#bankproblems

1. NO PHONES ALLOWED

Whenever I'm in a public place, my awkwardness and discomfort just upgrade... and my hero is my phone. Sometimes I pretend to text or read a text, sometimes I play games (anything out of the 3 boring games installed on my phone right now) and most of the time I watch videos.

There was a long line when I arrived. I counted and I was the 21st person to reach the counter, and every person had to spend at least 5 minutes, so I don't wanna count how long I had to wait. In "waiting-in-line" situations, the best thing I do is to watch videos on my phone because I can never feel the long wait. So that's what I did, I watched a video (Dan and Phil Games video - they're playing Slender) on my phone. Now, I knew that texting or calling wasn't allowed in banks, so I was confident that I'm not doing anything wrong. I was just watching a video.

But no. 3 minutes into the video, and one of the guards walked up to me, shaking his head and waving his hand. He didn't say anything, he probably thought I couldn't hear him because I had my earbuds on, but I got his point. So I said "sorry" and just placed my phone back in my pouch. I felt embarrassed with that, seriously. But it got worse when all the other people in line just looked back at me with judging expressions.

I didin't know watching videos is not allowed! I mean, what's even the point of that? Security purposes?

A friggin 4'11" girl wearing a white dress and pigtails on her hair watching a video of two guys playing Slender... is a threat!? A THREAT TO SECURITY?

2. THE GUARDS ARE ASSHATS

If you're not a 40-something professional person wearing suit & tie or a huge vest with pencil cut skirt, the guards won't greet you as you enter.

If you're not a bloody rich senior citizen who's going to deposit a shipload of cash to be inherited by ungrateful children, spoiled grand children, and accidentally born great grand children, the guards will constantly narrow their eyes and subtly follow you around.

So... if you're are a girl who's short for her age, wearing a Supernatural lanyard with a Sherlock button pin and red earbuds around it, holding a 500mL Coke Zero... then the guards will probably just judge everything you do down to the point where they will literally pull you to stand in line exactly where they want to.

Oh, and if they catch you mumbling to yourself afterwards, they will most definitely sigh with relief as you walk out the building.

I bet if they weren't required to push and pull the doors everytime people pass, they will just stare at me as I try to open the heavy doors.

3. THE PLACE IS TOO CLEAN, QUIET, BORING AND ... NORMAL?

I like clean places. I would be immoral to enter a stinky slimy bank right? But the cleanliness of the place is too much for my comfort. Like I always feel I look like a homeless kid when I enter a bank. It's so intimidating and huge and all the other people look fancy with all their office suits and they'd just stare at you weird.

I also like quiet places. One of my most favorite places is the library or a book store because of the peace and quiet. But when it's a bank, the level of silence is a bit bothersome. Would it hurt to have a radio playing or something? Well, some banks do have music playing, like the one near my previous work, but the selection of songs they play can literally make my long-dead grandpa dance. Seriously.

Lastly, it amazes me how people could just stand there and wait in line not doing anything. I CAN'T DO THAT. I can never command my brain and body to just stand still and be calm and wait. No. When I think of that, my brain will go all psycho, my stomach will do somersaults, my feet will start to tap and I will just want to leave. I don't know if it's normal. I'm definitely not sick. Is it a condition or disorder? I have no idea. I just can't stay still like all of them in a public place. Like I said, I use my phone to calm me down but in banks, that's not an option. So I put on my earbuds and try to read the boring posters about loans and percentage.

4. THE "YOU'RE NEXT" ANXIETY

I have always had this extreme anxiety of being in a long line, and then I'm next to be called. This happens in counters and elevators. That dreadful moment when I'm the one in front of the line... it always makes me want to melt. I don't know why, but I just feel like when I'm the one in front, everyone in the line behind me is looking at me, which is very disturbing for my guts. But the worse is when I feel that they're probably blaming me when the line is not moving.

I literally hear them complain in my head like "Ugh the line is taking too long why aren't we moving?" and all eyes go to me coz I'm the one in front. But there's nothing I can really do coz I'm just waiting to be called.

They're probably not blaming me or complaining, but still it immensely bothers me.

5. THE COUNTER FOR GIANTS

What the hell? What is your problem with short people? Seriously, I envy everyone else when they go up the counter and their elbows are placed relaxed on top of the counter as they wait for their transactions to be processed. I CAN NEVER REACH THOSE DAMN COUNTERS. In every bank I've ever been to. So I just stiffly stand there. So awkward.

My choices are:

Stare at the bank teller as she types away the stuff I wrote on the slip

Read the sign "PLEASE COUNT YOUR MONEY BEFORE LEAVING THE COUNTER" in front of me at least 15 times

or fumble around my pouch pretending to count money (I rarely do this coz it just adds up my awkward meter to the judging eyes of everyone, but when I'm out of option, this comes in handy)

So that's it.

I avoid going to the bank as long as possible, but in certain times I have no other choice. I use online banking if it's allowed in the transaction I need, but yeah every once in a while I need to get my lazy butt away from the computer.

I'm not gonna say that banks are like hell for me. Hell would be cool coz I get to see Crowley browsing his phone pictures with Demon Dean and Rowena will just shake her head there and frame one of Crowley's assistants.

Well, the point is, a person like me can never fit in the environment of a bank.