To Post or Not to Post - My Post Office Experience

My family sent me a package at the beginning of December, so I went to my village post office to introduce myself and make sure they knew who I was.  I probably picked the coldest day so far to go over to our local post office.  I had two birthday "Post" cards I wanted to mail so when I went to the building (the one my counterpart told me was the post office), (I am starting to think my counterpart does NOT have my best interest at heart!), the front door had a padlock on it (I should have questioned that right then) but there was a post box out front.  Since the post cards had stamps on them (I had purchased the stamps in Xirdalan), I just drop them into the box.  I started walking home (in a hurry I might add as it was really getting cold) and to my surprise the "new" post office down the street was opened (the one my counterpart did NOT tell me about).  A man was standing out front smoking and when I walked in seeing no one behind the counter, I figured that the man in front smoking was the person who worked there. I went back out and said in my perfect Azeri (ha ha) who I was, where I lived and who I lived with.  I told him I was a teacher at school #4 and I was expecting a package and letters. He looked like he might of understood me and told me to wait (okay it was a hand gesture, but I got it).  He went inside and made a phone call. Nothing, after about 20 minutes, I called my counterpart (another mistake..when will I learn?). I tried to explain to her the situation and then she spoke with the postal agent and five minutes later she showed up at the post office driven by one of the other teachers.  She gets out and asked "Annette, what do you want?"  Again, I explain to her very slowly and after the 5th time she looked at me and said oh.  She then proceeded to explain to the postal agent that I was the new American teaching English in the village. She then said to me afterwards that he did not understand English.  I told her I spoke Azeri to him NOT English. She just laugh.  When I arrived at my host family home, my host family told me the postal agent had called them to have someone come and pick me up because apparently I was LOST!!  After all of that no letters or packages were there for me.  But I can tell you, the postal agent knows who I am now. So on Friday, we received a call that a package did arrive at the post office and for me to come and picked it up.  Well, when I walked into the post office he knew right away who I was.  I got my package (thank you Heather) and hug it all the way home.  I got snacks and warm thermals, hat and gloves and a drawing from my grandson, what better gift then a picture from you grandchild (and from your family as well)!!

Jerome & my Medical Kit

Life Challenge: Do not go where the path my lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson