Houston, we have an apartment

It is no secret that I am a nester.

I like to have my home decorated with things that mean something to me: art, souvenirs, pictures, things that tell stories.

So when we pack our HHE (and to a degree, but less so, our UAB), I like to include things that make our place overseas feel like home.

Apparently, my wife also likes that I do this, because this time, even she was clamoring for something to make our apartment (which is ginormous) look less like a corporate apartment.

So we were both really happy when our HHE finally arrived a week ago Tuesday. And there was lots of it, like 6000 lbs (and that number is low because I deliberately reduced how much we brought this time!). Of course, probably half that amount is books...

Lotsa Stuff

The cats approved of the boxes

And the paper

And true to form, I got all of our stuff unpacked and the boxes thrown out within two days (with the help of a local holiday...yay! Bajram!..on Thursday). Admit it, you wish you were married to me.

Making progress

Friday, I put in the order for GSO to come hang our pictures (I tried it myself, but the walls are concrete and I lack concrete nails or transportation to go buy some). And they came yesterday. So now we even have art on the wall.

Even my office at work has a touch of home:

Why yes, I am from SC, why do you ask?

Now it feels more like home...for another 21 or 22 months anyway...

Packout Day Two: They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha! Ha!

Or my stuff anyway.

Bonus points if you know the song reference. Bigger ones if you can name the show that regularly played it. (I listened ever Sunday...that might have been a sign...)

Our stuff is gone. Our apartment echos (echos....echos....). And now we just wait to leave.

Ghost bike

Bye bye Birdie (cage)

The movers arrived promptly at 8:55 am, of course...or at least BY then. I found them outside waiting when I took Noostie out this morning. No idea when they got there.

There wasn't a lot to be packed today. Most of that was done yesterday. Mostly it was just some of our paintings (because they ran out of bubble wrap yesterday) and our television, which they kindly left until today so we could watch TV last night.

So today was just them taking the boxes (lots and lots of boxes) downstairs and loading them up. And hopefully not annoying the neighbors too much for monopolizing the elevator.

In all, we have four crates worth of stuff...I have no idea what that translates into in pounds yet, though a benefit of tandemhood is that we have the luxury of not worrying much about being over. We each get the 7200 lb allotment that each officer is entitled to, and we so far have never used more than one of ours.

Of course, my wife does have a bit of a book habit, so that could easily change.

Once they left, we went back through our suitcases, made sure we didn't have anything in there we needed to mail instead. We bagged up our embassy radios and blackberries to return tomorrow when we go back into the office. We'll hand over our keys and cell phones when the driver drops us off at the airport.

Goodbye stuff. Safe travels!

All that is left is to say goodbye.

Packout Day One

I discovered today that I really don't like the sound of packing tape dispensers.

Today was the first day of our scheduled two-day packout of our Household Effects (HHE). Most everything we own is now in a box

The cats are not impressed with our redecorating.

The movers arrived right on time (because the are Estonian...so of course), and brought in all their packing materials (including bubble wrap....I love them!...okay, except for the one with the cell phone with breaking glass as a ring tone. I could see the humor once my heart restarted.). The cats and the parrot were safely tucked away in "safe rooms," marked like this:

And yes, it actually worked.

Something about packing out makes it all really real. It is like a break...you have been saying goodbyes, trying to wrap up your work, and yet your place still looks the same. Your routine is largely the same. So how can you really be leaving.

And then people come into your house and put everything in boxes.

We have a lot of books.

And I mean everything.

This pile is taller than I am...
of course, that really isn't saying much!

They even took away our car.

And suddenly you really feel like it is time. Your place no longer feels like your home...it more closely resembles a corporate apartment...though one filled with boxes. All your stuff has been replaced by those boxes . And most of them are not shaped like your stuff...well, except for my recliner.

Tomorrow they will come back, load all the boxes onto a truck and take our stuff away.

Tomorrow

I have had nightmares for the last several nights in a row.

