Four months after leaving Ukraine, my luggage just arrived, in a humongous shipping box via US State Dept. (photo by Elissa).
I had to leave Ukraine in a hurry in early March, medivac'ed to DC for what turned out to be a minor medical problem. Other PCVs who were in DC at the time discovered the same thing. But we all made the most of it.
I had to pack my stuff in Starobelsk really fast, though, and then leave it all in the hands of my Regional Manager Vasyl to pick it up and have the PC ship it out. I got the stuff yesterday. It has traveled around the world, been inspected and re-inspected, and finally got into the hands of the State Department, which couldn’t seem to get the name or address right after several emails, phone calls and messages spelling it out over and over.
This is the same State Department headed by Hilary Clinton, that oversees our international relations? It had trouble getting a package to Ohio? Well it did put the luggage in the heaviest, thickest, largest, strongest shipping box I have ever seen. It alone weighed over 18 lbs, because our strict weight limit was 100 lbs!
Then the huge shipping box hit another snag. When it got to an Ohio shipper, it had trouble with the address, too, which was my daughter's work address at Sylvania Advantage newspaper because I thought it would be easiest from Ukraine. Nope! The delivery guy called Elissa a few weeks ago and said he’d been all over the Toledo area and could not find the corner of Sylvania and Advantage.
What about the 901 Washington Street. Oh, right. Okay, package on the way. It finally arrived at its destination, addressed to Aryfrancine, last week. That might have been a State Department error, as well, and why it took so long to get to a destination in Toledo.
The State Department is probably better at tasks other than shipping. I doubt this is high on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s agenda. I understand it. There are other more important priorities at the USSD, like our relations with Pakistan, the Middle East, northern Africa.
The State Department is probably better at tasks other than shipping. I doubt this is high on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s agenda. I understand it. There are other more important priorities at the USSD, like our relations with Pakistan, the Middle East, northern Africa.
Best to thank the Lord for large packages, and "better late than never." And I do!
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