After a two hour closet designing session on the Ikea website last night (another very cool internet tool, btw), Hubbalicious and I have achieved the design of Closet 1.0 (he’s reserving the right to add another section later, should he decide he needs it). This exercise, btw, was a hilarious and illuminative exercise in understanding how each other thinks. My design approach was based on what I wanted to store (hooks for necklaces here, a small drawer for scarves and gloves there, etc). Hubbalicious’ approach was pure geometry – he had 300 cm² of space in his dresser at home, and therefore needed to replicate that in his closet. Mars, meet Venus :)
The trophy wife errand du jour was to venture forth into Ikea for the THIRD time in five days…and to purchase our closet masterpiece, so its delivery would coincide nicely with our move in date…and I FAILED!! Our local Ikea is an establishment with integrity – because when they discovered that one of the 15 parts I was ready to purchase was out of stock – they just couldn’t sell it to me. I told the clerk that it was okay if the part was backordered – we didn’t really want the closets to be delivered for a week or so anyways – she responded by saying “But Madam, I cannot sell you what I do not have”. Oh! Well…okay then! She told me that they would have the requisite part back in stock in two days (seriously? You can’t backorder for two days?!?), and I could come back and make my purchase then. And so that, Ladies and Gentlemen, marks the only time in the history of mankind that a person has left an Ikea store without having made a purchase!!
In our time here, we have discovered that we really need to have a German bank account. The reasons for this are complicated – so I’ll go into them in a later post – but the long and short of it is, our payment options around here are cash or German bank card and I can’t do math in my head well enough to figure out how much cash I’ll need as I cower through the already intimidating grocery store check-out line.
But I digress – today, on Hubbz’s lunch hour, I met him near the base to venture forth into deep German territory. With some coaching from those who went before us, and some colorful Deutch-glish speak passed between us, we got….well, we got nothing! We started an account, but I don’t think we actually opened it. At no time did they ask us for an initial deposit. They said that our paperwork would come in the mail….so we’ll be making our way back to our oracle for advice on that one!! We even had enough time at lunch to swing by the local O2 shop and ask them how the heck to make the mobile internet solution we bought yesterday work The 19 year old kid behind the counter smirked and told us we had to buy a monthly password from him. He implied that it could only be done at an O2 store. My interpretation of the German brochure (aided by Google Translate) indicated that we could input our credit card number somewhere online to recharge our service when needed – but Smirking Schultzie didn’t want to give up that information, and after our game of German charades at the bank, we were too spent to push any harder, so we rolled over and bought the card. So much for good Ole American Stick-to-itiveness!!
We got a call today indicating that our car parts are FINALLY in!! (For those of you who haven’t been keeping track, it’s been about 6-7 weeks since our little accident. As luck would have it, the mechanic called at 4pm today to ask us to drop the car in the morning. Hubbz has been working with USAA (LOVE them!) through this process and confirmed to me that we have rental car coverage for the time that the car is in the shop (which is pretty crucial, now that we’re a one car family). I assumed that he had the process in hand for retrieving the car – but when I called him at 5pm to ask about the parameters for booking tomorrow’s car, he shrugged (I’m guessing, since I actually couldn’t SEE him) and said he didn’t know. By then, our USAA contact in Frankfurt had gone home for the day (voicemail) and the adjuster who answered the phone in the US call center wasn’t really clear on the rules for us ExPats. Sooooo – now, in order to get the car squared away, we’re going to have to wait until 8:30 tomorrow AM to arrange for our rental car for the day. No biggie, but this means that Hubbz won’t get to work on time (and he really hates that!). We’re hoping for an SUV or a van to minimize the number of loads we need to take from the hotel. Between our 17 suitcases which accompanied us from the states, and the small express shipment that arrived in early July, we have managed to cram a lot of stuff into our little hotel bungalow.
The upside is that we actually heard from the Realtor today (whoa! Watch out for that flying pig!!) He set an appointment for our walk through tomorrow at 7pm. At this time we should receive our keys and be able to move in a first load of our stuff from the hotel (can I get an AMEN?!?) We are relieved and excited – and starting to steel ourselves for the long days ahead.
