Kerri called the Kuwaiti Consulate in LA as soon as she could to find out what she needed to do. They told her they had received the fax and that all they needed from here was a medical "exam" (any doctor would do, just a general good health check), Rowan's immunization records, and a police report on Kerri.
Others at work told me I needed to send one of the 2 copies of the visa that the immigration office gave me, so I had Kerri call the consulate to ask, and oops, yes, they need that too. I was able to fedex them over pretty cheap (6KD) using 2 day shipping.
The part that may delay things is now the police report, which apparently takes 7-10 days. If it does take longer than Kerri's leaving date, we'll just have to change the tickets which luckily will only cost $25 each.
We're almost there!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
My kingdom for a decent Internet connection!
This morning it was down to the Shuwaikh Authentication department once again, got there 15 minutes early as I was told quite forcefully yesterday that they were only open from 8-9. Then I proceeded to wait til 9:55 when finally the group of us waiting all converged on the guy who showed up. Everyone else handed him their stuff, and then I explained what I needed. He spoke very little english but seemed to understand what needed to be done. He took the stack of papers and beckoned me to follow him upstairs. There he took my papers, made some stamps on them, then copied them, and handed them back to me, keeping the copies. These I am told have been faxed as of 12 noon today to the Los Angeles Kuwaiti Consulate.
I was finally able to get a hold of Kerri and get her the information of the consulate and ask her to contact them and see what can be done while she is in LA. We'll see what comes of that.
Having started the day off so well, I did some sightseeing and drove up north to Doha. I thought I'd drop in on Entertainment City, but it is closed til around 4pm apparently. I kept driving til I ran into the gulf and turned around.
Decided to swing by IKEA so I could buy some mugs (150 fils each) as yesterday I bought some kitchen items including a coffee maker and hot water boiler. Oh and a microwave. Anyway, this morning I made coffee and when it was done I realized I had nothing to drink it in. So I made do with an empty water bottle, but still, mugs are nice. While there of course I picked up a few other things, including a present for Kerri that I know she will like. Of course I was there for the shawarmas which I have to say are some of the best in town. The huge bottles of tahini are what really cinch the deal. Also my free coffee that I get due to my IKEA card is going to run out at the end of the year.
IKEA is attached to the Avenues mall so afterward I went over there to see if there were any movies worth watching. I'd heard a lot about The Golden Compass and wanted to try out the theater experience here, so I bought a ticket (2.5KD). One odd aspect is that the front 5 or 6 rows are reserved for families only. So you have to pick the seat you want when you buy your ticket. Anyone who knows me and movies knows I like to sit about the 4th row back in the center, so I was a bit worried, but the place I ended up sitting was just fine. The theater was immaculate, no smell of popcorn or children (somehow those two things always seem to go together). The seats were quite comfortable too. The movie itself was interesting enough, though very rushed, especially towards the end, and there were just too many improbable occurances that just strained my credulity too much. By the end I was rolling my eyes and any suspension of disbelief was impossible, especially given the main thrust of the movie. The kid with the main role did very well acting wise, though I have to say I didn't actually like her character. Still, I have to compliment the direction for refusing to sweeten it too much, which is all too common these days. There were some great characters throughout the story, but again each got so little time to develop and interact that I felt a bit cheated. As for all the controversy, yes it's clear where all this is headed. I do wish Pullman had kept his attack to general religiosity which I loathe about as much as he probably does. But to associate all Christianity (though he claims it is all religions he opposes) with a very one-dimensional portrayal of some of its worst aspects hardly smacks of a fair fight. Then again, I'm sure that's precisely the point I'm sure. I am interested to read the books someday.
Also finally bought a new internet solution today. The one available through the apartments was not sufficient to hold a skype conversation, let alone download the TV we are accustomed to watching. The cell companies here (ZAIN and Wataniya) both offer aircard solutions, and since I was already with Wataniya and had good coverage in the apartment I went with them. Also there is an end of year deal (everything is on sale at the end of the year) where got the USB aircard for 35KD instead of 65KD, and the monthly rate is 28KD. Pretty spendy, but it's the only option left. It's also a 6 month commitment or we pay back the difference. Oh well...
After I got home I set about setting the thing up, and more importantly figuring out how to get my Wii to utilize the darn thing. They claimied I could not share it out...but they were only half right! For some reason, I cannot share it out when using my wireless card in my computer. But when I disable my wireless card and plug directly in with the wired network card, I can share the aircard out no problem. Weird... So my wii can now use it just fine! And I'm downloading the latest episode of Denno Coil which is almost 3/4 done already. Took me 4 days at Al Manshar.
