I really felt the need to write today. There are times for me when it feels very cleansing. It just plain feels good to do a brain dump into words.
Our container of stuff arrived from the desert and was delivered on Saturday. It took a full two months for it to reach us. When we moved to the Middle East we went with 11 suitcases, 4 backpacks, 1 laptop bag/briefcase, and two munchkins. When we came back, we came with 16 suitcases (we made two plane trips), 4 backpacks, 2 laptop bags, a dog and a cat, and a 2/3rds full 40foot container. What a difference almost 6 years can make!
This move was one of the easiest we have made in terms of moving 'the stuff'. The company that packed us up was GAC. They were totally awesome amazing. We had a wonderful experience with them. The company on this side, sorry, I can't remember their name, was equally awesome. They not only unloaded the container, but they unpacked the boxes as well. Never have I had help unpacking the boxes. It is still going to take a while to sort all the stuff and organize things, but for the most part, we are moved in.
As I sit here on my sofa enjoying a cozy fire in the fireplace on a chilly rainy day, I am able to sit here for a minute and enjoy looking at all our stuff. To most people in this country, our home probably appears very exotic. All of our furniture and the vast majority of the stuff we bought overseas. And, many of the things here in the house have a story to tell.
The beautiful inlaid wood picture of a dancing lady in my foyer was a gift from a student whom I helped with math and English. His family had left Iran to find a better life. He was a really sweet kid - bright, hard working. Truly, he was an awesome student. I never got his family's full story, but his mother seemed very happy to be out of their home country. She told me she was scared to continue living there. I hope he and his mom are happy and well.
The wooden crab sculpture (it weighs like 12 pounds) I bought on a whim when my cousin and his wife came over to visit us our first or second year there. We went to this great warehouse/whole sale type place. Really words are hard to come by to describe this shopping place. I always would wear old clothes, and wash my hands afterwards since the place is always so very dark and dusty. It takes hours to see all of it, and it is loaded with totally cool exotic stuff along with a ton of just plain old junk. It was one of my favorite places to buy decorating stuff and to take visitors. I spent almost 2 hours haggling over the price of this crab. Buying it with family I dearly love makes it a cherished possession aside from the fact that I totally love the crazy thing.
The terra cota towers/sculptures on my fireplace mantel came from a roadside market somewhere between the UAE and Oman. I have a number of things made out of this clay stuff including a large turtle that sits on the floor of my foyer. When I was trying to decide which turtle to buy and discussing the price with the shop keeper at this little roadside 3-walled stall kind of place, an grandpa age Emirati man (at least I think he was Emirati by his clothing) came over to see what I was looking at buying. He muttered something in Arabic and then proclaimed over one of the two turtles, "That one crap!" I laughed and laughed. So did the shopkeeper. I told the shopkeeper, "Well, that one crap, so I guess I'll buy the other one." It still makes me laugh thinking about this kindly looking older gentleman using the word 'crap.' And, he was right. The other turtle wasn't as nice as the one I ended up buying.
It may be just a bunch of stuff, but it is our stuff. And I am thankful for the memories it all carries.
Peace.
Our container of stuff arrived from the desert and was delivered on Saturday. It took a full two months for it to reach us. When we moved to the Middle East we went with 11 suitcases, 4 backpacks, 1 laptop bag/briefcase, and two munchkins. When we came back, we came with 16 suitcases (we made two plane trips), 4 backpacks, 2 laptop bags, a dog and a cat, and a 2/3rds full 40foot container. What a difference almost 6 years can make!
This move was one of the easiest we have made in terms of moving 'the stuff'. The company that packed us up was GAC. They were totally awesome amazing. We had a wonderful experience with them. The company on this side, sorry, I can't remember their name, was equally awesome. They not only unloaded the container, but they unpacked the boxes as well. Never have I had help unpacking the boxes. It is still going to take a while to sort all the stuff and organize things, but for the most part, we are moved in.
As I sit here on my sofa enjoying a cozy fire in the fireplace on a chilly rainy day, I am able to sit here for a minute and enjoy looking at all our stuff. To most people in this country, our home probably appears very exotic. All of our furniture and the vast majority of the stuff we bought overseas. And, many of the things here in the house have a story to tell.
The beautiful inlaid wood picture of a dancing lady in my foyer was a gift from a student whom I helped with math and English. His family had left Iran to find a better life. He was a really sweet kid - bright, hard working. Truly, he was an awesome student. I never got his family's full story, but his mother seemed very happy to be out of their home country. She told me she was scared to continue living there. I hope he and his mom are happy and well.
The wooden crab sculpture (it weighs like 12 pounds) I bought on a whim when my cousin and his wife came over to visit us our first or second year there. We went to this great warehouse/whole sale type place. Really words are hard to come by to describe this shopping place. I always would wear old clothes, and wash my hands afterwards since the place is always so very dark and dusty. It takes hours to see all of it, and it is loaded with totally cool exotic stuff along with a ton of just plain old junk. It was one of my favorite places to buy decorating stuff and to take visitors. I spent almost 2 hours haggling over the price of this crab. Buying it with family I dearly love makes it a cherished possession aside from the fact that I totally love the crazy thing.
The terra cota towers/sculptures on my fireplace mantel came from a roadside market somewhere between the UAE and Oman. I have a number of things made out of this clay stuff including a large turtle that sits on the floor of my foyer. When I was trying to decide which turtle to buy and discussing the price with the shop keeper at this little roadside 3-walled stall kind of place, an grandpa age Emirati man (at least I think he was Emirati by his clothing) came over to see what I was looking at buying. He muttered something in Arabic and then proclaimed over one of the two turtles, "That one crap!" I laughed and laughed. So did the shopkeeper. I told the shopkeeper, "Well, that one crap, so I guess I'll buy the other one." It still makes me laugh thinking about this kindly looking older gentleman using the word 'crap.' And, he was right. The other turtle wasn't as nice as the one I ended up buying.
It may be just a bunch of stuff, but it is our stuff. And I am thankful for the memories it all carries.
Peace.
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Be peaceful and respectful.