Showing posts with label express shipment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label express shipment. Show all posts
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
NEW ARRIVALS
Well great day in the morning – we had a big slice of home arrive yesterday!! Not only did our car arrive from the states, our Express Shipment also showed up at the hotel! Things are changing over here – here’s how:
The Honda arrived!!! This is overall very good – but has a drawback or two. The good: of course, we’re glad it made it! It is registered and inspected and road ready for us here in Stuttgart. Having it gives me freedom of a different flavor because I wasn’t allowed to drive the rental car. Now I can drop Hubbz off at work and do whatever errands I want, visit with friends, etc. The downside is – now I have to drive…and PARK… in Germany. It’s an understatement to say that parking is nerve wracking. The spaces are tiny, the turns are sharp and well, now the paint I scratch is mine!!! Driving isn’t that tough – but remembering the rules, tracking along with the GPS and maintaining some modicum of sanity are difficult when performed simultaneously (difficult for me, that is!). I’m rusty, so I’m giving myself a break. It will all come naturally soon enough, I hope!! In the meantime, Hubbz is happy to retire his chauffeur cap for a bit!
With the arrival of the Express Shipment, we now have in our possession the following items:
HANGERS!!! - We can actually hang all of the clothes we want in our hotel closet. What a relief, since we’ve been sharing 3 drawers and a handful of hotel hangers for the past month.
Extra clothes – Hubblicious triaged some clothing items to arrive later and was happy to have them arrive yesterday – thus further enhancing our need for...HANGERS!!
CDs and DVDs. – O Holy Night, goodbye CNN!!! If you’ve ever spent any time at a hotel in Europe, you know that there are a scant few tv channels broadcast in English. Here they are CNN and Bloomberg TV. There’s only so much Richard Quest a girl can handle!! We’ve been limping along leaning heavily on iTunes and Netflix for other entertainment (and did I mention I’ve read no less than 6 books since we left the states?!). But now we can gorge ourselves on movies and tv series we’ve collected over the years. It’s manna in the dessert, people!!
Printer – I’m still working, albeit on a part time basis, here in Deutschland. It turned out, on final inspection, that our printer/scanner/copier was dual voltage. Completely by accident, but what a great turn of events!! So we boxed it up and forwarded it along. Having it today has made my work day waaaayyyyyy easier. Yay!
A pot and pan – Sometimes you get into an apartment before your big shipment of household goods arrives. In that case, you kind of limp along with what you can, because you sure don’t want to buy things that you’ll only need for a few weeks. For this reason, I picked one frying pan and one pot to ship quickly – just in case we get a stove before we get our stuff. For now, they sit in an empty suitcase waiting to fulfill their cookware destinies.
And some Trader Joes Treats - In a crazy fit (of inspiration?), I grabbed a few extra boxes of Madras Lentils (try them, they look like dog food but they are delicious and healthy!) and some snack packs of nuts from TJ’s before we left. I figured with access to a microwave at the hotel, the lentils would be a welcome change from restaurant fare and the nuts would be a healthy hotel room snack. Turns out, I had no idea how tired of restaurant food I would be! So the lentils will also serve as a little sanity booster when I nuke them in the PCS lounge for dinner one night. And the nuts –well, yeah, they have nuts here in Germany – but they’re familiar and homey and we’re happy to have them :)
THIS JUST IN - we have an appointment with the landlord for Friday night for the Holy Grail Apartment!! We're scared to be too hopeful, but the realtor is very confident that this is a positive sign for us and we're thrilled to have made it thus far. Keep your fingers crossed that they like us. (Aren't you tired of hearing about this from me?? I'm getting tired of myself already)
The Honda arrived!!! This is overall very good – but has a drawback or two. The good: of course, we’re glad it made it! It is registered and inspected and road ready for us here in Stuttgart. Having it gives me freedom of a different flavor because I wasn’t allowed to drive the rental car. Now I can drop Hubbz off at work and do whatever errands I want, visit with friends, etc. The downside is – now I have to drive…and PARK… in Germany. It’s an understatement to say that parking is nerve wracking. The spaces are tiny, the turns are sharp and well, now the paint I scratch is mine!!! Driving isn’t that tough – but remembering the rules, tracking along with the GPS and maintaining some modicum of sanity are difficult when performed simultaneously (difficult for me, that is!). I’m rusty, so I’m giving myself a break. It will all come naturally soon enough, I hope!! In the meantime, Hubbz is happy to retire his chauffeur cap for a bit!
With the arrival of the Express Shipment, we now have in our possession the following items:
HANGERS!!! - We can actually hang all of the clothes we want in our hotel closet. What a relief, since we’ve been sharing 3 drawers and a handful of hotel hangers for the past month.
