On Wednesday I received a very unexpected phone call from one of our executives in Houston.  Bottomline - promotion granted.  Raise - given.

To the outsider, one might say "so what?".  But, to those that know ... a promotion in my company is a big deal .... and the average person will only see 4 or 5 in their entire career.  For me, it is Number 6 (and probably my last).

Additionally, by almost anybody's standards (except Bill Gates and Warren Buffets) the amount of salary increase (both in $$$ and %%%) was very very very good.

I am so excited and pleased.

... and the $$$ come in at a time when I am getting ready to support all three Morgan boys in college at the same time ... three checks are due to go out next week.

THANK YOU, GOD !!!!! 

By Tuesday evening I was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.  So, I left work early (5:55pm).  Arrived home at 730pm (after semi-normal traffic) ... total time away from home .... 14.75 hours (445am to 730pm) ... then I worked on the relocation.

What was that about leaving early and "taking a 1/2 days vacation"?

The key message from my previous blog was not to make somebody feel guilty.  The key message is ... "it only takes one word" .... As each of us go through life and interact with others, we have opportunities to help and/or hurt others. Sometimes we do things; sometimes we say things; and, once said or done ... it can never be taken back.

We all should be careful to build each other up ... our enemies wish to destroy us ... our friends and families are all we have.

I will be fine. I will manage. I am a survivor.

... now if only I can learn from this to be a better man ... as I know ... I too, have hurt others .... and I can never take it back ....

Yesterday I received an email from somebody very close to me.  Somebody I love dearly.  Unfortunately there was something in the email that hurt me immensely.  Many things were true, one was untrue.

The true things did not bother me ... as I knew already about the topics that were discussed and have dealt with them accordingly.

The one untrue thing opened old scars and released a great deal of pain.  Pain from the past and pain today that I can share with no one but God and Decy.  Now, I must move forward.

People judge others from their own eyes, their own perspective, and their own experiences.  It is so difficult to see the things which are not seen.

Did you see Decy's blog?  Have any of you lived in Indonesia, or overseas in a 3rd world country?  Have any of you been shot at and heard the bullet go by your head, just missing you?  Have any of you had bombs launched at you?  Have any of you had 10,000 angry people outside your door yelling at you and calling for your death?  Have any of you experienced and touched the absolute poverty of Africa? Have any of you seen dead bodies in the street?

Have any of you lost the most precious gift you ever had ... only to find it later ... but now at a distance where you can see it but not touch it?

We are all shaped, molded, and influenced by the events around us.  It is only thru God's grace that we can move forward.  Sometimes we fall, sometimes we make a mistake, sometimes it is difficult for others to see the good that is within us, sometimes it is difficult for the good within us to show itself ... but if we have love we can go forward.  Without love we are a failure ... and that is what hurts .... it was just one little word among hundreds that were written ... just one word ... that is all it took ...

Alas, an adult in all legal aspects ... today Josh is 21 YO.  What a great achievement for him.  His life is moving forward.  He has a plan ... and he is working his plan.

I am very proud of Josh (as I am with all 3 of my sons).  Josh has proven that having parents that live on separate corners of the world does not destine one for failure.

Josh excelled in high school.  Entered Tenn Tech Univ in the honors program.  Has maintained a 4.0 through for years of college.  Has a beautiful wife and son.  Has a plan ...  very well done, my son !!!!

Do you know what I am particularly proud of for Josh?  Its that he has a good personality and is very caring.  He has a great blend of intellectual, artistic, and humanity atributes.  Again, very well done, my son !!!!

Happy Birthday Josh

Made new progress on the move front late Friday and over the weekend.

First, the shipper finally "gets it" .... (a) boxes go by air from Angola to Indonesia, (b) LDN crates go by air from Angola to USA, and (c) 50% of storage is added to item (b) and they go by boat to Indonesia .... of course, I had to reduce 2 degrees of complexity to get to this point ... but, I'm still getting a 95% answer .... yeah, success on this.

Second, made great progress on item (a) above.  We loaded up 14 boxes of stuff, inventoried it, and got it ready to ship.  Even this "quick delivery" by air probably won't be available to us until October ... but I'm working on that.

