UAB: It's the first of your belongings to arrive at the new assignment. abbreviation for 'unaccompanied air baggage'. I think. Another acronym to remember.
Or 'Underwhelming and Broken' if we're describing my UAB shipments.
Or 'Underwhelming and Broken' if we're describing my UAB shipments.
This week, for the Weekly State Department Blog Roundup, the theme is "I wish I would have put {fill in the blank} in my UAB' being hosted by Jill at Run 2 New Places. I have peeked at some of the other ladies' submissions & I think mine is going to be downright pessimistic compared to theirs.
You see, UAB and I have never been good friends. Our first pack-out, I followed the guidelines down to a 'T'. I got plastic salt & pepper shakers. I put preferred non-perishables in, like a Sam's Club size package of toilet paper, diapers, paper towels, etc. I also put in things that would be immediately applicable; plastic plates, cups, forks, spoons, etc. I also included some nice touches of home, something to hang on the wall like sturdy picture frames. Also our desktop computer tower & screen. I mean, c'mon, a computer tower is pretty sturdy, right? Wrong.
Our UAB arrived seven weeks after we arrived at post. And one week before our HHE. I barely had time to unpack the UAB before the rest of our things exploded in the apartment. Stee-rike one. When the UAB arrived, we were asked to inspect the labels on the boxes where we had signed our name, to verify that they were still intact and therefore un-tampered with. Lulling us into a false sense of security, the labels were perfect. The contents? Trashed. Our desktop was the first casualty. The motherboard was pretty much the only thing we could extract. My picture frame, my decorative IRON picture frame, was bent and unable to hang flat against the wall. Of the things I shipped myself, the toilet paper and plastic salt & pepper shakers were pretty much the only things to emerge unscathed. Though the toilet paper rolls were ovals.
Most recently, we received our UAB here in Bahrain. I had learned my lesson through the two previous UABs and put nothing the least bit delicate in it. Still, they managed to screw up my shipment & pack it mostly full of weights, yes, gym weights, 2 laundry baskets & a bathroom rug. Oh, and the kid's folding picnic tables. None of the area rugs, plastic kitchenware, shower curtains or anything else useful that I had *specifically* labeled with their blue stickers. The kid's folding tables? Ruined. The bench is popped off of one & the other has a nice long gouge in the table top. The boxed up, unused exercise bike? Cracked case. Usable, but abused.
So you can see why I'm not that trusting of the UAB shipment. You know what I did this time? I mailed myself all my little comforts of home.
- at least one good kitchen knife - can opener - vegetable peeler - a screwdriver - utility scissors - apron - dish towels - small cutting board - whisk - spatula - batteries - small plastic mixing bowls (2) - a ruler - and various other notions that I can't live without.
What did I pack in my last UAB? (if they hadn't screwed it up)
- exactly what is in the welcome kit.
Comforters, pillows, sheets, towels, tablecloths, lap blankets, shower curtains & rings, hangers, bathmats, unbreakable plates, cups, bowls & cutlery. {pack enough dishes so that if you *need* to go a day without washing any dishes, you can make it through}, area rugs, select pots & pans, plastic colander/strainer, toaster, spatulas & cooking spoons, toys & books, and anything else that is pretty sturdy that you want.
Bottom line: Mail anything you can't live without {for 6-7 weeks} that can fit in a flat rate box. The UAB is not the savior of your household's sanity. Our HHE's have always arrived {mostly} unscathed. {Never anything damaged as seriously as it was in the UAB.}
Oh, and btw, we've been in Bahrain 11 weeks, still no HHE. We have a tentative arrival date of Nov. 22. Thank you, Lady in D.C. that forgot to file our paperwork until we'd been in country for almost a month. Gotta love the State Dept. Ma'asalama, my peeps.
