Land of Smiles?

You always hear that Sri Lanka is the land of smiles, or the land of friendly people. These people who say that OBVIOUSLY haven't gone to a government department to get anything done.

Yesterday, i FINALLY recieved a notice that I had got my good friend's package from the US. I had been waiting for this thing for the past month and she had sent all kinds of goodies for my son and me :) haha.. anyways, happily, I thought since I was in a rush, I would go to the post office and clear it.

Just to inform anyone who's reading from abroad, when packages come from abroad, it has to be cleared through customs and then the post office informs you that you have received something. Inconvenient but these people need work, i suppose.

Anyways, off i went. I was in a relatively good mood, considering my morning was not that great and we had a wedding to go to in the evening so everything was ok. There was a bit of traffic but nothing that wouldnt kill you. Usually, I get these things cleared by someone from office because i know that govt. offices have a bad rap, but hey, being the impatient person i am, i thought "if he can do it, why cant i?"

So I come to the formitable office, its HUGE. Tax rupees at work? As usual, people are hardly working, than working hard. A sleepy security guard tells me, to clear packages, I have to go upstairs. So up the heavy, really long staircase I go. I wonder, if people get BIG packages, how do they come down the stairs? Anyways, I finally get a very crabby looking guy, who looks very creepy. I make small talk to put the guy at ease and he just gives me a weird look and continues to get me to sign about 3 forms - same form but 3 copies. Then he asks for my ID (can you hear the dum daaaaaammmm)

Now, my ID has my home address along with my maiden name. Unfortunately, this package came to my married name and my new place. This guy kept INSISTING i was not Amrita ******* whereas as you know, i very well am. I told him, do you want me to tell you who the package is from? He was like, if this is your married name, bring your marriage certificate?? WTF? i can believe in security but come on? I said, is there any other way i can prove this package belongs to me. I even asked should i call my friend abroad, he can confirm the number with the number entered in her papers. And he kept saying no no no. So, I got pissed off and told the guy in very colorful language (at least as colorful as my poor sinhala could be) and came home a very sad and angry customer.

Then I got inspired. I called the superintendent and proceeded to be a pain in his ass, and you know i can be that way when i am totally pissed off. I told him, i should have paid his guy some money and I am sure he would have given my package, and this is what happens if you try and do things the honest way. He kept insisting on security, i was like, look check the package if you want, its all kids stuff... anyways, after an hour of bugging this guy, he was like ok, come meet me and we can clear your stuff.

FINALLY! So hopefully today is the day i get my stuff.. Wish me luck!

SL may have won the war, but it hasn't stopped the buck