"Heads up, you may have a random package arriving tomorrow or Friday."
That was the message I found when I looked at my mobile late Wednesday night about a week ago.
Cool.
Like everyone, I enjoy receiving something through the regular post from someone other than the Amazon delivery guy. Personal letters are few and far between these days, and more often than not, are sent via email, if not shortened to a quick text or whatever. We know this, so all the more reason to get excited about a package.
The following afternoon I ran into my neighbor who was also looking for a package that she had ordered. "I am going to receive a package, too!" I exclaimed with probably a little too much enthusiasm, considering I had no idea what was on the way to me.
By Saturday afternoon, I realized that the package was still in transit, so made a mental note to let Chris know at some point early in the upcoming week. We ended up trading a few messages about a few other topics, but at one point I found out that the package was still in transit and that the carrier had requested my contact telephone number.
So, I wasn't too surprised on Tuesday morning when the girl phoned from DHL. She was from the customs office and wanted to find out who was going to cover the customs tax and duties. As the recipient, that pretty much was going to rest with me. "What's in the package?" the girl asked me. "Is it a gift of something?"
"Yeah, I assume it is some sort of gift," I responded, and explained that I was at least aware of the package, though not so clear on the contents.
She then proceeded to let me know that I would need to confirm the statement in writing, and asked for my email address so she could send me the little form to fill out and return.
Now, I really don't like having to spell my name over the telephone or for that matter, in person. I think part of this is due to the difference in the ways that vowels get pronounced. For example, in American English we would say:
a ( like when the Fonz says "ayyy!")
e (like what you say when sliding down a slide, only without the w)
i (like "eye")
o (like "oh")
u (like "you")
and sometimes
y (like "why")
In German, the pronunciation is not quite the same:
a (like when you say "ah, now i understand.")
e ( like when the Fonz says "ayyy!")
i (like what you say when sliding down a slide, only without the w)
o (like "oh")
u (like "oooh, that's gross.")
and sometimes
y (like "oops salon")
Learning how to say the vowels is not all that difficult, and is simply a part of language learning. However, what I have experienced over the years in both Spanish and German, is that when it comes to comprehension, things can be a little tricky, especially if you are conversing in a certain language where one of you is NOT a native speaker. It is very easy to listen to someone say a vowel out loud in German, and immediately write down the English letter that corresponds with it, since the brain sometimes goes into autopilot in cases like this.
Consider briefly if someone calls out to you the letters for wine in the German language.
While the German is saying "w-e-i-n," what one English native might hear (and then write down) is "W - A - E - N"
Actually, since the letter W has a completely different sound (more on that in a minute), one might actually write: "V - A - E - N." Neither "waen" nor "vaen" means anything; they aren't words in English or German.
OK, maybe that was an extreme example, but I truly believe that others experience similar difficulties. Maybe not all the time, but there is still that chance.
Additionally, I never learned the NATO phonetic alphabet, preferring instead to use my own words. While this grants me a certain amount of creativity, I do lose points for lack of consistency. Furthermore, when trying to use the phonetic alphabet in German, due to the difference in consonants, things can also be very challenging.
So, I carefully started spelling my email address to the DHL woman, and I was pleased that she was following without any problems. Obviously she has some considerable experience with this, as once or twice she did start to confirm my spelling with the NATO alphabet. When we got to the last letter of my last name, we both sort of hesitated. On one hand, she already had picked up on the fact that my email address included my last name, which she had listed as he recipient of the package. On the other hand, I think she wanted to hear how I was going to say the W, since in German this letter gets pronounced like an English "V."
After a moment's hesitation as I tried quickly to think of a word starting with the letter W, I finally uttered "walrus," which I immediately felt a little sheepish. However, she came back with, "Genau!" and confirmed that she had understood. I kind of felt like she was cheering for me. Coo coo cachoo.
We finished our phone call, and a few minutes later, I received the little form, which required that I tick the correct box to declare the goods. I was a bit confused, and started to get a little nervous, because these things have a way of getting completely out hand very quickly. I looked at the pdf file of the contents of the package that had been given when it was shipped from the US, but the words "personal effects" can vary from person to person. I figured I might know what personal books were being referred to, but "office supplies" was also a bit cryptic.
I consulted briefly with a friend of mine who runs a little mail-order shop, and he told me how best to complete the form. I signed and scanned the document, then emailed back to DHL and hoped that they would not send all my stuff to the local customs office. If that were to happen, then I might end up having to pay some expensive fees. Several years ago when I ordered some shoes and boots, I ended up having to spend an extra 40% to clear the goods through customs. I was eager to avoid a similar situation this time round. I did not want to have to get forced to pay a lot of duties on things that already belong to me.
Well, the doorbell rang during the rainy morning on Thursday, and a soggy DHL driver came upstairs with a medium sized box in his hands. He confirmed my name, and then asked me for 32 Euro. I had sort of expected this, and handed over the money, relieved that the amount of the duties was not too much. He gave me the package, and I opened the box curiously, truly still wondering what personal effects of mine might have come from the US.
With great delight, I realized that the package contained several of my journals, stories, and various other monologues that I had written during college and throughout the 90s. I didn't believe that I had lost them, but let's just say I wasn't so sure where they were. The other bits were also nice: expired documents, a couple of old concert fliers, and a few other various bits that I had kept through the years. The total value of the goods could not have exceeded more than 20 bucks, but the value of those journals? For me, it is an absolute treasure. Thanks, Chris.
In all likelihood, in the coming weeks and months, I will post a couple of the old "stories" from long ago, which will certainly give a glimpse into the life of Bryan prior to the launch of this blog back in 2006.
Yep, I have posted two times this week, but for very good reasons. What a way to start the weekend.
see you out there
bryan
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