Comment about Qatari/UAE coins being pretty but worthless was meant to be dripping with xenophobic $arca$m but maybe didn't receive as such—sorry.

Your troubles at SJC don't surprise me; fortunately haven't seen the gaggle of dowager screener princesses wearing so many diamond rings they scratched computer screens when handling them in years: the others I don't use often enough to have an average.

Happy travels...