Journey and Arrival

Ah, our journey.  Fortunately (or unfortunately!) Aramco provided us with Business Elite class tickets for our trip over.  Before we took our trip, one of our friends told Mike that Business Class is a whole different experience than traveling in coach.  WOW, he is right!  Of course, there’s the great service, the early boarding, the free drinks (foiled yet again by pregnancy!  Drat!), but the very best is the SPACE.  You actually have enough room to move, and breathe, and be a normal human being, rather than a cow in a cattle corral.  It was amazing.  It was everything we really needed, seeing how many large carry-on items we had (I’m really not sure we would have made it in coach with 2 car seats, 2 large duffle bags, 2 messenger bags, 2 frame backpacks, the diaper bag, and the stroller and infant carrier!) , and because it’s so few people in business class, there is no competition – no rush to get on or off, no frantic grabbing of overhead bin space, no maneuvering.  It made the trip a whole lot easier.  On the downside, now I know what it’s like!  I’m not sure I will ever be satisfied in coach again!

The boys wore their matching Airplane Outfits that I embroidered for them.

In the Knoxville Airport

So we got on in Knoxville, and we barely made our flight because the security line got really long right before we arrived.  We walked up to the gate and went straight on the plane.  Then two momentous things happened almost simultaneously:  the boarding door closed, meaning that Mike was now officially an Aramco employee.  No longer frictionally unemployed, we suddenly had full health and life insurance coverage, full benefits, and the fulfillment of Mike’s dream since he was a kid in Ras Tanura.  At almost exactly the same time, it was 5:00 pm on Friday, December 30^th, meaning that my position at UNCC was officially over.  It was a poignant moment, as it was the end of one chapter in our lives and the beginning of something radically new.  In that moment, I took Aladdin’s hand and we got on our flying carpet and were whisked away.

Except that the carpet sat and sat on the tarmac in Knoxville!  Hah!  So much for the momentum of the moment!  It sat for WAY too long because of delays from Atlanta, and we were just over an hour late getting there.  This meant that our 1.5 hour connection in Atlanta suddenly turned into a 25 minute connection.  Mike and I devised a plan on the way – I take my frame pack, the diaper bag, and both kids to the next gate, and he would meet me there with all the stuff.  Everett did a great job of running through the airport!  He had on his teddy bear backpack with a harness, and we dashed around everyone right up to the gate JUST before they were closing the door.  I stalled them just long enough (“You have 60 seconds for your husband to get here, ma’am, and then the door will be closed.”) to have Mike arrive with all the bags about 5 minutes later, and they let us on and closed the door behind us.  Phew!  Missing that flight would have meant an overnight stay in Amsterdam because there is only one flight to Dammam from Amsterdam per day.

Knoxville to Atlanta

Knoxville to Atlanta - just starting out!

View from the flying carpet, roughly over Washington DC

He's all business in Business Class

After that, we were golden.  The boys watched Mary Poppins on our computer for the Amsterdam layover, and they either slept or watched their seat TVs the rest of the ride.  We arrived about 9 pm local time in Saudi, and got through passport control, customs, and initial Aramco processing in about 2.5 hours.  We arrived at our new house on the compound just before midnight, which was right on schedule.

Reading a book in Amsterdam.  Note the mountain of carry-on bags and car seats behind Mike - yes, both those seats and everything under them, down to the floor, is ours, plus the backpack to Mike's right. 

Almost there! Over Baghdad. 

HOWEVER, the key to the house that they gave us at the Aramco processing area at the airport did not work!  We were locked out.  We welcomed the new year by standing at our new front door, looking vainly through the windows, trying to think of ways to break in.  Thank goodness for Saudi weather -  it was not cold, and it was not raining.   After about an hour and a half, someone from Lockout finally came and opened the door for us.  Hooray!  We got our bags inside and all fell into bed.  Welcome to Saudi Arabia!

Packing Again and Farewell USA

Not very much rest for the weary!  The day after Christmas we were back at it again, running last errands and tying up loose ends before the big day.  The rest of the week was spent trying to figure out how to stuff all of our remaining clothes, stuff, and Christmas gifts into 6 70-pound checked bags and 8 carry-ons.  Too bad the baby doesn’t count, or we would have had more bags to work with!  She should count – her stuff is in a lot of the bags!   Even if she is a prenatal human being, that’s no excuse – she should learn to pack light!  No time like the present to start figuring that out.  