Can't recall if I mentioned it yesterday, but I also opened a bank account at NBK. I had the rent money on hand so went down to see if I could use it to open an account. Ended up getting a savings account that requires at least 100KD in order to avoid charges (2KD a month). I had 500KD so I put that in there and will get another 100KD in soon so when I pay rent there will still be 100KD in there. The main reasons to do this are 2 fold: 1) The KNET card (debit) that I get will allow me to pay rent without walking around with wads of cash in my pocket, and 2) I will be able to deposit some of my paycheck directly in the account which will be much much easier than doing the withdrawal dance on base which takes many days and is tough to remember to do. Also (3) if we need to transfer a large sum of money from the states it is much easier and faster to do a wire.
Ok, that's all the news. I'm gonna go out on the porch and smoke a cigar before heading to bed. Gnight all!
I was finally able to get a hold of Kerri and get her the information of the consulate and ask her to contact them and see what can be done while she is in LA. We'll see what comes of that.
Having started the day off so well, I did some sightseeing and drove up north to Doha. I thought I'd drop in on Entertainment City, but it is closed til around 4pm apparently. I kept driving til I ran into the gulf and turned around.
Decided to swing by IKEA so I could buy some mugs (150 fils each) as yesterday I bought some kitchen items including a coffee maker and hot water boiler. Oh and a microwave. Anyway, this morning I made coffee and when it was done I realized I had nothing to drink it in. So I made do with an empty water bottle, but still, mugs are nice. While there of course I picked up a few other things, including a present for Kerri that I know she will like. Of course I was there for the shawarmas which I have to say are some of the best in town. The huge bottles of tahini are what really cinch the deal. Also my free coffee that I get due to my IKEA card is going to run out at the end of the year.
IKEA is attached to the Avenues mall so afterward I went over there to see if there were any movies worth watching. I'd heard a lot about The Golden Compass and wanted to try out the theater experience here, so I bought a ticket (2.5KD). One odd aspect is that the front 5 or 6 rows are reserved for families only. So you have to pick the seat you want when you buy your ticket. Anyone who knows me and movies knows I like to sit about the 4th row back in the center, so I was a bit worried, but the place I ended up sitting was just fine. The theater was immaculate, no smell of popcorn or children (somehow those two things always seem to go together). The seats were quite comfortable too. The movie itself was interesting enough, though very rushed, especially towards the end, and there were just too many improbable occurances that just strained my credulity too much. By the end I was rolling my eyes and any suspension of disbelief was impossible, especially given the main thrust of the movie. The kid with the main role did very well acting wise, though I have to say I didn't actually like her character. Still, I have to compliment the direction for refusing to sweeten it too much, which is all too common these days. There were some great characters throughout the story, but again each got so little time to develop and interact that I felt a bit cheated. As for all the controversy, yes it's clear where all this is headed. I do wish Pullman had kept his attack to general religiosity which I loathe about as much as he probably does. But to associate all Christianity (though he claims it is all religions he opposes) with a very one-dimensional portrayal of some of its worst aspects hardly smacks of a fair fight. Then again, I'm sure that's precisely the point I'm sure. I am interested to read the books someday.
Also finally bought a new internet solution today. The one available through the apartments was not sufficient to hold a skype conversation, let alone download the TV we are accustomed to watching. The cell companies here (ZAIN and Wataniya) both offer aircard solutions, and since I was already with Wataniya and had good coverage in the apartment I went with them. Also there is an end of year deal (everything is on sale at the end of the year) where got the USB aircard for 35KD instead of 65KD, and the monthly rate is 28KD. Pretty spendy, but it's the only option left. It's also a 6 month commitment or we pay back the difference. Oh well...
After I got home I set about setting the thing up, and more importantly figuring out how to get my Wii to utilize the darn thing. They claimied I could not share it out...but they were only half right! For some reason, I cannot share it out when using my wireless card in my computer. But when I disable my wireless card and plug directly in with the wired network card, I can share the aircard out no problem. Weird... So my wii can now use it just fine! And I'm downloading the latest episode of Denno Coil which is almost 3/4 done already. Took me 4 days at Al Manshar.
