The lovely card which friend, Penny sent in February to welcome me to Tanzania
As soon as we moved to Tanzania at the beginning of February this year, my dear friend, Penny asked for my mailing address. I sent it to her and she told me she'd posted a card to welcome me to my new country. As I'd received cards in the post while living in Kenya (from Penny and other blogging friends) and as they only took a week to ten days from Canada, USA and Europe to East Africa, I eagerly awaited my card! However, as the months went by with no sign of it, I had to accept that items via snail mail were just not going to reach us.
Then on Saturday Grant came home with an envelope! Yes, it was my card from Penny! Now wait for it: She posted in Vancouver on 24 February . It arrived in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa on 9 March, exactly 14 days later. I'd queried my mail at our company HO in Dar on numerous occasions. Every time the facilitator/admin lady would ask the lady who does the company post and I'd get the same answer: "Hamna" (Swahili for "there is none")
I am thrilled that it did eventually arrive in Mwadui. Thank you, dearest Penny for the lovely picture on the front and the sweet words inside the card.
Grant and I have deduced that perhaps eventually the mailing clerk in HO tidied out her desk and found my mail! Now I'm hoping that my card from Becky (USA) will turn up as surprisingly as this one did!
As they say: Only in Africa!
Oh wow, Jo!!! I was reading your latest mail on my smart phone and I came to check your post. What a wonderful surprise. As I opened the mail, I exclaimed out loud as I recognized that (cat) face! LOL.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad the card reached you. I am also happy to hear it only took 2 weeks after all. I often think our mail service is terrible but I see the post from Kenya and from Canada to Kenya takes 2 weeks under normal circumstances. I guess the admin. lady did indeed clean off her desk!
Love and hugs. xx
That must have been a handicapped snail which carried your card ! I never send cards by snail mail, because I arrive home quicker even if I post the first day !
ReplyDeleteI don't know about only in Africa!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely card! So nice your friend Penny!
ReplyDeleteOur 'snail' mail is getting worse and worse in this country... Like so many things 'run' by our Government, it's run very poorly.... Oh Well---I prefer email these days anyhow.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
That definitely wins the snail mail award for longest time! I'm glad it didn't get lost in the mail! How sweet of Penny to send it to you.
ReplyDeleteJo, what memories you do stir up. Received mail a year old while in NBI, with this message on front: "URGENT REPLY NEEDED"
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be so quick to blame the mailing clerk, Jo. Canada Post can be extremely inefficient. I'm sure the term "snail mail" originated in Canada, perhaps even in Vancouver where Penny lives.
ReplyDeleteK