Some of you have asked for my address in the past, and when I gave it to you privately, I let you know that the mail system here isn't known for being extremely reliable. So, most decided it just wasn't a good risk to send anything. While perfectly logical, that was a little disappointing on this end.
Enter Mom, who’s not going to let a little risk and expense—turned out to be more than a little—keep her from getting some good, dark chocolate to her daughter who is suffering (yes, meant to be read with a smile) in India. She let me know that she had sent it on January 4, so I started watching for it about two weeks later.
It’s a good thing I wasn’t holding my breath. Two weeks, three weeks, four weeks. . . . Hope waned. Mom mentioned other items in the box that she hoped someone was making good use of. I tried to face the fact that, even if it did eventually arrive, the chocolate might not be any good, after all this time in a warm country.
This finally moved me to actually go to the post office to inquire about it. After sending someone to check on it in the back, it was obvious that the man I talked to agreed that it should have been here by then (nearly four weeks after it had been sent). But he assured me that it would probably arrive tomorrow or the next day. (Is endless optimism a common Indian trait? I’m not sure; I’ll have to watch for that.)
Well, when I arrived home yesterday, there was a box sitting in my landlady’s living room. I tried to hold my reaction until I knew for sure that it was mine. Her enthusiastic greeting increased my hope. “You owe me a treat!” she said. Not only had she sent a friend to the post office to inquire for me—though with no more success than I had—but she had repeatedly asked the mail carrier to watch for it. Her son suggested that it had had to go through customs, so that probably explains the thirty-six day delivery period.
The contents seem fine, and there were several things that I didn’t know were coming. I’ll not give a detailed inventory, but I’m now the happy owner of not only two kinds of dark chocolate, but also tea, hot cocoa, cough drops, and two microwavable meals, in addition to a couple of toiletry items.
Sure, I could have continued to live without all of these items (maybe not chocolate, but you can get that here, even if it’s not as good as what she sent), but it was so nice to receive a care package from home. Thanks, Mom!! And thank you, Lord, for getting it here!
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2 comments:
If we can't have a detailed inventory of the care package, we ought at least to be entitled to a photo of you with chocolate smeared all over your lips, cheeks, and fingers.
I think it may be common, at least I've heard a number of stories, for people in other countries to tell you what you want to hear, while knowing what they are saying is wrong, because they don't want to disappoint you. So be careful in asking for directions.
Who woulda thunk it?!!!! I had really given up hope of that package ever arriving for you!! Your sister called me and said I'd better get on line and see your latest blog, that I was really going to like it.
Those chocolate bars from Aldi have become my all time favorite chocolate, something about the flavor that is different. I agree with your landlady, you do owe her a treat; Tell her I thank her for being so concerned. Now that the pkg has arrived safely I don't mind having spent all that money on postage!!! Enjoy!!!!!!!!!
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