Can't recall if I mentioned it yesterday, but I also opened a bank account at NBK. I had the rent money on hand so went down to see if I could use it to open an account. Ended up getting a savings account that requires at least 100KD in order to avoid charges (2KD a month). I had 500KD so I put that in there and will get another 100KD in soon so when I pay rent there will still be 100KD in there. The main reasons to do this are 2 fold: 1) The KNET card (debit) that I get will allow me to pay rent without walking around with wads of cash in my pocket, and 2) I will be able to deposit some of my paycheck directly in the account which will be much much easier than doing the withdrawal dance on base which takes many days and is tough to remember to do. Also (3) if we need to transfer a large sum of money from the states it is much easier and faster to do a wire.
Ok, that's all the news. I'm gonna go out on the porch and smoke a cigar before heading to bed. Gnight all!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Vehicle registration renewal and more visa stuff
This morning I headed back to Ahmadi to see if the visas were ready and to re-register my vehicle which was due to expire on Jan 4. Turns out the visas were ready, so I double checked the info and found a typo on Kerri's last name. The lady had me go back to the typists and pay for another application (in the states I would have protested having to pay for their mistake, but here, 500 fils wasn't worth it at the moment). Also needed more copies of her passport (had them handy) and my civil Id. I took these back and the lady did whatever it is she does and presto...they were ready. I asked again about the "faxing" to the Kuwaiti Embassy in the Us and the lady sent me down the hall to find the cashiers office and ask for "hossein" for a stamp, then to go to the ministry of foreign affairs and they would do it. I eventually found Hossein and he got my visas stamped. After this I got the registration renewed, but more about that later. Eventually I found myself headed back to downtown Kuwait and the Ministry of Foreign affairs, which I did know the way to after finding it last time. Once again, they sent me to the Shuwaikh office where I got the documents authenticated. After some frustrating amount of time getting someone to understand what I needed, I was told that I needed another "print" of both of the visas, and to come back with those tomorrow between 8 and 9am. Where to get these "prints"? They sent me to the passport agency by the airport. Here I was sent to the next building where there were plenty of blank stares all around. One person even said I did not need to send the documents to the Us at all...
I finally called up my friend at work who has helped lots of people do this before, and he said I was supposed to have gone to the ministry of foreign affairs office on the 2nd floor of the Liberation Tower. Since I seemed at a bit of a dead end, I decided to head there next. Finally I got someone who seemed to know something for sure, such as the fact that I had gone to the correct place (i.e. Shuwaikh) which is a recent change explaining why my friend kept saying I shouldn't have to go there. Also, the Liberation Tower office definitely does *not* do the authentication and faxing services. He said I could go back to Ahmadi and get the "prints" I needed. I was not too keen, so he sent me downstairs to the ministry of something I have forgotten, and someone there produced the "prints" which turns out are just arabic printouts of the same information on the visas (which are also in Arabic). He also suggested strongly that I get copies of the visas made as I shouldn't hand the other 2 originals over for the faxing process. He said to go back tomorrow to Shuwaikh as instructed between 8 and 9am for the faxing. I asked him about the medical exam needed in the states and he seemed puzzled, but had no info. He did say that they would offer me a choice of embassies to choose from, and apparently there is one in Los Angeles, which could be very fortuitous as Kerri is down there right now. I plan to call them tonight to wish Merry Christmas an all that humbug, and also to warn Kerri that she might need to make some room to go see a doctor. We'll see...
Back to the car registration. This is as much for my own memory since I'll have to do it again next year as it is for anyone else who may be interested. Fortunately, the traffic department is located in the same group of buildings as the Ahmadi Ministry of Immigration. So I was able to walk right over to the place I'd gotten my eye "exam" for my drivers license and start asking people where to go for registration renewal. I should mention that I had already purchased my liabilty insurance (the minimum required) for the next year. This was done at a little shop right down by the Al Manshar/al Kout area last night, for the amazingly cheap price f 20kd. That's for the *year*! Anyway, after finding the place I needed to be at the traffic department, I was told that I needed to go to he "testing" area to get my car tested. This took some more findng and asking around, but eventually I found I had to drive my car in a line, have somone stamp my insurance forms, then another guy walked around the vehicle (the "test"), stamp my papers again, then one more stamp and presto I was ready to go back to the first office. Now I was told to purchase a 5kd stamp from one of the ubiquitous stamp vending machines (same stamps I bought for the authentication docs) affix it, and hand it all in. I then waited about 5 minutes and was handed my new registration. There was a handy booth outside for laminating it (a custom here apparently) and now my car is registered for another year! Which means I can finally start into the equally bewildering process of getting it registered on base so my co-workers don't have to keep picking me up just outside.
Lots done today so I'm quite pleased, and hope that tomorrow goes equally as well.
