I didn’t know I had a reputation in town, but I do!
In the local post office today of good ‘ole Somerset, Pennsylvania (I truly love this place!), I was talking with Kaylie, one of the regular clerks. We were attempting to do an address change so that all of our personal mail could be forwarded to my mother.
My poor mother has been collecting our junkmail, bills, letters, magazines, etc. for decades. She didn’t know that would be one of her very important roles for our family when we made the decision to live our lives on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Thanks, Mom!
In any case, we were once again filling out the address change forms in the post office.
Our situation was a bit more complex than the average, so Kaylie made a quick call to her supervisor, Sharon, who was on vacation that day.
“You Know, the One . . .”
“Sharon, I’m here with the French lady. You know, the one who always comes in to mail things to France and wants to use up all of her stamps. Well, they’re moving back overseas . . .”
I began laughing out loud.
“Is that the reputation I have around here in our small rural community? I’m the French lady with all the stamps that I have collected throughout my years of living and traveling abroad?” I asked, amused.
“Yes, that’s the image we have of you around here, and Sharon knew exactly who I was talking about. That’s how we’ll remember you,” Kaylie answered, smiling.
No More Stamps!
“Guess what?! I have managed to use up all of my old stamps while here. I’m not packing them with me anymore!” I said.
I went on to explain that I had actually brought stamps with me to the U.S. that dated back to the late 1990s. While packing up to leave France 18 months ago, I ran across my stamp collection that I had taken with me to Africa a few decades ago. Some of the regular stamps were only worth 37 cents.
One time, I was mailing a package to France, and Kaylie helped me put on $39 worth of old stamps so that I could use all of them up! You could hardly see the mailing address or the envelope. Rather, it was filled with beautiful vivid images of Disney characters, Star Wars villains, aquatic creatures, desert and mountain scenes, and a million other pictures. Whoever received that package in France now possessed a treasured American stamp collection! I hated to see all of those unique stamps go, but why would I keep packing them up and dragging them from continent to continent?
A Small Town Welcome
Every time our family walked into our local post office for stamps, packages, passport pictures, change of address forms, or a million other questions about how to do things in America, Sharon, Kaylie, and the other Somerset clerks always graciously welcomed us and patiently explained things to us.
This “French lady with all of her stamps” will really miss our small town post office. It’s been a special part of my “Land of the Familiar.” I will have to add this place to my list of “All the Things I’ll Miss.”
As I walk through these final days here, my list of favorite things keeps growing!
Everywhere you go, even in the “Land Between,” I guess you get a reputation—whether you want one or not. I kinda like this one.
Hmmm . . . wonder what it will be like when we move to Spain in a few days??? When I go to the local post office there, I won’t know how to speak a word of the language. I’m bracing myself for a lot of language bloopers and cultural faux-pas!
Who knows what kind of reputation I will have there! Hopefully, one that brings some fun, laughter, and love to all those around. Our world sure needs a little bit more of that!
When I arrive at my next international destination, I will have to send my “Somerset post office friends” a post card, so they can enjoy seeing stamps from a foreign land. I don’t want them to forget me!
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
Let’s Weave Cultures!
What kind of reputation do the foreigners have in your town and community? Are they good ones or bad ones? What kind of reputation have you had as a foreigner in another land?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
