On the move (again)
Big news: we are moving to Paris in the autumn!
S had to fight hard to move this year; each international posting is usually three years but we've only been in Yemen for two. It's not that we don't like Yemen (I found it easier than Angola) - S wants to start a new job (he feels he won't achieve much more in his current role if he stays on another year) and I'm ready to live in a big city again especially after a lonely five years of working from home.
We've just come back from a pre-assignment visit to Paris. In one week, we managed to: find an apartment (which involved a LOT of walking and scouting the area we're going to live in), open a bank account, submit documents for work permit/visa, talk to a tax consultant and meet up with a couple of friends. On top of that, I tried to take as little leave as possible and worked in the hotel room every spare second I had.
It doesn't sound tiring, but I AM KNACKERED... and possibly coming down with a cold now that we're back in Sana'a.
So many decisions to make... what kind of apartment to get, where, furnished or not, low or high budget, parking or no parking, one or two bedrooms, whether to bring our own furniture from the UK or buy new, car or cash (or scooter, which doesn't require a driving licence and parking is free), how to get to work (and plan B in case of a metro strike, which seems to happen quite often!), which driver's licence to convert, whether to get a French work permit or transfer the UK one, etc. We were CONSTANTLY discussing the pros and cons of each little thing, from morning to night and through the weekend. Didn't even have time for sightseeing/shopping over the weekend!
We're happy with the apartment we found. A two-bedroom (a must because one will be my office/guest room) on the fifth floor with nice views along a quiet street. There is a small grocers on the same road (good for emergencies) and a pharmacy across the street. The area is very green and President Sarkozy used to be the mayor. The only downside: it's a 15-minute *brisk* walk to the nearest metro station... S wasn't happy about his options for going to work (a 20-min bus ride "with lots of stops"; 20-min walk + 3 stops on the metro; or cycling/scooter/car to work) but he came around in the end. :o) Our "recon" work included timing ourselves to the metro/bus stop/supermarket/town centre/etc., checking out nearby bus stops for routes and schedules, and even a trial run on the bus from S' office!
I can't imagine what else we'd have done if we had kids: school, hospital, creche, etc.
Now that we're back in Sanaa, there are a million things to do. Number one: decide what to sell/give away/bring... we're only allowed a measly 450kg whereas we came with 1,000kg+!!
S had to fight hard to move this year; each international posting is usually three years but we've only been in Yemen for two. It's not that we don't like Yemen (I found it easier than Angola) - S wants to start a new job (he feels he won't achieve much more in his current role if he stays on another year) and I'm ready to live in a big city again especially after a lonely five years of working from home.
We've just come back from a pre-assignment visit to Paris. In one week, we managed to: find an apartment (which involved a LOT of walking and scouting the area we're going to live in), open a bank account, submit documents for work permit/visa, talk to a tax consultant and meet up with a couple of friends. On top of that, I tried to take as little leave as possible and worked in the hotel room every spare second I had.
It doesn't sound tiring, but I AM KNACKERED... and possibly coming down with a cold now that we're back in Sana'a.
So many decisions to make... what kind of apartment to get, where, furnished or not, low or high budget, parking or no parking, one or two bedrooms, whether to bring our own furniture from the UK or buy new, car or cash (or scooter, which doesn't require a driving licence and parking is free), how to get to work (and plan B in case of a metro strike, which seems to happen quite often!), which driver's licence to convert, whether to get a French work permit or transfer the UK one, etc. We were CONSTANTLY discussing the pros and cons of each little thing, from morning to night and through the weekend. Didn't even have time for sightseeing/shopping over the weekend!
We're happy with the apartment we found. A two-bedroom (a must because one will be my office/guest room) on the fifth floor with nice views along a quiet street. There is a small grocers on the same road (good for emergencies) and a pharmacy across the street. The area is very green and President Sarkozy used to be the mayor. The only downside: it's a 15-minute *brisk* walk to the nearest metro station... S wasn't happy about his options for going to work (a 20-min bus ride "with lots of stops"; 20-min walk + 3 stops on the metro; or cycling/scooter/car to work) but he came around in the end. :o) Our "recon" work included timing ourselves to the metro/bus stop/supermarket/town centre/etc., checking out nearby bus stops for routes and schedules, and even a trial run on the bus from S' office!
I can't imagine what else we'd have done if we had kids: school, hospital, creche, etc.
Now that we're back in Sanaa, there are a million things to do. Number one: decide what to sell/give away/bring... we're only allowed a measly 450kg whereas we came with 1,000kg+!!
Comments
Gosh, can't believe you guys timed your routes already ..