Flat Stanley & the mail debacle

November 3, 2009
Dear Maya,
I am sooooo very sorry that Flat Stanley got lost. He was in an envelope to be mailed long ago. I have learned a valuable lesson about communication here in Chennai, India. Just because someone speaks your language does not mean that they UNDERSTAND you. We have drivers and cooks and cleaners and gardeners… lots of people to “help” us. It’s a kind of “social contract” here in India. Those how have “much” hire people to “help” them. It helps the economy and society. Only half of the people that “work” for me around the house speak English, much less UNDERSTAND what you mean when you speak English. I asked my driver, who runs little errands for me (convenient most of the time), to mail Flat Stanley. The envelope was ready to go. I believe my problem started when I was asking Kumar to do a little list of things. We found him Sunday, in the glove compartment of our van. Kumar honestly did not know or remember me asking him to take Stanley to the post office (hmmmm). So I asked again. “Please take this envelope and mail it. How much will it cost?” “I don’t know m’am”. So I hand him some rupees and a new list and Stanley. He returns quite proud that he mailed the package. “I did it m’am, I mailed the package. I mailed it regular mail.” I ask, “Is that airmail?” “What is airmail, m’am?” Oh my.
SOooooo after being liberated from the glove compartment, Flat Stanley is probably on a very slow boat to the USA. So I am reprinting the notes from before and also including some actual photos. (see the slide show in the revious post "Flat Stanley Rides Again") Many are random but very typical (ok – we only see 5 people on a motorcycle once in a couple of weeks, usually it is only 2 or 3 ad occasionally 4!)
I will ask Kumar to mail this envelope by AIR MAIL and we’ll see which one makes it first.
Again, I am so very sorry for the delay. Alina, Anna and I had a ton of fun with the project. Alina will read the book next and maybe we can get her class to do it here!!
Hugs,
Karen