They've got mail!

The post office, believe it or not, is a great place for Russian practice. A recent experience mailing a package to the U.S. underlines this fact. To understand the post office experience, you have to understand a little about how Russians gather themselves within the post office. For example, Russians have 2 different ways they stand in line. Sometimes it is straight back like it is in the U.S. and sometimes it goes off to the side hugging the counter. When there are several of these lines, things can get a little confusing. It is rare that someone will stand in line for 5 minutes without at least 3 people coming up and asking "Кто последный?" or "Who's last?" Even though the first line I was standing in , #1, said "отправить" translated "to mail," this was not the correct line. Fortunately the lines are all numbered, so the woman graciously instructed me to go to line 10. I filled out some paperwork, she put the item I was mailing in a package, and then she said I should go to number 4 to pay (which, interestingly, was right next to her line) but seemed to point to line 1 (across the room.) While standing in line 1 again, I got to have a brief conversation with a nice lady about how difficult the Russian language is before I was told (you guessed it) "you need to go to line 4." Although it was a little awkward, I'm now thinking, with all the Russian practice, maybe I should find something to mail tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day . . .