Extra clothes – Hubblicious triaged some clothing items to arrive later and was happy to have them arrive yesterday – thus further enhancing our need for...HANGERS!!
CDs and DVDs. – O Holy Night, goodbye CNN!!! If you’ve ever spent any time at a hotel in Europe, you know that there are a scant few tv channels broadcast in English. Here they are CNN and Bloomberg TV. There’s only so much Richard Quest a girl can handle!! We’ve been limping along leaning heavily on iTunes and Netflix for other entertainment (and did I mention I’ve read no less than 6 books since we left the states?!). But now we can gorge ourselves on movies and tv series we’ve collected over the years. It’s manna in the dessert, people!!
Printer – I’m still working, albeit on a part time basis, here in Deutschland. It turned out, on final inspection, that our printer/scanner/copier was dual voltage. Completely by accident, but what a great turn of events!! So we boxed it up and forwarded it along. Having it today has made my work day waaaayyyyyy easier. Yay!
A pot and pan – Sometimes you get into an apartment before your big shipment of household goods arrives. In that case, you kind of limp along with what you can, because you sure don’t want to buy things that you’ll only need for a few weeks. For this reason, I picked one frying pan and one pot to ship quickly – just in case we get a stove before we get our stuff. For now, they sit in an empty suitcase waiting to fulfill their cookware destinies.
And some Trader Joes Treats - In a crazy fit (of inspiration?), I grabbed a few extra boxes of Madras Lentils (try them, they look like dog food but they are delicious and healthy!) and some snack packs of nuts from TJ’s before we left. I figured with access to a microwave at the hotel, the lentils would be a welcome change from restaurant fare and the nuts would be a healthy hotel room snack. Turns out, I had no idea how tired of restaurant food I would be! So the lentils will also serve as a little sanity booster when I nuke them in the PCS lounge for dinner one night. And the nuts –well, yeah, they have nuts here in Germany – but they’re familiar and homey and we’re happy to have them :)
THIS JUST IN - we have an appointment with the landlord for Friday night for the Holy Grail Apartment!! We're scared to be too hopeful, but the realtor is very confident that this is a positive sign for us and we're thrilled to have made it thus far. Keep your fingers crossed that they like us. (Aren't you tired of hearing about this from me?? I'm getting tired of myself already)
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Pack Out
I know that I am waaaaayyyy behind in documenting this process. I'm going to try to be diligent and report it all - and to do so in digestible pieces...but y'all know I can get a good head of steam when I'm trying to tell a story!!!
The pack out/move process was interesting at times, boring at others and somehow both exhilarating and exhausting. It was also TERRIBLE for a diet conscious couple (more on that later)...
Day 1 of a 4 Day process - this was a day for packing. Two folks from the moving company arrived, armed with boxes and tape and a ton of newsprint (which, we have learned, will haunt us when we get to the UN-packing part of the equation). This, the first day, was the day with the highest risk of confusion about what stuff will go in which shipment - so Hubz and I were vigilant and smiling and available at all times for clarification. On the night before, we made our best attempts to store everything that wasn't to be packed up into two closets and our office - thus giving us "no pack zones" in the house that the movers wouldn't even enter! It worked like a charm :)
Military lore dictates that you must feed and tip your movers to ensure careful handling and storage of your stuff. Hubz and I love an opportunity to be good hosts, so our packers and movers were greeted with doughnuts and coffee upon arrival. We filled the fridge with sodas and bottled water, and bought some single serving bags of chips for snacking. We encouraged the movers to help themselves. We also provided lunch each day. This is probably a little over the top - but we figure every little bit helps. The downside is that Hubz and I sat, mostly bored, surrounded by doughnuts and chips and sodas. Breaking up the boredom was the pizza, or hamburgers that the movers requested each day for lunch.... I can say with 100% certainty that the majority of chips, doughnuts and sodas were consumed by us each day....sigh...what can you do?!?
After the packers had bundled, boxed and numbered all of our stuff, a new crew showed up on Day 2 to pack it all up into a truck - which would take our items to a yard - where they would be placed in a crate - which will go into a big shipping crate (think a boxcar on a train) and placed on a huge cargo ship en route to our new home continent. Yes, folks, as I type this - 80% of our worldly possessions could be sinking to the bottom of the sea. It's a nice perspective to be able to look around this tiny hotel room where I sit in Germany, and realize that I have absolutely everything I need to live. :)
At the end of Day 2, Hubbz and I re-organized our "no packer zones". We pulled a few items out of the closets and office to be held over for the quick shipment, and made sure all of the luggage items would fit in our suitcases, and unpacked every box and china keeper so that each item about to be packed would get wrapping and cushioning by the professional hand (thus ensuring it was covered for full replacement value by the moving company's insurance).