Oh, one other thing. The refrigerator was delivered today and it fits perfectly under the counter. If we find the freezer to be inadequate, we can always buy a small one later.
Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!
(that's "merry christmas to you all" in tagalog, at least as well as I can remember)
I finally called up my friend at work who has helped lots of people do this before, and he said I was supposed to have gone to the ministry of foreign affairs office on the 2nd floor of the Liberation Tower. Since I seemed at a bit of a dead end, I decided to head there next. Finally I got someone who seemed to know something for sure, such as the fact that I had gone to the correct place (i.e. Shuwaikh) which is a recent change explaining why my friend kept saying I shouldn't have to go there. Also, the Liberation Tower office definitely does *not* do the authentication and faxing services. He said I could go back to Ahmadi and get the "prints" I needed. I was not too keen, so he sent me downstairs to the ministry of something I have forgotten, and someone there produced the "prints" which turns out are just arabic printouts of the same information on the visas (which are also in Arabic). He also suggested strongly that I get copies of the visas made as I shouldn't hand the other 2 originals over for the faxing process. He said to go back tomorrow to Shuwaikh as instructed between 8 and 9am for the faxing. I asked him about the medical exam needed in the states and he seemed puzzled, but had no info. He did say that they would offer me a choice of embassies to choose from, and apparently there is one in Los Angeles, which could be very fortuitous as Kerri is down there right now. I plan to call them tonight to wish Merry Christmas an all that humbug, and also to warn Kerri that she might need to make some room to go see a doctor. We'll see...
Back to the car registration. This is as much for my own memory since I'll have to do it again next year as it is for anyone else who may be interested. Fortunately, the traffic department is located in the same group of buildings as the Ahmadi Ministry of Immigration. So I was able to walk right over to the place I'd gotten my eye "exam" for my drivers license and start asking people where to go for registration renewal. I should mention that I had already purchased my liabilty insurance (the minimum required) for the next year. This was done at a little shop right down by the Al Manshar/al Kout area last night, for the amazingly cheap price f 20kd. That's for the *year*! Anyway, after finding the place I needed to be at the traffic department, I was told that I needed to go to he "testing" area to get my car tested. This took some more findng and asking around, but eventually I found I had to drive my car in a line, have somone stamp my insurance forms, then another guy walked around the vehicle (the "test"), stamp my papers again, then one more stamp and presto I was ready to go back to the first office. Now I was told to purchase a 5kd stamp from one of the ubiquitous stamp vending machines (same stamps I bought for the authentication docs) affix it, and hand it all in. I then waited about 5 minutes and was handed my new registration. There was a handy booth outside for laminating it (a custom here apparently) and now my car is registered for another year! Which means I can finally start into the equally bewildering process of getting it registered on base so my co-workers don't have to keep picking me up just outside.
Lots done today so I'm quite pleased, and hope that tomorrow goes equally as well.
Oh, one other thing. The refrigerator was delivered today and it fits perfectly under the counter. If we find the freezer to be inadequate, we can always buy a small one later.
Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!
(that's "merry christmas to you all" in tagalog, at least as well as I can remember)
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Company Parties Suck
Last night was the the official christmas party for my contract's group of people. We were *strongly* urged to attend. Since I had managed to avoid all the other parties, I decided to show up for 1 hour (7-8pm) as I had to get next morning and wanted at least 6 hours of sleep. It was at the Hilton Hotel which is actually very nice here, so my expectations were quite high. It was a pretty big disappointment in terms of food (the only thing to look forward to) and of course I am horrible at these functions. I was the first one there, and after almost 45 minutes some people I knew finally showed up so at least I wasn't standing in a corner looking awkward. 8 o'clock quickly rolled around and I left with only a few nuts and some dorito chips eaten (the rest of the food hadn't been brought out yet). I found out later that they ran out of food and only some people got to eat at all. I don't usually eat dinner on weeknights so I wasn't terribly hungry, but got a small kabab sandwich on the way home. And some moutabal, which I finally found out is baba ghanouj the way I like it! Anyway, after I left I heard there were the usual speeches by management about what a great year it had been and how we were gonna have another great year, blah blah blah. Apparently the party went on til 10pm and they told those who had stayed that they could arrange to come in late the next day if it was ok with the team leads. Bah. Still, glad I left when I did. Since people are getting time off, my boss let me go home early today, and I finally bit the bullet and bought a little fridge which will be delivered in two days on my weekend. It's hard not to buy things right now as there are great sales on for the holiday season. Some items as much as half off.
