Kafka in French Bankland

Sunday 22 March 2020

Today began with sunshine, but there’s a chill in the air that won’t relent.

I began the day with a success of sorts. I finally managed to open a bank account on European soil. I had been struggling mightily to get anywhere with French banks, who seemed for whatever reason intent on seeing to it that I would never open one.

During my second week in France I tried to open an account with La Banque Postale. I went to La Poste in Corentin Celton, just outside Paris. But it turned out the bank section of the post office only dealt with everyday bank matters and told me to go to the main branch in Issy-Les-Moulineaux.

At that point I was close to a metro station, so I decided to apply for a Navigo metro card then and there. I had attempted to get one the day before, but lacking an attestation d’hébergement, I couldn’t prove I was a resident in France. This time around, however, I had a letter from my friend to prove I was staying at his home in Issy-Les-Moulineaux. With that magic totem I was finally able to receive my metro card, which would enable me to use Paris’ public transport an infinite number of times without having to pay for the privilege every time.

The metro employees I dealt with were friendly, and asked me some questions about New Zealand. But, of course, the main…