Well,
since all of my blogs have had a bit of a serious tone, I thought this blog
should be somewhat light!!!! I mean if
you can’t laugh at the things that happen around you, then you are simply
missing out on how funny life is!!!!
I thought I would write about a recent experience where I
had to pick up a package at the main post office. This was probably one of the most
entertaining things of my life!!!
I was told before coming here, that if packages were too big
or if there was an especially high value placed on them, instead of being delivered to
our little post office about a mile and half away, these suspicious looking
packages are taken to the main post office downtown. I was also told that going down there and picking
them up is quite a pain and many times you have to pay a duty in order to take
your package. This actually has turned into an entertaining adventure for me!
So I received the dreaded notice that I had a package
downtown!!! The horror of it all!!! My ever so helpful roommate drew me a map of
how to get to the post office and then a map of the inside and all the places I would need to go BEFORE getting my package because the
procedure is quite a procedure! Now the fun begins!
So I wake up, get ready, grab my passport (because it was
needed for ID) and with my trusty little map in hand along with my very
important paper saying my packages was at the post office, I head out to get a
taxi! (My very helpful roommate also put
down on my map how to say downtown post office in Arabic and if the driver
still was not sure where or what I was talking about, a name of a very famous
restaurant not too far from the post office)
The taxi driver either didn’t know what I was talking about or my Arabic
was not very good so I simply say the name of the restaurant and then we’re
off!
He drops me off in front of the restaurant and I get out and
begin walking to find my location. I
find it and go up the stairs. I approach
the main counter and hand my paper to the man at the counter. Now in Jordan, I am finding that when you
approach ANY counter, it’s this little game you do with the people working
there. They look at you, continue talking to each other and act as if you are
not there. You make eye contact with
them, clear your throat, and they look at you again only this time it's with a look that says “how dare you interrupt me” and they continue doing whatever it is they are
doing. It's now my turn to make a move so I again make some noise, make eye contact and give a look which says “will you
please just do your job and help me." After a few minutes, he approaches me
and we both act like this whole exchange never happened. And like I said, this happens pretty much
everywhere! Anyway, back to my story…..
The man at the counter takes my paper, looks up in this
little binder notebook thing, finds another form and hands this 2nd
form to me. He tells me in Arabic where I
need to go and I pretend I understand him and proceed to the office around the
corner. Because remember, I have my
handy dandy little map!! I had my new
form to the man behind the desk, show him my passport, he writes my name down
on another piece of paper (which I think took him about 10 minutes to write. Thanks mom and dad for naming me J-E-N-N-I-F-E-R) and takes my Jordan cell phone number and tells me to
go out and wait. He tells this to me in Arabic
and again I pretend to understand exactly what he says. I’m finding that the fact that I look Arab
works to my advantage often and so I take full advantage of it!!!
Now another fun little thing about Jordan is when you walk
into a business such as the post office, you feel as if you have walked into a
different time because everyone (or almost everyone) is sitting around and
SMOKING!!!! I mean seriously is this
1960?? It is the oddest thing ever for me!!! The guy behind the counter, smoking. The guy behind the desk, in between writing
my info down, he is taking puffs! And
the other strange thing is I look up and there is a sign that says “No
Smoking.” Go figure!
Ok so I’m then summoned back into the smoky office and
handed my package. I have to go to
another desk where 3 Jordan Custom Officers are sitting and one says to me,
“open your package.” Guess he caught on to the my pretend I'm Arab game! I open it up, and
when I look inside, I smile. Inside this
big bubble envelope are feminine products and lots of them! I won't go into great detail here. I then take each and everyone out of the envelope and it takes all I
have to not burst out laughing!!! There was also some dried fruit, pony tails holders, razors for shaving my legs and more feminine
products!!! The officer then looks at me
and says, “Ok stop.” I then pick up my
stuff and put it back in the envelope and told to place it on the shelf in the
office. He signs my paper and tells me
where to go next place.
I then take my little form to yet another smoke filled
office, get another signature, am told to go to the office next door where yet
another man is sitting behind a desk (not smoking surprisingly) and get another
signature. He then tells me to go back
to the original counter and hand my form to yet another guy. This would be the guy that I would give my
money to had a duty been charge, but thankfully it was not. He signs my form, looks at my passport,
realizes that I’m in fact NOT Arab, but an American. He tells me I can go and retrieve my package and leave. 4 signatures for one package!!!
I get another taxi (where the driver is smoking as my first
driver was) and take my goodies and my smoke filled self home!!! And that’s the end of my story!!!! Gotta love Jordan!!! J
This story was brought to you by me, of course, and Katy Joy
Pasion and Mary Wright who sent me this package!!!!J Thanks girls! And I'm thinking that possibly Betsey Morales played a part in helping with the contents of this package! :)
