Only in Malta

I was in a miserable mood today because of all these ROTH IRA forms I have wasted time on. I spent over an hour trying to sign and email PDF files to the US. And I did it all wrong and had to print them out and fax or scan them instead. I don't have a fax machine and my new printer decided that scanning was not in its job description.

I threw a fit and my partner escaped fast and then called to tell me that the post office down the block from us in Sliema will fax stuff, but that it's expensive. At this point, I didn't care anymore.

Well, I didn't care until the post officer said that faxing eight pages would cost over 30 Euros. I asked if he took VISA and he said, no, but that there was a bank machine a block down. I told him I knew it and saw that there was a long wait for the machine (which was true).
.

So this is the part I wanted to tell you about: The post officer said he would start faxing my papers while I went to the bank machine to get the cash. And he did. Wow. I told him this would never happen in America-at least not where I come from. I told him this was a nice surprise, considering all the trouble I have with other Malta government agencies, such as the love of my Maltese life-the ETC.

The guy said he hoped this balanced things out a bit. I said it did. And then I told him that it actually put things on the better side-if you know what I mean. And it's true.

Then something else happened to surprise me today.

Right next door to the post office is one of my dreamlands-a shop called the Candybox. Of course, the owner knows me. It's embarrassing but what can I do?

So I went in today and asked if she had in stock the new dark chocolate Mars bars. She didn't have them, and in fact, didn't really know about them. I had to suffer today and buy the regular Mars bar (OK, two-to give me energy because of all the fax frustration).

She then asked me if I would do her a favor. OK....the next time I get the dark Mars bars, could I pick her up a couple-because she loves dark chocolate! Can you believe this? The owner of a candy shop asked me to get her some chocolate.

I didn't know what to say, so I said I would. Someone is actually more crazy than I am. Maybe.

Ilene Springer moved from the US to Malta in Oct, 2008, and is author of An-American-in-Malta.com.