Our coursework next week required us to get a printer.  So off I trotted to a HUGE mall 2 bus stops up from here to Best Buy (see below why there appears to be shiny glass below Best Buy in the picture!).  The initial clerk didn’t speak English and so he went and brought back Benjamin with him.

As Benjamin was showing me different printers, I casually remarked he spoke English well and he said he knew Latin, Greek and was studying French – wow!  I asked if he was a linguist and he said yes, but as we stood there and conversed he said he was very “into” Cicero, the ancient Roman philosopher and writer.

According to that Wikipedia link, Cicero’s “influence on the Latin language was so immense that the subsequent history of prose in not only Latin but European languages up to the 19th century was said to be…”

Benjamin said he’s studying linguistics at UNAM (large university here) and ultimately would like to get his PhD focused on Cicero.  He was somewhat embarrassed he was working at Best Buy, but I assured him we all have to earn livelihoods. Since he was a young “dude” I gave him a high 5 for his achievements and future goals!

But on to my printer.  He took me up to the cash register, explained to the cashier my order and I flashed out my brand new “chip and pin” MasterCard.  Problem!  I didn’t have my passport for ID – but I did show them my California drivers license and after a very careful analysis of my drivers license by a store manager and (I suspect) a lot of persuasion by Benjamin that I wasn’t a blackmailer, they accepted my card.

I don’t understand it, but Benjamin said that somehow a credit card transaction can be used for blackmail (or worse).  So when a “foreigner” shows up, and you want to use a credit card, be sure to bring your passport!

Chip and pin credit cards – we don’t have them (yet) in the US, but they are becoming common in the rest of the world.  There is an embedded chip in the card which requires you to type in a 4 digit pin number for greater security.

So off I went with my new little printer!

PS – the glass in front of Best Buy is a skylight for a large train station below!  You can look down and see the tracks.

Our new printer all set up in our room at the Casa and ready for school!

This is what a “chip and pin” credit card looks like. That gold thing is the embedded chip.