Completed the inventory list and separated the items into all the different travel routes/classifications .... and then, totalled the valuations on "each page" just like the instructions said .... I think I now have 20 pages of stuff .....

Next major challenges:  (a) get money from the Expat Center that they owe me, (b) complete Customs forms .... never a dull momemnt

Ah the relocation saga.

Step Forward #1 - Yesterday they finally made an announcement that I was transferring to Indonesia.  Position - Process & Controls Advisor.  Official Date - 1 September.  The preceding was no surprise ... so why the 2 month delay in making the announcement.

Step Forward #2 - Decy and the girls have the S. African VISAs for over nighting in Johannesburg ... on their wait to Jakarta.

Step Backward #1 - Allied International, the shipper, still doesn't understand the various aspects of my shipment ... that stuff leaves here in LDN air freight boxes ... to the US ... to be added to 1/2 of my stuff in storage (in the US) .... to be put in a 40 ft container ... and ocean freighted to Indonesia.  The only other aspect of this ... is an special 48 cu ft "air cargo" shipment that goes directly to Indonesia ..... I BET THAT EVEN DANIEL CAN UNDERSTAND THIS.

TGIF ......

Still waiting on the "Center of Excellence" ... man, are they slow.  Urgh ......  And, still don't know what position I am going into in Jakarta ...

... sure wish I was retirement age now .. this is insane !!!!

Yeah!  Two steps forward and only one step back today. (and thanks for the remarks).

Ok, RE the shipment ... after the company "went silent" from Friday through Monday, they emerged with an answer on Tuesday ... I get 4 LDNs air shipped from Angola to Houston.  I get to combine the LDNs with storage items and then ocean freight up to one 40 ft container from Houston to Indonesia.  I get 3 cargo boxes for Decy and the girls.  I get 2 cargo boxes for me.

I don't know why I get two boxes .... I don't even want to try to figure it out.  Next step - pre-packing inspection (today), receive the empty boxes (today I hope), then finalize the inventory.

RE the medical aspects of the move - our medical dept yesterday sent an email to our Center of Excellence and advised that we are "healthy" (I suspect that was followed up with a clarification such as "healthy but insane")

Next steps - finalize school paperwork, finalize S. African VISAs for Decy/girls, continue purging household goods .... never a dull moment.

Ok. Got my 4.5 hours of sleep. Time to get up and go to work. Hmm, the challenge of the day ??? what shall it be?  Oh yeah, the shipment of household goods to Indonesia ... the last really big hurdle over the next couple of weeks.  Ok, here's the issue.

Entitlement Leaving Angola - Entitlement is 4 LDN crates (crates that can fit on a plane).  That is equivalent to a TOTAL volume of approx 7ft x 7ft x 7ft - weight 2000-2600 pounds.  Method of shipment - Air.

Entitlement Arriving in Indonesia - Entitlement is a 40 ft container .... that is something about 7ft x 7 ft x 40 ft ..... or notionally 6 times the volume leaving Angola.  Method of shipment - Ocean.

Also, for Indonesia (because ocean freight is so slow ... and I won't see that shipment until probably November or December) I am entitled to four dish boxes of 10 cu ft each; which is an approx +15% when compared to the 4 LDNs.  Method of shipment - Air.

Seems our company's "Center of Excellence" (CoE) is really struggling with this.  They've "only" had 6 weeks to figure out that the "answer" is .... air cargo my 4 boxes, air freight my 4 LDNs, and ocean freight my stuff that is sitting in storage in the US (some since 2000, some since 2002) ... all of which will be far less than the 40 ft container limit.

What did they do after 6 weeks of pondering?  They authorized only the 4 LDNs.  Now, I don't know about you folks, but just think about putting everything 4 people own in 7ft x 7ft x 7ft ... that's not much space and means that we pretty much have to throw away / give away / sell >50% of everything we have here in Angola.

I am scrambling to find "reasonable" people in the company, and think I have found an ally in Houston.  They say they are working the problem with the Singapore office ... but it will be "behind the scenes" and like a "black box" for a few days.  I can manage the silence ... I just hope they give me an answer soon.

