Friday, February 28, 2025

Friday, February 28, 2025

• My first experience with Customs

Today I got to experience bureaucracy at its finest. I had to pick up a package from DHL that was sent to me by Brother Rupa. I went to get the package and they told me that I had to pay a duty on it. This was fine but I wasn't sure where to go. They told me to go down to a certain building which I couldn't find so I stopped by the post office and asked them where it was. They sent me to a building around the corner close to the Republic bank where are we do our checking for the church. It just happens that it was a few minutes after 12 and they were closed for lunch. So we went and did a few other things while we were waiting for it to open back up at 1:00 PM. I went back and there was a guy standing out there that look like some type of guard and I asked him if this was the place to pay duty. He said no it wasn't that I had to go on the other side of the block of buildings that we were add to the treasury and pay there. Well after some searching around I found the treasury building and ask the lady at the counter if this is where I pay duty. She said it was so I went and got in line. After waiting there for about 20 minutes it got to be my turn. I told the lady at the desk that I wanted to pay the duty on a package I received at DHL. She said This is the place to pay it but I have to go to a customs office first and have them tell me how much I owed in customs. I asked her where that was and she told me it was across the street in the Orange building. So I went over there but could not find it. I stopped in a office that I thought might be the place only to find out that it wasn't but they did direct me to where it was down the hall. So I went down the hall to the door she told me to go in and there was no one there. I stood there for a little while and finally a lady came walking by and I asked her if this is where I got the amount of duty I owe and she said it was. She took my information and paperwork that I brought with me and went back and worked on it for awhile and eventually came back and said I needed some form of ID I said I have my US driver's license she said I needed some government issued ID for St Lucia. Well I were talking about what we're going to do because I did not have that another lady walked by and said my US driver's license would be fine. She went back in the back again for awhile and came back with the paperwork after about 15 minutes. I went back across the street to the Treasury office and as Luck would have it nobody was in the line and so I was able to pay the duty which was almost $300. I went back up to DHL with all the paperwork in hand and receipt showing that I paid the duty and I thought they would give me the package. Turns out they wanted another $20 for storage which I had to pay before they would give me the package. I paid the $20 and they gave me my package. Think about Three hours and three trips to get the package. But I have it in hand. It is a set of doorknobs, actually three sets for the church.

4 ships in port. The first time I have seen that.