Runaround

The financial state of moving to a new country is a little ridiculous. For example:

I'm about to sign the lease on an apartment and need the deposit and first month's rent. I can't write checks in dollars to people here (it would take 21 days to confirm authenticity even if they did take it). I can't wire a transfer unless I do it in person in the US. I can't open an account in Mexico without a visa and proof of an apartment. I checked into opening a CitiBank account (they have affiliate branches here) so I can transfer money or do withdrawals here, but the fees are ridiculous and it looks like it's more of a headache than it's worth.

At this point, the best option is to withdraw large sums of money and pay for everything in cash. On that note, I found out from my bank that the maximum per day is $500. When I went to the ATM, though, the maximum withdrawal was 3000 pesos (about $300). So, I had to go to two ATM's to withdraw the $500 and I will have to do the same tomorrow, just to pay the deposit. I may have to do this every month to pay rent!

There has got to be a better way.