No stamps, no way!

So it was my Dad and niece’s birthday last Sunday, I decided to send them both a birthday card. I figured it was the least I could do since I wasn’t in the states to celebrate with them. I make my way down to the post office in town and little did I know that they ran out of stamps. I said, “No problem, I’ll come back later in the week.” The post office clerk replied in a straight voice, “No you have to wait until the government prints more.” To my great surprise, the entire country is out of stamps. I thought I wasn’t hearing her right, I mean how could the whole country be out of stamps, isn’t that absurd? As I shared my story with others around me I quickly found out that this happens quite frequently. It’s still no excuse, but I was just awe struck and annoyed that something as simple as sending out a birthday card can be so complicated in a country like Guatemala.