By now, all of our linens, our shower curtain, our dishes and even our bed was out of our Norfolk home. This meant, it was time for us to pull up stakes and find a new place to sleep. The remainder of our Virginia lodging was provided by our dear friends, the Johnsons. Yet another fantastic friendship that Hubz made years ago, and I have gleefully climbed aboard his coat-tails to enjoy. The Johnsons provided us with the ability to end each day with a hot shower and a visit (and sometimes a beer) with friends, and to talk about our adventures in moving, and to laugh with their super-cute kiddos about what Sponge Bob did today. I can't think of a better way to wind up our long days.
By Day 3, we had moved into pack AND move days. Day 3 was "Storage Day" during which we said goodbye to items that would stay in storage in the US while we went overseas. (The cost of this is also covered by the Navy). All of our 110 volt appliances, my china and fancy stemware, and the majority of our holiday decorations made up the bulk of this pack out. By now, there was really little else to be done, and the day dragged. Hubbz went to work to tie up the loose ends from his job. I cleaned a few rooms, but really most of the rooms in our house still had random items in them for the movers (like, a dresser we deemed too big for German housing) or - had all of my china laid out across the floor... So, in the end, I spent many hours sitting on the floor of my almost empty bedroom and changing the address on our accounts online...(and eating chips and doughnuts....)
Waking up on Day 4 felt a little like Groundhog Day. We were tired but grateful that we had only one more day of moving left. We cleaned the house as we waited for the movers to pack our express shipment. We also dropped off my Honda for shipping to Germany. The Navy will pay for one car to be shipped overseas. We decided that the Explorer would be too big for European streets, so our plan is to ship one car and while we wait the 6-12 weeks for its arrival, to buy a "commuter car" on the cheap from a family leaving the base.
Day 4 was the day they packed up and moved our express shipment. The express shipment arrives in your new home country while you are still in temporary housing - usually 2-3 weeks after you have arrived. What to include in this delivery was the source of much head scratching for me....what could I possibly need in 2-3 weeks that I could live without upon arrival? By design, this package arrives and gives you the ability to live a bit more comfortably in your temporary base housing - and perhaps in your first week in a new place, as you bridge the time until your big household goods shipment arrives. As I understand it, some families include more toys for the kids, a few pots and pans for cooking in your kitchenette in temp housing and air mattresses and linens so you can sleep in your new empty house. However, Hubbz and I already knew that we'd be staying in a hotel in town when we arrived (no kitchenette) - and figured we'd wake up there on moving day - so the question of what to bring was puzzling.
Ultimately, our express shipment was pretty non-traditional. Hubbz pared down his uniforms and shipped a few of those. We included all of our dvd collection (my experience has been that tv in German hotels have very few, if any, English language channels), a laundry basket and some extra hangers to make the hotel living a little easier, and lots of books. We also included my printer - which happened to be dual voltage and would allow me to work more affordably from our hotel room.
The end of Day 4 (which was the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend) found us tired, homeless and down to one car - which was for sale. It was a little eerie, a little freeing - and it felt like progress!!!
The pack out/move process was interesting at times, boring at others and somehow both exhilarating and exhausting. It was also TERRIBLE for a diet conscious couple (more on that later)...
Day 1 of a 4 Day process - this was a day for packing. Two folks from the moving company arrived, armed with boxes and tape and a ton of newsprint (which, we have learned, will haunt us when we get to the UN-packing part of the equation). This, the first day, was the day with the highest risk of confusion about what stuff will go in which shipment - so Hubz and I were vigilant and smiling and available at all times for clarification. On the night before, we made our best attempts to store everything that wasn't to be packed up into two closets and our office - thus giving us "no pack zones" in the house that the movers wouldn't even enter! It worked like a charm :)
Military lore dictates that you must feed and tip your movers to ensure careful handling and storage of your stuff. Hubz and I love an opportunity to be good hosts, so our packers and movers were greeted with doughnuts and coffee upon arrival. We filled the fridge with sodas and bottled water, and bought some single serving bags of chips for snacking. We encouraged the movers to help themselves. We also provided lunch each day. This is probably a little over the top - but we figure every little bit helps. The downside is that Hubz and I sat, mostly bored, surrounded by doughnuts and chips and sodas. Breaking up the boredom was the pizza, or hamburgers that the movers requested each day for lunch.... I can say with 100% certainty that the majority of chips, doughnuts and sodas were consumed by us each day....sigh...what can you do?!?
