Still no resolution as of yet to the strike by the Foreign Ministry = no Aliyah travel visas. A lot of prospective Olim are in the same situation: stuck in between their "old" life in the USA/Canada/UK and their scheduled life in Israel. Many had sold or rented out their homes and now must wait indefinitely to travel. Some had jobs/housing/ulpan already arranged. Some have their shipping containers arriving in Haifa or Ashdod.....but they are not even in the country to receive them.
I have decided to take a leap of faith and send my belongings anyway. The trip takes 6-7 weeks from my side of the world. I am hoping that the strike will have ended by the time my shipment arrives and that I will be there to greet it.
I have found that shipping prices are, well, pricey, and that the quotes are all over the spectrum! A friend of mine had sent a 20 foot container (also known as a "lift") to Mainland China when she was working there for 2 years. She told me that the quote was around $3500. Her husband negotiated it down to $2500.
I called said company. My quote was $3650. I guess my negotiating skills are abysmal, because it never moved south of the original quote. A few years in Israel and I'm sure I will have that skill honed to perfection!
So the shipping agent and I were discussing drop off dates for the container. I told him I would call him the next day with my credit card info.
"Um......we don't take credit cards".
"WHAT!??!?!?!?!? How in the world is one supposed to finance this? It's a huge expense, and you DON'T take credit cards!!??!?! (I said kindly, but in exasperation!)
"We take cashier's checks. Or postal money orders. Or you could borrow the money from a family member or a friend!"
Silence on my end.
"Are you there?"
"Yes. I guess there's no sense then in asking you my next question!"
"Go ahead".
"I was going to ask you if you took those convenience checks from the credit card company so that I could get 0% interest on the transaction for 12 months and......."
"OH!! But we DO accept those checks!!!"
(What?!?!?)
I know as a business owner that accepting credit cards costs you money. BUT when your volume of business doubles or triples with that feature, it's well worth it. Maybe there is a method to their madness----as their quote was 50% less than the other shippers who took the cards. At least they will take my credit card check, and I hope to whittle down the $3650 expenditure at 0% in the coming year. My goal is to have it paid off before the interest kicks in.
So! The container arrives on Wednesday. It's a "live" load, which means it must be packed in 2 hours. It's an 8x8x20. I will have everything out of the house and "staged" in the garage in that basic configuration so that we can just load it as quickly as possible. I am going from about 1800 square feet here to 500 sq. feet in Israel!! AGH!! Everyday I find more to donate or give to family.
Oh and the inevitable question: Why take anything? Why not just buy it new/used there?
I like older wood furniture. I have spent years buying pieces that I love from various sources, usually 2nd hand. It's quality furniture, albeit mismatched. I don't want to hassle with finding something I like in the Galilee and having to figure out (and pay!) for the expense of getting it to where I will be living. If I'm going to pay through the nose to start my life in Israel, I would rather do it all at one time than by piece meal. AND I think I will find comfort in being surrounded by what I love and by what is familiar to me. It's not just furniture, it's memories. I can "see" my kids at the dining room table....the guests on the couch laughing and sharing good times. I know that those memories will comfort me when I am having a tough day as an Israeli.
I don't have a ton of furniture, just the basics for a party of one. But as a wanna be artist, I have many supplies that need to come with me. It's been sorted and reduced a few times over. Here's hoping that I got it right. More about the adventure next week!
Ali
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