The Shipment has finally landed!

It seems a long time since June 26, 2013 when the packers from Crown Storage came and packed up the household items that Paul and I chose to ship to Addis Ababa. It's a tricky job trying to decide what to send. It's an impossible feat to attempt to re-create another home by shipping everything.  The goal is to ship those things that remind you of home and help create the feeling of home despite the 7000 mile degree of separation.  Pictures are key, but we needed to make some hard choices.  Gail can attest to how many pictures I have stored at her house. I wanted to bring the entire pictorial history of the Girl's ringette careers, but that would likely have blown our shipping budget.  When you consider how many pictures one takes of major events in life, narrowing down the choices was difficult, but not impossible.  We then sent items that would be difficult or expensive to get here: anti-gravity lawn chairs for those leisurely Saturday mornings on our patio,a  patio set, carpets for our living and dining rooms, our mattress, duvet covers, pillows, towels, and even our favorite games (Balderdash, Scattegories, Ticket to Ride, Uno).  It's difficult to describe the emotion of actually seeing these commonplace things scattered around our new "home".   It's an absolutely amazing and emotional experience.
The shipment left Canada July 6th via Ethiopian Airlines Flight 503 and arrived in Addis Ababa July 7, 2013.  The airport is a mere 3 kms from our home, but it would take  47 days before the shipment would find its way to our address.  Why you ask?  Well as I expounded in an earlier blog, TIA (This Is Africa).  I thought I had grasped the significance of TIA, but I was dumbfounded by the more than 12 letters back and forth from Paul, the Canadian Embassy, and Ethiopian customs, the number of calls back and forth between Paul, the shippers. the Embassy and Customs, and the numerous promises and subsequent disappointments that was our lot for 47 long days.  The absurdity behind some of the requests by Customs just boggled the mind.  Customs had a copy of the packing slip and over the 47 long days they nitpicked over virtually every item.  I was extremely grateful that they had Crown's more generic listing rather than the mind numbing itemization that I had typed up for our records. Just think how much longer Customs could have prolonged this ordeal.  Customs needed a letter to confirm that the dog food we had shipped was not for commercial use.  Seriously, how much was to be gained ($$) with one (1) bag of dog food despite the fact that it was a Costco size bag? Or they appeared quite concerned with our bathroom supplies?  Shampoo, body wash, toothpaste and soap? What's up with that.  Our shipment (dog food and all) qualified under the provisions of duty free status.  What after all did it matter to Customs since there was nothing to be gained by scrutinizing the shipment?  What didn't  they get about "duty free approved"??  Well it took them 47 days to "get it" and for that we are extremely grateful.  I had visions of just changing the address label on the shipment for our return flight home.  So all things being equal, its presence here gives Paul and me much joy and a feeling that home isn't that far away.  Home is what you make of it.

You'd be worse for wear IF you had to hang out at the Airport for 47 days.

Foyer Treat for Visitors

Comforts of home.

Dining just got a whole lot more crowded. Addis welcomes our kids!