They are all variations on a theme. Either someone is breaking into our house to steal our stuff, or they have already taken it.

Of course, the reason is pretty clear.

Tomorrow, they are coming to take our HHE.

I think we are about as ready as we can be. The suitcases are packed and weighed. All are under the allotted weight (50 lbs). I have a few more things to add, but I think I can keep all of them to about 45 lbs.

All our electronics are packed in their original boxes except for the TV and the AFN box. I'll put those in the boxes when they are ready to take them, so tomorrow or Tuesday. I want to keep our TV as long as possible!

We have two "safe rooms." Nothing in there will be packed by the movers.

I alternate between feeling calm and feeling like my heart is going to pound out of my chest.

I really hate moving.

Almost Home

Everything has been put away.

Yes, everything.

The apartment looks less like a corporate rental and more like a place where I live. There are rugs on the floor, pictures on the wall.

There are two guest rooms ready for guests. The beds are even made.

I even cooked last night now that I finally have stuff from my own kitchen.

All that needs to be done is for GSO to come hang a couple pictures on the plaster walls (could have sworn I had concrete nails...), and then it will be home.

Almost.

It still lacks the most essential thing for it to be home.

My wife.

And the cats.

But mostly my wife.

Christmas!

Stuff! And a car!

I has it!

My HHE arrived yesterday...and for once, I think I got the balance of stuff right. Those of you who have done this, especially multiple times, know how hard that can be.

The movers arrived promptly at the hour they said they would (and this was not a surprise...I love this country!) and started unloaded all my stuff...and the car! I am really excited to be able to drive around some!

I am not sure what of what arrived yesterday. Certainly the bed it high on my list. Even in as much pain as I was in last night (I unpacked ALL of the boxes so they could take the boxes and paper away), I slept great! For the first time since I have been here.


But I am also really happy about Cayenne's cage arriving. (The packers had put heavy stuff on time, which dented the top tray, but luckily, I also brought a took kit so I could straighten it back out). Her travel cage is adeqaute but terribly small. Her real cage (she actually has two...we leave one in the states for when we get home...part of our home "welcome kit.") is about as tall as I am and about three feet wide...much better for a bird of her size.


And I am excited about the carpets and art...instantly they transform this from a corporate apartment to our own place.

And books...my empty bookshelves made me feel like a Philistine! The shelves in the foyer and living room are still largely empty because M is bringing a bunch of her books with her. But I have my books in the office, and this makes me happy.

And on a language note...yesterday, the woman supervising the movers started out speaking in English. But I responded as much as possible in Estonian. The movers themselves seemed happy enough to make that switch quickly.

But you know how they tell you people will switch into English? Well yesterday, I asked a question in English and the supervisor didn't understand. So I switched into Estonian, and she understood! Woo!

True to form, I have made good progress and will have everything (yes everything) put away properly before I head back to work on Tuesday (I took Monday off to deal with the stuff). It has even worn out Noostie!

Stuff!

I has it.

Though not a lot of it.

My UAB arrived today.

The movers truly offended me...I was speaking to them in Estonian and he said, "You can speak in English." I continued in Estonian and he said, "They told me you didn't speak Estonian."

"That I didn't speak Estonian?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, that you did not know a single word of Estonian."

"I studied Estonian for almost a year," I said to him, in Estonian.

"Oh."

I didn't say much of anything else to him in English. Whoever "they" is, stop dissing my hard work!

Anyway, it is all already unpacked and put away. In retrospect, I am glad I packed more clothes, though I wish I had been more selective in choosing them. The two weeks worth of work clothes I stuffed into my suitcase would have gotten old pretty quickly. Especially since half my shirts were for warmer weather and half for cooler. Because you never know what you will get here...lately it has been warmer, and I was running low on short-sleeved shirts.

