I finally got my package!!!

Ok, so those of you that will send me packages (and I know there are few of you), don't send it any other way than by US Postal Mail. My mom and step dad sent me a package using Air Jamaica and it got here in a short period of time, but it got stuck with customs. I've spent the last 2 weeks trying to arrange and get it out. Since the Jamaican government and the Peace Corps have an agreement that all volunteers don't have to pay duty on personal items, I had to have a special documentation arranged for me. Because the hurricane delayed the process, I couldn't get it taken care of while I was in Kingston last week. I went back to Kingston yesterday and gathered all the proper documentation from the PC office. Then I had to take a taxi and chi-chi bus to the airport ($J100). Once I was there I had to pay my storage fee with Air Jamaica ($J166). Now I had to fill out more paper work (I had to pay $J20 for another piece of paper) and take it to the first customs officer. She cleared all the documentation in a timely manner and then I had to sit for about 45 minutes to wait for my package to come out. It finally came out and I thought I was in the clear (I would learn that this is the first of about three times I thought I was in the clear), but of course I wasn't. Now I had to wait for another customs officer to call me up go over my documentation and go through my package. This is where the problems began. He at first couldn't match the number on the package with my documents. The name matched and I believe this was good enough for him, but nonetheless. He started assessing the amount of duty I needed to pay and I presented him my letter stating that I get duty free. He looked at the document puzzled and took it to the customs supervisor. He came back 2 minutes later and said that there wasn't a signature on the one document and said that I would need to obtain this signature and come back tomorrow. I was starting to fume; after 2 weeks and 2 hours of further work I thought I was being sent home package-free. I pleaded with him, however and said that I came all the way from Manchester and there is no way that I could come back tomorrow. He was sympathetic, but continued to assess the duty on the items in the package. He then said that I could plead my case with the customs supervisor. I did and said to him, as I did with the officer, that I came all the way from Manchester and can't come back tomorrow. He looked at the document and attempted to make a phone call, but no answer. Then, begrudgingly, he overwrote the absent required signature and I was able to get my package duty free and take it with me that day!!! But I wasn't in the clear yet. Now, the 2nd customs officer needed to finish filling out the paper work. Then I had to take it the cashier where she stamped the documentation that I paid in full ($J0). So I picked up my package and started walking out the door, but they stopped me again and said that I had to go back to the 2nd officer where he had to fill out paper work stating that the package can be released. Then I had to take it to the guards at the gate, where I put the package down and had to wait outside for them to take my paper work and write down my info in a big register notebook. Once this was completed I was able to hand the last piece of paper to a 3rd customs officer where he finally released the package to me. Now I was free to walk in the rain to the arrival terminal where I caught a Coaster (Kosta) bus for $J1550 to Country Bus Park. Here I got on a mini-bus headed for Mandeville ($J250). I was in such joy I bought a box of donuts and shared with my fellow passengers sitting in the back with me. Once in Manchester, I had a 10-minute walk down to my host mother's house where people thought I was coming with gifts.

So, the moral of the story is have it sent via US Postal Mail and they'll put it aside where Trevor, the postal man at the PC office, will take care of all the paper work and retrieve it for you.

That's all, some story ihhn?

p.s. I forgot to mention that I had to pay $J1200 just to get the paper from Air Jamaica released. All in all I ended paying about $J3000 (~$US30) just to get my package. And this is on top of the money my mom had to pay to send it.