I set out at 10:30 in the morning to go to the post office to check and see if a package had arrived for me, and to send some Christmas cards. Unbeknownst to me, all governmental buildings and most businesses were scheduled to open at 11 am instead of their usual time, between 8 and 9, due to the winter weather. When I arrived I found the female staff of the post office sitting on the front steps. The customs lady knows me fairly well now and invited me to sit and wait with them. Sitting in the sun was a nice break from the cold. After a bit, the manager came and opened the door for everyone.
I checked my mailbox but there was no mail for me this day. So I walked up to the counter to ask for stamps for the post cards I was sending home. The lady behind the counter told me I'd have to wait until the computer systems were up and running. In the mean time, the customs lady called me into the office to check and see if I had a package...I didn't but I appreciated her looking out for me. She asked me what I was after if not a package and I told her stamps. As I went out of the office into the main room she walked behind the counter to tell the lady that I was next and that I needed stamps.
Since the destination of my cards was America, two stamps were necessary for each card. However, it was my job lick each stamp. Sitting down on one of the small benches, I devised a system of stamps and cards and proceeded to go about posting each one. My duty was not without an audience; there were three Bedouin women who sat across from me and watched the whole ordeal. I'm not sure if I was more strange or amusing to them. When all was said and done and posted I had spent an hour at the post office but my task was accomplished. This small adventure is a win in my book since every transaction was in Arabic and I did it on my own.
I checked my mailbox but there was no mail for me this day. So I walked up to the counter to ask for stamps for the post cards I was sending home. The lady behind the counter told me I'd have to wait until the computer systems were up and running. In the mean time, the customs lady called me into the office to check and see if I had a package...I didn't but I appreciated her looking out for me. She asked me what I was after if not a package and I told her stamps. As I went out of the office into the main room she walked behind the counter to tell the lady that I was next and that I needed stamps.
Since the destination of my cards was America, two stamps were necessary for each card. However, it was my job lick each stamp. Sitting down on one of the small benches, I devised a system of stamps and cards and proceeded to go about posting each one. My duty was not without an audience; there were three Bedouin women who sat across from me and watched the whole ordeal. I'm not sure if I was more strange or amusing to them. When all was said and done and posted I had spent an hour at the post office but my task was accomplished. This small adventure is a win in my book since every transaction was in Arabic and I did it on my own.
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