Episode 43: USPS Post Office: Mailing Baby Announcements Overseas — 5,000 Core English Words

📖 This lesson is part of the comprehensive series 5,000 Common English Words Through 46 Real-Life Conversations by Echo Stories English.

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Chapter forty-three. At the post office.

Leo is two months old. Emma has designed a small card with his photograph, his name, and a drawing of a lion. There are sixty of them to send, and a box of presents for her cousin, who now lives in England. On Thursday, Ryan puts the baby in the stroller and walks to the post office.

Listen to how to buy stamps, send a package to another country, fill out a customs form, and ask about a passport.

Emma: Okay. Sixty cards, sixty envelopes. Every address is written. I checked the log twice.

Ryan: They're beautiful. Did you draw the lion?

Emma: I did a draft with a crown, and then a plain one. The plain one was better. Less is more, with a baby.

Ryan: I'm impressed. Who's on the list?

Emma: Family, friends, the whole street, the theater, your office. Numerous people. And one for Dr. Miller, and one for Carol, the nurse.

Ryan: That's a nice idea. And the box?

Emma: That's for my cousin in England. A blanket I made, some photographs, and a small silver spoon for her little girl. It's a tradition in our family. One generation gives it to the next.

Ryan: Is it valuable? Should I insure it?

Emma: It's not a jewel. But I'd be depressed if it got lost. Ask what they propose.

Ryan: I will. Do you want to come?

Emma: I want to sleep for one hour without anybody touching me. Take him. He likes the stroller.

Ryan: Come on, Leo. Our first attempt at an errand, just the two of us.

Clerk: Next, please. Good morning. How can I help you?

Ryan: Good morning. A few things, if that's all right. First, I'd like to send this package to England.

Clerk: Sure. Put it on the scale for me. One point eight kilos. What's inside?

Ryan: A blanket, some photographs, and a small silver spoon. It's a gift.

Clerk: Does it contain anything fragile, liquid, or dangerous? Batteries, perfume, anything like that?

Ryan: No. Nothing like that.

Clerk: Okay. For an international package, I need you to fill out this customs form. Write the contents, the quantity, and the approximate value of each item. Be precise. And check the box that says "gift."

Ryan: What should I put for the value?

Clerk: Your best estimate. If it's a gift under a certain amount, the person receiving it usually doesn't pay tax. But the policy differs by country.

Ryan: The spoon is maybe forty dollars. The blanket is home-made.

Clerk: Then write a definite number for the materials. Ten or fifteen dollars. They require a number.

Ryan: Done. How would you like me to send it? What are the options?

Clerk: I have three. First-Class International takes two to three weeks, and it's twenty-six dollars. Priority Mail takes six to ten business days, for forty-four dollars. Express is three to five days, and that's seventy-two.

Ryan: Does Priority include tracking?

Clerk: Yes. And insurance up to two hundred dollars. First-Class has no tracking once it leaves the country.

Ryan: Then Priority, please. I'd rather know where it is.

Clerk: Good choice. Please sign the form at the bottom. Here's your tracking number, on the slip. You can follow it online.

Ryan: Second, I have sixty of these cards to send. They're all the same size.

Clerk: Let me weigh one. That's a standard letter. One regular stamp each for addresses in this country. Are any going abroad?

Ryan: Four. Two to Canada, one to England, one to Mexico.

Clerk: Those need international stamps. So fifty-six regular stamps and four international. Would you like a particular design? I have flags, flowers, or these with a lion on them.

Ryan: A lion? You're joking. Lions, please. His name is Leo.

Clerk: Is that him? Hello, Leo. He's a serious one.

Ryan: He's deciding whether he likes you. He does that with everyone.

Clerk: Smart baby. Do you want to stamp them here? There's a table located by the window. When you're done, just insert them in the slot marked "letters."

Ryan: Perfect. What's the total?

Clerk: The package is forty-four, and the stamps come to forty-eight dollars and sixty cents. Ninety-two sixty altogether. Will that be cash or card?

Ryan: Card. And it works today. That's a long story.

Ryan: Third, and then I'll go. Can I apply for a passport for him here?

Clerk: You can. We do passport applications by appointment, Tuesdays and Thursdays. For a child under sixteen, both parents have to appear in person, with the child.

Ryan: Both of us? Even for a baby?

Clerk: Yes. It's a federal rule. It's there to protect children from being taken out of the country by one parent, or kidnapped. If one parent can't come, they have to sign a special form in front of a notary.

Ryan: I understand. What documents do we need?

Clerk: His original birth certificate, as proof of citizenship. Not a copy. It has to be the certified one, with the seal. Your own IDs, and a photocopy of each. One passport photo of the baby. And the application form, which you fill out but don't sign until you're here.

