Amazed at Amazon

Serving in FS can be rough and a lot of times, access isn’t easy. Many countries just don’t have stuff Americans want. And when you’re living out of your element, it’s nice to have access to your own brands, sizes, etc. And sometimes it’s just easier if it comes to you instead of you having to find it in a city you’ve barely explored.

I’m sure in smaller or more remote posts, there isn’t the plethora of stuff that I have available to me. I have it made here, and I know that. Still, though, it’s nice to be able to know that, if I really wanted something, I could get it, and get it in my size.

And really, I can. I am still subscribing to Netflix, even though the turnaround time is around a month. I can stream, too, but my internet is touch-and-go, plus the new releases aren’t available on steaming. (I’m still impatiently waiting for the latest season Mad Men to be available for streaming; it’s been out of DVD for a month now.)

I even have a Slingbox that allows me to watch American TV on my computer. Granted, I am again at the mercy of my internet connection, but it’s something that wasn’t available to FS members long ago.

It’s similar to PC, I think. For me, communication in PC wasn’t much different than it had been prior to serving. I could call my parents on Skype and email every day. That’s pretty much what I’d done from Detroit, so doing it from Morocco wasn’t anything odd, at least once I got past the time change.

Leading up to moving here, I did all my pre-packing of consumables that I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to find here. Honestly, I probably could have found a reasonable facsimile, but it was a good use of a new paycheck so I’m OK with that.

Right now, my grocery bill is hovering around $20 a week. It’s pretty much the only stuff I pay cash for in-country, since I’ve yet to take the metro or train anywhere.

Really, food and travel will be my bills here. I don’t have a personal cell phone, so I’ve even kissed Sprint goodbye.

It’s not likely that I’ll buy clothes here (I’m too tall), so other than the assorted knick-knacks I might eventually pick up, I really don’t think I’ll be throwing quai back into the Chinese economy, at least directly.

Instead, it looks like I’ll be stepping up the use of Amazon, which seems to be one of the few shippers I’ve seen that is willing to deliver to DPO addresses.

That’s the mailing system we have for overseas. It allows people to mail or ship to us to a local address. This is a big step up over PC, for sure. I mean, people on the receiving end won’t get any cool stamps, but the odds are good that they will get what I mail them.

Anyway, since I’ve been here I’ve realized I needed a few things and hadn’t been able to find them locally, although I know they’re here. For example, to use the pool at my hotel, I needed a swim cap. I know there has got to be a place that sells them, but I have absolutely no idea where that might be. Nor, honestly, do I have the wherewithal to mindlessly wander around the many markets, malls and shops until I happen onto one.

You know where has them, though? Amazon. A bunch of them. They have everything.

So far, I haven’t caved and paid the $80 or whatever it is for the free shipping, but most of my colleagues swear by it. I got an earful about how I should get the credit card, but I won’t be doing that. So far, and this dates back to when I moved here, I’ve spent enough to qualify for free shipping. (I'm not necessarily proud of that.)

It seems a good portion of FS folks swear by Amazon. It’s been fantastic to have access to it.

I splurged yesterday and bought myself a light therapy kit, which I’d seen in the Skymall magazine. I tried to buy it from Target, but they wouldn’t ship it to a DPO number. Well, bummer. (I was really irritated because I’d bought something else as an add-on from Target, too, and then they canceled the light, leaving me with an add-on I hadn’t really needed. More workout pants. Grr.)

But Amazon would ship it to me. Yes, it will take about a month or so (I’m still waiting on the swim cap order) but it’ll come right to me.

The cool thing, I’ve discovered, is that Amazon really does have everything. Including grits; I checked. Even though I placed the order yesterday for the light therapy kit, I’ve already made a list of stuff I could use in the next order.

Hopefully, my first order from here will be in soon. In addition to the swim cap, I have a small frying pan coming. Seriously, I could scramble two dozen eggs in the one that came with the apartment, only it’s not nonstick, so it’d be a holy mess.

And, in order to boost myself to the free shipping level, I added on a case of Junior Mints. How’s that for awesomeness?

At the office, I think we get package mail twice a week or so. It’s a lot like mail call at M*A*S*H, only we await our names at our computers.

The women who run the post office have a group email that says something like “Congratulations! You have a PACKAGE!” that they send just after 3 p.m., when our little mailroom opens.

So, on those afternoons, all of a sudden, you see people jump up and rush up the stairs to get their goodies.

It’s been fun to watch people claim all their Christmas stuff, especially those who are parents of small children.

I don’t really have all the timing down yet, but I am so ready to get that little email. I want my frying pan!