tita madre requested for some of her maintenance medicines for her hypertension to be sent to botswana (she isn’t used to the ones sent my my aunt from colorado thus, want those from here that she has been using since).

i went to the post office, walang express parcel service daw to botswana!  via ordinary parcel to botswana lang daw and prescription needed.  way cheap but, naku, knowing our philpost system in terms of packages, baka expired na kung dumating mga meds duon.  my letter to my tita madre via express mail nga took more than a month eh.

and so i inquired/called several couriers — FEDEX Phils, LBC, JRS do not service botswana.  DHL and Aboitiz do, but dapat hindi P.O. Box addy (weird, my aunt from colorado was able to send stuff to tita madre via the P.O. Box addy through DHL naman). and dapat daw, accompanied by prescription.

i asked my tita madre for a new addy and some med friends for prescription — duh if i wait for the real one my tita has to be sent from botswana to here (thanks, mel and bets).  all set. 

i called aboitiz to go (cheaper rates) to verify if ok na the addy given to me.  they said, ok na (basta talaga hindi P.O. Box).  i called again to ask if their branch at the new people support building accepts international parcels.  they gave me the branch’s number.  the branch said, yes, they accept international parcels, but they need a zipcode.

i asked my tita madre what their zipcode is.  she said, ni-ibang areas walang street (wilderness talaga!) eh.  i inquired sa website ng botswana and they replied within a day saying they do not have zipcodes (what efficient service!!!).  i printed this reply and went to Aboitiz to send my package and explain the non-usage of zipcodes by botswana.

hoookay, the service personnel said kailangan talaga ng zipcode (MASKI NA WALA TALAGA SA TOTOONG BUHAY!) kasi their system list shows there are several botswana.  SEVERAL BOTSWANA?! I KNOW I’M BAD IN GEOGRAPHY BUT, I’M SURE THERE IS ONLY ONE BOTSWANA. i said, the one in Africa — the Continent.  she says, the botswana sa list doesn’t say na sa africa yun.  HELLO?!!! HELLO?!!! And so, i asked, ilan ba ang botswana sa list nyo at saan-saan yun located?

i ended up not sending my parcel vial Aboitiz To Go. gosh, i left fuming…wala nang patutunguhan ako dun.

i transfered to DHL.  no questions regarding my lack of zipcode, but needed nga rin yung prescription.  ayun, on the way na the parcel. i am just thinking, the higher fee is payment for my peace of mind and sanity!