[klondike mary] Culture Shock

[klondike mary]

When Ruth and George vacationed in the Netherlands, they promised to send me a scenic postcard. I never got one, and the reason why is the subject of this puzzle.

[Zanreo]

Did they promise to send postcards to others too? Did they send postcards to other people? Did they actually send a card? Was the card lost in the mail? Did they not find the exact kind of card they wanted?

[Westing1992]

Was the scene depicted important? Windmills? Dikes? Tulips?
Was what they wrote on the other side important?
Was the distance between you and the Netherlands important?

[Earnest]

Ruth and George = HAM? HAF? HCM? HCF? Do they live in your same city? In your same State? Relevant?
Relevant how long they vacationed in Netherlands? To be sure...did they vacationed in a place where postcards are usually sold? Did they visit touristic places? Had they vacationed in another lace, would you have received the postcard?

Did they send you a postcard? Did they have the possibility to send it? Did they have some impediment? If so, due to: security checks in the airport? Postal services (did they exploit Netherlands' postal services to send it to you?)? The subject of the postcard (Van Gogh picture? Tulips?)? What they wrote on that?

Did you expect to receive it? Do you know the reason why you did not receive the postcard? If so, would you describe it more as: a random event? your fault (e.g. you changed your address; the place where you live?)? their fault? nobody's fault? A tragedy? A legal matter (rules in Netherlands/ stamps? Rights?)?
Did they come back from Netherland? Did they know that you did not receive the postcard? Did they write something relevant in the postcard (if they actually bought one)? Did they bring you something else?

Did they use the postcard they bought for you in a different way (other than a normal postcards' usage)? Did they send it to someone else?

WAG --> the postcard did not fit the post box (so it could not be send); they fold it and put in the box anyway.But then it was unfolded and not send.

[LemonCurry]

PM sent.

[klondike mary]

LemonCurry asked: Did they mistake a trashcan, or something else, for a post-box? No
Ruth and George are HAF and HAM Do they live in your same city? Same area Relevant? yessish
Relevant how long they vacationed in the Netherlands? Two weeks or so. Did they visit in a place where postcards are usually sole? IDK. Did they visit touristic places? Yes, mostly. Had they vacationed in another place, would you have received the postcard? n.r.

Did they send you a postcard? No. Did they have the possibility to send it? Did they have some impediment? They simply decided not to, for reasons to be revealed. All other q's n.r. I expected to receive a card, but have not yet gotten one. Possibly the Netherlands mail or the US postal service had something to do with this, as postcards are not first-class mail, but the main reason was that R & G didn't send them. Why? [/b Did they return from the Netherlands? [b]Yes. Also I told them I didn't get a card, and they explained why. Picture on front or writing on back n.r. No folding involved.
Was the distance between you and the Netherlands relevant? It is a long way, but I would think mail is successfully delivered to places eve further away.
Did they promise to send postcards to others too? Yes, and they did send a few. Were they lost in the mail? AFAIK, no. They did bring me something else, but n.r.

[Earnest]

Environment relevant? Plastified postcards?
Would you describe the reason as: a practical reason? An impediment? An accident? A logical decision? They had other priorities? Maybe by sebding you the postcard they would have spoiled you the place where they have been?

Had they send you the postcard would you have receive it without problems? Did you understand and approve the reason why they did not send you a postcard? Could they send a limited amount of postcards? Did they use postcards as invitations to their wedding?

Were they in honey moon? Relevant?
Did they plan to come back to Netherlands soon? To go and live there? Did you plan to visit Netherlands? Relevant in how many time would the postcard would have arrived to you? Did they remember to buy a postcard during the vacation? Did they decide to sebd postcards to certain people and not to others based on a relevant criterion? If so, charachteristics of these people? People to who they send the postcards are: people very far away from where they live? People they won't have seen again? People not expecting postcards?,

WAG --> Did they decide to send postcards to people related to the people who asked them in order to give them an excuse to meet each other?

Relevant in which period they went? Christmas holidays? Summer holidays? Were there relevant celebrations in Netherlands (so that for instance the majority of postcards displayed just peculiar and specific images of tat celebration in that period)?

[klondike mary]

Environment relevant? Only insofar as the pictures on the cards were pics of the environment. O/w type of card n.r..
Would you describe the reason as a practical one? Yes, and logical. Not an accident.
Had they sent the postcards, would you have received them without incident? Most likely, allowing for the fact that postcards are not first-class and take longer to deliver. I understand why they did not send me a postcard, and I approve.

