MISSION: NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE

As painful as the decision was, I decided to invest in a new camera. I like taking pictures and there are so many pictures to take in Gabon! Seize the day, I figured, and thus I went and seized. Or at least tried to seize, for it proved to be at least as complicated as getting anything done in Libreville. Luckily, I'm trained in not giving up.

My Dad was kind enough to accompany me on this sad occasion which required getting rid of a large part of my savings. He knows I could not have done it alone. Consequently, we met up in one of the biggest shopping malls in Europe (you think I'm using a hyperbole to enhance the effect of my prose but I am not and it really is). The day before I had seen Sony Cyber Shot and Canon Power Shot proudly displayed in one of the big shops and was inclined to purchase the latter. Sadly, overnight my Canon disappeared.

My Dad generously offered to take me to another shop belonging to the chain, in another shopping mall. We spent thirty minutes in a horrible traffic jam. Wasted another quarter of an hour trying to park. There was no Canon in the other shop but by then I'd decided to buy Sony anyway. My Dad and I got the camera, the memory card and even a nice little bag to fit all that. We moved to the till. My card didn't work. Error. My Dad had forgotten his.

On our way home I tried to get money from one of the cash mashines but it said that "transaction was not possible". Error. We went home, picked up my Mom and a card that would work and went to yet another huge mall, not far from our house, which also boasts the same cheap chain of shops (now you see Warsaw as the land of shopping malls and you're not very much in the wrong). The Sony camera was there but it cost 200 zł more. My heart sank.

My parents suggested going to a small photo shop, also in the mall. It turned out that the camera was there and on offer with an eight GB memory card. I also found a much cheaper bag. And a very helpful salesman, who explained a lot. My Mom's card worked. Now I only need to give the money back.

And I was naive enough to think that everything was easier in Europe... But all's well that ends well, I can't wait to try out my new toy!