By the way, I'm writing this post using my Wii. Recently they updated the Opera browser to support USb (weird can't make that last b capital) keyboards, so at last it's practical to check email and do other stuff. Still wish for tabbed browsing and such, but hey, this is still pretty cool.
Kerri and Rowan are off to Disney Land for Christmas so I won't be talking to them for a week or so. This weekend I hope to get the visa thing figured out and also register my car and get it insured.
On a slightly more...delicate subject...I've been experiencing, shall we say...a frequent need to visit the bathroom at work for the last few weeks. I bring this up only to note that when I first got here I had no such trouble, but I *think* I may have figured out why. I was buying the yoghurt drink you can find in all stores here called Laban. It's not salty like the stuff I really love, but still it's basically yoghurt in a drinkable form. Anyway, since I moved into the new apartment, I haven't bought any as I have not had a refrigerator to ensure it doesn't go bad. Well since I've thought of that I'm going back to that habit of drinking one each morning, and I'm hoping it will take care of my "personal problems." I'll be sure to let everyone know...
On that note, gnight...
}-]
By the way, I'm writing this post using my Wii. Recently they updated the Opera browser to support USb (weird can't make that last b capital) keyboards, so at last it's practical to check email and do other stuff. Still wish for tabbed browsing and such, but hey, this is still pretty cool.
Kerri and Rowan are off to Disney Land for Christmas so I won't be talking to them for a week or so. This weekend I hope to get the visa thing figured out and also register my car and get it insured.
On a slightly more...delicate subject...I've been experiencing, shall we say...a frequent need to visit the bathroom at work for the last few weeks. I bring this up only to note that when I first got here I had no such trouble, but I *think* I may have figured out why. I was buying the yoghurt drink you can find in all stores here called Laban. It's not salty like the stuff I really love, but still it's basically yoghurt in a drinkable form. Anyway, since I moved into the new apartment, I haven't bought any as I have not had a refrigerator to ensure it doesn't go bad. Well since I've thought of that I'm going back to that habit of drinking one each morning, and I'm hoping it will take care of my "personal problems." I'll be sure to let everyone know...
On that note, gnight...
}-]
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Upgrades
Finally bought a washing machine yesterday. Interesting thing here is that there is an option I've never seen available in the states, called a "semi-automatic" washing machine. I'd seen them before and been very curious. Now I was even more curious as they can have much larger capacities and be nearly half the price of a regular fully automatic washing machine. I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy one new so that I could have it delivered (4 flights of stairs by myself? I don't think so). 56KD for the machine, 10KD for delivery on the day of purchase. That last was unexpected, they usually deliver for free, but not the day of, and the next day was the start of the holiday of Eid. So I forked for it. Anyway, when the guys showed up later, they put it into the kitchen, plugged it in, and said their job was done. I said hold on a minute, how 'bout hooking it up to the water supply? They said they didn't do that part as it wasn't really essential, and anyway, there was no hose attachment that came with the machine. I was a bit torqued by this, and set off back to Al Ghanim to ask where do I get a hose. They said they didn't sell one (naturally), but I shouldn't have any trouble finding one in the nearby souks of Fahaheel. Off I went, from one souk to the next til I finally found something that looked like it might work if I chopped off one end. This I took home and was pleased that at least the one end fit the faucet, and the other end fit inside the tube supplying water to the machine. Unfortunately, I needed a wrench to tighten the faucet connection, so it was not til that evening that I was able to borrow one and get some plumber's tape to finally secure the connection. Thus my first load yesterday was performed by filling up a bucket at the sink and dumping water into the washing machine section til it filled to the appropriate amount...3 times (wash, and 2 rinses). So, by "semi-automatic" I can now say with experience that the 2 things automated are: 1) The agitation of the water and clothes and 2) the spinning of the clothes which gets them about 60% dry. Basically the two actually labour intensive parts of the wash process. All other steps (filling with water, draining, filling again for rinsing, draining again, moving clothes to the spin tub, etc... these all require the intervention of a human being, which has the effect of tying one to the machine for the duration of the wash. It's a much more interactive experience to say the least. While certainly an upgrade from hand washing clothes, it's a far cry from my previous experiences of tossing the clothes and soap in, pushing some buttons and coming back to a finished load. Nonetheless, there is something kind of fun and visceral about it, and overall I'm pleased with it so far. I had already discussed the possibility with Kerri and she had been amenable, to answer the question in everyone's minds at this point.