But – A Real Live Christmas Miracle!  We DID get it all in – every last item (we think).  (We hope!)  At the airport, we had 6 bags that each weighed within half a pound of the limit.  (!)  And the check in desk staff was very impressed!  We also had two large animal crates for Khaki and Graycie, 8 carry-on bags plus the three car seats and stroller.  It took us a really long time to check in!  But it all made it, even the last pack of diapers and wipes that I had hoped we could find a spot for at the last.  Hooray!  Daddy said that they should get a U-Haul Plane to tow behind the actual plane, because we were bringing so much stuff.  Yes, that’s about right, I guess.  So our last minutes in Knoxville were not too frantic, but it was because we had so much willing help.  Thanks, family! 

Christmas

We allowed ourselves to collapse at my parents’ house for the last 2 days before Christmas.  It was nice to not be packing and lifting, but it was still hard not to be stressed by the enormity of what we’ve just been through and what’s coming up.  We tried hard to be Christmassy for the boys, and (Christmas miracle!)  Santa Claus actually came through!  I think the boys had a great time.  They looked so cute in their Christmas coats and hats at church, and we were really lucky that my brother and new wife were there to share it with us all.  Yay for a real family Christmas!

Goodbye Charlotte

We have such wonderful friends.  We would not have made it through all the packing and moving without the help of our dear friends!  Some brought us food when our refrigerator stood cleaned out and empty, and others let us spend the night in their houses even though we came complete with nausea and vomiting bug!  That’s when you know someone is your true friend – when they will let you sleep in their guest bed even though you come bearing scary germs!  Thank you all, dear friends!  

By sheer force of will, we got our house totally empty and we are ready to leave.  We have all been so happy here that it is terribly sad to leave.  Goodbye, Charlotte!  We have loved your people, your  preschool, your doctors and pediatricians, your teachers, your friends, your Harris Teeter (or should I sing ‘My Harris Teeter’?), your tree-lined avenues, your boutique children’s stores, your abundance of Targets, your Morris Jenkins commercials, and your weather.  We will miss feeling like home and knowing the way around, which Santa Claus to go see every year, who has the best Christmas lights and Halloween candy,  where to go to pick strawberries, where the best breakfast restaurant is, that the new Lilly Pulitzer store is coming to South Park Mall (I REALLY should not have gone to the mall that one last time – if I had not known it was coming, it would not be so hard to leave!), and your weather man with the deep voice that we always poke fun of on TV.  I will think of the jonquils I planted when it’s February, the cherry and pear blossoms in April, and the crepe myrtles and our lush zoysia grass in June.  Charlotte was truly a home for us for eight years.  I can’t believe I stood in my empty house and said goodbye today.  What adventures lie ahead, I cannot say, but I do know that our adventure in Charlotte was a good one.

Packing Days and Moving Day

Holy Cow, what a whirlwind!  We just endured two days of packing and one full day of moving.  Endured is definitely the right word here.  It was very hard, and I hope I never have to do that again!  And did I mention that we all had a vomiting bug at the time?

On the first packing day, the packers came about 9 am and overwhelmed us with *eight* people.  Aramco sent specific instructions that Mike and I were supposed to supervise each person as they packed our personal effects, because there are so many restricted items that we are not allowed to bring.  (That is, we were supposed to make sure that they didn’t pack any alcohol or fireworks or bibles or bikini swimsuits.)  We had thought that we had already sorted all of our restricted items out, but as they packed, we discovered items we had overlooked.  And eight people!  All in different rooms!  It was physically impossible to do.  And these movers had never moved anyone overseas, much less to such a restrictive place.  Most of the people they move just pack their entire households and put it on the truck, and 5 days later it arrives at their new home in Albuquerque.  All day, all we did was run around the house saying “No, don’t pack that!” or “You have to take everything out of this box because we are not allowed to bring food in.”, etc., etc.  Out of desperation, we just threw everything that we confiscated from them into a big pile in the living room.  So much for being organized!

