Know the Local Holidays

Today started out weird. I got up too early because the bank issue was making me nervous. I suppose that being 9330 km (5800 miles) from home with $25, running out of toothpaste and food, would make anyone nervous. I ate breakfast and had a Skype talk with my husband. However, I didn't get any coffee because my roommate was still sleeping when I left. I went outside and didn't put on a jacket. It really looked so warm! Well apparently no one else thought so since I was the only one in short sleeves. I ended up looking like I'm from some polar region if I consider THIS to be a short-sleeve weather. I have to admit it was chilly outside. There weren't many people around. I wondered if they all stayed in because of the cool weather. Then I got to the lab and the doors were locked. That was distressing - no coffee, feeling chilly, locked outside. I went to get some coffee and walked to the main campus pedestrian road.

This main campus road was full of people just yesterday!

Then I realized - it's not that there aren't many people walking around - in reality - there's no one here! Suddenly I got a weird memory flash of someone behind a desk telling me they won't be open the next day. AHA! I know what's going on! Need to get access to Internet NOW! So I sat down and opened my laptop - Google: "USA national holidays" - 11th of November is Veteran's Day! Back home for a coffee then!

Pretty exotic flowers.

This seemed a good chance to spend the day looking for the right ATM machine. Yesterday I called my bank to ask what I could do to get cash with my card. As it turns out Visa and Visa Electron are not the same thing. Actually I didn't think they were, but a stupid USA bank clerk said that Visa and Visa Electron are the same and if my card doesn't work in their machine, then I should contact my bank in Estonia. It seems I have bad luck with bank clerks. So now I knew that I had to find an ATM that says Visa Electron on it.

Our common Estonian weed. Impossible to kill and apparently grows EVERYWHERE. Including San Diego.

I checked on all the ATMs I saw, with no luck. Then I looked it up on the Internet and I marked all the Visa Electron accepting ATM machines on my map and went hunting! An hour later still nothing! I had seen six or seven ATMs. None of them really accepted Visa Electron. It was getting hopeless. Then I saw a random hotel nearby and remembered what my husband said in the morning. "Big hotels often have ATM machines that accept even the weird foreign cards that no one in USA uses.". It was worth a try. I went in there, looking like a mountain climber in a palace, and asked if they have an ATM that accepts Visa Electron. The person working there was really friendly and curiously asked what a Visa Electron is! Their ATM didn't have any markings on it at all. I put my card in, followed the instructions and IT GAVE ME MONEY!!!! YAY! Thank you, thank you!

The window of a BOOKstore.

You know what, you Americans have a weird understanding of stores. Yesterday I visited UCSD bookstore. At first I thought I was in the wrong place since I didn't see any books. Okay, that makes sense, they also sell UCSD stuff like UCSD mugs and pens, t-shirts and flip-flops... and uhm, Christmas decorations?! Okay, I'll accept that... Uhm, what are spatulas and whisks doing here? Now this is too weird! I also found my new notebook and a San Diego map.

Class of 2006, Class of 2007, Class of 2008, ..., ..., ....
Pretty optimistic, don't you think?

Today I also went to Vons supermarket and I also had my first burrito. Loved 'em both! Vons more than the burrito. Closest thing to Tartu supermarkets so far. They sold toothpaste there and all sorts of other ordinary stuff that everyone needs anyway. Prices were mostly similar to Estonian, except some weird things. Would you pay 40 kroons for a regular can of diced tomatoes? Or 50 kr/kg for apples that usually cost 20 kr/kg. I got really cheap apples - 3 pounds for $5. Almost nothing seemed cheaper than in Estonia.

Weird thing about it - the way things were organized. Toothpaste, "Extra chocolaty" cookies, paper tissues, "Buy 2 to get 1 free" cupcakes, paper plates, "All Natural" fruit juice! One side was always sweets and even between regular merchandise you'd find an odd cookie. I saw Oreo cookies in 4 different sections and after a while I almost bought some, but they all came is 1-pound-get-fat-fast packages. Also, by the time I reached dried fruits, I considered it a healthy choice to buy "Natural yogurt covered raisins". Stopped myself at the last moment. No wonder people get fat. (still haven't seen fat people though).