My other adveture yesterday was going to IKEA and purchasing some needed upgrades to the sleeping situation in preparation for Kerri's arrival (i.e. a mattress). I was disappointed to find that it appears you cannot buy a queen size mattress there for under 60KD, which is quite a lot for what you would be getting at the low end. AS-IS to the rescue! I found a queen size decent mattress with supposed "quality issues" (haven't found anything wrong with it yet) for about 30KD! Also picked up a LACK end table former display model for 2KD which I am using for my new living room setup (moving everything off the kitchen counter). While there I couldn't help picking up a duvet and cover, so I am totally set now! Slept fabulously last night and now I pretty much have everything necessary prior to Kerri and Rowan's arrival.
Except for one thing...a fridge. We have discussed getting a smaller fridge as we never seem to fill the ones we've had previously up. And there is a spot in the kitchen that would be perfect for it (pictured above). Anyway, it's not an urgent item for me at the moment, so I'll put it off til before they get here.
I spent the second day of my weekend cleaning and doing laundry all morning. I still had not done any initial cleaning of the kitchen and cupboards and things. The floors needed swept and mopped (the daily dust collection is amazing), the bathroom cleaned, clothes washed, dried and folded.
I was quite ready for lunch when it rolled around and I wanted my weekly dose of Indian food, so I headed down the road to a nearby place, where my hunger overcame my sense and I ordered way too much food (mmm...chicken cocounut curry...3 kinds of Naan) and ate it all. Whereupon, my body went into shutdown mode and demanded sleep. I managed to pick up some necessaries from the store, came home and fell into the new comfy mattress. I woke up around 4pm...yikes! Hope I can get back to sleep here in a couple of hours or I'm gonna be hurting in the morning.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Family Visa Application...check!
This morning I went over to Ahmadi and the Immigration Department there to apply for a family visa for Kerri and Rowan. The paperwork I needed from my sponsor here (KRH) finally came in the day before, but too late for me to get it done.
I arrived about an hour earlier than it opened (7:30) and found someone inside to pester. They told me to sit down and wait. So I did.
About an hour later the guy had a look at my papers and directed me to a building outside where I had to pay 500fils each for them to type up an application in arabic and print it out. They sent me to the next building, who sent me to the first building upstairs, who then sent me downstairs and down the hall to the right past all sorts of bewildering arabic signs to the office at the end of the hall, where I found the family visa (dependant) department.
The lady there looked my papers over and sent me back to the typist building to get more copies of my work contract and civil ID (need 2 sets one for each application). Then she told me the papers should be ready for me to pick up around the 24th or 25th. I asked about getting it done sooner and she said it was really not likely because of the holiday (this was the *last* day to do this before it starts). I asked about the "expediting" process and she said something about how when I pick it up, I need to get something and take that to a cashier, who gives me something else, which I have to take to the ministry of foreign affairs, and have them fax the information to the Kuwaiti embassy in the US. I'll be asking again about it when I go pick the papers up on the 25th (which happens to be my weekend thank goodness, oh...and Christmas now that I think of it). Everyone seems to look a bit doubtful when I tell them Kerri and Rowan are coming on the 11th, but hopefully all will work out.
Headed back to work after this (they were nice enough to let me take care of all this on company time) and finally solved a very irritating problem with windows installing on some poweredge 2950 servers we had. Turns out the problem (for those who care) was that the DRAC cards in them had enable the "virtual media" setting which was confusing windows when trying to install. I'd been working on this issue for 4 days now, so was pleased to have it resolved.
Later this evening I took another guy here to the airport for his 2 week vacation, so now I know where that is. It's waaaaay past my bedtime (10:20pm) and I need to go to sleep now.
}-]
I arrived about an hour earlier than it opened (7:30) and found someone inside to pester. They told me to sit down and wait. So I did.
About an hour later the guy had a look at my papers and directed me to a building outside where I had to pay 500fils each for them to type up an application in arabic and print it out. They sent me to the next building, who sent me to the first building upstairs, who then sent me downstairs and down the hall to the right past all sorts of bewildering arabic signs to the office at the end of the hall, where I found the family visa (dependant) department.
The lady there looked my papers over and sent me back to the typist building to get more copies of my work contract and civil ID (need 2 sets one for each application). Then she told me the papers should be ready for me to pick up around the 24th or 25th. I asked about getting it done sooner and she said it was really not likely because of the holiday (this was the *last* day to do this before it starts). I asked about the "expediting" process and she said something about how when I pick it up, I need to get something and take that to a cashier, who gives me something else, which I have to take to the ministry of foreign affairs, and have them fax the information to the Kuwaiti embassy in the US. I'll be asking again about it when I go pick the papers up on the 25th (which happens to be my weekend thank goodness, oh...and Christmas now that I think of it). Everyone seems to look a bit doubtful when I tell them Kerri and Rowan are coming on the 11th, but hopefully all will work out.
