Oh happy day! I had no idea packages from home would make me so entirely happy! My mom sent me and Rob three packages on November 18th, (we had been here less than one week) and today, today I received 2 of them. I've tried to track them down earlier, early last week I stumbled my way to the correct post office office where through broken English, Kinyarwanda, and French I assumed they were not arrived yet. I went back Saturday and the post was closed. I went back yesterday around 4 and the post was closed and today we both went at noon where a gruff blind man informed me, "midi et demi". Come to think of it, I guess he wasn't blind because he spoke French to us instead of Kinyarwanda. So, Rob and I returned about 45 minutes later after their lunch break!
This time I came prepared with the words I wanted to get across in French. But he spoke so fast! He took a look at my address I had scribbled on a piece of paper and said, "oh yes, I know you" and returned to the other customer he was helping. Since he didn't shoo me out of his office and waive me off out the door, I thought, this must be good news! So we took a seat and I leaned over to Rob and said this has not happened before. We sat and sat, and then we saw he and another worker rustling through packages behind the counter. I would think they would have some sort of system; whether alphabetical or by date, but it seemed to be just a hodgepodge of packages stuck here and there. A few minutes later he returned with one package and was tickled by my excitement. He said another has not yet arrived. He then returned a few minutes later with the second package, told me to come back Friday for package number three, and that it would be 240 f. We gave him 300 francs expecting 60 francs in return. He handed us 50 f and I said so, see you Friday and 10 f please. A simple "no" was his reply to my request for the rest of my change – he didn't have it. Where then I said okay, the next package will be 10 f cheaper? He laughed and nodded in agreement.
Rob and I stopped in Bourbon Café for a snack and could wait no longer. We opened one package, examined the contents and then after saying we'd wait till we got home to open the second, we opened the second! It was so fun! The contents were all my mom's choosing since we hadn't been here long I had no requests. We received some sweets, cereal bars, pb crackers, lots of meal addition packets, ziplock baggies and containers.
It was a lot of fun. I think more so than receiving the contents, the adventure of going to the post and wondering if today is the day, along with getting any kind of mail from home is the best part! So, besides the street address that we gave out before we moved; rob and I also have a P.O. Box. I don't know where it is, I'll have to find that out tomorrow.
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