A thousand miles

I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more just to be the man that walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door. Ok, it wasn’t quite a thousand miles but man it was a pretty decent distance. Today was my comp day for the GCLP training a couple weeks ago. I used it to find out where on earth the package that Jennah and Brother sent me a month ago now.

It does not look so far on the map. I hit the road a little after ten after a hearty breakfast of cereal (corn flakes) and scrabbled eggs. A little past the Toyota Zambia roundabout I asked an innocent bystander where the post office was. They gave me direction that I could not really understand however, they did point and that’s what I went off of trusting that they could understand my question better than I could understand the response.  Once in this building a asked about where I could receive a parcel? They answered that I should go to room 219 on the second floor. I thanked them for their help and proceeded to the second floor (or so I thought). I went up the stairs and was searching for 219 when a lady stopped me and asked if she could help I told her what I was looking for and she said go up to the next floor. Now, apparently in Zambia the ground floor is equivalent to floor zero… ok cool. So to the second/third level and found 219 tried the knob only to find the door locked, pretty neat right? I went to the next open door room 215 and asked the woman behind a big cluttered desk if she knew when the ‘reclamations’  (219, now among my least favorite numbers ever). She assumed the manner of being quite put out and told me I should check again as there should be someone on the way.

I stood in the hall across from the door that I wanted in so fervently listening to Jimmy’s ‘Get it Faster’ for several minutes until someone else who needed to retrieve a package too arrived. I explained the situation that I had encountered as clearly as possible and they disappeared down the hall. Shortly after they had gone they returned escorted by the fella I hoped held the keys to this mystery room. I was very grateful to find my hopes realized as he produced a stubby little key and fit it in the lock. I had hoped that this room might be filled with parcels and that all I would need to do is find the box with my name on it. What I found instead was another big desk without a box in sight. Ok well that’s ok maybe he is just keeping mine behind the desk where I can’t see as because the word on the street is that Tom Cruise is on his way to collect some mail, haha… spot on.

I waited for the man that did fetching of the 219 man to be helped and then seated myself across from the man at the massive desk and asked about my package. He looked at the tracking number and said that I must go to another office to find this box as it was sent express. He very courteously walked me to the stairwell and pointed out to me the building down the street that I must go to. I thanked him and went on my way following carefully the directions that I was given by the kindly Mr. Reclamations Office. I wandered through the busy streets to the third left in the building just to the South. The Express Mail Service was a small front and I ducked in to be immediately helped. A man offered me a seat as I told him that I was here to make a pick up. He typed the tracking number into his 2001 HP and waited for the query to run. There was a good bit of hustle and bustle in the little shop with many sending packages here and there. The man helping me pulled a fresh sheet off a nearby printer and explained to me that my parcel was still at customs. I needed to go to the ‘Freedom Road Post Office’. He asked if I was on foot or in a car. I quickly tried to think of a reason that this might change the location of the Freedom Road Post Office but, decided that asking for clarification to his inquiry would only increase the confusion and humored his curiosity with a reply that I was on foot. So, after he attempted some rough directions and I was off.

Again, making my way through the masses I found freedom road where I asked a man on a bench where I might find the post office. He was happy to help and I felt renewed motivation as he hinted that it was very near. I kept the line two blocks south and came to a long single story building. I cruised in with a grin and asked handed the young lady across the slip that had been printed by the previous office. She motioned me to a little deck and brought my package. I touched it! It was right there! I was overjoyed. She then asked for identification… my heart broke. I had nothing, no license, no passport, no credit card, nothing. She would snatched the box back and very rudely informed me that I must have proper ID to claim to package. I left the building disappointed yet excited that I knew where my box was. There was nothing now that could keep me from it! I started on the long walk home where I decided that I would eat some lunch and set back out.

Got back, threw some of these frozen spring roll things that I found at Spar in the oven and went to see if the internet was back up. No luck, I guess they are still breaking it? I walked over to Main site with Katy, talked with she and Kahler for a bit and then struck out.

Spoiler alert, I just planted some jalapeno seeds from the package that I got from my awesome brother and sis! It’s so awesome! I have about a million Clif bars and Pop-Tarts and they got me a Nalgene bottle, which I am in desperate need of and sunglasses, that would have been really handy for all the miles I put in today and an alarm clock, some Gushers (they are slightly post gush though I think as the altitude beat my teeth to the punch (still delicious though), all kinds of gum, some benchmark setting jerky, and wall adapters that transform the 220V to 110V.  My one thousand miles was very worth it to claim all my goodies.

Oh ya, and next time I should think about cabbing it back, that box got heavy after the third mile or so.

Note: On the way back I saw a tow truck that read ‘Big Papa Z’ across it. I nearly died laughing.

Tomorrow is going to be my first day solo at IAVI. I have been warned that it is much more intense than the main site and though business does not worry me I hope that I can keep up after having been spoiled with the more desirable of the two sites at the onset. I will certainly let you know.

Hope your first day was stellar ;)

All is super duper