Headed back to work after this (they were nice enough to let me take care of all this on company time) and finally solved a very irritating problem with windows installing on some poweredge 2950 servers we had. Turns out the problem (for those who care) was that the DRAC cards in them had enable the "virtual media" setting which was confusing windows when trying to install. I'd been working on this issue for 4 days now, so was pleased to have it resolved.
Later this evening I took another guy here to the airport for his 2 week vacation, so now I know where that is. It's waaaaay past my bedtime (10:20pm) and I need to go to sleep now.
}-]
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Two birds
Everything went swimmingly today. Headed up to the US Embassy this morning, located it with not much trouble given a friend's directions, went in and waited til 9am when the consulate services opened. They authenticated both documents for 9KD each and sent me on my way.
I gave a call to my friend and asked what to do next and he directed me to the Ministry of Foreign affairs, which took some finding, but once there I went in and asked them for the "stamps" I needed. They told me I was at the wrong place and sent me to the Kuwaiti Consulate which wasn't too far, and it was there that I was able (with much asking about) to figure out that I needed to purchase 2 5KD stamps from the vending machines, then affix them to the back of the Embassy's authentication page, and hand the lot over to someone behind a counter, along with the tracking number I'd received when I walked in. There was about a 10 minute wait, then my number was displayed above a window, and I picked up the further stamped stamps and documents.
Next, I'll need to go to the Immigration office, which is handily in Ahmadi, very close to Fahaheel. Unfortunately, I need more papers that I don't have yet, such as salary certificate from my company and work permit. Also I need passport copies for Kerri and Rowan. All this needs to happen before Wednesday of next week which is the beginning of an islamic holiday called Eid. It's a week long.
Hopefully I'll be able to run up to Ahmadi during the week though, as it appears my superiors are flexible when it comes to dealing with all this legal stuff. They also are not opposed at all to employees bringing family over, as it generally means they are here for at least 2 - 3 years.
Having done all I can for the day, I plan to veg and rest, mostly trying to finish Ocarina of Time. I just finished my lunch, some arabic pizza, sitting out on the porch, which was lovely. Wish it was warm enough to swim (it isn't).
I gave a call to my friend and asked what to do next and he directed me to the Ministry of Foreign affairs, which took some finding, but once there I went in and asked them for the "stamps" I needed. They told me I was at the wrong place and sent me to the Kuwaiti Consulate which wasn't too far, and it was there that I was able (with much asking about) to figure out that I needed to purchase 2 5KD stamps from the vending machines, then affix them to the back of the Embassy's authentication page, and hand the lot over to someone behind a counter, along with the tracking number I'd received when I walked in. There was about a 10 minute wait, then my number was displayed above a window, and I picked up the further stamped stamps and documents.
Next, I'll need to go to the Immigration office, which is handily in Ahmadi, very close to Fahaheel. Unfortunately, I need more papers that I don't have yet, such as salary certificate from my company and work permit. Also I need passport copies for Kerri and Rowan. All this needs to happen before Wednesday of next week which is the beginning of an islamic holiday called Eid. It's a week long.
Hopefully I'll be able to run up to Ahmadi during the week though, as it appears my superiors are flexible when it comes to dealing with all this legal stuff. They also are not opposed at all to employees bringing family over, as it generally means they are here for at least 2 - 3 years.
Having done all I can for the day, I plan to veg and rest, mostly trying to finish Ocarina of Time. I just finished my lunch, some arabic pizza, sitting out on the porch, which was lovely. Wish it was warm enough to swim (it isn't).
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
To the Embassy!
I received the authenticated documents (marriage and birth certificate) from Kerri and Rowan a few days back. I found a translator relatively close by and provided him with the documents to translate a couple of days ago and picked them up this evening. He charged me only 20KD, which is a deal as most places would have charged me about 24KD. And he was able to do it faster...this guy is getting my recommendation for sure.
Tomorrow is the second day of my weekend, so I'll be heading up to the US Embassy to get their authentication done, and then I have to figure out what exactly to do next...
Took the car into the car repair main area in Kuwait today to have it checked out. They plugged a computer into it and apparently it needs the camshaft replaced (ugh). They said it can wait a month but not to wait much longer. Fun fun...oh well.
