Post Office Adventures

This week I had to go to the post office. I had two missions. To pay my phone bill and pick up a package. Yes, to pay my phone bill. You can pay all bills at the post office. There are two ways – you can either do a bank transfer or you can pay cash. This is so common, actually the preferred way, that bills come with the post office form attached and pre-printed with all necessary information, like the return slips you would send back with a check payment in the US. And, the day before, I had gotten that lovely little notice in my mailbox that I had a package to pick up. I had been expecting a box from home for over a week. Not knowing how long it would take, we were trying not to be anxious but were a bit. Too many tales of lost or stolen packages float around. Or stories of Czech postal workers who are too lazy to leave the slip in the mailbox if you aren't home to collect the package. I don't even know if they tried to bring it to me; I had been home all day and never heard a knock at the door. So, this is where the "adventure" begins. On the notice, it lists which post office to go to and the times it's open. Well, I had seen a post office near the tram stop about 2 stops before mine. I looked up the post office address on the map, saw that it was a block from the tram stop and assumed it was the one I was thinking of. So, I got off the tram at the stop, headed up the street and noticed that the street name was wrong. I needed Jisková and this was Podolská. Hmmm…I guess I didn't look at the map very well. So, I headed home.

Now by this time, I was getting cold. I had stopped by the grocery store first and had been waiting for and switching trams in about 20°F but since it has been so cold lately, and I was tired of going out in multiple layers, I decided to dress more for about 35°. I lost feeling in my toes at one point, and I wasn't outside that long. The good news is that I wasn't worried about the meat and cheese I had bought at the grocery store going rancid! So, back home, looked up the post office address again and my most recent assumption was found to be true – the post office that I needed was farther down the line. And, it was a longer walk from the tram stop. So, out again, still in the lighter weight coat. I hadn't really been down the line this far so it was nice to see a new area. It was a bit confusing though because in order to get across the street, which was oddly laid out, I had to use the underground walkway. So, when I came out, I wasn't sure which street I was on and got turned around for about a minute. But, I found the right street and easily found the post office about an 8 minute walk away.

Now, by this point, I was wondering what Mom had sent. I knew a few things that would be in the box – my sister Jill had asked if I needed anything so I naturally put in an order for a few items I either had left at home or couldn't find here. I should have put in a larger request. The box was the smaller of the US Priority Mail boxes but it had a lot of extra room. The best item was a little picture frame with a picture of my neice and nephew holding my cat – the humans look happy, the cat not so much! It is now happily placed on the shelf above my TV where I can see it all the time.

Anyway, back to actually retrieving the box…since my previous experiences at the post office have been a bit terrifying I came prepared. Because you can do so many things at the post office – send and receive mail, buy stamps, pay bills and other financial services – the bigger post offices will have an entire menu of options and you select the service you need and get a number from the machine and wait. Of course, these menus are only in English at the main post office which I visited for the first time a few weeks ago to mail a letter. Other times, I have gone in, hoping that I picked the right service to mail my postcards and then just handed them over the postal worker in the other side of the glass…the usually grumpy post worker. I guess there are some universals! The only time that I remember having a pleasant experience was when I was trying to ship a box home after spending the summer here. The postal worker was a young woman and I think she had fun trying to use her limited English and my limited Czech to get it all straightened out…How do you want it shipped? By lod'? (making ocean wave signs with her hands to indicate lod' means ship)

This latest trip was pretty uneventful, once I found the right location. I got in one line to pay my bill – it's a small office so no numbers needed. But I did have the proper terms written down so that I would know which service to select as even in the smaller ones, some windows only do certain services. Then I went to the window that deals with boxes – I believe sending and receiving - and was very happy to have my box slid through the little window to me. It was light, so I was lighthearted that I wouldn't have to lug a heavy box too far on slippery sidewalks – did I mention that we had snow last week and it's done the basic melt a little, refreeze a lot, just enough to make the parts that weren't shoveled a little treacherous?

So, I'm learning how to navigate the Czech postal service. I was happy that my box arrived in a relatively reasonable amount of time, intact, and the thought entered my mind that you can tell a lot about the development of a country by the quality and reliability of the postal service. I also had a little tug in the back of my mind telling me that by receiving a box, something that took a while to reach me, I really do live here, again, another sign that I'm not just residing here for a short time. I am living in Prague for a year. One of my life goals will be accomplished by the end of 2009. Now, if I come home truly speaking another language, that will be 2 goals. More on that next week after I start Czech lessons.