No, not the plastic kind - although if you read my previous blog you would be inclined to think so. More like a green card, actually. In order to work and live in the UAE, you must have a residence visa. In order to have a residence visa you must be sponsored by an employer or a spouse. I guess it is much the same here in the US, but for obvious reasons, I’ve never needed to obtain one. I bet some countries hand them out like lollipops at the doctor’s office, but the UAE is not so generous. It seemed to me that Garren only had to send in a scanned copy of his degree and passport for his employer to start the visa process. It was not quite so simple for me… and I’m a teacher!! And I make like one-third (slight exaggeration) of the salary that Garren will make! It always amazes me the hoops that we must jump though in the world of education. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy my job, and I know they are trusting me to work with the future of the world, but you’d think they would at least compensate us teachers for the bureaucratic red tape b.s.(and no – summer vacation does not count as compensation). So this is what I needed to do to simply get the visa process started:
1) Copy of my passport
2) 20 passport photos (I hope these are for other things besides my visa)
3) Copy of all college transcripts
4) Letter of experience from my previous employer
5) Copy of bachelor’s and master’s degree
6) Copy of teaching certificate
7) Master’s degree must be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE Embassy (see below…)
I had to scan each of these documents into my computer and send them to the school. They will then forward them to the proper authorities in the UAE and will secure a temporary residence visa. Once it is ready (which takes several weeks to several months), I must then go to a health clinic for a blood test and a chest x-ray (you can’t have diseases like AIDS, hepatitis or tuberculosis if you want to live in the UAE). Then I pay the government some money and I can get my permanent residence visa. Simple right? Ha! It has been one hurdle after another…. let me start with #7 above.
Document attestation. I didn’t even know the true meaning of the word attestation until this whole process started. I thought it was something that I did once I entered the UAE. Boy, was I wrong. Attestation, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is a: to affirm to be true or genuine; specifically : to authenticate by signing as a witness b: to authenticate officially. Ok, good to know. This is how you get a document attested to proper standards:
1) Make a photocopy of your master’s degree
2) Have that copy notarized, stating that it is indeed a copy of the original
3) Send that copy to Washington DC where it must be
a. Authenticated by the state department (I have a piece of paper signed by the one and only Condi Rice. Ok, it might be a stamp, but I bet you don’t have one)
b. Notarized by the notary public of the District of Columbia
c. Stamped by the UAE embassy, giving the official seal of approval
4) Give each of the above entities some money (I don’t remember how much, but ink must be expensive these days)
And for only $140, you can have a document service in DC take care of #3 so you don’t have to go office to office. What a deal!
OK, so that is only how to get the visa process started. I sent these documents to UAS(the school) on June 12th. When they say several weeks to several months, they really mean several months. I think the several weeks part is to get your hopes up that it might actually get done promptly. I leave for Dubai in 2 days and my visa still isn’t ready, and I’m kindof freaking out a little bit. It appears as though I will have to enter the UAE on a visitor visa. Then, once the residence visa is ready, I must leave the country and return on the residence visa, or pay a fee of 500AED.
I’m a little upset that my visa will not be ready upon arrival as I have told the school from day 1 that I will be arriving early (we are not supposed to report to UAS until August 20). But what can I do? I need to start taking things in stride and realizing that many things are simply out of my control (this will be very hard for me). It will be a good lesson, and I’m sure there will be many more to come.
To add to my stress of moving halfway around the world, I have been reading about the “new” visa requirements that go into effect on July 29. According to the business manager at UAS, they will not affect me, but I will not be surprised if they do.
More on visas later… I’m sure I will someday complain about the struggles of changing employers when sponsored under a residence visa, but it is simply too much to think about right now. My brain hurts.
Monday, July 28, 2008
I have to pack again????
Ok, so for those of you that know me well, or even if you’ve been reading my posts, you know that I HATE to pack. I was so proud of myself leaving Oregon. I had my bags packed days in advance, and my bike was ready to go almost a week before I left. I had everything covered, wrapped, stuffed and sealed up for the journey to Ohio. Once I got to Ohio, I was so sad that I had to unpack my bags. They were so perfect, so organized, and I knew I couldn’t replicate my handy work. But I had to – afterall, I was in town for 3 weeks. And now it’s time to do it all again. UGH!!! The only thing that’s easy about this packing job is that I don’t have to decide what to take and what to leave, because everything is going with me to the UAE. But that has its own drawbacks, which I am quickly discovering.
When I flew from Oregon to Ohio, I had to check 3 bags; my bike box and two suitcases. One of my suitcases weighed 70 lbs!!!! The other only 45 lbs. I am flying out on United and it costs $150 for an overweight bag (50+ lbs), which wouldn’t be a big deal if I had 1 overweight bag, but you see I have done quite a bit of shopping since I’ve been in Ohio. What else was I to do? Anyways, my stuff just won’t fit into the two bags that I have without having to pay for 2 overweight suitcases, and that’s just too much money. So I need to strategerize and pack and check a 3rd bag. The 3rd bag will cost an extra $150 to check, as well as my bike box (another $150), but it’s better than paying 2x for 2 overweight suitcases and a bike box to boot.