Here's the "ugh" kicker.  They expect me to finalize and send to them ASAP a detailed inventory valuation list so they can take out the insurance .... I've basically done that assuming certain things ... but it is pretty had to finalize the list if they can't tell me what I can take .... think about:  "Sir, tell me exactly what you have in your boxes".  "Madam, tell me how many boxes I have and then I will tel you what is in them".  "Sir, no, I need to know right now what you have ... and while you are doing that I will think about whether or not you can have 4 LDNs, 4 boxes, and one 40 ft container ... or some combination thereof"

Ah the joys of working for one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world ....

I'm beginning to think nobody reads this stuff. You guys say you want to know what is going on, on the other side of the world ..... but nobody says ... yeah, boo, hiss, good on ya mate ... nada, nothing ... silence.

... guess it is time to go to bed and dream about Daniel walking.

Relocation status - the nightmare continues. Read on ....

Announcement - why oh why haven't they posted the announcement?  Just learned last night. Because the company is rethinking what position I'm going to have.  Hmmm, so ... I'm supposed to just "trust them" that I have a decent job. SUX.

Promotion - still no news ... but they "claim" it looks good. Guess I'm supposed to trust them on that too. FRUSTRATING.

Interim Living - They are booking us for the Shangri-La hotel in Jakarta. NICE

Interim Car - They are working on that (with a driver of course). OK.

Permanent Housing - They are lining up the agent to show us houses and apartments.  Hoping for a house. PENDING.

Medical Release - Last appty is with Co Dr on Monday.  Getting close.  OK ... but wish it were over.

S. African VISAs for Decy and the Girls - Supposedly ready next week.  OK

Plane Tickets for Decy and the Girls - Done. EXCELLENT.

Plane Tickets for me - Reserved and paid for but not ticketed; they are trying to "clear" my waitlisting on Business Class for Singapore to Jakarta. OK.

Shipment - Seems the Expat CoE (Center of Excellence) isn't so excellent.  They screwed up and didn't authorize any shipment from the US to Jakarta (my items in storage) and they didn't authorize any air freight "personal" boxes from Angola to Jakarta.  DISASTER. Back to the drawing board ... and trying to intervene and straighten this out.

Inventory of Household - Almost done.  But, just learned that supposedly I have to have an itemized list of every CD, DVD, VCD, and book, so customs can ensure I don't have: Chinese Communist propanganda, Christian Propaganda, Vulgar and repulsive music, and "sexually explicit" items.  SAY WHAT?  I'm double chk'g this one.  Didn't do this last time ... and can you imagine trying to itemize our 500 CDs, 100 movies ... and who knows how many books.

Packing - Yikes. Haven't started, but Decy and the girls need to do that this week so I can inventory that set of stuff.

.... I think I go on a hash today ... and run away from my problems.

Today is the tomorrow I was hoping for yesterday.  Life is much better.

Spent much of Thursday morning, again, at the hospital working on the medical aspect of the relocation. This is a "song that never ends".  But, I received all the paperwork back from the hospital with "healthy" stamps. Now, one last (hopefully) visit to our Co's medical director and we should finally get the medical release to go to Indonesia.

...  Now, if only Allied International would call me about our shipment ... and if only Jakarta would call us about our living arrangements ...

Life sux .....

maybe tomorrow will be better

After the Expat Center having received my relocation authorization (remember ~25 May) they just yesterday sent me the official paperwork .... not bad ... 7 weeks (given that most relocations happen in 8-10 weeks time; start to finish).  NOT !!!!  Only recieved about 100 pages of documentation.  Can you say:  STRESS ????

To top off the above, yesterday at the US Embassy reception, I saw the ISOS Dr that has been helping us work thru the medical part. I told him that we trying to get wrap up appointments .... he advised that there is still one more set of examinations before we can close out the process.  URRRGGGGHHH.  Why didn't my medical folks tell me this, and already pre-arrange the appointments?  Can't anybody think more than one step at a time ????

Today, I will do a full court press on this penultimate set of appointments (ultimate being the close out).  It must get done this week ... we are running out of time .... UUUURRRRGGGGHHH !!!!

Yesterday's 4th of July celebration at the US Embassy in Angola went off without a hitch.  Decy and I, two of approx 500 guests, were allowed in without all the normal security and ID checks.  I found that rather odd (all we had to do was show the invitation) but ok given that we were surrounded by marines and other security folks .... but ... one never knows.