Otherwise nothing of interest has been going on...my cot is comfy enough...and the only other priority is finding out how to get my laundry done without spending an arm and a leg. May have to buy a washer/dryer sooner than expected.
Tomorrow is the second day of my weekend, so I'll be heading up to the US Embassy to get their authentication done, and then I have to figure out what exactly to do next...
Took the car into the car repair main area in Kuwait today to have it checked out. They plugged a computer into it and apparently it needs the camshaft replaced (ugh). They said it can wait a month but not to wait much longer. Fun fun...oh well.
Otherwise nothing of interest has been going on...my cot is comfy enough...and the only other priority is finding out how to get my laundry done without spending an arm and a leg. May have to buy a washer/dryer sooner than expected.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Yet more pictures
On my way out this afternoon I took a bunch of pictures of the Warba compound to satisfy any curiousity.
Decided to go on a walkabout my new neighborhood this afternoon. The name of this area is Manqaf (or Mangaf) but I'm really in the southeast corner barely over the road that serves as the border between Fahaheel to the south and Manqaf to the north. I actually walked well past this point on the coast on my first trek, so its really not far at all from Fahaheel. However it feels like a totally different place. The vibe is completely different. Where Fahaheel is abuzz with people and shops and restaurants, this area is more residential, mostly mid to lower end housing. It's pretty filthy, lots of empty sandlots (are there any other kind here?) and everything has the feeling of being half finished. Every now and then you'll run across a very nice building that clearly is intended for upper crust/westerners, covered parking, guards, mirrored windows etc... The other buildings look like normal apartments from a distance, but when you get close you see the state of the construction materials, the broken windows, dirty facades, etc... Luckily there a few restaurants to break the monotony, I came home with half a dozen menus and that doesn't include the places without. Not too many of what you would call "family" places. There is an internet cafe, but it's a bit of a trek.
Had lunch at a chinese place...to break the pattern of Indian/pakistani/arabian food I usually have. Figured I should at least *try* something different. But it was unimpressive and I think I'm just as happy with whatever new form of lamb I can find and scoop into my mouth with freshly baked naan, chapati or roti is available. That or shawarma and hummous... I did find a thai/filipino place that I'll have to check out sometime.
Well, back to work tomorrow. Since my car isn't registered on base, I'll have to park outside and get a ride in with someone from my shop. Next step is to figure all that registration stuff out.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Return of the slideshow
Above you will find some pictures...the first two are some sunrise pictures I got this morning. For some reason I woke up about the same time as I do normally (3am) so had plenty of time to go out for breakfast (4am), watch the sunrise (5-6am) and talk to Kerri for a good long time (6-8am). Also managed to get all my laundry done by then. What else *is* there to do on a day off?
Well I watched some Robot Chicken, but finally was able to head off to keep my 10am appointment: pick up my new car! I'll have pictures of that later (after I've had it washed). I wandered around for a few hours before I got the car and registration. Unfortunately, the registration appears to be good only until the 8th of January, so I guess I'll be needing to fix that pretty soon. Oh well. And the car needs washed, and cleaned (what happened to it since I last saw it?!) and the oil needs changed. Well all that could wait til tomorrow, since I finally have the car and was able to move the last of my things over to the new apartment (the rest of the pictures above).
Forgot to mention I've been sick (cold) and am on the 4th day of it. Felt pretty icky after I hauled everything up (including an older TV I'm borrowing from someone). I managed to divest my cot of the many things I had foolishly piled on it and collapse for an hour-long sleepless nap. Felt better though. Another odd thing happened today. By the time I got back to the old apartment to move stuff out, the bottoms of both of my feet both felt sore like I'd done them some damage and bruised them. I was quite annoyed as I had no time for this and had to move stuff. By the time I collapsed into my cot my feet were positively on fire. The source of the discomfort appears to be right in the middle, not the arches, but further towards the toes. As I palpated the areas I noticed to my surprise that they have both swollen almost as if filling with fluid. Very bizarre. I've felt something similar in one or the other foot before, but usually associated it with pulling a tendon or someothing. This is unique. I only hope it goes away cuz I have no idea what to do about it. I'm able to hobble about at least, and good thing my job involves sitting on my arse all day. Not having a chair to sit on at home is a bit of a discomfort, but I'll keep my eyes out for something.
I've been slowly putting stuff in its temporary spots. Figured I'd better make a post and get those pictures up post haste lest Kerri refuse to speak to me til she gets here!
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