Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Post Office Failure

In Israel, life pretty much revolves around the Post Office.   It is the Israeli version of the General Store from the Old West. It is yet another Israeli thing that reminds me of Mayberry.

Pay a bill?  Post Office.
Register for a library card?  Post Office.
Pay for your driving lessons?  Post Office.
Toys?  Post Office (no joke, my PO has a toy store in the back of it)

So every few days we receive a "petek" (note) in our mailbox instructing us to come to the PO to pick something up.  Usually it is something which didn't "fit" in our mailbox.  Now, think about this - maybe make the mailboxes a little teensy bit bigger and the mail carriers would not have to spend their time writing out those little notes?

I know, I'm being silly.  That's just crazy talk.

We received a petek, which noted on it that it was the second notice for this item, which is listed as "publication."  OK, whatever, guess there was something we didn't pick up or a petek we missed, etc.

We go to the PO and hand over the petek.  They look and look and look and cannot find our package.

Here is the conversation that ensued:

PO Lady:  This says it's your second notice.
Us:  yes.
PO Lady:  So maybe you picked it up already.

Now, listen, I am not that bright by some standards, but I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that if we had picked up the package, we wouldn't have received the second notice.

The conversation continues:

Us:  No, we did not pick it up, that's why we are here.
PO Lady:  But it says it's the second notice.
Us:  Yes, so shouldn't it be here?
PO Lady:  But where is the first notice?
Us:  We don't know.
PO Lady (getting irritated and now asking her colleague, PO Man, to help):  OK, let me look.

She continues to look.

PO Man:  It's a calendar.
Us:  How do you know that?
PO Man:  Because it was shelved over here and that's where all the calendars were.  It's not there now so you must have picked it up.
Us:  We did not pick it up, we do not have a calendar.

Now a little wire in my head makes that pinging sound when it just snaps off.  I'm toast.

How did he know it was a calendar?  How does he know anything is a calendar, if it is in an envelope?

Now PO Man makes a management decision - he is going to give up looking for the item, but will put our phone number on this eensy weensy piece of scrap paper and call us if it shows up. Haha!  Seriously, even I know that is completely ridiculous, after all I am not a new olah, I have been here a whole 9 months!

We stare at each other and, without saying a word, decide to give up.  I say the only thing I can think of, "Well, if it's a calendar, it is not important."  In one sentence I have not only given up the fight, but have also conceded that PO Man really did know what was in our envelope.

I'm such a wimp.
And now I have to go buy a calendar. 
So I'm a wimp-loser.

2 comments:

  1. I once got a petek, but I had to wait until Friday to go pick up the package (because the PO is only open when I am at work), and they SENT IT BACK because I didn't come to pick it up in time!

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  2. That happened to me! Shlepped all the way there with my this-is-your-second-petek note and they said "Oh, you already picked it up." So why send the second petek?????????

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