Comments on: A Bumpy Start to Belgium

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 30 May 2017 22:49:15 +0000

In reply to Sandy. I can so relate, Sandy. That's basically exactly what I do! I totally understand -- and am still trying to find some coping mechanisms today!

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 18 May 2017 16:20:26 +0000

Oh I don’t handle disappointment well either, Alex.
My reaction is always embarrassing at the time and after when I think about how I reacted.
I get quiet, closed off and eventually cry. Then, eventually, I shake it off and try to look on the bright side and carry on.
I remember going to my first hot springs in Banff, Alberta and it was not at all what I expected. So many people and it was just like a heated pool honestly and the mountain view was blocked. I was not impressed at all and my poor husband had to deal with my poor mood for the rest of the evening but I couldn’t shake off the disappointment.

Sorry you had to go through all the hassle with customs and the postal service but I’m glad Brussels improved by the end and I hope you did get your stuff back. I’ll remember not to ship anything to Belgium.

I’m also not a fan of beer the only one I enjoy is the Kilkenny or a blue moon if I add peach schnapps to it but that cherry beer sounds delicious! I’ll be sure to try it when I head to Brussels next year.

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 02:24:28 +0000

In reply to Liz. Ugh, sounds like this is a common problem in Europe! Yikes! My fight to get the box on continues, three months later...

By: Liz

Liz — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 04:43:44 +0000

Girl that sucks, I had the same problem happen to me when I lived in Spain. It had to do with the value of what I declared. Basically I had to say that no matter what was in the box, it was under $20. Luckily in NZ it’s a $400 limit. Such a nightmare but looks like you had an awesome time in Belgium. I hope you get your box back xx

By: Martina

Martina — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 10:37:55 +0000

In reply to Alex.

I know, how bizarre is it?? I honestly have no idea what sorts of things they put in. I wonder what would happen if customs at your own end had to open it and you had no idea what was in it? At the moment I live in Fiji, and any time you get a parcel from overseas you have to open it in front of the customs official.

“And this, what is this?”

“Ummm… I think this is my new Kyrgyzian… um… maybe it’s a flute? What do you think?”

Yes, I can see that going down very well…

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 04:40:08 +0000

In reply to Martina. Ha! That is an AMAZING story. Love the trading aspect. I would mail myself something too! Thanks for sharing, made my smile :) And good luck hitting that 30 by 30... It's a fun one to pursue!

By: Martina

Martina — Sun, 28 Sep 2014 08:56:05 +0000

Nice work on the 25 by 25!! Congratulations!! I have a very similar arbitrary goal – 30 countries before I’m 30. (In case you’re wondering, I’ve got 10 to go and 4 years to do it…) I know it’s a bit silly, but goals like this are fun!

Your postal situation sounds awful. I do love how you refer to yourself as an adversary of the postal service though, that made me laugh. I have a story you might find interesting…

A few years ago I was doing research at work on postal systems around the world. Odd topic, right? It was to prep diplomats who were attending the Universal Postal Union congress, and we had to do a brief for each country – so naturally I picked the most unusual countries off the list first. My favourite was what I found out about the postal service of Kyrgyzstan. It’s definitely NOT what you would call reliable. Sometimes parcels arrive, sometimes they don’t, but if they do arrive, more often than not, it won’t be exactly what you packed. It seems postal or customs workers open the parcels to check the contents, and if they see something they like, they tend to help themselves. But it’s not flat-out theft – they’ll almost always replace whatever they take with something else. So it’s kind of like a trade, it’s just that you don’t get any say in the matter!

I found it hilarious, and if I ever get to Kyrgyzstan, I’ll be pretty tempted to try mailing myself something just to see what happens! Would be amazingly frustrating if you had to send something important though.

I’m glad that it was just a bumpy start to Belgium and that things picked up. I’m still drooling over your chocolate post tbh… haha. 🙂

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 02:09:22 +0000

In reply to Camels & Chocolate. UGH tell me about it! I will be gutted if this box never shows back up but I am starting to lose hope. The worst part is it is impossible to navigate the phone menu for the postal service without being a Dutch or French speaker, so I have to keep begging people to help me with this mess. Pretty over the whole thing.

By: Camels & Chocolate

Camels & Chocolate — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 05:42:50 +0000

Not sure if this will make you feel better or worse, but Benelux has the worst mail system of any I’ve ever encountered—in the words of Taylor Swift—like, ever. Scott and I mailed all our belongings from the Netherlands to Denmark in 2005 and received them…never. We even insured our boxes and everything, and they never tracked them down! Eventually we each got 500 euro—as in months later—which did little to alleviate the annoyance I felt for losing all the clothing I took abroad with me, not to mention the frustration dealing with calling the Dutch postal service weekly for the better part of a year!

All that to say, I FEEL YA, SISTA.

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 03:49:06 +0000

In reply to Racheal Morgan. Lovely to hear from someone who loves Belgium! It's a wonderful feeling when a place can make you feel that way :)