As for the celebration event, it was basically a giant outdoor cocktail hour (3 hrs to be exact) .... we were greeted by the US Ambassador and other dignitaries.  As for speeches, the US Ambassador used her best Portuguese to give a 10 minute speech.  I give her an A for effort and C for quality.

I found it interesting that Decy and I knew (between the two of us) about 40 of the folks attending.  Didn't realize we has so many friends "in high places". 

Went home after the event, and enjoyed the early evening with my Decy, Thasya, and Chely.

Here in Angola, it is a normal workday.  BUT, I happen to have a special event this afternoon.  Decy and I are going to meet the US Ambassador to Angola at a special (by invitation only) 4th of July celebration/reception.  Should be interesting (I hope) and just not a bunch of overstuffed govt dignitaries.  My good friend George Amaral, a retired US Diplomat, arranged for the invitation.  Thanks George !!

Stay tuned .....

Had to work a bit on Sunday (real work, not relocation work). So, I'm in the office at 9am; Decy and the girls are to pick me up at approx 230pm.  Plan was to go out on the Ilha (penisula) to the Coconuts restaurant and have a late lunch; then go home.

Get to Coconuts (which is an outdoor restaurant) and they are full up. Do you think they would offer us a chair to sit in while we are waiting for a table to open up??? Noooooo ... finally 15 minutes later we have a chair.  30 minutes later we have a table.

After thoroughly reviewing the menu, we pick our foods.  When the waiter comes .... seems everything we want they are out of.  So, we have to cycle, recycle, and re-recycle.  Get through the order process, food comes .... for the girls, theirs came all at once.  For Decy and I, the vegetables and rice came 10 minutes after the meat .... meat was then cold.  Got thru the meal, almost done, order a kilo to come pick us up.

We end up waiting an hour for a kilo (which was stationed only about 2 miles away from us) ... frustration and anger abounds ... especially after having gone thru the same ordeal on Saturday.  Ok ... time to get off the Ilha .... TRAFFIC !!!!  urrrggghhh .... 1 hour later (no joke) we have travelled 2 miles ... to where the kilo was originally stationed ... only to be told that "shift change" had occurred and we needed to change drivers.

So .... at 4pm we called the kilo ... at 615 pm we do the driver change out ... total travel time 2 miles ... remaining distance to home - - - 6 miles.  I think we could have walked faster ... it certainly would have been healthier !!!

ciao ciao 

Ok, here we go again. On Friday AM we arrive at the hospital so they can read the results of the tuberculosis tests made on Tuesday.  We already know (from our own visual observations that something isn't quite right).  Hospital checks Chely and I ... all clear.  Hospital checks Decy and Thasya ... hmmmm 15 millimeter reaction.  Not good (10 mm is the limit for the "alarm"). We show the results to the ISOS Dr. He promptly orders x-rays for D&T.

We go to the lab.  Hmmm.  X-ray machine is broke.  Q:  When will it be fixed?  A:  In a week or two?  Q:  What do we do?  A:  Call us in a week or two to see if it is fixed.  MY THOUGHTS - UNACCEPTABLE !!!!  I promptly call our company Dr explain the situation ..... they advise us to immediately come to the office.  A couple of quick letters later, and a personal escort from one of our portuguese speaking (only) medic results in an emergency xray from a different clinic.  We rush the xrays back to the ISOS Dr.  - quick review ... ALL CLEAR, NO TB.

So what was all that about?  Well, apparently D&T have been "exposed" to TB and have built up an immunity, which is why they had a reaction to the test.  As for Chey and I, well we had no reaction, which means we have no immunity.  So, who really is at risk here?  Total time on Friday:  6 hours.

SATURDAY - Ok, during all the hassle/stress on Friday we were advised to be at the hospital on Saturday at 10am for our eye exams (instead of waiting until 12-Jul).  830am we leave the house. Get to the hospital, they have no idea what is going on.  10am, no Dr, no confirmation of appointment.  11am no confirmation, no Dr.  1130 am, confirmation but no Dr.  1200noon have 4 five minute exams ... and we are released.

Did you know I need glasses so I can read this "very tiny print at 18 inches"?  DUMB. Actually I can read the above without glasses (which is 1 font).  They must have given me 1/2 font .... thank God this was the last test. Now, I need a wrap up appointment.