Ryan: A passport photo of a two-month-old. How is that possible?

Clerk: Lay him on a white sheet, and take it from above. Eyes open, no hands in the picture. It's an entertaining twenty minutes. We can also take it here, for fifteen dollars.

Ryan: How long does it take to arrive?

Clerk: About six to eight weeks. You can pay extra to make it faster.

Ryan: And the fee?

Clerk: A hundred and thirty-five dollars altogether, for a child. It's valid for five years.

Ryan: Thank you. You've clarified everything. Can I make the appointment now?

Clerk: Sure. I have next Thursday at eleven.

Ryan: We'll take it. Thank you for your patience. There are six people behind me.

Clerk: They can wait. Nobody looks annoyed. I don't get to meet a Leo every day.

Ryan pushes the stroller home along the harbor. Leo is awake, looking at the sky with wide, serious eyes.

Ryan: Well, Leo. That was productive. Sixty cards, one box, and an appointment. Your first passport. Your mother wants to show you the world, and I want to show you a kayak.

Ryan: I'll tell you a secret. I was frightened to take you out alone. I thought you'd cry, and everyone would look at me. Instead, a woman held the door, and a man nodded at me like we were in the same club.

Ryan: Your uncle Jack called this morning. He's a cop. He told me a story. Somebody on his street has been stealing packages from doorsteps. A neighbor was quick to accuse the delivery man. It turned out to be a bored teenager. Jack had to investigate, and conduct an enquiry, and assign an officer. The victim was an old lady who was waiting for her medicine. The offender said he was guilty, and cried.

Ryan: Jack didn't arrest him. He made him carry the old lady's shopping for a month. That's your uncle. He has a reputation as a defender of fools.

Ryan: Why am I telling you this? I don't know. I talk to you all day. Your mother says it's good for you. She says words are an asset, and you can't have too many.

Ryan: Here's another thing. I heard on the radio that a congressional representative resigned, and there was a protest about healthcare, and a spokeswoman denied everything. Some analyst said the short-term prospects were risky. I didn't follow it. I used to. I had extensive opinions.

Ryan: Now my emphasis is different. I'm involved in a smaller world. I'm convinced it's the relevant one.

Ryan: Look. That's our street. That's the house with the swing. Your mother is asleep in there, I hope. Let's go in very quietly, and not create a disturbance.

Emma: You're back. I slept! A whole hour. What's the reaction of the post office to our son?

Ryan: He's a celebrity. There were lion stamps. And we have a passport appointment next Thursday.

Emma: A passport? Already?

Ryan: For England. For your cousin. You said, one day. I thought, why not this year? Before he's too heavy to carry.

Emma: Ryan. That's the most confidently romantic thing you've ever done with a form.

Ryan: I need his certified birth certificate, both of us in person, and a photograph with his eyes open.

Emma: I'll take the photograph. It will require forty attempts.

Ryan: The clerk gave me feedback on the customs form, too. I retained none of it. But the box is on its way, with tracking.

Emma: You look breathless.

Ryan: I'm happy. I escaped the house, and nothing went wrong. I'm motivated. I may expand my range. The supermarket, tomorrow.

Emma: Slow down, applicant. One government office a week.

Ryan: Oh, and I saw a notice. They're looking for a part-time supervisor for the Saturday shift. And a job seeker left a logo on the board for a shipping business. And somebody is selling a trailer, and there's an estate auction on Sunday. I read everything while Leo stared at the clerk.

Emma: You've become a man who reads notice boards.

Ryan: It widens the mind. It's an appropriate hobby for a father. A conservative one, I admit.

Emma: Did anyone sponsor this errand? Is there cake?

Ryan: There's a sack of mail for you instead. Three cards have already come back to us, from people who were faster. One is from an editor at the school magazine. She wants to translate your Saturday class idea into an article, and do some reporting on it.

Emma: Really? That would enhance things. It could appeal to potential new families.

Ryan: It's based on you. It comprises everything you've built. I'm not blind to it, even with no sleep. That would be a real blindness.

Emma: Say a little prayer for my energy, then. And found a committee to regulate my naps.

Ryan: I'll satisfy both requests. Certification to follow.

That is the end of chapter forty-three. One package on its way to England, sixty lions in the mail, and a passport appointment for the smallest traveler in town.

Keep these with you: "I'd like to send this to England." "What are the options?" "Does it include tracking?" "I'd like sixty stamps." "Can I apply for a passport here?" "What documents do we need?"

In the next chapter, Emma has not had an hour to herself for months, and Ryan gives her an afternoon at the hair salon.

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