Banking in Belgium

Not that we have any money to spend living off the mighty US Dollar that is currently worth .55 Euro cents over here, late on Friday we were introduced to the somewhat complicated and intricate banking system in Belgium. After opening a checking account we received four, yes four, pin codes to access our account because apparently in Belgium one pin code just isn't enough. In order to open this account we signed more paperwork than we did when we bought our house in Novi!!!!

Here is another Belgian banking mystery; when opening a credit card account in Belgium one is required to open an account in escrow in order for a credit limit to be established. Remarkably what this means is a credit card is actually just another account not a credit card because your credit limit is based on the balance amount in escrow. Did you follow that? We thought Europeans where more advanced than us Americans...apparently not.

So 19 signatures, 4 pin codes, an escrow account and 2 digicell algorythm readers later we only have to wait two weeks to get our cards in the mail. In America we can order a pizza and have it delivered in less than 30 minutes, we have same day dry cleaning, one hour photo processing and our gym in open 24 hours a day. In Belgium the only pizza that is delivered is on scooters and you would be lucky to get it that same night, dry cleaning takes 3-4 days if you slip the guy at the register and extra 20 Euros, nobody processes photos and the gym is closed on the weekends apparently when people don't work out???

All this being said, we may sound like we are complaining but in reality we are having fun learning how the other side of the world opperates. However, rest assured once back in Michigan we will order a pizza just for the hell of it, dry clean everything in a day and workout at 2am just because!

Loving life in Belgium, talk to you all again soon!
Au revoir!
C & M