Eight days and counting before our move. As can be expected,
mixed feelings are very much a part of what Rachel and I are experiencing
during these last days in Bali. But one
feeling has predominated for me this past week…the feeling of frustration at a
couple messes I have had to deal with.
I won’t go into detail as, honestly, I am a bit embarrassed
to admit my part in the messes. But honesty is supposed to be good for you, so
here goes.
The Best-Laid Plans
Monday afternoon, Rachel and I went to visit some friends of
ours. I was feeling pretty good about how things were going. The cargo I am
shipping to the States had been picked up by the cargo company. Furniture
purchased by people who live out-of-town had been picked up. The remaining
furniture will go to people living in town who are willing to let us use it
until we leave.
I stopped by the immigration office to be sure I knew what
all I needed to submit the next when I applied for an extension on my tourist
visa. Things were going well.
As I talked to my friends that evening, I mentioned how I
had planned everything so I could have the logistics mostly done already,
leaving the last two weeks to focus on people. My friends said that they had
tried to do that before moving to Bali, but it
didn’t work out how they planned. How
prophetic those words turned out to be.
Mess #1 - Cargo Confusion
On Tuesday, I stopped by the cargo company to check on the
packing progress to see how many cubic meters I had to pay for. They had
finished crating the many boxes of books, the bins of other household items, and
the few pieces of furniture I am shipping.
THEN, they asked me for a detailed packing list. Maybe I
should have known I needed a detailed list, but I didn’t. They knew that I had
never shipped cargo before. They should have told me I needed such a list. At
least they should have asked for it before crating the boxes. I had written a
general description of the contents of the boxes on the outside of each box,
but not the exact number of books, ornaments, etc. How was I supposed to know
which crate contained which boxes?
But wait, there’s more. THEN they tell me I have to fill out
a certain customs form that I can find from…somewhere. I went home that night
and looked up the form online, but some of it I could not fill out until they
gave me certain information only they would have.
On Wednesday, I was called back to the cargo company to pay
for the shipment. After getting reassurances that they could make the packing
list work, I paid for the shipment. Still a bit uncomfortable, I checked out
some other resources and found that the cargo company itself, or its agent in
the States, should fill out the customs form. I went back and got it straight
that I don’t have my own agent, but would like to use the company’s agent. OK
the agent will take care of the form.
I went back today, Friday, to ask them to please be sure to
run by the agent their plan for the packing list. If the agent expresses any
doubt as to whether the format they plan to use will be OK, I want them to open
up each crate, and do a more specific packinglist.
Quite stressful, but I have done what I can do. Now, I just
pray things will go through.
Mess #2 - Tourist
Visa Debacle
As stressful as the cargo mess has been, Tuesday brought a
real shock when I went to immigration.
You see, for the first time in twenty years, I am in Indonesia as a
tourist. My work visa expired at the beginning of June. I went to Singapore and
returned on a tourist visa for my last two and a half months. I had it all
planned. Get a 60-day tourist visa to cover the first two months, and then
renew it to cover me for the last bit of time. Great plan.
The trouble is, I was working off of old information. I
remembered that some time ago, Indonesia
changed from granting free tourist visas to charging $25. I had forgotten one
other very significant change.
When I got to the Immigration office on Tuesday morning, I
found to my dismay that the tourist visa I had was only good for thirty days. I
had already significantly overstayed my visa. I’m not even going to say how
much the penalty was. Let’s just say I felt more than a bit sick about the figure.
I submitted the paperwork and was told to return on Thursday
to pay the fine. I did. I had to return again this morning to pick up my
passport. It wasn’t finished yet. As I had a meeting back at the children’s
home at 1:30, I made the hour-long trip back, attended the meeting, and
immediately drove back another hour to Immigration.
At last, I got my passport back. It’s a good thing, too,
because all government offices are closed for a major Muslim holiday from
August 3-11, and August 11 is the day we leave Bali.
In Everything GIve Thanks
So what can I find to be thankful for in the midst of these
messes?
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by Billene J. Nicol http://billenesworld.blogspot.com/p/
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- God is
still and always in control of everything…including cargo and customs.
I’ve done what I can, and I need to leave that particular mess in His
hands.
- In
spite of the money that my stupid error has cost me, I have God’s promise
that He will supply all my needs.
- I am
also thankful that the people at Immigration were very helpful through the
whole debacle. Yes, I still had to pay, but they made sure I had my
passport back in time.
- Others
who have visited me over the last several years can be thankful that their
visits were shorter than thirty days. Otherwise, I might have steered them
wrong as well.
What Can You Pray
For?
- Please
pray that this next week will be a good time to wrap up things well with
friends here in Bali.
- Please
pray for safety on the road and in the air.
- Please
pray for NO MORE MESSES!!!
After sharing an evening with good friends. 
