I realize it's been a very long time since a blog post by either of us. There has been a lot going on, we just haven't had time. I promise I am going to take time in the next week or so to do some serious updating, but for now, I'm going to talk about something new I experienced the past two weeks.
It recently came to my attention that there is an actual post office here. Of course there are couriers like DHL, UPS and FedEx, but for some reason it never occurred to me that there would be a post office; certainly not one that would ship internationally. A friend had looked in to sending a package with the major couriers to Great Britain and it was going to be a ridiculous $180.00. We were happy when we found out that there was a post office that promised to be at the very least a bit cheaper.
There are very many people in our lives having baby girls in the next couple weeks - or in the last month. Seriously - so many of you are having babies that I can't keep up! There are some ladies in the market that make amazing hand stitched dresses. Seriously hand stitched, they sit in their booths and you can watch them make them - many of the other booths order shipments from the capital city of dresses that are made in some sort of dress factory. I've long admired them, and decided that I would attempt to send some dresses for the new babies.
I purchased the dresses and bought padded envelopes, wrapped the dresses in several plastic bags to avoid getting wet, and utilized a rather large amount of packing tape. We don't really have a return address so I had to make something up, knowing full well that if the packages didn't make it to their destination they most certainly weren't going to make it back to me.
Then it was off to the post office. Thinking I would get all my errands out of the way in the morning, that was my first stop. First we went to the very large postal place that apparently is the regional courier for inland shipments. They told us they only shipped letters. Weird - they sell boxes for parcels. So then we went to the other building - a much more dilapidated building kind of hidden in alleys in the city. We walk in the door and there is a very small amount of space for customers, the entire place is sectioned off and has glass (plastic) from the counter up to the ceiling. The very nice lady gladly mailed my postcards for me - only $0.80 each - isn't that what it costs to send a letter within Canada now? Unfortunately, the packages couldn't be sent because they needed to be opened and inspected by a customs agent that wasn't there. I asked when they would be there so that I could come back and was told "Usually between 3-4 in the afternoon, but sometimes between 2 -3, and sometimes in the morning, it just depends on when and if his bus comes." That was helpful.
It took two weeks of going every single day and either just missing them, or them having not been there that day. Finally, yesterday, I had success! I arrived at 3:10 and the customs agents were there, hallelujah! I had to fill out 3 forms for each package (luckily I was only sending three this time), and then the woman behind the counter had to fill out 2 additional forms per package. Then I was asked to cut each package open. After that was all done, I was given the forms and the packages back and was asked to sit and wait. I had my driver with me, thank goodness, or I wouldn't have a clue what was going on. We then sat and waited for 40 minutes. A man came to get us and took us through a tiny little door so that we were behind the plastic partition. A woman at a little desk had a notebook in which she was drawing her own columns. Then she had to write down all of the information on the envelopes and all the forms by hand, opening each package and inspecting every single dress to make sure I wasn't sneaking anything else out of the country. Once each package was approved, I was then directed to another desk to retake the package, and then I had to sign on the tap over the cut to prove that it was me that cut it open and not someone else in the shipping process.
Finally I was given the go ahead to pay for the packages. To send three parcels, each weighing between 3 and 4 lbs, to Canada, cost me $30. They claim that it's going to be 20 days until they reach their destination. I find that highly unlikely. A friend send a package to Dubai and was told 8 days and it took 6 weeks. Honestly I'm just going to be happy if they make it!
I've decided for the next batch of shipments I had planned - postcards and packages - I'm going to just get them all done at once so we only have to spend one entire afternoon at the post office :) What astounded me the most, which I know shouldn't have astounded me at all, is the amount of paper work that goes in to it and that it's all done by hand. I noticed that one of the stickers put on the packages was a bar code. I have no earthly idea what for since there is no way to do that. Presumably in Antanarivo they will have the capability to scan the item.
Either way - it was an experience. So there are 5 post cards and 3 parcels on their way to Canada. If you get one, please let me know they've arrived, we'll keep a tally of how long each took!