Mom and I just finished the first stage of the packing. My large suitcase is teetering at about 49 lbs. It’s not even full. We actually had to take out some things and repack it to get it under 50 lbs. I took the carry-on and am making it a bag I will check. It is currently full of running and cycling clothes. It weighs less than 40 lbs, so I can stuff some skinny, heavy things in there, if I have any… The third bag is another large suitcase. It will house the laundry I need to do, my surplus of shoes, and any clothes that I wear between now and when I leave. Oh - and my toiletry bag, which I can’t carry-on thanks to those clever terrorists. It will definitely be stuffed full, and I will either run out of room or will reach the 50 lb limit. Whatever else I can’t fit will make it into my duffel bag, which is my new carry-on. And there’s also my bike box… I might be able to stuff a couple of extra things in there too.
As I pack, I can’t help but wonder how my wardrobe has increased by 25% since I’ve been in Ohio. Such a short time… and it’s not like I didn’t have anything to begin with. To top it off, I already sent a 30 lb box to the UAE, full of clothes and shoes that are strictly for work. It appears that I have developed a dangerous addiction. I hope it’s one I can break in the UAE, but that’s highly unlikely. I see two possibilities as I will be dealing with a new monetary unit, the Dirham (AED), at which the exchange rate is pegged at 1 USD: 3.67 AED.
Scenario 1) It’s like monopoly money!!!! It’s not real… is it? I’ll take it! In fact, I’ll take 2, and I’d like to trade in my four houses for a hotel while I’m at it…
Scenario 2) What? A shirt for $100???? That’s ridiculous! Of course 100AED is about 27USD, a respectable price for a shirt, but I could pretend to be ignorant.
So which scenario do you think it will be???
When I flew from Oregon to Ohio, I had to check 3 bags; my bike box and two suitcases. One of my suitcases weighed 70 lbs!!!! The other only 45 lbs. I am flying out on United and it costs $150 for an overweight bag (50+ lbs), which wouldn’t be a big deal if I had 1 overweight bag, but you see I have done quite a bit of shopping since I’ve been in Ohio. What else was I to do? Anyways, my stuff just won’t fit into the two bags that I have without having to pay for 2 overweight suitcases, and that’s just too much money. So I need to strategerize and pack and check a 3rd bag. The 3rd bag will cost an extra $150 to check, as well as my bike box (another $150), but it’s better than paying 2x for 2 overweight suitcases and a bike box to boot.
Mom and I just finished the first stage of the packing. My large suitcase is teetering at about 49 lbs. It’s not even full. We actually had to take out some things and repack it to get it under 50 lbs. I took the carry-on and am making it a bag I will check. It is currently full of running and cycling clothes. It weighs less than 40 lbs, so I can stuff some skinny, heavy things in there, if I have any… The third bag is another large suitcase. It will house the laundry I need to do, my surplus of shoes, and any clothes that I wear between now and when I leave. Oh - and my toiletry bag, which I can’t carry-on thanks to those clever terrorists. It will definitely be stuffed full, and I will either run out of room or will reach the 50 lb limit. Whatever else I can’t fit will make it into my duffel bag, which is my new carry-on. And there’s also my bike box… I might be able to stuff a couple of extra things in there too.
As I pack, I can’t help but wonder how my wardrobe has increased by 25% since I’ve been in Ohio. Such a short time… and it’s not like I didn’t have anything to begin with. To top it off, I already sent a 30 lb box to the UAE, full of clothes and shoes that are strictly for work. It appears that I have developed a dangerous addiction. I hope it’s one I can break in the UAE, but that’s highly unlikely. I see two possibilities as I will be dealing with a new monetary unit, the Dirham (AED), at which the exchange rate is pegged at 1 USD: 3.67 AED.
Scenario 1) It’s like monopoly money!!!! It’s not real… is it? I’ll take it! In fact, I’ll take 2, and I’d like to trade in my four houses for a hotel while I’m at it…
Scenario 2) What? A shirt for $100???? That’s ridiculous! Of course 100AED is about 27USD, a respectable price for a shirt, but I could pretend to be ignorant.
So which scenario do you think it will be???
Monday, July 7, 2008
Getting closer...
48 hours left in Oregon... and I've actually opened up a suitcase (three of them)! And put things in them!! This has to be some sort of record for me.