After the packers had bundled, boxed and numbered all of our stuff, a new crew showed up on Day 2 to pack it all up into a truck - which would take our items to a yard - where they would be placed in a crate - which will go into a big shipping crate (think a boxcar on a train) and placed on a huge cargo ship en route to our new home continent. Yes, folks, as I type this - 80% of our worldly possessions could be sinking to the bottom of the sea. It's a nice perspective to be able to look around this tiny hotel room where I sit in Germany, and realize that I have absolutely everything I need to live. :)
At the end of Day 2, Hubbz and I re-organized our "no packer zones". We pulled a few items out of the closets and office to be held over for the quick shipment, and made sure all of the luggage items would fit in our suitcases, and unpacked every box and china keeper so that each item about to be packed would get wrapping and cushioning by the professional hand (thus ensuring it was covered for full replacement value by the moving company's insurance).
By now, all of our linens, our shower curtain, our dishes and even our bed was out of our Norfolk home. This meant, it was time for us to pull up stakes and find a new place to sleep. The remainder of our Virginia lodging was provided by our dear friends, the Johnsons. Yet another fantastic friendship that Hubz made years ago, and I have gleefully climbed aboard his coat-tails to enjoy. The Johnsons provided us with the ability to end each day with a hot shower and a visit (and sometimes a beer) with friends, and to talk about our adventures in moving, and to laugh with their super-cute kiddos about what Sponge Bob did today. I can't think of a better way to wind up our long days.
By Day 3, we had moved into pack AND move days. Day 3 was "Storage Day" during which we said goodbye to items that would stay in storage in the US while we went overseas. (The cost of this is also covered by the Navy). All of our 110 volt appliances, my china and fancy stemware, and the majority of our holiday decorations made up the bulk of this pack out. By now, there was really little else to be done, and the day dragged. Hubbz went to work to tie up the loose ends from his job. I cleaned a few rooms, but really most of the rooms in our house still had random items in them for the movers (like, a dresser we deemed too big for German housing) or - had all of my china laid out across the floor... So, in the end, I spent many hours sitting on the floor of my almost empty bedroom and changing the address on our accounts online...(and eating chips and doughnuts....)
Waking up on Day 4 felt a little like Groundhog Day. We were tired but grateful that we had only one more day of moving left. We cleaned the house as we waited for the movers to pack our express shipment. We also dropped off my Honda for shipping to Germany. The Navy will pay for one car to be shipped overseas. We decided that the Explorer would be too big for European streets, so our plan is to ship one car and while we wait the 6-12 weeks for its arrival, to buy a "commuter car" on the cheap from a family leaving the base.
Day 4 was the day they packed up and moved our express shipment. The express shipment arrives in your new home country while you are still in temporary housing - usually 2-3 weeks after you have arrived. What to include in this delivery was the source of much head scratching for me....what could I possibly need in 2-3 weeks that I could live without upon arrival? By design, this package arrives and gives you the ability to live a bit more comfortably in your temporary base housing - and perhaps in your first week in a new place, as you bridge the time until your big household goods shipment arrives. As I understand it, some families include more toys for the kids, a few pots and pans for cooking in your kitchenette in temp housing and air mattresses and linens so you can sleep in your new empty house. However, Hubbz and I already knew that we'd be staying in a hotel in town when we arrived (no kitchenette) - and figured we'd wake up there on moving day - so the question of what to bring was puzzling.
Ultimately, our express shipment was pretty non-traditional. Hubbz pared down his uniforms and shipped a few of those. We included all of our dvd collection (my experience has been that tv in German hotels have very few, if any, English language channels), a laundry basket and some extra hangers to make the hotel living a little easier, and lots of books. We also included my printer - which happened to be dual voltage and would allow me to work more affordably from our hotel room.
The end of Day 4 (which was the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend) found us tired, homeless and down to one car - which was for sale. It was a little eerie, a little freeing - and it felt like progress!!!
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