I am happiest to have my towels, my other pillow (I brought one with me, plus sheets, because I know how bad embassy bedding can be), and my clothes hamper. I am also really happy the pet food arrived. Given that I am waiting for my new credit card (I had to cancel the old one on THE DAY of my flight here because someone had attempted to use it fraudulently...props to USAA for catching it so quickly! The bad timing wasn't their fault), I can't order more pet food just yet and what I mailed would have run out before my HHE (with more pet food) arrived. So now the pets are covered. They do have Science Diet here, so I could just switch Noostie to that, but I don't want to switch Cayenne to a different bird food. I have kept her healthy for 15 years on this food...why mess with success?

Noostie, who has no idea that food runs out, is happiest with the arrival of some of her favorite toys (including the squeeky ball my wife hates...enjoy it while you can Noostie!).

I am sure I will be glad later that I brought my wii. Right now, I'm not, because I kind of wish I had some books and more decorations (my apartment is pretty barren).




I could have been more selective with my clothes and been able to fit those in. Live and learn. Plus, I expected to be able to buy more books for my kindle...not happening now until the new card arrives.

But it is just as well. I have plenty to do while the weather is so nice. I have even managed, in just six days in country, to double book myself for Saturday. Okay, it isn't really my fault. One is an event I signed up for (sailing) and one is a PA section sponsored event that I don't HAVE to attend but I'd kind of like to (Soap Box Derby).

The plan now is to go sailing and then head a little late to the derby. I should get some more interesting pictures out of it to show you.

Craving Connection

I am clearly a social creature. And even my parrot is not enough to meet my interactive needs.

After breakfast this morning, I went and sat outside a closed cafe so I could at least check my email. I felt hyper conspicious, so I didn't stay long. I can not wait to have internet at my apartment. At least then, I can Skype home to talk to M.

Lunch today was leftover pizza (yum!) and then I set about setting up my office. The apartment is designed such that when enter the front door, to your left is an area including two bedrooms, the living room, dining room, and kitchen. To the right of the door is the master bedroom and bath, plus the laudry/storage room, and two more bedrooms.

Speaking of the master bedroom, did I mention this place is owned by an artist? The master bedroom has a huge wooden door with a crack down it that seems to be there on purpose. It looks like an old front door to a house. On either side are large wooden beams. Next to it is a glass wall...opaque white with orange and red stripes. Embedded into the glass are these glass pieces that look like eggs sunny side up, and the yolk is stones surrounded by glass. Really odd...not your standard embassy housing fare.


Anyway, when I first looked at the floorplan I was sent by email, I thought that I would use those two back bedrooms as an office and a exercise room, making the whole right side of the apartment sort of a private area. The two bedrooms to the left would be guest bedrooms.

But I have decided against that, at least partially. I am still designating the larger of the back bedrooms as an exercise/entertainment room. It has a big closet where we can store games and videos, plus room for a treadmill and M's exercise bike and a tv. The other back bedroom will be a guest room for those rare occassions when we have more visitors. Or for when my inlaws come, since that room has a balcony where they can smoke.

The reason I decided that is that the back two bedrooms have a shared balcony but NO view. The balcony is over an inner courtyard which is not a courtyard at all but just the roof of the lower floors of the building. I think the first five floors are offices, but don't quote me on that.

So anyway, I thought this arrangement, while leaving the office less private, means the office and one guest room have views. And since my bird will live in the office once her big cage arrives, I wanted her to have a window so she can get natural light when there is some (we have a full spectrum happy lamp coming for her too).

Since I decided on the placement of the office, I went ahead and set up my computer. Though I can't surf the interwebs with it yet, I can at least listen to my itunes on it. Which makes this big, empty apartment a bit more bearable.

Still, it is lonely. I have ventured out a bit further each day, but exploring is less fun alone. I did find yet another grocery store and finally bought what I think/hope is dish washing soap...I am not sure what language is on the label, but it isn't Estonian! It sort of looks Turkish...why the hell the labels would be in Turkish is beyond me.

