Mailing a Package in Italy

How many Corbridges does it take to mail a package back to the states? For the second time on this trip our collection of souvenirs has grown to exceed the available space in our backpacks. It was time to send some of it back home before we left the next morning. This is the story of what I learned while trying to mail a package home from Italy.

Early this morning Elaine collected all of the things that we needed to send home.  She had it all in a bag ready to go to the post office.  She and Joe set off for the post office knowing that it closed at 13:25 for the day.  They returned a short while later still carrying our stuff.  They explained that the post office didn't have boxes for sell.  One step backward.

Where do you get boxes in a little village in Italy when it is approaching "siesta" and everything is closing down for the afternoon? The clock was running and the post office would soon close. Luckily, they found a box in someone's garbage on the street.  Except for having a few cigarette butts in it the box was suitable.  One step forward.

After dumping out the cigarettes, we hastily crammed our stuff into the box and sealed it with a few precious pieces of duct tape from our only roll.  From here, Joe and I took over.  We hustled over to the post office and waited in line for our turn.  Just when we thought we were close to having the package sent the lady told us through another customer who spoke English that the box had to be plain (without printing or logos on it) OR it had to be wrapped in white paper. I asked if they had paper I could buy.  They didn't.  I saw a pile of boxes and asked if she had any I could buy.  Again, no.  Thinking that they might sell me the display model I asked if I could buy a particular box that was on display.  Again, no.  I didn't understand the reason but I couldn't buy paper or a box at the post office.  One step backward.

At this point I'm speaking mostly with the other customer who was sympathetic and kind.  I'm grateful for her help because I felt really dumb.  As we left she said, "Sorry.  You are in Italy," as if to apologize on behalf of the post office for its silly requirements.  No one knew where to buy white packing paper.  It was up to us to use our resources and initiative to find what we needed.  We were on our own.  We didn't give up.  After all, we had found a box when we didn't know where to get one.  I was thinking a butcher shop might have something.  Joe had another idea.

Joe and I came back to the apartment to share our findings with the family.  Joe suggested that we try the little "office supply" shop on our street.  We bought some pens there one day.  Imagine a shop the size of a nice walk-in closet crammed floor to ceiling with papers, pens, books, etc and you would have a good visual idea of what the store looked like.  We thought maybe they would have either a box or a big piece of paper.  The lady there was soooo kind.  When I asked for a big piece of white paper she immediately asked if it was for posting a package.  This was a good sign.  Though it took her a few moments to find it, she had exactly what we needed and for just 1 Euro.  We were getting somewhere.  One step forward.

Next, we thought that maybe our gray duct tape would clash with some obscure rule in the Italian postal system and so we wondered where we could get clear packing tape.  Elaine remembered seeing 1 roll of packing tape in an obscure location in one of the grocery stores we've used since we've been here.  She described to me where it was and Joe and I took off to retrieve it.  The tape was right where she said it would be and wasn't too expensive.  At this point it felt like all of the pieces were coming together.  One step forward.

To shorten this already long post, we wrapped the package in the white paper from the shop, taping it with the clear packing tape from the grocery store, and made our way to the post office.  We waited in line, filled out the forms, provided the identification, and mailed the package.  Mission accomplished.

This little experience is an analogy to life.  To accomplish the bigger objective we sometimes have to use our resources and initiative to solve smaller problems, one at a time.  We go as far as we can until we are blocked.  Then we gather information and try to use it to get past the obstacle.  Sometimes we get a lot of information.  Sometimes only a little.  Step by step, we make progress.  Thanks for reading.