Call Me Penelope

So, this exchange has a STORY. A story that would put Odysseus to shame, honestly. It all started out as an ordinary exchange - I received a lovely message from my gifter that my present was on the way and scheduled to arrive in late February... YAY!

A couple of days later, another message. Turns out, the page my present was ordered from chose the worst possible option as their mail carrier: dpd. dpd, for some reason, wouldn't recognise my address and sent cryptic German e-mails to my wonderful gifter I, his Austrian giftee, helped him translate and put some sense into... At least as much sense as dpd can possibly make.

Another couple of days later I receive the infamous package slip in my mailbox after missing the postman and get very excited to pick it up the following Monday. Not happening so much, that very Monday my COVID-test comes back positive. Don't we just love this pandemic?

It's a weird feeling, being just five steps away from picking up a parcel but a) too sick, b) not allowed to leave the house, but here I am, calling dpd to extend my due date. dpd being... well... dpd... turn my case into an entirely different one and even get my poor mailman in trouble who didn't have ANYTHING to do with the matter, but end up giving me an extension after a couple of e-mails back and forth, so... Progress? Except not. When a dear friend of mine does me the favour to pick up my parcel still well within the extension... The shop no longer has it. Extension? What extension?

My poor gifter and I have been in contact throughout the entirety of this process, and basically, we decided that we can only laugh about this matter. That we did, and he immediately re-ordered as soon as we found out the parcel had gone back.

Some more days later, the story appears to repeat itself - package slip, missed the postman, parcel in the shop. This time, however, I am... still sick (Long-COVID is fun, going on a month and a half now), however no longer quarantined, and manage to pick up the parcel after a doctor's appointment. AT LAST!

Odysseus has returned to his Penelope, and Penelope is now the proud owner of a "Cambridge, MA" Monopoly game! Absolutely in love with it, and SO excited to play and buy up the city. I may have gushed a little about my love for Monopoly in my sign-up, haha.

ANYWAY, gifter whose name I know but won't reveal on here, thank you SO very, very much! I love the present you picked, and it was absolutely fun getting to know you a little over the course of this whole odyssey - maybe we'll still get to chat once in a while in the future, I'd like that!