The Post Office,

Post offices everywhere are annoying places to be in. Long lines, disgruntled staff, pushing and shoving, etc. Armenia is no exception. At work today, I was asked to take a bunch of invitations to the post office- with my coworker Anita. The girls at the office prepared me for it. The one we went to is the central one, in Republic square. You walk in  and the first thing you see is a beautiful stained glass window and crystal chandeliers. +1 for Yerevan.  

Anita told me to pay attention to the way the postal workers' face changes expression when we approached her with our 450 letters that need to be mailed. The disgust emanating from her was intense. "Vai eskan ban ek berel, eskan el sbaghvats em esor (you brought all this stuff, I'm so busy today)." Of course you're busy, you work in the cities main post office. 

Another interesting thing about the post office is that no one believes in standing in line. That much was to be expected. People just approach the desk- even as you are standing there with you 400 letters in front of you- and just start firing off questions to the employee. She wasn't the most helpful employee, which didn't exactly help the situation. People would ask her  a question, she would mumble a disgruntled response where no one understood what the other was saying. After about 10 minutes, I started answering people's questions. They would come up to the desk, direct a question toward her, be ignored, look at me- and get a response. After which the postal lady would say: "Chen haskanum, tesnum en vor eskan zbagvats em , de hangist togek eli (People just don't understand, they see I'm so busy, just leave me alone)."

I wonder what percentage of those 450 letters will make it to their destination?

(Images from top: the exterior of the post office in Republic square, chandeliers and stained glass  on the inside, patrons of the post office, our 450 letters and the happiest postal worker in town, my co-worker Anita- one of the nicest girls in my office).