Okay I’ll just say it; I have been so self involved that I forgot it was about to be Mother’s Day in the States. Well, fortunately I have a wonderful friend that reminds me of things like this and I had already been shopping in the Bombay Silk Market and was having an outfit tailor made in my Grandmother’s signature purple – made specifically to match the hat she bought while visiting me in Lima and the fabulous purple Peter Kent bag I gave her a few years back for Mother’s Day when I was living in Argentina (when said friend had once again called to give me a warning of the impending holiday).
As the always-absent member of the family these well thought out gifts are extremely important, to my Grandmother. My family is Catholic and she is very active in her church. I’ve been told she loves to say pointing to something I picked up somewhere, “Oh my granddaughter thought this would be perfect for me. She sent it last week from (insert country here).”
I rushed to the silk market that Wednesday morning and thank the goodness her outfit was ready so it was off to the post office. As I mentioned I’d been living in some let’s say red tape nightmare locations so walking in to the main post office in Doha was an awe inspiring experience. Seriously people, I had never seen anything like this before (did I mention I was a long-term contract designer for the United States Postal Service so I know my post offices.)
I was directed to the EMS counter wrote in her address paid and next thing I knew it was Friday and the outfit had already arrived in DC!!!! This gave her enough time wash it and wear it, not to Sunday Mother’s Day mass but my cousin’s wedding, complete with aforementioned purple accouterments collected in South America.
Meanwhile the items I mailed to my mother using the South African equivalent of EMS, 2 weeks prior had yet turn up, but I was covered because Grandma was happy.
Did I mention I love this place!