I keep losing things.
The most outrageous thing about this particular loss was that I wasn’t even aware of it until the day after, about noon, when I opened my backpack where there should have been my Chromebook. It was not there. The power cable and the mouse, yes. Laptop, no.
I distinctly remember having it there a day before, as well as taking it out at the airport security. The problem with air travel in winter, even if it is Spanish winter, is that you have too many clothes on. And then you have to take your coat and your jacket off, maybe even your boots, if you’re lucky, and they don’t fit in those trays anymore, and you take another one. The security guy insisted that I did not cover the notebook with my jacket, so I shoved it in another tray. And then, when they successfully reemerged on the other side, I stacked all three or four of them on top of each other and moved on to the free table, to put the stuff back on me. Keys, mobile phone, belt and suchlike. I must have left the laptop in the bottom tray. I must have.
I found the Lost&Found page of the airport of Valencia with a contact telephone number. As much as I hate phoning, this time I had to. The person I talked to, in English, was very polite and helpful. I explained what happened; he advised me to phone back in quarter an hour. I did. He said that yes, they have located the notebook. Can you come here, he asked. I am in Las Palmas, I said. Oh, he said. Do you happen to know somebody who lives a bit closer and can fetch it, he mused. Yes I do, I said.
He suggested my sending him an email describing my loss and authorising that kind person, with such and such ID, to collect it, plus a photo of my passport attached. I did exactly that and pleaded my friend to visit the Lost&Found office when she can.
When she got there, later the same day, she messaged me asking for the password. I sent it to her. I think it’s a normal procedure — they need some evidence that the device is mine. She unlocked it, they handed it over.
How easy and efficient it was, I thought. I remember a story I heard from a German scientist I met on a conference in Italy twenty years ago. He was travelling by train. Surprised by the timely arrival at the destination, he rushed out of the carriage leaving his laptop behind. On realising that, he immediately went to the police station and filed the report. Fortunately, the computer was quickly located and brought to the hotel where we stayed the following day. Needless to say, he was very pleased and praised the politeness and efficiency of Italian police over their German colleagues who (according to him) would question you for hours who are you and where did you come from and how did you dare to forget your property in the train. Well, that was in 1999.
Now let me say a few words about this Chromebook. My brother bought it for me last year when I visited him in the States, so you can imagine how annoyed I was with myself to lose it. It’s literally the coolest computer I ever had in my hands (or placed on my lap, for that matter), thanks to its aluminium case. Also, since there are no moving parts, it is virtually silent. It boots in seconds. It has really bright 14-inch anti-glare screen (specified as a full-HD but, according to WhatIsMyScreenResolution.NET, I can get resolution up to 2194x1234). It served me well in the classroom — videos, PowerPoints, Kahoot! quizzes, you name it — and the battery lasted the whole damn working day. I sure would appreciate more internal memory but for now I can live with 32 GB. And why there’s no SD card slot?!
I can’t say I’m over the moon about Chrome OS — I think this machine deserves decent software on its own, not only Android apps. Luckily, since 2018 you can also install Linux apps on it. I tried that and it works. I put there LibreOffice and Inkscape just a few days before my flight to Gran Canaria.
With Christmas holidays and all that, my friend only was able to go to the post office after the New Year. Even then, she was warned that the laptop is unlikely to arrive before Reyes. It took longer than that.
The day she sent it off, I got both email and SMS with the tracking number so I was able to check the shipping progress on the Correos website. In practice, for five days or so I was stuck with its original location, that is, Valencia, followed by the terse “en camino” (“on the way”). Finally, it arrived to Canaries.
I started to worry. We dealt with customs before, and every time they wanted money. Normally they would send you a paper enquiring about the value of the imported goods so they could determine how much you must pay on top of the postage. In theory, that should be only applicable to new goods, but you never know. In any case, I still didn’t have any notice.Último estado del envío: En tramitación aduanera
Se ha emitido aviso al destinatario para poder completar la tramitación
I went to the post office for a consultation. They told me basically what I already knew and their advice was to wait a couple more days. I did that and, naturally, in a couple more days came back. This time I’ve got the email address of the customs. Write to them and explain the matter, the postal worker said. So I did.
Dear Sir/Madam, I wrote, I am waiting for a package sent on January the 2nd, with tracking code XYZ, containing a laptop I lost at the Valencia Airport. The laptop is used and doesn’t even have a power cable. The package should have been delivered to such and such post office. I was supposed to get a message from you but I didn’t. Waiting for your response. Big hug xoxoxo Yours sincerely.
Imagine my joy mixed with amusement when I received their response the very next day.
Buenos días,
La información que nos ha enviado es correcta. Le llevarán el envío a su domicilio. Si no estuviese, le dejarán un aviso para que usted vaya a retirarlo a la oficina de Correos que le corresponda. Puede realizar el seguimiento de su envío en nuestra página web introduciendo el código del mismo.
Gracias por utilizar nuestros servicios
Saludos
But of course the information I sent them was correct. What, I wonder, would they do if I hadn’t provided them with that correct information? Anyway, the next morning I got the SMS saying that my parcel is waiting for me in the post office. Contrary to what the email said, they never planned to deliver it to my home address. Which suited me fine. I showed my ID, they gave the box to me. It all took just four weeks. Happy end of story.
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