I did try to call M's friend who lives here today but got no answer. I hate calling people I haven't met, but I was hoping she might want to go to sushi tonight at the place she recommended to me on Facebook. It too is in walking distance! TWO sushi places within a block of my house! Score!

UPDATE:
I tried M's friend again, this time with success. K took me to the Elion office, where I was able to sign the agreement for internet. With any luck, I will have it on tomorrow. In the meantime, I have cable tv.

So I am already feeling more connected!

Carmen and My Hood

Saturday was the 20th anniversary of Estonia's regaining its independence.

Happy re-independence day Estonia!

I wandered around the neighborhood a bit more Saturday. I took Noostie to the dog park, this time with ipad in tow in the hopes that there would be wifi. No luck, though the cafe across from it did. But since I had Noostie with me, I opted to go home.

At lunchtime, I decided to try out the sushi place across from the apartment. The sushi wasn't bad, and as a bonus, they had wifi. So I ate lunch and checked my mail. From there I headed to Stockmann's with the intent of buying an alarm clock and a trash can for the bathroom. I failed on both accounts, the alarm clock because there were none and the trash can because I am not paying 175 euros for one...must have been gold lined.

I did succeed in getting a Stockmann's card so I can save on my groceries. Like in the U.S., customer cards are ubiquitous. I was pleased with myself because the folks I asked where to go for the card spoke no English. My Estonian feels rusty after a month and a half off, but I am making due. And people aren't switching to English for me...some of that may have to do with my neighborhood. While there are some major hotels here, it isn't really a tourist area like the Old City.

I came home and napped so I could stay awake for the opera. Then I got up to take a shower....the space tube is growing one me. I kind of like having a radio in there to jam to while I shower!

For dinner, I hit the Italian place across the street. Excellent pizza! And wifi too! The pizza was pretty cheap for a ginourmous one, so I have lunch and dinner for a couple days!

The opera was held in the (14 century?) ruins of St. Bridget's convent and was an interesting take on Carmen...they were kind of punk or something. The opera was in French, with Estonian and English subtitles (that didn't match each other all that well...no idea which was more accurate since my high school French is definitely the worst of my languages. It happened to me again there that people spoke to me in Estonian. Some colleagues were nice enough to give me a ride out there and we were in line behind some Russian speakers. The attendant giving directions spoke to them in English (I guess she didn't speak Russian) and then spoke to me in Estonian.

I used the subtitles as an opportunity to read Estonian and then check my understanding. I felt pretty good about it...I feel more confident now that the rust will come off.

By going to the opera, I missed the festival at the singing grounds....so much for seeing Sinead O'Connor! She was supposed to go onstage at 11:30, but it was nearly midnight by the time we got home. I was able to watch the fireworks from my window though.

Welcome to Estonia

Wednesday was my first full day in Estonia. The lack of internet left me feeling disconnected and alone, so I wrote some entries on my ipad so I could post them later.

I arrived Thursday, having started my travels the day before. I am not a fan of flying, but this was worse than normal because I had never had to put my bird in the hold before. Bird flu has all the airlines scared, and many no longer allow birds at all. None allow birds in cabin anymore. Aside from the disfunction of the airport in Copenhagen, where it took every bit of my two and a half hour layover to figure out how to recheck my pets, they arrived no worse for the wear than I did.

My section is the greatest, and they came with my sponsor to the airport to greet me. It made me feel really wanted here...especially the "welcome to Estonia" sign they had the intern make. She is very talented...too bad Friday was her last day.

My sponsor and his wife brought me home, and they had unpacked the welcome kit and made the place as homey as a ginourmous apartment with no personal anything can be. His wife even made me lasagna, which has been dinner the last two nights and probably will be again tomorrow. Talk about tasty! I'd ask for the receipe, but I have seen lasagna made and I am far too lazy!

