The Post Office

Today I went to the Post Office to mail 3 letters (in envelopes) and 3 postcards (not in envelopes). Thanks to my sister in Australia and my trip to Antigua with my Dad, I now have nice stationery and postcards of Guatemala (neither of which can be found in Tactic). I had to plan my day so I arrived during business hours. The Post Office is open 3:30-5:30 Monday to Friday. It's a good thing I don't teach high school every afternoon. I told the guy working there that 5 of the 6 were going to Canada and one was going to Italy. After looking the prices up on his chart, he tells me that I need to put the postcards in envelopes. It was a long, complicated discussion trying to figure out exactly why. Here is why:
          The postcards cost Q6.50 each.
          The only stamps he has are for Q0.50, Q1.00, and Q8.00 (Q8=$1).
          The Q1 stamps are large (he showed me) and 6 of them would not fit on the postcard, and he wasn't going to cover up the whole picture on the front (at least that makes sense).
          I could not pay Q8 (Q1.50 extra which is the equivalent of $0.19 CDN) because the Post Office officials are very strict and they have to have exact postage, it cannot be more.

Therefore, it would be better to put the postcards in envelopes so as not to cover up the picture, writing, or address on the postcard with the many large stamps necessary. But, the Post Office does not have envelopes (what Post Office does not sell envelopes???). So, I had to walk down the street and buy 3 envelopes from a school supplies store. While I was there I also got the photocopies done that I needed for school. I returned to the Post Office. I wrote the addresses again, this time on the envelopes. I went to seal the envelopes and realized they weren't the lickable-sealing kind. But thankfully the guy working there said he could seal them for me. Phew! At least they have that! He told me the total, I went to pay, and he asked if I had change. I didn't have enough smaller change because I had just spent it on my envelopes and photocopies. Well, he didn't have any change either. So he took my Q100 bill and went down the street to a corner store to get change, leaving me standing alone in the Post Office. He returned, gave me my change, and I left, still trying to figure out if I'd gotten the right change, since of course there was no receipt.

At least this time he didn't ask me to write my phone number on a scrap piece of paper, so that in case the letters don't arrive at their destination, they can call me. That's what the return address is for, correct? Needless to say, I was a little skeptical about him asking for my phone number. Later that week Ruth reassured me that leaving a phone number is normal, and he's not doing it to be creepy.

So, I had heard stories about the postal service in Guatemala. But this still makes me laugh. Envelopes for postcards, but no envelopes, and no change. Wow. Just a little reminder that this is not Canada.

The Post Office in Tactic