Monday, March 21, 2011
Just wanted to update everyone on the status/process of getting our residence permits (RP's). We have been here approximately 2 months and are still unofficial residents!!! The company I work for was officially formed effective February 15th but due to the fabulous red tape around these parts, we're still working the system, hoping to become "official" before I have to fly to Singapore on March 26th (officially 2 months and 3 days after my arrival in Dubai!) I was finally able to apply for my RP on Thursday, March 3rd (Chad and Mitchell's come later, as I'm their sponsor). In order to apply for an RP, you surrender your passport to the local officials (which is scary in and of itself!) I was told it takes 8 business days to complete the RP process. GREAT! I should have my RP by March 14th, latest! Yeah! RIGHT!!!
Well, on March 8th I was told by our PRO (don't know what PRO stands for but this is a person under contract with our company to handle visas, permits, etc, in a TIMELY MANNER! He's supposed to have contacts that can cut right through the red tape - and any other color tape they produce) that in order to process my RP the government was asking for my "Credentials". After asking a few questions, I found out that "credentials" were basically a copy of my college diploma and/or college transcripts...which were buried in storage in Houston! GREAT! (Thank you HR for letting me know the requirements - which appear to change weekly!) After asking a few MORE questions and scheming, we figured I could get by with a letter from the local CPChem office's GM stating how wonderful I was and how the company needed my expertise to survive. (Complete BS, but I was desperate!) We were able to get an "unofficial" copy of my transcripts scanned and e-mailed to us by Houston HR to provide along with the "letter" (which was, of course, stamped with the OFFICIAL STAMP from the CPC office here).
FINALLY, on Thursday, March 17th (10 full business days after the process started if you weren't counting), I went for my blood test and chest x-ray to make sure I wasn't bringing any communicable diseases into the country...granted, I've already been here for 2 months spreading germs far and wide! I was told it takes 3 days to get the test results...should have everything back by Monday, March 21, latest...NOT SO! The PRO told us Sunday that it may be Wednesday or Thursday this week. WOAH!!! WAIT A MINUTE!!! My boss has a flight out on Friday the 25th to Singapore and I'm leaving on the 26th...that's cutting it a little too close! The PRO said it would cost more to rush it...we told him to go for it (DUH!) and did our best to be polite about it even though we have been telling him for almost 3 weeks now that this is URGENT! (Double DUH!!!) The PRO had the nerve to come back into the office today (March 21st) looking for our GM wanting his approval to pay the extra for expediting the process. REALLY?!?!? Now we were doing our best not to PUMMEL THE MORON!
As soon as the RP's come through, I need to e-mail a copy of the RP to HR to process our car loan (yes, we STILL have ONE rental car that Chad & I are sharing...can't buy a car or get a license or insurance w/o an RP!!!) I also have to go get my driver's license...which I'm told only takes an hour or so and about 500 dirams ($135)....I'll believe it when I have my license in hand! Then I need to go buy our cars. I'm hopeful and doubtful at the same time that I'll be able to purchase our cars and get insurance policies before I leave for Singapore. The good news is that I've heard that car insurance works differently over here. You insure your car and not the driver! Yep! Crazy but true! Good news is that Chad should be able to drive the cars even before he has his RP!
I'm told Chad & Mitchell's RP's should only take 3 days after I have my RP (yeah! Right!) Chad also has to get a blood test and chest x-ray. Thank the LORD Mitchell doesn't have to give blood because you would probably hear his screams all the way in Houston! The boy is terrified of needles!
I'm just hoping it's all finalized by this time next week!
Board of Director's Meeting
On another note, the first Gulf Polymers Distribution Company board of directors meeting was today. I wasn't actually invited to the BOD meeting but, after the meeting, the board invited us to join them for dinner. I was going to be eating with people who I had seen in elevators heading to the top floor of the Woodlands HQ building but didn't typically mingle with in the normal course of business. In addition to the US board, there were 5 Saudi nationals from the board at dinner.
We met at a sushi restaurant called Zuma in the Dubai Financial District. I rode with my boss and, after only one wrong turn and stopping to ask two different people for directions, we made it to the restaurant on-time. There were 13 people in our party and they seated us in a private room at a huge rustic wooden table that appeared to be crafted from a single piece of wood. I was, of course, the only woman at the table. (I'm starting to get used to being the minority at business functions.) I never saw a menu at the restaurant. The head of the board of directors, a very nice Saudi national, ordered for everyone and the food just kept coming!
The first course was seaweed salad with peanut dressing, green salad and edamame (both salted and spicy - I had never seen edamame seasoned with red pepper sauce and it was GOOD! I hope to see it again! :-) Then came more appetizers...calamari, thinly sliced sea bass (raw, of course), grilled vegetables and some rare beef sushi. Next, came towers of sushi...spicy tuna rolls, tuna sashimi, sea bass sashimi, and a variety of other types of sushi. Then, you guessed it, more sushi, soft shelled crab and some amazingly tender cooked beef. I forgot to mention that throughout the entire dinner the wait staff didn't let our wine or water glasses get empty! By this time I was about to explode!!! That's when dessert arrived! Dessert was multiple platters of exotic fruit and ice creams. I tried fruits I never even knew existed...rambutan, passion fruit and dragon fruit (had to Google "exotic fruit" to even find the names from the pictures). Loved the passion fruit and hope I can find it at the local groceries - it tasted a lot like a sweet grapefruit but looked disgusting inside like a mashed up oozing kiwi. I didn't think the dinner would ever end! We met at 7PM and finally left the restaurant a little after 10PM! I'm surprised I didn't need wheeled out. I would have to say this was one of THE BEST MEALS I've ever eaten in my LIFE!!!
You might have better luck if Chad does all the car negotiations. Not sure how it is there, but in Qatar if a woman walked into a car dealership and started to ask about cars she was completely ignored. It's a cultural no-no. Have him with you at the very least.
ReplyDeleteIn Caracas, passion fruit is called parchita. Parchita juice was common on menus. I brought home a dragonfruit a couple of weeks ago. Got it here at Fiesta. I thought it had merit; Dan hated it. Oh well. My favorite fruit of all time is Nispero. I googled it for the English translation and it is called a Loquat. I cannot find them in Texas but I ate them daily in Caracas--couldn't get enough of them. I'm not sure if you can find them in Dubai, but if you do see them, be sure to try them. Delicious! Do ask someone to pick out a ripe one for you though--it takes some talent.
Another good one is Salak, or Snake Skin Fruit. I had it in Bali, Indonesia. Not sure where else it exists, but it too is very good. Keep your eyes open in case you see it.
ReplyDelete