The (French) Post Office.
You should read this post, even though you are sure that this is going to be boring.
Yesterday, I went to the post office. I had important documents to send to my new employer in Great Britain. I wanted a large envelop and a stamp. I already had a bad day: got caught by the police with a flash for going to fast (I am now waiting for the fee...), broke my phone, visited a supermarket that hadn't received the books I ordered for it.
When I arrived at the "poste", a green car was parked in front of the door, in the middle of a little turning street, where there usually is a lot of traffic. In short, it was somewhere you wouldn't want your car to be parked. When I entered, I saw two lines without understanding if these were the result of a confusion or a true organisation of the queue. I also saw a very old lady (90's) trying to reach a sit with the help of two young guys, and a younger lady (70's, 65 minimum) who was later to be identified as her daughter. They were here for a complicated story that nobody got. All I got is that there is absolutely no good reasons for the 90 lady to be here as she couldn't even walk. She could have signed any papers from home letting the 70 one taking care of her affairs. But the 70 one didn't seem to understand anything herself.
At this time, 5 minutes are gone. There are around 15 people in the room.
Simultaneously, in my back, another lady -we'll call her the nurse, because she was dressed like a nurse, even though her behaviour had very little of a nurse's- entered. Straight away, she asked me, in a slightly frenetic way, to walk a bit more in front of me, in order to free some space near the entrance. She was pale blond, almost white haired, and ugly. Her hair looked sick. I asked the girl in front of me to walk a little bit, to avoid any discussions, but she didn't hear me, so the nurse got angry and jumped the line and chose line 1.
So I said "Sorry but there is a line".
She answered, with her eyes looking as empty as the space she was watching in the air, "I'll let you go first, but if nobody understands..." -the rest was only moans-.
I answered "Sorry, I must be stupid" (I always say sorry). The girl in front of me laughed, hiding her mouth behind papers she probably had to send.
Then, the nurse went to talk to two guys who were in the line 2, because one of them was leaving the space of, say, one step, in front of him. She asked if he could walk a bit more in front of him, in order to free some space near the entrance. The guy was tall and strong. He looked nice but not really educated, and said, quite aggressively:
Yesterday, I went to the post office. I had important documents to send to my new employer in Great Britain. I wanted a large envelop and a stamp. I already had a bad day: got caught by the police with a flash for going to fast (I am now waiting for the fee...), broke my phone, visited a supermarket that hadn't received the books I ordered for it.
When I arrived at the "poste", a green car was parked in front of the door, in the middle of a little turning street, where there usually is a lot of traffic. In short, it was somewhere you wouldn't want your car to be parked. When I entered, I saw two lines without understanding if these were the result of a confusion or a true organisation of the queue. I also saw a very old lady (90's) trying to reach a sit with the help of two young guys, and a younger lady (70's, 65 minimum) who was later to be identified as her daughter. They were here for a complicated story that nobody got. All I got is that there is absolutely no good reasons for the 90 lady to be here as she couldn't even walk. She could have signed any papers from home letting the 70 one taking care of her affairs. But the 70 one didn't seem to understand anything herself.
At this time, 5 minutes are gone. There are around 15 people in the room.
Simultaneously, in my back, another lady -we'll call her the nurse, because she was dressed like a nurse, even though her behaviour had very little of a nurse's- entered. Straight away, she asked me, in a slightly frenetic way, to walk a bit more in front of me, in order to free some space near the entrance. She was pale blond, almost white haired, and ugly. Her hair looked sick. I asked the girl in front of me to walk a little bit, to avoid any discussions, but she didn't hear me, so the nurse got angry and jumped the line and chose line 1.
So I said "Sorry but there is a line".
She answered, with her eyes looking as empty as the space she was watching in the air, "I'll let you go first, but if nobody understands..." -the rest was only moans-.
I answered "Sorry, I must be stupid" (I always say sorry). The girl in front of me laughed, hiding her mouth behind papers she probably had to send.
Then, the nurse went to talk to two guys who were in the line 2, because one of them was leaving the space of, say, one step, in front of him. She asked if he could walk a bit more in front of him, in order to free some space near the entrance. The guy was tall and strong. He looked nice but not really educated, and said, quite aggressively:
"How much are we gonna win if I do so, two steps?"
After, hesitating, she said in an almost convinced tone: "No, no, two meters..." and something like "uh, afraid of real women".
She had big pair of, but probably a big crazy pair of. The girl in front of me was still laughing; and I was making comments I can't remember of. Something like "she's completely crazy, it's incredible".
Between 10 and 15 minutes are gone. There are still around 15 people in the room.
