I just got back from the post office in part one of our move back to the states. I figure that I should keep a record of how this all works so I can remember, and others can learn from our misery.
We have to have some things in Tulsa when we arrive for our work and activities to continue. We also have a few Xmas presents and warm clothes that are just too heavy to include in the suitcases. So we just finished shipping the first big batch through the Israel Post Office using their EMS fast and cheap service. The cost is NIS 14.50 a kilo up to 20kg. That’s about $3 per kilo. We couldn’t have anything over 20kg, and when I weighed a box at 18kg, I understood why. That’s about 40 pounds, give or take.
If you mail a certain amount of boxes, you are entitled to a discount. Brent checked previously and couldn’t get any answer on how many boxes entitled you to the discount, but the clerk at the post office, who I’ve been working with for the past four years, told me that anything over one box, for me, would get a discount. The total for the 12 boxes came to NIS 3000 (about $666) and she told me that included a NIS660 savings ($150). Still, it’s an ouch.
The price we’ve been given by movers and shippers who specialize in overseas shipments is about $1500 USD, so we are WAY past our budget completely.
It’s difficult because we can only get about NIS 2000 (USD$440) out of the cash machines per day with the limits in place, and we’re maxing that every day to get enough for the shipping and to pay the landlord in cash. This makes life here REAL difficult.
So we hauled the 12 boxes to the post office in the rental car and carried them into the post office, filled out miles of forms and started lifting them onto the scales. Brent left me there to finish up and headed to the vet where he dropped off another stool sample from Kohav. We’re still battling her little intestinal parasites, though I think we might have finally knocked them down. We’ll hear in a day or two what the results are, but it is still funny to think about fitting in time to drop off some shit during the busy morning, and really mean it.
Brent then dropped the car off at the rental agency and stopped and got more bubble wrap on his way home. I went to the photo copy place on my way back from the post office and got copies of both of our passports and all stamps and visas. The movers need these for clearing customs to check to see if we have any customs fees or permits. Since we arrived as tourists with 8 suitcases, we never went through customs upon arrival.
Well, off for a quick bite of lunch and now we’re tackling the kitchen and packing it up. We’ve pretty much done the living room and bedroom. The rest is fairly simple. I’ll dismantal the computer stuff on Wednesday.
Lots to do.
Tel Aviv, Israel