I have to find out who the Patron Saint of mail delivery is. The Catholics have attached a Patron Saint to every noun under our shared moon, stars and sun! I need to go on a pilgrimage to their relic, or church, or hometown, and make a sacrifice or something.
Over five weeks ago, I methodically packed up four boxes to be shipped to Rome. When I’ve shipped items to family/friends internationally, via the US postal system, they’ve arrived in two weeks, tops. It’s been over five weeks since my husband shipped those boxes.
I filled them with, basically, toiletries. Shampoo has become a passion in our household. We all use a different brand with a different desired outcome – for color treated hair, deep conditioning, for an active lifestyle and for thickening. Naturally, I bought the big kahuna bottles to ship. Only one of those brands can be found over here. I’m known to be a bit fanatic about my family’s use of organic/natural products, so whenever they go on sale, I buy them in bulk - Avalon Organics Lavender shave cream, Crystal roll on deodorant, Tom’s of Maine Fennel toothpaste, Giovanna body cream… Good stuff, all worthy of shipment.
I also shipped a Brita water pitcher and three filters. I know the water in Rome is reputed to be the best in all of Europe, but it’s the hundred’s of years old water pipes in my apartment building I worry about. I sent vitamins and iron (the non-constipating [very important!] kind, since I developed anemia in my pregnancies). My son is allergic to shellfish, so I brought two EpiPens and packed two for shipping.
Cotton balls take up a lot of space, so I shipped those. I also packed a dozen bars of soap. I haven’t found a standard soap in Italy that I like as well as the soap we use in the States. The teen and pre-teen face are in need of extra special facial products –AND- us old people are in need of extra, extra special facial products – large bottles of those went into the boxes.
Nothing crazy. Just the basic toiletries a family of four will need over the course of a year.
Well, we received a notice three weeks ago from Italian Customs in Genova. They were in receipt of our boxes (YES!) However, before they would release them for delivery, they requested copies of the receipts for our various toiletries.
Why in the world would they want receipts? We, of course, have no receipts. Who would keep and travel internationally with an old receipt from Whole Foods?
So, we had our last bank statement faxed to us. We circled the places where we bought our toiletries, blacked out the personal info and faxed it to Italian Customs.
We received notice that our documentation was adequate (?), BUT, they were waiting for the official Italian Customs Doctor, to return from holiday, to sign off on our boxes.
Our toiletries require a Doctor’s sign off!
So we wait. Our supplies are dwindling away, bit by bit, day by day. Time to research those Patron Saints!
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