacity.  She was kindly attending to my needs; getting funds from the ATM, showing me the supermarket, buying a SIM card. giving me a tour of the neighborhood so that when I next set out on a bike, I might not get lost.

                It was about thirty years ago in my mind that ATM's began offering local currency for foreign cards.  It was a revelation. If you do remember, every international trip required a stop at the bank to buy American Express Travelers Cheques. In $100 denomintions, you would laborously sign one half of the check, oh, Cheque. On the other side youwnet to the ban to get the best rate and converted the check, oh cheque, to localcurrency. Now pop in your card, type yoiur PIN and out comes local currency. Amazing bit of technology.   Now, like ATM’s worldwide, there is one on every corner for local currency.

                But for me it is never easy.  I learned, after two failures that a six digit PIN does not work in foreign ATMs.  Only the first four digits.  Or that you really have to tell your bank that you will be out of the US, or the card will be refused.  Added is the human error after ten or twenty hours of flying.  For me the first try at the airport fails.  And the line of people behind me adds to my anxiety.

                Often I leave the airport failing the most important task, having local currency. 

                Giinevra’s first stop was the ATM about a block form the office.  I had written the PINS on a piece of paper and they both worked on the first try. WOW, quite relieved.

                The supermarket was a heartening experience.  Lots of good foods, even yoghurt and granola. 

                We got a SIM card for the one or two chances to call Ginevra or the office for help.

                Then we drove back to the office to begin work.