We Have Arrived!

Yes Folks, we arrived onto the rock that is Barbados on February 28th. The flight was good putting us in a false sense of holiday mode, but this is no holiday. So far things have pretty much gone to plan. We had our appointment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who furnished us with a letter to take to Port Customs, making us Exempt from duty on any personal effects brought into the country.

We then managed to tackle the maze that is The Barbados Port Authority, where we had to face Customs regarding our container load of household effects that came into Barbados a few days before we did. Well let's just say that there was a lot of waiting and being sent from one window to the next, without a lot being done. Many Officers on site were standing or sitting discussing various topics amongst themselves, without much care for the mere civilians trying to obtain their property. Anyway, three hours later (and I am told this is a record fast time......), we were told that our paperwork was in order and our items were to be released. Not before they tried to charge us duty, from which we are exempt due to the letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The next hurdle was to co ordinate the delivery of a rented 10ft container and the household goods being brought over to the house by the shipping agent in Barbados. This was fairly smooth, as the container was delivered early the following day and we were promised our household effects would be brought over the same day that afternoon. Well, it was almost perfect, but they were unable to fit three large boxes and one item of furniture. This we were told would be brought over the next day. Well that did not happen, as it rained. Not just a little, but a lot.......so no delivery!!! Eventually we got the last pieces three days later. 

During this time we have also managed to see the Head Teacher for a local school near to where we are living, and it seems we will be able to send our daughter Loretta to the school as there is a space for her. The only problem that we have right now is that many of the book stores do not have the full stock from the book list that the school has given us. There is also a rush to either buy or have the school uniform made before the pencilled in school date in April for her to start school. 

................and yes we are still unemployed!!!!!!!!

So our first two weeks in Barbados have been OK. I will upload pictures when I can, but it has been a struggle just to get online, this being the first full session so far. 

Last Day Of School.

Today was hard. My daughter Loretta was inconsolable at the realisation that she will not be going back to her school. Her friends have been great, making her cards and wishing her well, but this evening it all took it's toll. She cried her little eyes out and there was no stopping her. Well, I suppose this will be the first of many hard goodbyes. I have shed a few private tears myself (but don't tell my Hubby!), although this being such an emotional time, I suspect he is the same. We are currently battling to pack everything into our cases and a barrel that we will be sending over, and trust me the charity shops are going to be doing well out of us in the next couple of days. We simply have to get rid of anything that cannot fit, which mainly consist of winter clothes that we hope we will not need very much in the future. Time is drawing near and there still seems so much to do.

The Hole.....

Well today was interesting. I decided that since the cost of shipping and air travel are rising at an alarming rate, we would speed up our relocation plans. We were due to go on holiday to Barbados and sort out the foundations for our relocation, then come back to the UK earn a bit more in the way of pounds sterling and then make a final trip a little later in the year to resettle. However the knock on effect of the recession has raised it's ugly head once again. Fuel costs have driven up the cost of this relocation dramatically from the estimates that we were given in 2010. This has prompted a decision to just make one journey and make the move sooner rather than later. Decision made, I thought it would be polite to let my employers know that that I will not be returning from my booked holiday.

Simple.

Not so! Why I hear you ask?

Well apparently I will be leaving them in a HOLE. 

Let me explain. I am supposed to give four weeks notice, but in my case there are only two weeks till my booked holiday time will commence. However there are four weeks left up till the end of the booked holiday time, but I will not actually be here. That was when the lady from Human Resources explained about the hole I was leaving them in and that I was breaking my contract with them. The head of department seemed to lose the ability of speech when in my vicinity.

The lady from HR was asking if I had already booked the flights.......HELLO????
Of course, she thought there would have been every possibility that I might, just might, at great cost to myself, rebook the flights, (which would mean re-organising the shipping and the Barbados Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointment) so that the HOLE would shifted to my pocket.

