Kick us while we're down

Not a great couple of weeks for us. What could go wrong has gone wrong.

First, my computer crashed--again! I have some last minute library inventory type things I wanted to work on. Looks like I'll have to somehow get that back to our branch after we've moved. Shouldn't be TOO difficult as Todd has to travel back here to Jordan the week after we move to Egypt. What is that about?!?! We're moving to Egypt mainly so he won't have to travel as much. Grrrrr.

I've been working for 8 months on a revised branch hymnbook. I ordered binders from Staples last February and they still have not arrived. Looks like that project will be left for someone else as well. The papers are all ready to go. They just need to be put in sleeve protectors and the binders. Tedious work but easy.

Last week the city didn't push the water up to our neighborhood so we had to buy water not once, not twice, but three times last week. Then we had to buy it again yesterday. We hope that'll last us til we fly out on Monday. We bought it once but then it was out about 2 days later. We think the gardner may have left something on while he was watering the trees. So we bought again but the water truck didn't have a full load so we only got a partial filling. That only lasted a couple of days and we still didn't have water from the city so we had to buy that third time. And still no water from the city so we bought again yesterday.

Then don't get me started on our landlord issues. Oh, alright, I've already started. Just skip this post unless you're wanting to hear some serious whining.

It basically comes down to this: we feel like we've exceeded the parameters and expectations in the contract but the landlord disagrees so is being quite stingy. He even called the gardner when he knew we were packing up and asked the gardner to make sure we weren't taking anything that didn't belong to us. So, in all essence, he accused us of stealing! How annoying. I'll spare you all the details but really it's just added to an already stressful time.

Then there's the move. Remember when I wrote that the moving guy ended his bid with "no problem." The red flags went up all around but we chose to ignore. You'd think we'd learn.

When he came that day he estimated we'd need 50 boxes and told me it would take 2 weeks to get to Egypt. Since our move-in day for Egypt is July 1st I set a date with him about 1 1/2 weeks before that. A few days later he called Todd and said it would only take 5 days so we reset the date for this last Tuesday starting at 10:00 am. Monday night he shows up with the actual movers to assess the situation. The movers estimated 150 boxes. Firas (our landlord's nephew but more generous to the nth degree) was here and he actually did a lot of the talking with the movers. When the movers left, Firas told us they'd be here 5 pm. Tuesday and planned to be done by midnight. Todd and I were surprised. Firas said they acted like we knew that they would be coming late. We didn't know but it was no big deal. We just assumed they didn't like working in the heat of the day. That's fine.

5:00 Tuesday comes and goes. Todd makes some phone calls. Finally at 6:30 the movers show up. Right away this looked somewhat odd because in our last two moves they come with new boxes specific for the room and item being moved. Not these movers. They had all shapes and sizes but the boxes were printed with everything from food items to ironing boards to electric fans and everything in between. They had no system of labeling or accounting for the number of boxes. They were just packing things in as they would fit. Not a speck of bubble wrap was to be found. They did have some cotton stuff that they put around the piano before they put cardboard on top of that. I have separate plastic drawers for each of my children for their scrapbook stuff that someday I will organize. But at least I have them in separated drawers. Well, til these movers came and condensed it all into as few drawers as possible.

Midnight was approaching and there was absolutely no way they were even close to finishing. But no worries because at 11:30 pm they ran out of tape and had to quit for the night anyway. As Todd and I looked around at what they had packed, we became even more concerned. If things didn't fit into a box, they just taped the box lids shut as best they could with stuff still hanging out. Before they left, they told us they'd be back again the next night at 5. Todd told them they really should be there by 5 if they want to finish up at a reasonable time because there was still a lot to do.

Stuff had to be in Aqaba by today (Thursday) morning. Otherwise, they would miss their chance to turn in the papers and stuff, and then not be able to go until Sunday-ish.

The next night they didn't show til about 6:30 again. As time went on and lack of sleep started catching up to us, we were getting more and more frustrated and concerned with the quality of the move. Todd made more phone calls. No satisfaction. Firas tried to help. We stepped in and demanded they have some system of labeling or numbering or something. Ya know, how will we know when we get to Egypt if the box of Savoury French Fry looking box with Arabic writing goes in the bedroom or family room?

Midnight came and went and they were still working. We were cranky. Kids were cranky. Todd asked why they couldn't come during the day to do all this and the response we got was very telling. They have day jobs. What?!?! This is only their on-the-side-in-the-evening-hired-guy-off-the-street-job. No wonder the packing was only as good as I could do myself. We were this close to calling them all off and calling another company to come repack and take care of this. The only way we've let them continue is there shouldn't be a middle man with this move. Meaning these guys will load it onto a big truck that will be driven to Aqaba. The entire truck will be loaded onto a ferry then the truck will drive to Cairo where it will be unloaded at our house. So in theory we should be able to observe the carefulness with which they are handling things except for the actual drive.

There's still so much more to the story--thanks for hanging in there.

They finally left at about 1:00 am. They still weren't done. We went to bed. Firas evidently went to check on the trailer where the boxes were being loaded earlier to make sure it was locked up, etc. I was finally getting T back to sleep and just drifting off myself when the house phone rang. Todd was upstairs asleep so I ran to answer it. It was Firas. Some problem with the police so wake up Todd because he's coming over. I did as told. Seems someone thought our house was being robbed seeing people-looking-like-they're-off-the-street late at night hauling things from our house and loading them into a big truck. The police came as Firas was checking on the trailer and thought he might be involved in the thievery. Poor Firas. Just trying to help out. We got things squared away with the police and finally went to bed--well went to sleep as we have no beds for a few nights.

From our past experience, we weren't really allowed to pack anything ourselves because then the moving company couldn't guarantee it's safe delivery. However, this has become obviously, painfully, different. This morning I went and bought a huge thing of bubble wrap and some tape and we've taken to wrapping up the more breakable things ourselves. Firas called the company this morning and told them that if they didn't have movers to our house by noon, we were going with a different company. So they're here now and working trying to avoid eye contact--especially with Todd.

Meanwhile, let's go back to paragraph 8--the one about how long it'll take to get from Jordan to Egypt. After the first night of packing, the next day Todd talked to the moving company owner who gave us the good news. It will only take two days to get from Jordan to Cairo. But wait. That is actually bad news. We can't get into the Cairo house til July 1. The moving company owner wanted to know if we could bring the family to Cairo sooner. Even if we could, we still aren't scheduled to get into the house til the 1st. Then he informed him he needed all sorts of certification of employment and notarizations from banks and such. I won't go into those details but suffice it to say--this was really something that we should've been told weeks ago and not in the midst of packing. It's just another sign that this company is flying by the seat of its pants and is not really an international moving company. The latest "plan" is to take our stuff though the border under the name of the truck driver. With this "plan" though they wanted Todd to fly to Aqaba to sign some papers and show his American passport and stuff. Not happening. You're the moving company--you should know how to actually move our stuff from one place to the next.

If nothing else, I hope this move will be a success by virtue of the fact that we've introduced them to the concept of bubble wrap. Perhaps the next movees will benefit from our experience.