They were not on their honeymoon, and they have no current plans to return to the Netherlands. They did buy some postcards, which they did not send. They were there just recently, in early August. Prime tourist season. Don't know if that is relevant or not.

[Earnest]

Relevant when during the holiday they bought the postcards? To be sure...did they buy also the postcard directed to you or they just bought "n" postcards to be send to everyone? Is rain relevant (e.g. postcards getting wet)? Do panoramas look alike the panoramas in the place where you live?
Are photographs relevant? (E.g. they rather showed and send you a picture with them on it?) Is the main issue that they do not appear in postcards? That postcards look very similar to photographs they made?

Do other friends/relatives of yours went/were about to go to Netherlands? If so did they send you already postcards from there? (Or maybe they did not know what to bring you from Netherlands rather than postcards so that your friends, who knew better your tastes decided to bring you something else than postcards)

[trebor]

I apologize if I'm asking doubles here; I'm trying to glean most questions from the answers so I don't have to read the questions-only posts.

Is it relevant where you were during their vacation? Can it be assumed that you were in Canada, based on your name? Failing that, North America? South America? Europe? Africa? Australia? Asia? Oceania? Was their confusion on their part as to where to mail a postcard to? Some sort of embargo pertaining to the region you were in?

Did they not send you a postcard because they could've bought one for you and delivered it by hand sooner than it would have arrived by post?

Is there something particular to the Netherlands that makes this puzzle work? If they were in another country that was equidistant from where you were would their actions still have been the same?

Are personal tastes/preferences of yours relevant? Does it matter what images were on the postcards they purchased for other people or would've purchased for you? Is it relevant in what language they would've communicated?

[klondike mary]

Relevant when during the holiday they bought the postcards? To be sure...did they buy also the postcard directed to you or they just bought "n" postcards to be send to everyone? They bought cards for a number of people.Is rain relevant (e.g. postcards getting wet)? It did rain, but they had good raingear, so no cards got wet. Do panoramas look alike the panoramas in the place where you live? nr.
Are photographs relevant? (E.g. they rather showed and send you a picture with them on it?) Is the main issue that they do not appear in postcards? That postcards look very similar to photographs they made? n.r., AFAIK. They have showed me pictures they took.

Do other friends/relatives of yours went/were about to go to Netherlands? If so did they send you already postcards from there? (Or maybe they did not know what to bring you from Netherlands rather than postcards so that your friends, who knew better your tastes decided to bring you something else than postcards) No other friends or relatives on holiday in the Netherlands.

Is it relevant where you were during their vacation? Can it be assumed that you were in Canada, based on your name? Failing that, North America? This, and about as far from Canada as one can get without being in Mexico! Somewhat reevent, I think. South America? Europe? Africa? Australia? Asia? Oceania? Was their confusion on their part as to where to mail a postcard to? Some sort of embargo pertaining to the region you were in? No to all.

Did they not send you a postcard because they could've bought one for you and delivered it by hand sooner than it would have arrived by post? They did return before some of the cards they did send, but they didn't know that would happen, so n.r.

Is there something particular to the Netherlands that makes this puzzle work? If they were in another country that was equidistant from where you were would their actions still have been the same? n.r.

Are personal tastes/preferences of yours relevant? Does it matter what images were on the postcards they purchased for other people or would've purchased for you? Is it relevant in what language they would've communicated? All n.r.

[trebor]

Is it relevant what state you were in? Texas? Florida? Confusion? (List of southern states and dependencies...)

Is their reason for not sending it economic? Confusion? Frustration? Were they prevented from sending it in some way? Is there something unusual about your address?

[klondike mary]

Is it relevant what state you were in? Texas?This. Florida? Thankfully, no.Confusion? This is n.r. Could have been anywhere in the US.(List of southern states and dependencies...)

Is their reason for not sending it economic? Yes. The oney involved in sending postcards could be used for something else.Confusion? Frustration? Maybe a littleb]Were they prevented from sending it in some way? [b]No. Is there something unusual about your address No. None of this is on me!

[Earnest]

What does oney means?

Was something else send instead of postcards? Did offices run out of ink?Did they give it to someone else in Netherlands? Did they donate it? Charity relevant? Did they give it to someone in your same State? Did they know you have approved their choice? Did they use the postcard for something else? Did they put it in a letter box? Did they use it to write something on it (e.g. it was an emergency situation and they did have to write down a number but were out of paper)? Could they have bought 2 postcards, send to you one of them and do whatever they did with the other one? Was the postcard somehow unique? Or maybe they did not have the time/money to go and buy another one?

