Well, if you're looking to rent an apartment in Sao Paulo, in a gated community near the Graded School, let me know. I may have the right place for you!
UPDATE: I removed the link because my apartment was rented.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Third Culture Kids
As I've mentioned before, there is a term to describe kids like mine, expats. They are called Third Culture Kids, or TCK's. I just came across a very interesting page today.http://wanjennifer.tripod.com/
If you are an expat or thinking about becoming one you should read about TCK's. It will help you better understand what your child is going thru or will go thru.
I also recommend:
www.tckis.com
www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c21995.htm
Enjoy your reading.
If you are an expat or thinking about becoming one you should read about TCK's. It will help you better understand what your child is going thru or will go thru.
I also recommend:
www.tckis.com
www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c21995.htm
Enjoy your reading.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Moving Insurance
You will have to get insurance for your move whether you want it or not. It is part of the moving contract and I don't know of any moving company who will ship your belongings overseas without the proper insurance. The insurance is ridiculously expensive, but trust me, you want it because you will need it.
You will probably be offered a basic insurance, that will cover damages and then you will be offered 3 different upgrades:
1) Insurance for your sets;
2) Insurance for mold;
3) Insurance for electronics malfunctioning;
I did not get the third upgrade. I figured I am moving back to the US and I can take a chance on my tv's and computers. And luckily everything is still working fine.
Insurance for mold damage is an absolute must. You don't know how long your container will be at sea and even if you use a dehumidifier, if your things stay in the container long enough they will smell. All of my clothes, pillows, cushions and mattresses smelled like mold. Some were ok after being washed and in the sun for a while but the pillows and cushions are a lost cause. And if you or someone on your family have asthma, this can be dangerous.
The set insurance, as I am learning, is a complete rip off. The moving company told me that if a piece of the insured set was damaged the insurance company would pay for the whole set to be replaced. This is not true, as I am finding out. The insurance company will pay the value of the pieces to replace the set. Well, isn't it the same as just the regular insurance? So why do we have to pay extra for this?
I had lots of damages during this trip. And this time I decided, for the first time to file a claim. And it hasn't been easy. It seems like the insurance company wants you to just give up. But I am committed this time. I won't give up! The crystal glasses that belong to my Great Grandmother were broken. Some gifts from my grandfather and from my mother-in-law were broken too. The movers took my refrigerator apart in 10 pieces and, of course, it is broken now. Just to name a few...
So to make things easier you will need to do this:
1) Make a list of ALL your belongings. Go room by room and list every item. Ask the moving company for the appropriate sheet in advance so you can have enough time to get this done;
2) List all those items in the insurance list and make sure the values you put in are accurate;
3) Take pictures of the family heirlooms and other expensive or irreplaceable items;
4) Tell the moving company to pack and unpack every single box. Watch closely when the movers are unpacking crystals, china and other valuables. Make sure to put on the delivery report all the damages you find;
5) Have someone from the relocation company help you on the day of the move to make sure everything goes smooth and that you can communicate with the movers;
6) Submit the claim as quickly as you can providing all the documentation along with it to expedite the process.
After submitting the claim, you will have to go on-line and find similar items to the ones that got damaged or broken and send a link to the insurance company. If any of the items is valued over 200 dollars the underwriters are going to make your life tough and ask for other documents. Then, you will be contacted by an adjuster who will set up an appointment for a person to come access the damge. He will see what can be fixed and what can't. After all this, they will start taking their time. They have 90 days per contract to act on your claim, but they will try to let you forget about it. Don't. Keep sending them e-mails to make sure your claim is being processed. After all this they will try to settle the claim and submit you an offer. I haven't gotten there yet. But good luck with your claim.
And I would avoid using Willis as your insurer if I were you. Other companies will process your claim faster, approve the repairs immediately and will not nickel and dime you.