In hindsight, I should not have bothered giving any notice at all and called them from Barbados to say that I was not coming back.

Then I would have listened for the echo back up the HOLE.....

Thinking About Schools

As the time draws closer for us to relocate, I began researching schools that may be suitable for my daughter to attend. I find myself worrying about how this change of enviroment, home and school will affect my six year old daughter. And it is no use you all saying how quickly they adapt, as it does nothing to alleviate my fears. So during my research I found that the examination system in Barbadian schools is basically the same as the ones that apply in UK schools. The school year is divided into three terms which run from September to December, January to April and April to July. Education is broken down into 4 levels. From the ages of three to five, children are in nursery education, from the ages of 5 – 11 they are in primary education and from the ages of 11-16 they are in secondary education although they have the option to continue beyond the age of 16. Even at primary level students learn the usual range of subjects as well as Spanish, social studies, moral and religious education and visual arts. There is an entrance exam at 11 for secondary schools and then exams at 16 that are held in a wide variety of subjects. This can lead to University either in Barbados itself or the UK or USA or skill based vocational studies. The high rate of literacy proves that the system is successful. Ironically Scholarships are awarded for pupils to study in the United Kingdom and Caribbean institutions. The Barbados branch of the University of the West Indies is situated at Cave Hill and the government pays the fees of Barbadian students who are enrolled there. Barbados also has special schools for the deaf, blind and mentally handicapped and this includes two residential institutions for the disabled. There are also facilities to integrate special needs children into main stream schools. Government schools provide meals at low cost and also provide children with free textbooks on loan. I currently pay UK£9 a week for my daughter to be able to have hot school meals and as far as I can tell it will cost around a BD$1 a week in Barbados (around 33pence UK). The Barbados School Meals Program (BSMP) was established in 1963 when the Government of Barbados thought it necessary that primary school children be served a hot meal. 

Legal Stuff

I have been putting off tackling the legal side of this whole move. I suppose it is that I find formalities such a drag.  Well today I did myself proud and called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
You see how long that title is? Just reading it makes me think of some self important official who would do their utmost best to dot every i and cross every t. Someone who would have a certain disdain for a small fry like me, trying to lay claim to little part of Barbados. Someone ready to make me jump hoops before offering any help.

So you can imagine my surprise on phoning the office direct and being transferred to a pleasant sounding, informative, mildly toned lady, who made no hesitation in taking our details and getting the ball rolling. The lady informed me that we will need documentation showing that we have resided outside of Barbados for the past ten years, our passports, our Barbados citizenship paperwork and our local telephone number for when we arrive on the island. I asked about the possibility of  bringing in our vehicle from the UK and she told me to bring the proof of cost, purchase and payment, as well as the vehicle registration document. Well how simple is that?

Once we arrive in Barbados, all we will need to do is call the office and ask for the same lady, who will arrange an interview in order to see if we can qualify as a under The Barbados Network Programme. In doing so will limit the amount of duty that will be charged on our personal effects.

Well it sounds as easy as ABC, so I will need to pray that the timing of the shipped goods, customs clearance and the appointment at the Foreign Ministry work out correct.

Stage 2, The Long Haul

Well February starts with a bang. Not a big one but a positive nudge in the right direction. The shipping agents came as promised and took all our possessions. This was a laborious process of checking each and every item. However this needs to be done in order for the Customs at the other end to be able to process (...and charge, what will most likely be extortionate duty charges) for our items. Having dropped my daughter off at school, we waited for the truck to arrive at the storage facility. Roadworks on the motorway slowed their progress, and dulled my excitement. Eventually having battled the traffic the lorry turned up half an hour later than expected. Each and every item was carefully logged as they were taken from what has been their home for the past few months into what will be the first stage of their long journey across the Atlantic. The shipping company will now be taking these items to repack them, so they are robust enough for their journey.

And so the transition begins. All that last minute rush of panic buying ends, the wondering if we packed too much, too little, and thinking about when the day will come ended today.