I have narrowed down my stuff into two suitcases, my bike box and a carry on. Believe it or not, most of my clothes are already packed - I just have to add my shoes, which will pretty much take up all available space, especially my 6 pairs of running shoes. Then I need to squeeze in my toiletries.... The picture on the right is my bike box, and all of the packages I have ready to ship via USPS. My bike is nicely secured, every mm of carbon fiber covered. That makes me happy. The bike box weighs in at a whopping 60 lbs, only because I put everything I could think of in there. I just spoke with the people at Delta, and it took them 25 minutes to figure out exactly how much it was going to cost. $230 ($150 for the bike box and $80 because it is my 3rd checked bag). Not bad. It's better than $380, which is what it would cost according to the website. The packages on the ground are headed to Abu Dhabi tomorrow. 5 in all. One is full of work clothes (and shoes), the other three are miscellaneous teaching supplies and stuff for Garren. That shipment will probably cost around $400, but will be worth it because I won't have to haul it from here to Ohio and on to Dubai.
Tahoe was great, once things got settled down. I ended up getting on standby for the last flight out of San Francisco - 10:30pm. I arrived in Reno around 11:45 pm and took the shuttle to the lodge - only to find out that UAS never booked a room for me! They thought they did, but the confirmation notice clearly said: must secure off ground lodging, we are full. Of course, they were booked solid, so I ended up staying the night in a bunk room that was prepared for a kids tennis camp arriving the next day. Luckily, they had a cancellation the following day and I was able to get a room to myself. The people there were great and very helpful. I am a little frustrated with UAS at the moment...lots of communication errors on their part.
Anyways, the conference was good. I now understand the rigors of the IB curriculum and am a little scared, but I met some amazing and intelligent people who will also be teaching it in the fall who I can turn to for support. The best thing was hanging out with them all weekend. We had a lot of fun and I hope to see them again someday.
I have been saying goodbye to different groups of people for the last week or so. The folks at FitRight (holla!), my coaching friends (who gave me beautiful charm bracelet to remember my time at SHHS) and Garren's family (who I will miss spending time with). The goodbyes get a little harder as departure time grows nearer - tomorrow I will run with Tinkle, Bob and the girls for the last time. That makes me tear up just as I write it. I will also say goodbye to my dear friend Courtney, and then to my wonderful second family, Kathy and Scott. I will miss them all, but I know that we will stay in touch and I hope to see everyone when Garren and I come back for Christmas vacation. It really takes leaving to get one to understand how much some people mean to you and how lucky you truly are...
Well, that's all for now, next time I write I will be in Ohio. I am looking forward to spending time with my family, I don't get to see them often enough. And then on to the UAE - and Garren. Lots of good times ahead, I can hardly wait.
I have narrowed down my stuff into two suitcases, my bike box and a carry on. Believe it or not, most of my clothes are already packed - I just have to add my shoes, which will pretty much take up all available space, especially my 6 pairs of running shoes. Then I need to squeeze in my toiletries.... The picture on the right is my bike box, and all of the packages I have ready to ship via USPS. My bike is nicely secured, every mm of carbon fiber covered. That makes me happy. The bike box weighs in at a whopping 60 lbs, only because I put everything I could think of in there. I just spoke with the people at Delta, and it took them 25 minutes to figure out exactly how much it was going to cost. $230 ($150 for the bike box and $80 because it is my 3rd checked bag). Not bad. It's better than $380, which is what it would cost according to the website. The packages on the ground are headed to Abu Dhabi tomorrow. 5 in all. One is full of work clothes (and shoes), the other three are miscellaneous teaching supplies and stuff for Garren. That shipment will probably cost around $400, but will be worth it because I won't have to haul it from here to Ohio and on to Dubai.
Tahoe was great, once things got settled down. I ended up getting on standby for the last flight out of San Francisco - 10:30pm. I arrived in Reno around 11:45 pm and took the shuttle to the lodge - only to find out that UAS never booked a room for me! They thought they did, but the confirmation notice clearly said: must secure off ground lodging, we are full. Of course, they were booked solid, so I ended up staying the night in a bunk room that was prepared for a kids tennis camp arriving the next day. Luckily, they had a cancellation the following day and I was able to get a room to myself. The people there were great and very helpful. I am a little frustrated with UAS at the moment...lots of communication errors on their part.
Anyways, the conference was good. I now understand the rigors of the IB curriculum and am a little scared, but I met some amazing and intelligent people who will also be teaching it in the fall who I can turn to for support. The best thing was hanging out with them all weekend. We had a lot of fun and I hope to see them again someday.
I have been saying goodbye to different groups of people for the last week or so. The folks at FitRight (holla!), my coaching friends (who gave me beautiful charm bracelet to remember my time at SHHS) and Garren's family (who I will miss spending time with). The goodbyes get a little harder as departure time grows nearer - tomorrow I will run with Tinkle, Bob and the girls for the last time. That makes me tear up just as I write it. I will also say goodbye to my dear friend Courtney, and then to my wonderful second family, Kathy and Scott. I will miss them all, but I know that we will stay in touch and I hope to see everyone when Garren and I come back for Christmas vacation. It really takes leaving to get one to understand how much some people mean to you and how lucky you truly are...
Well, that's all for now, next time I write I will be in Ohio. I am looking forward to spending time with my family, I don't get to see them often enough. And then on to the UAE - and Garren. Lots of good times ahead, I can hardly wait.
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