Can you tell there are 4 separate piles of items in this room?  Each pile is a different destination or shipping method.

Everett's Room

The second day was slower, with only three people, and the third day was amazing.  They brought more people, and they loaded nearly all our worldly possessions into a “curtain truck” (a big semi with curtains for sides) that had giant wooden boxes in it called Lift Vans.

The curtain truck rolls up to the house

The Curtain Truck and the moving van

Somebody forgot to spell check.  Yes, this was on EVERY box.

Lift Vans in the curtain truck

I can barely look at the For Sale sign in our yard.

We filled a dozen lift vans by the time it was all over.  When it was time to leave, the moving coordinator let Everett and Lawrence climb into the cab and honk the horn – very exciting! 

Honking the horn!

Bye bye stuff.

There it goes.

As the truck finally pulled away, Mike and I stood there in the road and said goodbye to all our stuff – sniff - until June.  I wish I could follow the journey of our things…what will break?  How does a lawn mower fare at sea?  Are the mattresses too squashed by the piano?  Will the vegetable oil from the deep fryer (which I accidentally forgot to pour out – oops!) spill out of the box and lift van and into the ocean, for our own little Benchich Oil Spill?  And I hope we made all the right decisions about what was to go into the shipment!  Time will tell.  But I can do without it all for a while, as long as I know it’s coming.  But the worst part of all of it was turning around to face our empty house.  It was very sad. 

Empty House.

One-Last-Playdate

Oh, how we will miss all of Everett and Lawrence’s friends!  To make sure we got to see everyone (and their moms and dads) one last time before we leave, we invited everyone to a Playdate Party at our preschool playground.  (Everett’s preschool teacher calls it the “magic playground” because all children love it so much!)  We ordered pizza for everyone, and we had a cake made in the shape of a suitcase.  It had Charlotte and Saudi Arabia as stickers on the suitcase, and near the handle, Everett’s and Lawrence’s names were written on the luggage tag. 

It was a cold and cloudy day, but everyone seemed to have a good time!  I was so glad to see everyone and very grateful that so many people came out to send us off. 

The End of an Era

Well, I'm sitting here in class, proctoring my last exam...ever.  Maybe.  I am trying to do a good job of looking alert, but honestly, it's hard to stand and seem alert as I stare at the tops of people's heads while they bend down over their tests for 2 1/2 solid hours.  So I sit at the podium and type, and glance menacingly over the top of the screen every few seconds.  Surely that's enough to keep them from cheating...right?

This is my last exam because I have quit my job to move with my husband and family overseas to Saudi Arabia.  We leave in 15 days, the movers come in 4 days to pack up our house, and Christmas is only 10 days away!  Right now, our house looks like a snowglobe that got shaken up.  Will it all come together?  Checked bags, E-box (arrives in 4-6 weeks), surface shipement (arrives in 4-6 months) all have to be planned and packed with all the things two little boys and an infant baby girl would want.  Somehow all our stuff will get there (but maybe not in the right order!).

It's the end of an era.  We came to Charlotte as recent graduates from graduate school, newly engaged, with not much more than a few potted plants, a cat, and a cardboard box to put our (small) TV on.  We didn't even have any lamps and the house had no ceiling lights, so when the neighbors came over one evening to welcome us, we stood and talked in the living room in the dark!  Eight years later, we've got two and a half kids, a cat and a dog, a house full of furniture, full-blown careers, beloved doctors and teachers, and a whole host of dear friends and neighbors, all of whom we ache to leave.  Charlotte has not just been a place to live, it's been our home.  Ending this era is hard to do, but we are setting out on a new course that promises to be full of adventure.  I think we'll look back on this in 50 years and be glad that we tried something new and different.

I'll post these last exam grades, and then my only job is Wife and Mommy!  That part does feel good.  I hope I can come back to work one day, but with three teeny-weeny babes (well, one "big boy", one "little brother", and one "baby sister"), I think I'll enjoy the break.  Off now to pack!  And I've asked Santa not to bring anything that won't fit into a suitcase that measures 62 linear inches on all sides combined!