Adding insult to injury on Friday ... had to wait an hour for a kilo.  Seems the dispatcher decided to ignore our request until our third phone call ... made it home at 2pm.  Total time: ~ 6 hours on MY Saturday.

ciao ciao

Not much happened on Wednesday on the "moving front".  Sent a 20 page packet to the S. African Embassy to apply for VISAs for Decy, Chely, Thasya to S. Africa ... and sent the audio exam results to the ISOS Dr.  I took a sneak peak at the results .... oddly (ahem) each person's results looked nearly identical to each others ... guess we could all hear the "baseline" auto traffic from outside.  hmmm, I can almost imagine the "beep, beep, beep" I still can't hear.

RE work, what a mess. Trying to dig out and not fall too far behind.  July and August will be killer months due to our "annual planning cycle".  Its tons of work, long hours, much frustration.  All at a time, when I am a "short timer", trying to pack up, and say goodbye to all my friends.

RE the continuing mega-saga on the relocation to Indonesia ...on Tuesday Decy, Chely, Thasya, and I received our TB tests.  Initially we were told to return to the hospital on Thursday, so they could observe the results. Then we were told to return on Friday.  We will return on Friday ... but I wonder which one is really correct .... because I understand that the results are supposed to be reviewed at 24 hours and 72 hours.

Decy collected the audio exam results Tuesday PM.  Today (Wednesday) I will have them courriered to the ISOS Dr.  When the tests were conducted the results were scribbled on scrap paper.  I wonder if they were "properly transcribed" to the official format.

Still working on a variance for the eye exam.  I think we will get that.

>>> Other relocation related news ... Decy and the girls now have their one-way, business class tickets from Luanda to Jakarta.  Singapore Airlines is fantastic ... and their business class is even better; they will enjoy that.

Also, today (Wednesday) I will submit Decy's and the girls applications for S. African VISAs so they can overnight in Johannesburg while in transit .... step by step.

ciao ciao 

As some of you have learned from previous blogs, driving (and riding in kilos) in Luanda is challenging, frustrating, and dangerous.  I received a call at work last night (7pm) that Decy was involved in an auto accident.

First, thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt.  Seems the kilo driver decided to suddenly change from the right lane to left lane to pass a vehicle.  Unfortunately (and is often the case) there was another vehicle in the left lane (which is usually not a full lanes width).  The left lane vehicle rear-ended Decy's kilo.

Police reports had to be completed so Decy held a brief interview in Portuguese, then she was whisked away in a substitute vehicle; followed by a quick medical check up.

.... this is the second collision for Decy in less than 1 year.  Thankfully, no serious injuries.

One key step to being relocated to Indonesia is for me and my family to obtain "medical clearance" to travel there.  Now, quite frankly, this is a bit of an oxy-moron ... because one of the key aspects is to ensure that we don't have any medical conditions that would put us at risk due to the "lack of adequate medical facilities in the host country".

So, what happens if we DO have a medical condition?  Does that mean we can't transfer to Indonesia and we must stay in Angola?  Presumably not, the medical facilities here SUCK (sorry for the strong language ... but you will understand later).

And, is the company really going to tell my Indonesia wife and step-daughters ... "sorry, hubby/daddy can go to Indonesia but you cannot"?  I think not !!!!  So why are we going through the ordeal of a medical release?  Because its a REQUIREMENT.

Read the story below ... and remember much of the below happens with folks who do not speak English.

About 10 days ago I get about 40 pages of paperwork to fill out and take to the Angola hospital.  I fill out my portions of the paperwork.  Then find out that the appt's are on Monday at 10am.  Ok, all set.

Monday at 8am, I get a phone call from our company medic, wanting to review my paperwork .... so I show her ... gasp, my forms are not her forms .... (even though my forms were given to me by the same medical department) ... and I must use "their" forms.  So, I rush to recomplete all the pages.

Get to the hospital at 930am with the family.  Am handed another 8 pages of forms to complete .... 90% of which is redundant to the forms already recompleted.

1015am get to see the ISOS (International SOS) Dr.  He starts reviewing the paperwork ... his response:  Wow, this is a lot of stuff, is this all required?.  My response: Don't know, these are the forms they gave me.

