Hurtful Jibes At My Account

There is this bank in my town, where I pretty much go for everything because its conveniently located in the town center. The bank is always bustling with people, and some days, it can be pretty suffocating in there, with people even being pressed up to its glassed entrances during some of those unfortunately hot and humid days.

During the last few months however, I started getting really annoyed with 2 of the employees there because of their annoying ways of "questioning me" . I would not have minded your normal dose of nosiness once in a while, but their questions started hitting the spot where it hurts laced with a cruel tinge of bullying, the grown up kind, yes does exist outside of high school.

"How many years are you going to keep on studying ?", "Isn't it about time you started working?", "Why have not you graduated yet?" "Are you really studying right now?" "Why does it take so long for you to complete your studies? What kind of course is taking so long?"
These are some of the examples of "questions" I had to endure whenever this female staff and male staff catches up with me. I don't know these people outside of the bank, and while I politely tried to answer during the first few times, their outright rudeness and the repeated barging of the same questions, despite my concise and truthful explanations, started getting on my nerves. I think they probably saw those questions hit a raw spot in me and kept on repeating their outlandish behavior. So, I started evading them as much as I can whenever I step into that bank.

So, yesterday, I had walked into this very same bank to take out a bank draft addressed to a certain educational institution to pay for exam fees for some exams I have planned to take in the coming months ahead (my plan to keep myself busy and give me some sort of purpose during my gap year from college). When my turn came I walked unassumingly to a new bank teller, who had just joined the bank 3 months back , and handed her the forms. She started processing the forms, and suddenly out of the blue, she asked, "I keep seeing you for so many years here and you always seem to be still studying! Why are you still studying?"

I was surprised at her sudden words as she normally never speaks a word beyond about bank interactions, and then asked her back, "What do you mean so many years? I know you started working here only a couple of months back. How come you are saying that you have seen me for many years?"
"Yeah, I joined the bank a couple of months back, " she agreed. Then she dumbly asked the same question again like a robot. I pointed out again there is no proper reasoning in her question, like as she is making it appear that she has known me for a long time.
"Then why are you really still studying for so long without graduating? Don't you get bored? What are you really studying?"
I gave up. I considered telling her I have taken some gap time, and that is why it takes me longer to finish school. I considered..., but my previous ingenuous replies to other 2 bank employees was which had gotten me into this predicament. They started to figure out I get really stressed out when asked about my gap time from college. I knew they had put up this new staff to ask me those same questions since I had avoided those people.

I told her I am doing pre-med in the end.
"Where?" she unbelievingly asked. "I sighed and replied, "At a liberal arts college." She looked at me incredulously. I managed to muster a smile, stuffed the bank draft she handed me into my sling bag and walked out of the bank muttering to myself. My self worth really took a blow with those questions, and my self confidence dived down to the floor of that bank. Her words made me feel like I am worthless person who is wasting her life way under the pretend guise of studying, but actually has never done anything.

For the record, this not my home town, the neighboring town was . I only came here when the house I inherited from my late father finally got transferred under my name. I only did 1 and 1/2 years of high school here. Even then, I had moved back to the island when I was in my first year of junior college.
I never met those bullying bank employees outside of the bank, I never hung out with them.
I do not understand about why they feel it is their prerogative to keep on questioning me in such demoralizing way. I do not know them at all.
I am a loner. I always keep to myself. I never meddle in their businesses. I walk alone. I eat alone. I shop alone. I never got in their way. Ever.

But my mood and self worth really took a beating yesterday. Words have the power to hurt you. More so in my case. Even it may seem to some that I am just being oversensitive.