Job Discussion Forums

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Personally I'd stop at the IKEA on my way from the airport on arrival... I know their inventory so well by now. Cool

Get that shipment on the schedule. As Carlen says... you can made changes and adjustments before the stuff arrives. (be sure to take a catalog back with you)

And Carlen... didn't you mention in a previous post that you could literally follow the appliances home from the Carrefour? That is what I was referring to. (although I had that same experience in Oman, Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait... deliveries are normally the least of one's problems in the Gulf)

VS

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

Zoot · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 408

Nobody would think to ask for a western zone allowance, carlen, because no-one is familiar with the way things usually are when they're new. ADEC's pay structure is pitiful, but their employees have gotten it all very easy in the past.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

bhoove · Joined: 05 Jul 2009 Posts: 30

You guys are awesome. I can't wait to get in country and use some of your advice! I'm not ready to go yet, but the suspense is still killing me.

I found the perfect skirt today. I think I'm going to have dozens of copies of it made Smile

carlen · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 172 Location: UAE

Takahiwai · Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 93 Location: Libya

Hi Bhoove,
Sorry, I have limited Internet access at the moment, and can only get on every 3 or 4 days. Glad to see you have a host of people helping you out with advice. You won�t have a problem if you want to buy a bicycle and cycle around. Many of the CfBT women did so last year. It was only a problem for the first two weeks, with the first woman to do so, and then after the novelty wore off, people stopped trying to knock her off her bicycle!
I would do as others have suggested and have a look at your accommodation first before you make any purchases. It�s a shame that all the outgoing CfBT staff have already sold off their stuff and left, otherwise you could have furnished your flat easily and cheaply. Still, I agree with the others on this thread - you will likely end up buying from Ikea. Gas is easy to get hold of in MZ and many have gas cookers. There�s a nice park at the far end of town, where you are perfectly safe to walk - it even has a tiny rollercoaster!
Many of us go walking in the early morning or after sunset, when it�s cool, and after the first year there have been no problems that I�m aware of. One of my colleagues did 20-30km bike rides every day, and had no hassles. Cycling and walking Western females are a fairly common sight in MZ nowadays - don�t worry!

bhoove · Joined: 05 Jul 2009 Posts: 30

Taka,

Thanks so much! I'm not a regular cycler or runner, but I like having the option.

I just had my wisdom teeth out, and I'm still on the painkillers, so if I sound loopy, it's because I am!

Next question. When I arrive in country, the first thing I'll want to do is call my husband. How should I go about this?

I have skype and google messenger on my computer, so if I get Internet access I can contact him that way. But what about phones?

Should I bring my phone and get a new sim card in country?
Should I get a prepaid phone?

I am thinking about a cell for convenience, but I guess it won't be cost effective to call the US via cell phone.

I would also like to be able to send texts and photos from the phone. In fact, I prefer texts and photo uploads over phone conversations.

So to break it down (apologies for the drug induced state)
1. can I text in UAE
2. can I upload photos from a cell (I like to send them to facebook, or directly to my hubby)
3. is all this outrageously expensive
4. does it make a difference if you get prepaid, or just a new sim and a plan
5. could I prepay on my current cell with a new sim?

wow. I'm confused now. Hopefully this will make sense to someone.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

It looks like Carlen has hit a speed bump and has edited out all her posts. This is very unfortunate for us because she was always very helpful and obviously a highly professional educator who cared deeply about her students and her work.

Wherever she goes to work next will be a fortunate employer.

Consider this a warning to try to be anonymous here if you can do so.

VS
(sorry, but I can't answer these question bhoove...)

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

You can get a sim card (WASEL) and buy prepaid phone cards nearly everywhere - you can text overseas using those (don't know about US phones using US sim card). You will need a passport copy to get the WASEL/sim card from Etisalat. Wasel should be about AED150 and you can get phone cards starting at AED30 (will last about 15 minutes on Fridays - cheapest day of the week)

Yes you can prepay on your current phone with the new sim card.