A trip to the post

So I take my moped over to the post today to pick up Brook's package from his head office in DC. Although the package office is open and I hand them the slip to pick up the package, the guy behind the counter says he can't give me anything today. He says I have to come back tomorrow. He tells me that the regular package guy is traveling and the customs person is away so they can't hand out any packages. ugh! So close and yet so far...

Knowing that I couldn't push the guy without having him take a strong position on the matter, I asked him if I could just look at the package and confirm its origin. He looks around a little bit in a cabinet for me for it, gets bored or loses patience looking for it and tells me to just come back tomorrow. Well then his colleague gets involved and asks the guy why he can't just give me the package I've come for, since I have the slip. They talk about it and Guy #1 convinces Guy #2 that he can't give any packages out today. Then Guy #2 starts looking through the paper register to find it. Unsuccessful finding it in his filing book, Guy #2 gets up to look for the package. It takes him awhile including getting different keys to look in different metal filing cabinets (of which there are about 4 cabinets total). Their filing methodology escapes me, and obviously them too, since the guys are forced to look all 4 cabinets for it). Finally, Guy #2 has found the package. All this time I have a calm, unassuming look on my face, as if I have all the time in the world and am unaware of their struggles behind the counter on my behalf.

I ask the Guy #2 if he could hand me the package so I could just confirm its origin, and he looks up surprised and said, "Don't you want to take it home?" Well, uh... yes! That's why I came in today. But I just answered, "Of course." not even addressing the previous 15 minute conversation about why I couldn't pick it up today. Then we go through the process of signing the book and giving the $2 processing fee and I leave with the package.

This is not an out-of-the ordinary experience in Senegal. There are seemingly huge obstacles and bureaucracy to getting something relatively simple accomplished, then we go around and around until you finally get what you had come for. "Everything in good time" I guess is a good theme here. You may not understand the reason for all the time you spend doing something, but I guess it all pans out exactly when it should. "All good things come to those who wait"