[klondike mary]

What ??does oney means? It's a typo, I think.
Was something else send instead of postcards? Did offices run out of ink?Did they give it to someone else in Netherlands? Did they donate it? Charity relevant? Did they give it to someone in your same State? No or n.r. to all. Did they know you have approved their choice? They assumed I would, and I did.Did they use the postcard for something else? Did they put it in a letter box? Did they use it to write something on it (e.g. it was an emergency situation and they did have to write down a number but were out of paper)? Could they have bought 2 postcards, send to you one of them and do whatever they did with the other one? Was the postcard somehow unique? All no or n.r. Or maybe they did not have the time/money to go and buy another one? Not quite, but close. They decided that trying to buy and send off cards to all their friends was too expensive and too much trouble. How did their being Americans abroad contribute to this?arnest

Posts: 2488
Joined: Tue May 30, 2017 7:52 am

[Earnest]

Maybe the fact that they did not know the monetary conversion rate applied from dollars to Euros? Was it evident that they came from US (and not from UK, Canada or another native english speaking language)? Relevant that the postcards should have been send oversea? (I mean they could not even bring the postacards with them?) Time zones relevant?
Did they have more than one occasion to buy postcards?

Are relevant documents/signatures/others asked to them? Are the problem the postcards themselves? Or maybe the documents needed to send them? Security checks? Is American embassy involved? Could they have send the postcard exployting the normal postal service? Or maybe the postal service just send in EU? Is the fact that they were not EU citizens the problem?

[klondike mary]

Maybe the fact that they did not know the monetary conversion rate applied from dollars to Euros? conversion n.r. Was it evident that they came from US (and not from UK, Canada or another native english speaking language)? Possibly, but n.r.Relevant that the postcards should have been send oversea? (I mean they could not even bring the postacards with them?) They did bring cards back with them.Time zones relevant?No.Did they have more than one occasion to buy postcards? They had only one occasion to buy postcards, because they had difficulty finding a place which sold them. This is part of the solution to the puzzle. The other part is what happened after they bought the postcards.

Are relevant documents/signatures/others asked to them? Are the problem the postcards themselves? Or maybe the documents needed to send them? Security checks? Is American embassy involved? Could they have send the postcard exployting the normal postal service? Or maybe the postal service just send in EU? Is the fact that they were not EU citizens the problem? All no or n.r.[/b]
Earnest

[Earnest]

Curiosity --> were not there postcards at the airport? Can we assume there were not? Or is it relevant why they did not buy there?

Was the transaction fraudolent somehow? Did they buy the postcards in a shop? Did the shop have enough postcards for any of their friends? (E.g. the shop had just 5 postcards left but they needed 8. Hence, since they cannot bring a postcard to anyone and it was difficult to find shops selling them, they decided not to send them; or maybe all postcards were identical so that it seemed that they made no effort in selecting them)

What happened after = to them? To the postcards? Did they leave soon after they bought the postcards? Did they meet someone relevantly? Did they maybe discover that the postcards they bought were instead something that everyone buys? Something they could have had for free? Brochures? Did they discover something relevant? Did they relevantly try to send the postcards as soon as they bought them? Did they separate them according to the people to which they had to send them (or asked the one who sold them to do so)? Did they realize to have bought postcards representing panoramas from another country? Rows relevant (e.g. postcards were found in turistic places, hence there were rows)? Are cities very far one to another in Netherlands? Relevant how they travelled (e.g. by bike)? Relevant that postcards were made with paper? (E.g. enviromental laws...)

Does the monetary expense they would have to do come from: travelling in order to find another shop selling postcards? Find out original postcards one different from the other? Physically bring them to all their friends when back in the States? (Or maybe they would have send the postcards to the friends from the States?) Send the postcards to the friends when back in the States?

[klondike mary]

Cy urosity --> were not there postcards at the airport? Can we assume there were not? You assume correctly.Or is it relevant why they did not buy there? They had difficulty in finding postcards to buy, whereas in the US even the large chain stores, like WalMart, will have a stock of local postcards.
Was the transaction fraudolent somehow? No. Did they buy the postcards in a shop? Yes.Did the shop have enough postcards for any of their friends? (E.g. the shop had just 5 postcards left but they needed 8. Hence, since they cannot bring a postcard to anyone and it was difficult to find shops selling them, they decided not to send them; or maybe all postcards were identical so that it seemed that they made no effort in selecting them) The shop had plenty of postcards, and they bought an assortment, excluding only those of Amsterdam's famous (notorious?) red-light district. However, the[y decided not to mail most of them. /b]

