Have I Made A Mistake?

101 days into a 333(ish) day project is probably not the time to be having second thoughts. Or maybe it's just normal, I dont know. I had thoughts like this earlier on (anyone reading my blog must have been blind not to notice), maybe I reckoned they would subside by now. But no, it STILL riles me when something ridiculously "normal" and "simple" by any other country's standards can be messed around horribly in China. Today features that bastion of Chinese idiocy, the Post Office. Again. Yes, it's not enough that I had troubles with them in the past (and the last time I was in China as well, both the PO and Banks seem absurdly run) - it seems they are destined to cause trouble.

I want to send my friend something very simple. She like brown pens (and has probably twigged I am talking about her just now), and I managed to find some brown felt-tip-style drawing pens in Urumqi. Dead cheap, so I got her two. I myself have identical pens in purple and green, and my housemate has one in red and one in purple too - they're nice to use, if anyone wants them ... well I'd offer to send them to you, but as you'll see, that might be harder than I first thought. I decided to take a risk. I put them in an envelope, just a normal brown envelope. So there's a sheet of paper and two slimline brown pens in an envelope, which has been sellotaped shut because otherwise it just wont close (and also because the system here is not to use lick-and-stick envelopes. Peel and stick is probably a development reserved for next century) ... "Two to England" (yes, Great Aunt Judith, I have finally sent my reply to your letter! Mum please pass that along. And yes, Marilyn, your mail is also on its way!) and "one to America" ... Oh what's that? You can't send it? Well why not? Oh because it's not a letter? Yeah well that's none of your damn business, if I want to send 2 pens in an envelope, what's it to you? Yeah you have your regulations but they are ridiculous. Why is it that I have been to about 12 other countries and NEVER had a problem with their postal service? Just CHINA.

She got her boss. Who was equally useless, just repeated the situation. The solution is to buy a box. Yeah, a BOX to send 2 pens. I asked her, "What? So if I want to send my friend a small present, it has to be in a box?" and the answer was a resolute "yes" which means two things:

1) China Post has a racket on boxes and is using them to keep profits up (heaven forfend you should use another box, also things have to be packed in front of them, yet another bane of my existence)

2) The system is (as I have stated before) seriously retarded.

I left, livid, and am still ragey. Also, I still have an envelope with two brown pens in it :( Sorry Lari.





The actual point of this was - every time something like this happens, I question my decision to learn Chinese (even more so than normal, my original reasons for choosing it no longer existing), and I am seriously put off the idea of having ANYTHING to do with China. Ever. So I lose even more motivation for yet another day, and all I can think is, "This is a poor excuse for a country and I want nothing more than to come home". Yes it's needlessly complainy and I can think of a lot worse places to be, but sadly, I can also think of a lot BETTER places to be.