Air Mail - Mexican Style!!!

In the spring semester of this year, the college sent the exam package to the Mexico address for the Consulate. Admittedly my proctor probably put that on part of his correspondence, but the college sent the previous semester's exam package to the Brownsville, Texas, address. In any case, the package took perhaps eight weeks to make its way to Mexico. Lesson learned.

Unfortunately for regular ex-pats, this service is provided to US Government employees and family members only. I say this because we continue to get mail for the previous residents of our lovely house, an American family we met at a number of ASOMO events. Our first few weeks here, we arrived in July 2006, we didn't receive any mail for them, then we received a few letters, then a veritable flood, and then a long dry spell of nothing. Once we met them we would occasionally pass collected mail off to them, a mix of college alumni, retirement plan, bank, and credit card bills for the most part, along with months-late holiday cards. The husband said he once received an American Express bill six months after it was due.

We continue to receive their mail, although they moved back to the US (Michigan, I think) several months ago. We simply shred it, along with any convenience check offers we've received via US Mail in the past week. Recently we received two items which caught our attention (photo courtesy of Emily).


Note the two dates I've high-lighted: June 18 and July 16. Both envelopes arrived on Monday, September 3. You do the math. By any calculation, that's not speedy service. I almost forgot: the front of the envelopes were also marked "Priority." Maybe that was the problem: it simply wasn't a priority for the postman.

The postal system isn't as highly regarded as that in the US. Many companies here use couriers to deliver their bills rather than use the Mexican system. I'm not certain which of our bills come which way, but I've only seen our mailman once in the past year, so I don't think he's delivering the cable or phone bill, and possibly not the water, gas, or electric.

Hmm.... I'll have to think up a motto for the Mexican postal service. I realize the US Postal Service has no official creed, but the "unofficial motto" is: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Perhaps something like: There is no snow, but plenty of heat, and that or rain, or cerveza or tequila, or las chicas... I'll deliver it tomorrow, or maybe next week.