The apartment, as I said, is ginourmous. The views are amazing. I can see the Old City from one window, the Baltic from another. I can also see the tv tower, which if you know your Estonian history, you know is very significant. Especially with tomorrow marking 20 years of re-independence. I can also see the top of what I think it the stage for the singing celebration. Also super important culturally. The Estonians regained their independence by singing...not a single Estonian was killed in the effort. Truly amazing. And this morning, I awoke to a rainbow over the Old City...it was fading by the time I got my camera so you can't really see the rainbow in the shot.



I meant Thursday to stay up and go to bed at a reasonable hour. I meant, after I unpacked my stuff and put my own sheets on the bed (word of advice...embassy bedding is notoriously crappy across the FS...if this has not been true for you, you have been lucky...save yourself a couple weeks of bad sleep by mailing yourself a mattress pad and sheets...they make all the difference), to just take a short nap. When I woke up four hours later, I meant to get up and go to dinner with friends. But I just had no energy after getting no sleep on the plane, so I ate some of that lasagna, gave in, and went back to bed. All together, I slept, albeit fitfully, for about 15 hours.

I went to the office for the first time Friday. My APAO came and picked me up, and we drove the path I will walk to work. It is incredibly close. My office is great. It is huge with a nice window and doors on either side which I always keep open but everyone politely knocks on anyway. My desk is well stocked already, and they even put flowers and candy on it for me. For my part, I put out the spiced pecans I bought for the section when I was in Savannah.

I spent the first part of the morning trying to clean out some of my email so my mailbox could be transferred from DC to EUR. I didn't actually accomplish that until the end of the day, however. I did manage to walk with my APAO to Solaris, a local mall, where we had a pastry and I was able to buy some toilet paper. My apartment had almost none when I got here, and I was a little afraid to eat anything because if I got sick, I'd be up a creek without toilet paper! I attended the press briefing with the Ambassador in the morning, found some sushi with one of my classmates from language in the afternoon. I was shown the mail room, where a box of wii games I sent myself had already arrived (well before my wii, which will hopefully get here next week). In the box was a Druze table decoration we got when my wife visited the Druze village near Haifa when we lived in Jerusalem. I stuck it in the box because there was a small space and it kept the games from moving around...it is now the only bit of decoration I have here.

After work, I went home, grabbed my dog and resolved to find the Stockmann's, a grocery store, and the dog park that were both supposed to be nearby. We found both, though the dog park is a little boring. I had expected that though...I had seen reviews of it online before I came here. But it is a fenced place where I can let her off lease and she can chase a ball.

Or a pidgeon, as the case may be. When we came back, there was one sitting on my doorway. My dog wanted to chase it, and it didn't fly away. Clearly it was sick, but my desire to help it was overcome by my fear of taking any disease it might have back to my own bird. It was still there after I took my dog inside and came back down to go to the grocery store we had just find, but before I got back.

I had hoped that meant it flew away, but when I took my dog out that night, I saw a woman across the street screaming at her dog, which had grabbed a pidgeon. I am pretty sure it was the same one, but the woman got her dog away from it pretty quicky and it waddled off. I hope it gets better, but I am not optimistic. It added to my meloncholy mood.

Friday night I went to bed at 8, got up at 10 to take Noostie out, and then sat to write this while listening to music I couldn't quite make out. I think one of my neighbors is having a party, though I hear the music better with my window closed than open. The music sounds alternately like American Indian music and a bar mitzvah. I'd wonder if I was going insane, but my dog seems to notice it too.

Perhaps we are both crazy!

SOS, Please Someone Help Me...

Did I get the Rhianna song in your head? :)

Actually, for the past two days, I have been taking SOS, or Security Overseas Seminar. And in a stroke of good luck, I got to be in class with none other than the blogmistress of A Daring Adventure!

I have taken this course before, of course, but it has been more than five years, and you are supposed to take it before you go overseas if it has been more than five years. I think the title should be different though. Like maybe, "Scaring Officers (and others) Silly." Because that is the purpose of the class, to scare you into being safe.