You see, UAB and I have never been good friends. Our first pack-out, I followed the guidelines down to a 'T'. I got plastic salt & pepper shakers. I put preferred non-perishables in, like a Sam's Club size package of toilet paper, diapers, paper towels, etc. I also put in things that would be immediately applicable; plastic plates, cups, forks, spoons, etc. I also included some nice touches of home, something to hang on the wall like sturdy picture frames. Also our desktop computer tower & screen. I mean, c'mon, a computer tower is pretty sturdy, right? Wrong.
Our UAB arrived seven weeks after we arrived at post. And one week before our HHE. I barely had time to unpack the UAB before the rest of our things exploded in the apartment. Stee-rike one. When the UAB arrived, we were asked to inspect the labels on the boxes where we had signed our name, to verify that they were still intact and therefore un-tampered with. Lulling us into a false sense of security, the labels were perfect. The contents? Trashed. Our desktop was the first casualty. The motherboard was pretty much the only thing we could extract. My picture frame, my decorative IRON picture frame, was bent and unable to hang flat against the wall. Of the things I shipped myself, the toilet paper and plastic salt & pepper shakers were pretty much the only things to emerge unscathed. Though the toilet paper rolls were ovals.
Most recently, we received our UAB here in Bahrain. I had learned my lesson through the two previous UABs and put nothing the least bit delicate in it. Still, they managed to screw up my shipment & pack it mostly full of weights, yes, gym weights, 2 laundry baskets & a bathroom rug. Oh, and the kid's folding picnic tables. None of the area rugs, plastic kitchenware, shower curtains or anything else useful that I had *specifically* labeled with their blue stickers. The kid's folding tables? Ruined. The bench is popped off of one & the other has a nice long gouge in the table top. The boxed up, unused exercise bike? Cracked case. Usable, but abused.
So you can see why I'm not that trusting of the UAB shipment. You know what I did this time? I mailed myself all my little comforts of home.
- at least one good kitchen knife - can opener - vegetable peeler - a screwdriver - utility scissors - apron - dish towels - small cutting board - whisk - spatula - batteries - small plastic mixing bowls (2) - a ruler - and various other notions that I can't live without.
What did I pack in my last UAB? (if they hadn't screwed it up)
- exactly what is in the welcome kit.
Comforters, pillows, sheets, towels, tablecloths, lap blankets, shower curtains & rings, hangers, bathmats, unbreakable plates, cups, bowls & cutlery. {pack enough dishes so that if you *need* to go a day without washing any dishes, you can make it through}, area rugs, select pots & pans, plastic colander/strainer, toaster, spatulas & cooking spoons, toys & books, and anything else that is pretty sturdy that you want.
Bottom line: Mail anything you can't live without {for 6-7 weeks} that can fit in a flat rate box. The UAB is not the savior of your household's sanity. Our HHE's have always arrived {mostly} unscathed. {Never anything damaged as seriously as it was in the UAB.}
Oh, and btw, we've been in Bahrain 11 weeks, still no HHE. We have a tentative arrival date of Nov. 22. Thank you, Lady in D.C. that forgot to file our paperwork until we'd been in country for almost a month. Gotta love the State Dept. Ma'asalama, my peeps.
3 comments:
Thank you USPS! Our first UAB left the house in boxes and arrived in one huge wooden box in NoDak. Yes, they opened the boxes and dumped the contents in. Good Grief!
Thanks for your insights Lydia! I really appreciate your post because it's helpful to hear the not-so-good along with the good. I hope your HHE comes soon! I've linked to your blog on the weekly roundup. Have a great weekend!
http://run2newplaces.blogspot.com/2010/11/state-department-weekly-blog-roundup.html
My UAB and HHE made it intact - guess it depends upon the movers. But I agree that you should ship yourself some flat rate boxes. we probably shipped 40 boxes of stuff to ourselves as we made our way across the US on home leave (of course, after we'd mailed half of them, we realized we should have taken an allowed supplemental shipment instead, but we didn't know about it in time).
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