Now comes the paying back the credit card, saving like mad, and praying that these items will be reunited with us in a timely fashion at the end of the month. It takes 11 to 12 days for the actual sea crossing to Barbados. We decided not to take our car at this stage, as the import duty is around 75% of the value of the car! Also to make matters worse, the value would be based on the Barbados listed price. This is not helpful, as cars are around one and a half times more expensive than the UK. As far as household effects are concerned, we are told that these will be inspected, and any electrical items will have duty charged. It remains to be seen what this will amount to!

Still it feels good to know that we have got to this stage, regardless of what the recession has thrown at us. We now need to concentrate on clothing, I suppose, since we are going into a two climate environment (sunshine and warm rain/tropical storms), rather than the UK ever changing climate. Summer clothes all the way, as the other three season become redundant. 

Well we are not there yet, but as always, I dream....

  See You Soon!
http://www.transpakship.co.uk/caribbeanshipments.html

Stagnant In Storage

 The storage facility has become our second home, as we realise just how much clutter our seemly minimalistic home had. What were we thinking???? There is currently no end to us turning a blind eye to throwing out as much as possible, but it all still appears too much. On some days I am sure the staff must think us mad, as we take some away, then go out buy some more and put more back in. The thought that we may not have a wide range of shopping in Barbados has made us really  paranoid about not wasting the opportunity to purchase things we may not have the chance to have, once we move. Our strange behaviour is growing at an alarming rate, as February, all being well, will be shipping time!! Oh I just can't wait for this burden to be off our hands. While it is in storage, we feel a sense of homelessness. The anticipation of wondering whether we can actually get all our household effects across the Atlantic in one piece...we shall see. My six year old daughter has made it clear which toys she wants to see in Barbados - with no exceptions. Still it has made the first month of 2011 teasingly promising for the months to follow. Where will I be, and what will I be doing in say, six months from now? Something different, I hope, something new. 

Well let's see.........

http://www.alligatorstorage.co.uk/

Always expect the unexpected.....

Oh well, just when things seem like they are on the up life will give you a good kick up the jacksey, and ensure the ever present downward slope looms. Two relatives dying between the end of November and the beginning of December has totally cancelled Christmas for us. What a way to remember what will potentially be our last UK Christmas! On the plus side, the past couple months have confirmed to me that while you have health and strength, just live life to the full. My daughter was determined that Santa would not be missing her out, even if the grim reaper has been doing the rounds and has been enjoying the Christmas. I patiently await the arrival of 2011 and all that it will potentially bring. I am hopeful that the New Year will be full of promise and deliver on it. Even though I know that things never run completely to plan, something close will be great and spot on will be a bonus. I will always expect the unexpected, but then that is what makes life so interesting. Happy New Year to you all!!!!

Goodbye House

Yes, the time has finally come for us to vacate our UK home.I must say it is quiet sad and feels a little like loosing a member of the family. We are due out on Friday 29th October, but we are not off to the sun just yet, as the monumental downturn in the housing market means we need to continue working till next year. Still it feels a little more real and a little closer to our goal. The storage has been sorted and we will be living at my Mother-in-law's house until next year. My daughter has already shed tears knowing that she will no longer have her room and the fact that most of her toys will be packed up in storage, as there will be limited room at my Mother-in-law's house.Still as the saying goes "No pain, no gain". So not fully there at being able to plan weekends at the beach, but the distant lapping of the warm Caribbean waters are calling faintly in the distance. I was hoping not to have to endure yet another British Winter, but it looks like I will have to go get some more long-johns!

Living In A Box

We are now living amongst numerous boxes, but I have a fear of packing up too much and then finding that it is not going to happen. Presently it feels like the calm before a storm, nothing has been heard from the solicitors and we are at the mercy of our prospective buyers, that they will be as good as their word and actually sign on the dotted line.Still we feel a little further along our journey.