Power outage #1.

1030am, Dr calls company. Learns that ALL is required.

11am, all the forms and procedures are sorted out.  Paperwork is handed to a clerk, who is told to "start making appts".

1145am, get first set of blood work for all four of us.

12noon, am told our appts for the eye exams are set ... mid July ... yeah right (I will work on that later).

Power outage #2

1230pm, get into a bit of scuffle with the hospital as they are trying to give Chely a procedure that nobody else needs ... but I know (from watching the ISOS Dr that I am supposed to get EVERY procedure and the family gets the same or less ... so, if Chely has to go through it, then so do I).  I review the paperwork and it has somebody else's name on it ... requesting an HIV test.

Power outage #3.

1245-130pm, Chely, Decy and I give this HORRIBLY painful arterial blood sample .... WOWSER !!!!  Chely pretty much goes into shock.  We have to manage.  FYI, while waiting for Decy to get her shot, some laborer comes into the hospital with flipflops .... with a construction wheel barrow (covered in dirt, dust, trash, cement).  Inside is about 5 boxes of copy paper, which he carries to the 2nd floor.  Gee, that looks sanitary ... but then I forgot, the wheel barrow is AT LEAST 5 feet from the emergency room entrance where we are getting our shots and patients are wheeled around.  Rumor has it that germs, virusus, and infections cannot travel more than 3.5 feet ... so the rumor goes.

145pm, I am taken to a place where Decy and I are to get an EKG ... am told I need to come back at 6pm.  Dr explains the upcoming "stress test" and that my chest will have to be shaved (I wonder if they need to shave Decy's too).  Then the Dr learns that this is only an EKG baselines (rest test) .... quick change up of protocol, 5 minutes later I'm done ... after 5 ounces of lube oil on my chest to "cut through" the hair.  Decy's missing.

Power outage #4

200pm, find Decy at Pharmacy getting shots/vaccinations.  Well sort of, we are given the medicine and needles.  Now what?  Inject ourselves?

Power outage #5

215pm, find ISOS Dr.  He goes through the vaccines.  Hmm, some missing.  One of mine is clearly wrong.  Dr decides not to give me that one, as it would make be sick (thank God for little things).  I get my shots, then Decy, then Chely, then Thasya

230pm, Decy goes and gets EKG.

230pm, I talk to the Dr about the arterial blood. He goes ballistic.  Extremely painful he says (no kidding).  Its a long story with lots of conversation and discussiong/arguments between two Drs in a forgeign language I don't know (S. African something or other), but understand well enough to understand there was a difference of opinion.  Bottomline:  Seems the hospital doesn't have the right machine to do one kind of test.  But by taking arterial blood they can do the test on a different machine .... yikes !!!!  Glad I'm into S&M.

245pm, find out that we have to come back on Tuesday for the TB test as they forgot to do that in the morning, which is the time of day they give TB tests.  Thanks !!

300pm, rush to other side of town to get hearing test.  Office is on 2nd floor of nearly gutted out building. No sign. Garbage and stench everywhere at the entrance.  Get up to the office, its "so so".  I'm first on the test.  I'm quite sure it will be quite accurate and reflective of my excellent hearing ... because during the entire tests I could hear Decy and the girls talking and laughing in the room next door ... did anybody say "sound proof" or "background noise".

430pm. Done (for today). Exhausted. Hungry (didn't have any lunch).  Go to local pizzaria and beg for food, water, anything.

530pm, call for kilo.  Let's not go there.

700pm. Home .... exhausted ... nightey night family.  Me, I have to "unwind" a bit before sleeping.

>>> and to think we get to do more of this tomorrow.

### I feel so much healthier now ...     ; )

ciao ciao 

Ok, so I'm not a poet.  But, this moving thing from one 3rd world country to another is such a HASSLE (I have more descriptive words, but I have chosen not to use them).  Anyway, step by step ... all 135,462 of them .... key challenge is to get everything in the house straightened up, all trash and low value items discarded, each and every sheet of tissue inventoried.  And, if there is any spare time ... say goodbye to some friends that are leaving soon, and won't return before we leave.

Ciao ciao.

International relocations ... such a trauma

Each and every step ... such a drama

Nevertheless, I walk forward each day .... looking for the right path along the way.