High Water Mark

[jdurand]

For those who remember, we've been trying to get to our new house/workshop in Russia for some time now.

Well, the border is open and our visa paperwork is in progress, soon!

Of course the Joker who runs the Universe couldn't let us get by with too much celebration, so he sent in a huge rainstorm that backed up the local drainage systems.

Luckily, our house has an extra high foundation so not a drop of water got into our workshop (currently piled high with boxes we shipped ahead).

I can't say our neighbors were as lucky, almost all the houses in our area flooded. The governor visited and insisted the drainage system be improved immediately! Inspectors were out today looking around. Guess it helps to have put our home/shop in a well-off area.

Here's the high water mark on our front gate.



Water only came about halfway up our tall foundation



Less fortunate people



People we know helping out the people flooded out.

[Frank S]

Glad your house was built on a high foundation, and your stuff was not damaged. I seem to remember that you and your contractor spent a lot of extra time in planning the build and the build restrictions where your house is located dictated the build rather stringently. Perhaps some of those restrictions paid off in this instance.
It will be interesting to learn how the local governor addresses the drainage situation in your area.
Hope your visas come through soon so you can finally move to your new home and begin life. Keep us up dated

[jdurand]

Inspectors have already been down our street, checked amount of damage and water levels at every house and checked the storm drains. Our street passed on drains, but of course they have to connect to something that isn't backed up. Also our drains can't drain the whole neighborhood.

Bit of paperwork going on with our visas, you must have invitations to apply for visas (our old ones expired last week). We submitted invitations from an educational non-profit but it turns out that doesn't qualify as the right type of business. So, we got invitations from a full corporation (we've helped tutor the president's kids) and THAT has some issues in the wording. Seems the corporation president can't invite us, it has to be clear the COMPANY is inviting us and he's just signing it as the dude in charge.

Anyway, should be fixed and resubmitted in about a day. e-mail is really handy that way.

[Frank S]

Many countries have some stringent visit visa requirements and even more so for work or immigration.
On my first trip to Kuwait, well not my first but the first time there happened to be a functioning government back in place. I received a call from a company who had ordered 2 of my machines through a distributor, they said the needed me to assist in the installation and possibly tell them it it would be possible to make some structural changes to them since their customer's requirement had changed from the time the order was placed and the time the shipment had arrived.
They sent me a flight conformation for the next day. I arrived in Holland and the Kuwait visitor and immigrations official at the airport in Holland told me that there was no way I was getting on my connecting flight which was due to leave in an hour. I said OK but I need to call the company in Kuwait and inform them what is going on. When I told them why I would not be arriving the owner of the company asked to speak with the official. After a couple minutes of what sounded like a very heated conversation in Arabic, which I could not understand a single word the official hung up and told me I'm sorry sir but you might as well get a hotel room or take a flight back to the USA you are not going to Kuwait today maybe in a week or so things will get straightened out.
My luggage was pulled and i went and collected it. About 15 minutes before the flight was due to take off I hear my name being paged over the PA to come to the gate. I arrived at the gate about 5 minutes before the flight was due to leave the Official looked very sheepish as if someone had just told him he was worth less than the dust on the floor. He asked for my passport then stamped it in the proper places and said Sir I don't know who you know in my country but someone wants you there very bad, the office of the Emir himself just a few minutes ago called and said that you would be on that plane or it would not be landing in Kuwait without you.
I had, had no idea at the time that the guy I had called in Kuwait was a Sheik with close ties to the leader of that country.

[jdurand]

Just a status update...

Yard all cleaned up around our place, damaged electrical wire fixed and the power back on. We should be moving in on 14 August THIS YEAR!!! Assuming Luftwaffe actually gets us to Moscow on time to catch our domestic flight. Considering the number of errors on the tickets, I have some concerns. Little things like the flight leaves 13 July and arrives 14 August. And first no checked bags, then one, then 3, now hovering at the correct 2.

In other news, our friends tell us it's been warm in town...