Average Day

My electricity, water, and gas bill finally arrived. (After six weeks in the 1307 flat).
Typical Central Asian in all accounts--

• The meter was read a month ago, but printed and delivered only today.
• The box that reads 'Total Amount Due' reads 29.19. Then another box elsewhere reads 31.23. How much is due? Not the total amount, but the other number.
• Three bills printed on one sheet of paper, shoved in the crack of my door. Glad there's no wind to blow it away...
• If it states where to pay, it must say it in Arabic. I've got 7 days to figure it out.

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I walked into the post office. The men made no effort to hide their animosity towards me. I placed my envelope down on the counter, and the "outside! outside!" man stuck his hand out to me. I handed him money and he slammed the change on the counter. The man next to me, another customer, grabbed my envelope. Mean postal worker man says to me, "He help you!" and hands my stamp to the other customer.

Gross customer man proceeds to slowly lick his stamp while grinning at me, slapping his slobber covered work on to my envelope, which he then hands to me with a disgusting smile. He gives me a big grin, to which I wanted to spit in return, but refrained.

The post office, and all it's experiences, is NOT 'average joe worthy.' (See following post).

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I climb into a taxi and say, "Coral Beach Hotel." It's a major landmark near my friend's house, and all taxi drivers know it. All but this one.

"Beeeech Otel?"

"Coral Beach Hotel." Petal to the metal, he takes off, and stops the near death ride in front a row of hotels on the beach.

"No. Ummm... Beach Road."

"Beeeech!" Petal to the metal, he takes off, and I shout, "Not beach! Beach ROAD. Towards A-town."

"A-town? Okay!" He slams on the brakes, changes directions, petal to the metal, heads towards A-town. On the way, he talks to me.

"For me, English NO OKAY! Pashto, okay! Hindi, okay! Urdu, Okay! English, NO OKAY! English problem me!"

I exit the death ride, tip him extra and say, "Learn some English." He smiles. Petal to the metal and he's gone.

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Current outside temperature: 100 degrees. We finally passed into the triple digits.