A New Phone...

What a week! It has been the busiest since I have been here. Mostly this was due to a new phone. I had Mom send me my cordless phone from home with a couple ladies who had come to visit and work with us for a week. Well, the phone got stopped in customs.

Tuesday I got a taxi to the airport to go get it. The airport is literally on the opposite side of the city from where I live. I took a contract taxi and it still took me quite a while to get over there. I got in the airport and finally found the right office. Once I arrived they asked where my letter was from the telephone company. What letter I asked. I had to have a letter of permission from the phone company to have my phone…still not sure why. I asked where the phone company was. They told me which hotel it was in, but know one actually knew where it was. They new it wasn't far from one of the craziest intersections in the city…they told me to go to the intersection and ask for directions.

The next day I found the hotel and a big sign saying the telephone company office was there…on the second, fifth, and sixth floors. I started on the second after being directed there by a security guard. I entered the office to see numerous doors to other offices and no receptionist. I stood there for a minute hoping someone would ask to help me. Nope! I tapped on the first door and went in. I showed the papers to a man behind a desk who told me where to go, but first told me I would have to leave the building to go photocopy my papers. I went to the new office…again no greeting.

I walked to the only man helping no one. He took my papers, flipped through them, and grabbed some other paper work. He handed me a form to fill out. It was all in their language. I just looked at it funny, then looked back at him, and told him I didn't speak his language well. He filled out all of the work for me (Might I add all of the paper work was in the woman's name that brought me the phone. I kept telling them it wasn't me; they just kept making it Mr. Sandra.

Finally he finished and directed me to the sixth floor. I entered again to find no receptionist. I went in the first door and the man took my papers. He started asking me questions. "Do you have the owner's manual?" "I don't know I don't even have the phone back yet." "You need to bring me that." "Customs won't let me have the phone, not to mention the manual might not be here." "How much did it cost?" "I don't know it is old." "We'll have to find it on the internet." That took quite sometime. Thankfully the guy was nice enough to let me practice some of his language I had learned with him.

He sent me to a fourth office. She wrote me a letter, and then sent me back to the last office. He handed me a print out of my phone and said, "Is this it?" "I think so." "The model number is the same." "Must be it then." He left with my papers and said he'd be back. He disappeared for several minutes as I sat in his office. He came back begging my pardon; in his language I said no problem. He told me there actually was a problem. Apparently he couldn't find his boss and the boss had to sign the paper work. He told me to come back Thursday.

After two hours, five offices, and two different floors, I left. And he kept my paperwork. Let me tell you leaving the papers with him made me pretty nervous.

Thursday morning I got a taxi back to the hotel. I went to the sixth floor (Should have told you earlier, although it was numbered six it was the eighth floor.) Popped in the man's office from Wednesday, he sent me back to the office where the lady wrote the letter. I got my letter and they sent me back to the second floor to pay. I finally found the right office and sat down with a man and a woman as they figured out what I owed them. Again I practiced my language with them, and I think made a new friend. He invited me to come again…just to visit he said. I paid them and they sent me to another office for some type of stamp. I got the stamp I the office I had started in Wednesday. As they finished I thanked them in their language and said goodbye. All of the nationals in the room laughed when I spoke their language…quite common, yet still uncomfortable.

Finally I returned to the airport. I stood in line a while and then handed someone my papers. He kept them for about 30 minutes then called me again. I got a paper, and he sent me to the next window to pay. I paid the girl. Then she told me to wait, she left for about 20 minutes then reappeared. I owed more money. "For what?" I asked. Storage. I paid her again and asked where to go. She sort of bobbed her heard towards the left and said, "Where else?" I guessed and moved to the next crowd of people. Finally after waiting again they brought the phone.

They flipped through a book for several minutes looking for record of my phone. Not sure what took so long as they appeared to be in numerical order, but he had some trouble. Sign your name here the man said. "My name," I asked. "Yes." So I did. That isn't the name on the papers the two replied. "Oh you want that name, well here, I'll put it." "No you can't do that!" I thought I was going to have to start the process all over again. Thankfully they asked if the phone was mine and I said it was. They let me have it.

After 3 days, 6 taxis, 2 buildings (both two times), more flights of stairs than I care to count, multiple offices, some money, and lots of paper work, I have a new cordless phone, with an answering machine. More than anything the machine is for calls from people like mom and dad. However I think it could become quite comedic. I assume there will be multiple messages consisting of, "Hello, Hello, Hello…well you get the picture."

To be honest, I know this sounds like quite a fiasco, and don't get me wrong…it was. But it was really a relatively light process in comparison to others.