Suddenly, the 70 lady finished what she had to do and walked back towards the 90 one. Simultaneously, a woman in her 50's jumped from line 1 to line 2, that is straight in front of the desk. I got out of the queue(s), and asked everyone:
"Sorry everyone, but it is just to be clear, how many lines are there and who's in which?"
The 50 lady left the desk, without saying a word. I think she was just a posh lady who thought she was smarter than everyone else. She was probably mainly shyer than the others.
A guy answered my question, the girl kept on laughing, the nurse kept on moaning freakily, and the two guys who were wasting two steps were moaning back together. There were two lines to everyone. I then offered my help to the 90 lady, who sounded smarter than her daughter. We went out of the post office and the green car was, indeed, their car.
Between 15 and 20 minutes are gone. Same people, minus two. Maybe three, the other line was quicker.
I came back in the line, and reached the desk rather easily. On line 1, the guy behind the desk was fat and his morphology had so much evolved, because he was always sited, that he didn't look normal any more, and had much difficulties to walk. The lady in front of me didn't look smart. She looked superficial and angry. I said hello and asked for one envelop and one stamp for England. She answered she hadn't the kind of envelop I needed any more, and that it would cost a lot or something. In between, a pregnant lady had entered with two children and the noise made it hard to get what the desk lady was saying. I said I also needed the stamp on it and that a prepaid envelop would do. She told me, rather aggressively, that I was not answering her question at all. So she explained she didn't have the envelop and that it would cost me a lot. I said how much and apologizes because I hadn't understood her.
Between 10 and 15 minutes are gone. There are still around 15 people in the room.
Suddenly, the 70 lady finished what she had to do and walked back towards the 90 one. Simultaneously, a woman in her 50's jumped from line 1 to line 2, that is straight in front of the desk. I got out of the queue(s), and asked everyone:
"Sorry everyone, but it is just to be clear, how many lines are there and who's in which?"
The 50 lady left the desk, without saying a word. I think she was just a posh lady who thought she was smarter than everyone else. She was probably mainly shyer than the others.
A guy answered my question, the girl kept on laughing, the nurse kept on moaning freakily, and the two guys who were wasting two steps were moaning back together. There were two lines to everyone. I then offered my help to the 90 lady, who sounded smarter than her daughter. We went out of the post office and the green car was, indeed, their car.
Between 15 and 20 minutes are gone. Same people, minus two. Maybe three, the other line was quicker.
I came back in the line, and reached the desk rather easily. On line 1, the guy behind the desk was fat and his morphology had so much evolved, because he was always sited, that he didn't look normal any more, and had much difficulties to walk. The lady in front of me didn't look smart. She looked superficial and angry. I said hello and asked for one envelop and one stamp for England. She answered she hadn't the kind of envelop I needed any more, and that it would cost a lot or something. In between, a pregnant lady had entered with two children and the noise made it hard to get what the desk lady was saying. I said I also needed the stamp on it and that a prepaid envelop would do. She told me, rather aggressively, that I was not answering her question at all. So she explained she didn't have the envelop and that it would cost me a lot. I said how much and apologizes because I hadn't understood her.
She said, "no, you didn't understand what I said".
This time, I got angry and said "Yes, that's what I said, I said I didn't get you".
I asked how much it would cost and she asked for my documents which she weighted. She said 2 euros, which I said I would definitely pay for. so she brought an envelop back and I left.
I have spent 25 minutes in the most depressing place of France, where there is a combination of all the things which doesn't work in this country. In this country, there are people who work for the state who couldn’t work for anything else, at least in the same way. There are people who always look for assistance, without wondering if they can’t “help themselves” first. And there are old people, and people who became crazy after years of being assisted by, or being assisting, other people. In all that, there are very little efficient working people.
To end the story, I have to add that this prepaid envelop for international mail had too little space for the address, so it didn't fit in, and I had to go back to the office later in the afternoon. The good thing is that the letter must now be reaching the British coast. The other is that I feel better now. Thank you for letting me talk to you.
I have spent 25 minutes in the most depressing place of France, where there is a combination of all the things which doesn't work in this country. In this country, there are people who work for the state who couldn’t work for anything else, at least in the same way. There are people who always look for assistance, without wondering if they can’t “help themselves” first. And there are old people, and people who became crazy after years of being assisted by, or being assisting, other people. In all that, there are very little efficient working people.
To end the story, I have to add that this prepaid envelop for international mail had too little space for the address, so it didn't fit in, and I had to go back to the office later in the afternoon. The good thing is that the letter must now be reaching the British coast. The other is that I feel better now. Thank you for letting me talk to you.
posted by Justin at 7:05 PM
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