You will probably be offered a basic insurance, that will cover damages and then you will be offered 3 different upgrades:
1) Insurance for your sets;
2) Insurance for mold;
3) Insurance for electronics malfunctioning;
I did not get the third upgrade. I figured I am moving back to the US and I can take a chance on my tv's and computers. And luckily everything is still working fine.
Insurance for mold damage is an absolute must. You don't know how long your container will be at sea and even if you use a dehumidifier, if your things stay in the container long enough they will smell. All of my clothes, pillows, cushions and mattresses smelled like mold. Some were ok after being washed and in the sun for a while but the pillows and cushions are a lost cause. And if you or someone on your family have asthma, this can be dangerous.
The set insurance, as I am learning, is a complete rip off. The moving company told me that if a piece of the insured set was damaged the insurance company would pay for the whole set to be replaced. This is not true, as I am finding out. The insurance company will pay the value of the pieces to replace the set. Well, isn't it the same as just the regular insurance? So why do we have to pay extra for this?
I had lots of damages during this trip. And this time I decided, for the first time to file a claim. And it hasn't been easy. It seems like the insurance company wants you to just give up. But I am committed this time. I won't give up! The crystal glasses that belong to my Great Grandmother were broken. Some gifts from my grandfather and from my mother-in-law were broken too. The movers took my refrigerator apart in 10 pieces and, of course, it is broken now. Just to name a few...
So to make things easier you will need to do this:
1) Make a list of ALL your belongings. Go room by room and list every item. Ask the moving company for the appropriate sheet in advance so you can have enough time to get this done;
2) List all those items in the insurance list and make sure the values you put in are accurate;
3) Take pictures of the family heirlooms and other expensive or irreplaceable items;
4) Tell the moving company to pack and unpack every single box. Watch closely when the movers are unpacking crystals, china and other valuables. Make sure to put on the delivery report all the damages you find;
5) Have someone from the relocation company help you on the day of the move to make sure everything goes smooth and that you can communicate with the movers;
6) Submit the claim as quickly as you can providing all the documentation along with it to expedite the process.
After submitting the claim, you will have to go on-line and find similar items to the ones that got damaged or broken and send a link to the insurance company. If any of the items is valued over 200 dollars the underwriters are going to make your life tough and ask for other documents. Then, you will be contacted by an adjuster who will set up an appointment for a person to come access the damge. He will see what can be fixed and what can't. After all this, they will start taking their time. They have 90 days per contract to act on your claim, but they will try to let you forget about it. Don't. Keep sending them e-mails to make sure your claim is being processed. After all this they will try to settle the claim and submit you an offer. I haven't gotten there yet. But good luck with your claim.
And I would avoid using Willis as your insurer if I were you. Other companies will process your claim faster, approve the repairs immediately and will not nickel and dime you.
Monday, May 9, 2011
So, what's next??
I haven't posted in a while. I had family over at our new home and I went to Mexico for a week. And no offense to Mexicans, but boy, so far I am glad I did not move there. I think I would spend most of my time extremely frustrated. I had my frustrations in Brazil and in the U.S. too, but nothing seems to work when I'm in Mexico. I can't communicate and then, of course, nothing gets done. I feel incapable of getting thing I take for granted done. And now it's about time for us to make a decision about where we want to live and we really don't know what to do. We always ask ourselves the same question over and over: What will be the best for our family?
So far the super commute is working fine. But we still haven't been thru a hurricane season with all the flights delays and cancellations.
In Brazil I was frustrated and would complain a lot about how to get things done for the entire first year of the relocation. The same happens every time I visit Mexico. And it upsets my husband. And when I'm in Florida I'm happy. For whatever reason I deal with the frustrations better over here. My husband loves to come home and find all of us happy. Even if for this he has to fly for 3 yours each way. if we're happy, he's happy. If i start complaining about everything all the time it will created problems in our marriage.
And changing schools again... Sending the kids to a school that I believe to be not up to my standards is taking my sleep away. But if we're going to do it, I need to submit the application now. Finding new doctors, dentists... And I wasn't impressed with the hospital either. In a way Sao Paulo kind of spoiled me.