The course is well run, and most of the speakers approach their topics with a sense of humor (which I admit can be challenging when you are talking about how not to get blown up!). It could be very dry (I seem to recall it was last time). Thankfully it was not.

Though it was, however, REALLY COLD! Which leads me to another name for the course: "Shivering and Shuddering." They warn you in the email they send that the classroom is cold and to bring a sweater or jacket. However, that is not so very useful if you have already packed out! Which I of course have. My sweaters and jackets are on their way to Estonia.

I briefly thought I was going to miss the second day of class and have to do the online course instead (which I am sure now has you thinking, why didn't I do it online to begin with...because I didn't want to take leave these last two days. So I took the training in person).

The reason I thought that was that I was waiting for my USDA health certificates to arrive. Because I have a parrot, I had additional pet hoops to jump through. USDA certificate within 10 days. Avian flu test within 7 days. 24 hours to turn around the test. Send test to USDA. Get certificates overnighted back to you. In the meantime, 48 hours before the trip, get one last vet visit in.

If you do not have a parrot and are joining the Foreign Service, don't get one. It is doable if you have one, but it is a pain that you don't need if you aren't already committed to your feathered friend.

So yesterday, I call the USDA. They say all is in order and they will overnight it that night. Meaning I'd get it today. Great!

Then I get home from class, and there is a message from the USDA saying they had a note to wait for me to call before overnighting it and I need to call them back by 4.

Did I mention I was in training? I got home at 4:30.

So I expected to have to drive to Richmond to pick it up today.

Luckily, after leaving the message, the secretary talked to the vets there, who confirmed they had spoken with me. So she overnighted it. And it arrived today.

Hooray!

Now just think happy thoughts for me that me, the dog and the bird all make it safe and sound to Estonia tomorrow.

Do Pots Have Feelings?

Before I joined the Foreign Service, I was an archaeologist. Specifically, I specialized in American Indians from North and South Carolina.

My research was on the pottery of the Catawba. My tribe was a part of the Greater Catawba Confederacy, and as a result, there was intermarriage between our peoples. Although I am a PeeDee Indian, I carry Catawba blood in my veins.


So my research has always felt personal for me. I am fond of Indian pottery in general, and I have the works of artists from a number of different tribes. But is my collection of Catawba pottery that I love, that speaks to me.

I took my whole collection to Jerusalem. But I was less aware then of how easy it is to lose your stuff. Since then, my apartment was robbed and I lost some things that were precious and irreplaceable. I had friends lose shipments of belongings, including cars, dropped in the ocean, dropped at port, or simply vanished. Others have had looters far less kind that those who robbed my place, destroy everything they own.

So these days, I have not only the desire to take less with me, but also to protect some of the things I have that mean the most to me. So while I know things can be destroyed in storage, by fire, mold or what have you, I feel the danger is less there than in travelling across the ocean with me.

So I have selected only a couple pieces of my collection to have with me.

And I feel bad about it.

I feel bad about locking away the rest of my collection in storage, unseen and unadmired for years.

It feels like I am hurting their feelings.

Is it just me (or just my impending move) or the is it the Foreign Service that is crazy making?

Surveyed

One more thing off my list...my packout survey is done.

He estimates that I will be taking about 2,200 lbs worth of stuff with me to post.

That is only because my wife, and all of her books, are not joining me immediately.

I have also designated a cat (and therefore cat-barf) free zone for my UAB and have begun taking stuff there. I have a a tv in there and I just packed up my wii and guitar hero, so you know you want to come visit and play with me.

My lists are getting more and more crossed off of them.

And tomorrow starts the most important thing of all:

VACATION!

I'll *try* to post some during the course of our trip, which will take us down to Savannah and then over to Asheville, with a stop in Hotlanta (an especially apt name today...) to see my dad.

Speaking of the heat, here is a picture my cousin sent me today of an ice cream truck in South Carolina.