Camping In
Current mood: cheerful
Category: Travel and Places
Internet connectivity at last!!! Whew…the last few days with the packout and then shifting to our temporary apartment were nothing less than hectic. I am soooo happy we were able to have a beautiful couple keep our 3 cats during that period. It would have been both chaotic and traumatic if they had been underfoot at the time.So now we are settled into a one bedroom apartment which is about the size of the master bedroom in our house. It feels a lot of “camping in.” But I keep telling myself its only for a few weeks…The kitties also adapted well to the apartment but I’m sure they must also miss the space we had in the house.Now that we are in the apartment I am totally focused on getting in to the very best shape before we arrive in the Kingdom and I begin to meet all of Abdullah’s extended family.It’s been interesting…at the same time we have been packing out we have also been helping a newly arrived Saudi family get settled in to the WDC area.Some comments and observations…having been an American diplomat I must say that I prefer the american system for incoming/outgoing personnel. The US system really does take care of its people so well; something I did not know and therefore could not fully appreciate until now with the exposure to the “Saudi system.” In the US system, one does not have to worry about locating a moving company or to a degree, about the costs and options of moving a household. Depending on one’s rank, whether married or single and location of move, a US diplomat is entitled to “xx” amount of pounds to be moved in addition to an air freight shipment of “xx” amount of pounds. However by comparison in the Saudi system, one is left to their own resources to identify and negotiate with a moving company. There is a similarity in that the Saudi system will state that the diplomat is entitled to “XX” amount of funds to cover moving costs. Sadly though, in the Saudi system one is not typically provided those funds until AFTER the move has taken place. As a result, there is no consistency in moves and no ability to negotiate or feel you are getting the best deal with a moving company because it caters to a specific embassy. On a positive note, because Saudi Airlines is the national carrier, we are able to take more than the typical amount of luggage as compared to that of US carriers without fear of excess baggage charges. C’est la vie.2:58 PM - 1 Comments – 0 Kudos – Add Comment – Edit - Remove
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | home, move
