Our Seafreight had finally arrived in Chennai on January 19th. Exactly 2 months after the packers came to our house in Houston. We had heard a range of 'horror' stories so although I really really really wanted our things I also knew I could still have to wait 3 - 4 weeks. Fortunately 6 days later we received confirmation the container had at least made it to Bangalore. With a few different holidays on a row last weekend, officials just honor any and all of them, the earliest Eelco could go to the customs office to clear our belongings was Monday. Again the stories ranged from being in & out in an hour, never seeing your things an djust identifying yourself and showing yoru face to an official, to spending the whole day there which they painstakingly unload every item in your freight, none to gentle either, and make comments about the content and how much duty they can charge over this that and the other.
No reason how your luck is determined but Eelco was in the first category and kind of surprised showed up back in the office in 1 hr. We where not quite sure whether this was it all or what would happen next but they had dismissed him.
By Tuesday late PM we received an e-mail confirming the already negotiated and finalized duty amount to be paid (also somewhat random it appears) meaning that by Wednesday we could be seeing our things.
In a mad rush we arranged for the rental furniture to be picked up and cleared our work calendars. By Wednesday 2 pm I was ready at the house, waiting with eager anticipation! The rental furniture folks where there on the dot, so within 20 min I had nothing left to sit on but a kids chair or a folding stool and the stone floors. By 3 pm no container, no boxes, but a hyped up Rick arrived home from school ready for the box party I promised him. By 4 pm nothing, by 5 pm an inkling that the customs man had arrived late and that they where still busy overloading our freight in 4 smaller trucks. All trucks could only leave the customs area at the same time.
By 5.10 PM FINALLY a half laden truck arrived with 7 guys and they hung around for what appeared to be forever - discussing in detail proceedings with security, the maintenance crew who happened to linger around and the guys from the rental furniture company who where still wrapping & packing their items (they had moved them outside in 20 min and then took 3.5 hrs to pack it all there!). Of course nobody talked to me - with 'sir' (that would be Eelco) - not being home and I by then was out of my mind!
By 5:30 they finally started moving. The manager had to sign of every box and I had to indicate for every box on average 1.5 times where it had to go - and still 25% at least did not end up where I asked them to.
That whilst watching the kids who really wanted to go into the pool and play with me was more then a day job also as I had been lingering around with no place to sit with the big belly for 4 hrs. So by the time I spotted the first pack that looked like a chair I made them unpack it there and then - which in itself was a 10 min negotiation. I sooooo wanted to start unpack - but was stuck to my job.
The biggest problem proved to be that we do not have a garage here and we had loads of boxes marked 'garage' that all had to go somewhere. It was not until I really thought it could not be that much that I realized that the 'apt' for garage apartment was written very unclear and hence there was lots from there in those boxes too. For the time being they all ended up in the garden.
3 hours later.......the kids eating beans and watching a cartoon. Me still watching boxes come in being so happy it was all there but so frustrated it was all just still in boxes! A little after 8 the boxes where all in and we had to beg, beg and beg them to at least put our bed together. So all of us could sleep in there.
On Thursday I had to lead a review and could not be home. So Eelco had to deal with the unpacking which is a job I want to attend and he would prefer to avoid like the plague. So despite being happy that our things had arrived we where still 2 very frustrated people on Thursday. Especially when at almost 6pm on my way home the driver told me that they where kind of halfway at best and that the packers would definitely still be there all day Friday. As you can expect from the hormonal pregnant lady I came home and did not want anything but to attack those boxes and get more out. By Friday 11am I completely understood Eelco's frustrating battle from the day before as the crew unpacked less boxes in 2 hrs then I had done alone in 4 hours the night before and took full time supervision and then still managed to get things everywhere but where we wanted them. They also clearly where not so happy dealing with the lady of the house.
But 3 frustrating days later the crew was gone, we only had 1 very small broken item - which is a miracle - and it was just us - trying to make our house here again. We are really down to the last steps of getting settled in!
By yesterday evening everyone was 'at home' - Rick eating yoghurt and watching 'Buurman and Buurman' on the PC.
Eelco and I watching the 6 nations with a nice drink and no view at any more boxes (as they where behind us or in the other rooms).
And queen Kaatje resting on the Chaise Lounge.
It will be another while still before we are all organized and unpacked, especially as Eelco will be away this week and I cannot move it all anymore, but we are at home in our Windmills Villa now. Tomorrow the new permanent Nanny starts....See if we can get a routine going before the next upheaval...baby's arrival.
