Thursday, March 29, 2007

DON'T LEAVE YOUR PAZIENZA AT HOME!




Our new post office opened, to much fanfare, yesterday. Now the question is, will it function more efficiently than the old one? I hope so but fear not. There seem to be seven counters in there but yesterday and today only two were open, as ever. The same six hard, wooden chairs have been placed by the window for those who cannot stand for long [you tell the person behind you that you need to sit down and rejoin the queue when it's nearly your turn], the queues are still snaking almost out of the door and the customers look as resigned to the situation as before. In short, there may be more room in which to fling your arms outwards and upwards but you will need your pazienza just the same!
In Cardiff I often used to find myself waiting at the bus stop beside a permanently tired -looking woman whose spirit had been ground down, over the years, by the unreliability of Cardiff Bus. "It's them buses - they makes you bad", she would proclaim to all who would listen. [Cardiffians use the third person form of the verb for the entire present tense.] Were she beside me today, I would be able to inform her that whilst that may, indeed, be the case , the Italian Post Office "makes you badder"!




7 comments:

Anonymous said...

At least the building looks nice. Too bad the service isn't.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Ciao, Steve. Yes, the building looks cheery, doesn't it? Maybe I should give it time - pazienza!

Lee said...

Patience, patience, Welsh! (Something I have very little of at times!)

Fancy looking new building...let's hope it's run more efficiently! ;)

jmb said...

You wonder why they waste the money on the extra wickets when they don't intend to man them. Do they all talk on their cell phones while you wait in line? That drives me crazy here. I once had to wait at the Motor Vehicles branch to renew my driver's licence and I took my book. But I was surrounded by loud talkers on cell phones. I could have killed them.
Regards
jmb

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi again, Lee. I'm not the most patient of beings myself! jmb, no, they don't talk on the cellphones all the time but one clerk is alwways on the main phone!

Ballpoint Wren said...

I've had some of my worst moments in post offices. I think this must be a universal problem.

Here's a story for you:

Earlier this week I had to send a package to Manitoba, Canada. I'm in Southern California. After waiting forever in line, the clerk asked me if I wanted premium air, regular air, or "by ocean." Hunh? What ocean lies between California and Manitoba?

Just in case she meant to send it through the Panama Canal, I opted for regular air!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Like the story, Bonnie!

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