Having the kids learn a new language, make new friends and put up with a lot of stress related to a move again. Is it fair with them? They are happy here. They are over the grief of leaving friends behind. They are making new friends and they love the after school activities they're enrolled in. Most of all they love to be understood whenever they speak. They are thrilled with one thing we take for granted - they can communicate with everyone.
And there's the loneliness. It is not easy to find people with the same likes and interests and make friends. Plus, if i am sick, who will take care of the kids? If my husband gets sick who will take care of him?
Yes, we would all be together, I would have help to take care of the house, a driver, etc. But that's it. And I don't need the help to be happy. So I wonder: What is more important, to be together and unhappy or to put up with all the traveling and spend the time with have together happy?
And my husband loves Florida. We go to the beach every weekend, we enjoy our pool even during winter - most houses here have pools -, the school is good, the kids are making friends, we've been having lots of friends and family over. We've been spending a lot of quality time together here. And doing lots of outdoor activities too.
Some people are lucky and have adventurous relatives and friends who will travel abroad to visit them, but this is not our case. We had no guests in Brazil. But in Florida... We feel like we're running a B&B and we will soon have to start taking reservations from them not to overbook our house. And they are very open about the fact that they will come here but they won't go to Mexico City to visit us. And after all the time living abroad it's been great for the kids to reconnect with the family.
And almost a year has gone by. We have two more years to go. And then what? A new country? Maybe... Decisions... Decisions.... We need to think a lot now not to regret our decision later. I wish I had a crystal ball to predict our future.
So far the super commute is working fine. But we still haven't been thru a hurricane season with all the flights delays and cancellations.
In Brazil I was frustrated and would complain a lot about how to get things done for the entire first year of the relocation. The same happens every time I visit Mexico. And it upsets my husband. And when I'm in Florida I'm happy. For whatever reason I deal with the frustrations better over here. My husband loves to come home and find all of us happy. Even if for this he has to fly for 3 yours each way. if we're happy, he's happy. If i start complaining about everything all the time it will created problems in our marriage.
And changing schools again... Sending the kids to a school that I believe to be not up to my standards is taking my sleep away. But if we're going to do it, I need to submit the application now. Finding new doctors, dentists... And I wasn't impressed with the hospital either. In a way Sao Paulo kind of spoiled me.
Having the kids learn a new language, make new friends and put up with a lot of stress related to a move again. Is it fair with them? They are happy here. They are over the grief of leaving friends behind. They are making new friends and they love the after school activities they're enrolled in. Most of all they love to be understood whenever they speak. They are thrilled with one thing we take for granted - they can communicate with everyone.
And there's the loneliness. It is not easy to find people with the same likes and interests and make friends. Plus, if i am sick, who will take care of the kids? If my husband gets sick who will take care of him?
Yes, we would all be together, I would have help to take care of the house, a driver, etc. But that's it. And I don't need the help to be happy. So I wonder: What is more important, to be together and unhappy or to put up with all the traveling and spend the time with have together happy?
And my husband loves Florida. We go to the beach every weekend, we enjoy our pool even during winter - most houses here have pools -, the school is good, the kids are making friends, we've been having lots of friends and family over. We've been spending a lot of quality time together here. And doing lots of outdoor activities too.
Some people are lucky and have adventurous relatives and friends who will travel abroad to visit them, but this is not our case. We had no guests in Brazil. But in Florida... We feel like we're running a B&B and we will soon have to start taking reservations from them not to overbook our house. And they are very open about the fact that they will come here but they won't go to Mexico City to visit us. And after all the time living abroad it's been great for the kids to reconnect with the family.
And almost a year has gone by. We have two more years to go. And then what? A new country? Maybe... Decisions... Decisions.... We need to think a lot now not to regret our decision later. I wish I had a crystal ball to predict our future.
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