What happened after = to them? [b]Yessish.To the postcards? Did they leave soon after they bought the postcards? Did they meet someone relevantly? Did they maybe discover that the postcards they bought were instead something that everyone buys? Something they could have had for free? Brochures? Did they discover something relevant? Did they relevantly try to send the postcards as soon as they bought them? Did they separate them according to the people to which they had to send them (or asked the one who sold them to do so)? Did they realize to have bought postcards representing panoramas from another country? Rows relevant (e.g. postcards were found in turistic places, hence there were rows)? No or n.r. to all.[/b]Are cities very far one to another in Netherlands? No, and they stayed pretty close to Amsterdam during their tripRelevant how they travelled (e.g. by bike)? Yes, they rented bikes to get arouhd. This is relevant-ish.Relevant that postcards were made with paper? (E.g. enviromental laws...) No
Does the monetary expense they would have to do come from: travelling in order to find another shop selling postcards? Partly, but there was another part also.Find out original postcards one different from the other? Physically bring them to all their friends when back in the States? (Or maybe they would have send the postcards to the friends from the States?) Send the postcards to the friends when back in the States? Nr.
Earnest

Posts: 2497
Joined: Tue May 30, 2017 7:52 am
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[Earnest]

Did they relevantly buy the postcards lot of time before they departed from Netherlands? Did they buy the postcqrds in bulk? In packages? If the latter did they not send postcards in a relevant package? Bike sharing relevant? Relevant where mail bins were located? Where they leaved? In an hotel? B&B?

What happened to them --> is it something that usually happens to tourists? To american tourists? Did it happen soon after they bought the postcards? Is thrir weight relevant? The fact that they needed to bring the postcards with them every time they make a visit with the hope to find a mailing box? Did they decide not to send the majority of them a priori? Or maybe they tried but they came up to the conclusion that they cannot/it was not comfortable to send them? Google maps relevant? Apps relevant? Theft of bikes relevant? How to reach mail boxes relevant? Was the problem with mail boxes?

[klondike mary]

Did they relevantly buy the postcards lot of time before they departed from Netherlands? IDK, but say at about the mid-point. Did they buy the postcqrds in bulk? In packages? They bought them all at one time, but selected them one by one. If the latter did they not send postcards in a relevant package? They did send off a few, one at a time. Bike sharing relevant? No.Relevant where mail bins were located?YES. Where they leaved? In an hotel? B&B? n.r.

What happened to them --> is it something that usually happens to tourists? To american tourists? Don't know about 'often' but probably more often to Americans than other nationalities.Did it happen soon after they bought the postcards? Yes. Is thrir weight relevant? No.The fact that they needed to bring the postcards with them every time they make a visit with the hope to find a mailing box? Yesish. Did they decide not to send the majority of them a priori? Or maybe they tried but they came up to the conclusion that they cannot/it was not comfortable to send them? Google maps relevant? Yes. Apps relevant? Theft of bikes relevant? All n.r.How to reach mail boxes relevant? Was the problem with mail boxes? Not with the mail boxes, no. Explore.
Earnest

[Earnest]

Mail bins were the problem? Did they look their location on google maps? Did they search a relevant keyword? Were they located on unknown streets? Is the fact that amsterdam is crossed by a river relevant?

[klondike mary]

Mail bins were the problem? Not so much, as that they had to buy stamps.Did they look their location on google maps? Did they search a relevant keyword? Yes, they looked for the nearest post office on Google maps.Were they located on unknown streets? Is the fact that amsterdam is crossed by a river relevant? No, they accessed the place without having to swim or take a boat, but....(see below)

***********SPOILER***************
When Ruth got to the place, as directed by Google, she didn't see anything that looked like a post office. In a US town the main post office is a substantial stand-alone building, generally brick, with a flag out front. She did not see anything that resembled that, It finally dawned on her that it must be actually in the apartment building, and it was, on the ground floor. She decided it would be easier and cheaper to take the cards home in their luggage.

They were very impressed by the cleanness and scenic beauty of the Netherlands. Everything was so lush and green, and there were flowers everywhere. it rained several times while they were there, but it was a gentle rain, more a mist. this contrasts with the dry summer we have had.
When it does rain here, though, it really rains - straight down, sideways, diagonally, even in a spiral! That's what we have had recently, from about 5 a.. till noon, then clearing off in the afternoon.

I have seen them since they got back, but they forgot the postcards at home - so I still haven't seen them, thogh they did show me picgures they had taken with their phone.