I wish I would have put *blank* in my UAB

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.

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.

That's where I am . . .

Ah, the roundup! The theme for this week is: "A picture from the place where I am now'. Physically, emotionally, whatever we want to choose. Also if there's pink, there's bonus points! A fellow blogger, Jen, was diagnosed with breast cancer recently & we're all showing support!

We haven't been here in Bahrain for very long, so I haven't had the chance to 'capture' the country yet. But here I am, now. In the moment. All the fruit, backwards house numbers, *plumeria*, geckos, the fam, the big main mosque, shrubbery growing pink ribbons and I have no idea what the spiky thing is; a mutated cucumber? I couldn't include the ants which are a part of my daily life I'd rather not think about. I can't even look at those pictures.

Weekly State Department Blog Round-up or WSDBR

WSDBR. Hmm. Did you know you can type that acronym with one hand? I know you all are trying it. It's ok. That's my job. To point out the obscure.

Weird Fact about Me #3,476: I have a Note in my iPhone dedicated solely to 'Words you can type with one hand'. Sub-categories: Right Hand & Left Hand. An emerging parallel category: Words you can type on the Top Row.

Ok, back to the real reason you're here. The Weekly State Department Blog Round-up! Optional Theme: What traditions have arisen in your life because of the State Department?

I know the theme of traditions is a bit early, but we like to do things well in advance in the Dep't. Like ordering our Halloween stuff at the beginning of September (or end of August. I saw a display in Target just days before we left) And getting our Christmas presents ordered by October.

That's one thing that has changed. My husband. Mr. I'm-leaving-for-Best-Buy-on-the-night-before-Christmas-Eve. Our first year overseas, his name on Christmas was Mr. Your-present-will-be-here-right-after-New-Years. Being overseas hasn't changed my Christmas habits. I'm more aware of them, but I always like to have Christmas presents at least decided by September.

The tradition that sparked the reason for this theme is our Thanksgiving Tradition. In Egypt, our kids went to a British School. We were introduced to new holidays such as Guy Fawkes Day or Burning Night. They had a big bonfire & burned little effigies of this guy that tried to blow up parliament over 500 years ago. One day that we knew would not be celebrated was Thanksgiving. For obvious reasons, but I don't blame them. The first year we made a decision; the kids will stay home & celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday. And in the Middle East, the weekend is Friday & Saturday, so no school to go back to on Friday.

Some people would just have Thanksgiving dinner in the evening, after school, and that's fine. But for me, Thanksgiving day is a whole day event. Turkey goes in the oven no later than 8am. Morning is consumed with food prep, board games and light snacking. Dinner comes at 1 or 2pm. Movie screenings happen in the afternoon during the post-turkey buzz. We watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on AFN. It works out nicely that it starts at 3pm. Dessert & pies are available for consumption. And 'It's a Wonderful Life' will be watched at one point during that day; usually post-dessert.

In such a peripatetic life, our kids need some sort of constant. I hope (though it sounds romantic) that maybe my kids will look back on their formative years and say, "No matter where we were, we always celebrated Thanksgiving." And in a world with many things out of control, traditions are one thing to which we can hold tightly.

So, in no particular order, I present a wonderful summary of traditions that, I hope, we can appreciate, learn from and, if it suits us, STEAL!!

Sara of Wife-Mommy-Woman is just beginning in this odyssey of foreign life. She and her hubby live in Costa Rica and have two children. They have some traditions 'in the works' as this is their first assignment. I won't spoil her post by telling you what it is!

Connie at Whale Ears and other Wonderings (ask her how she came up with that name, fun story) is a real pro at life on the move. She & Brad live in Amman, Jordan with their two chili beans. We were fortunate enough to be with them for 4 years in Cairo. I love love love Connie's tradition & want to steal it! They take a family vacation. Sounds simple enough, but really, what do you do with your summertime R&R? Travel, see as many family members as you can, cram in as much 'America' (or whatever your home country is) as you can, then come home in a whirlwind of jet lag, unpacking & starting school in a week. They take time for just them. And think it's high time we did, too.

Shannon at Cyberbones (I *so* want to know the meaning behind that name) is in Malawi with her husband & boys. She shared some weekly traditions they do & honestly, she's super-mom! I need to do more of that; dessert night, movie night, etc. And if you want to see some 'bone-achingly' (ha, get it?) cute little tadpoles & lizards, take a look at her Wordless Wednesday posts.

Becky at Small Bits of our FS life is in Mexico with her husband & children. Let me tell you, she has got it! She's realistic about expectations & knows that traditions just don't pop into existence. They evolve. That's the kind of attitude to have when you're in this line of work! Her kids get swimsuits at Easter & flowers on Valentines! Click on over there for the scoop in her own words!

And one more that I decided to add, even though she didn't email it to me, but I think it fits well. I hope it's okay!

Zoe at Something edited this way comes is in Italy. I haven't read much in her blog yet, but her post for today was a last minute addition I wanted to include. She wrote a wonderfully relatable post about how resourceful we FS people have to be. Getting ready for Halloween found her cannibalizing a Hannah Montana microphone and carving styrofoam to create the perfect Statue of Liberty torch. If anything, in the sense of tradition, it's something predictable in our house as well. Finding new uses for odd things because we either can't find it locally or forgot to order it.

That's all folks! Thanks for joining us this week for the Weekly State Department Blog Roundup. Also thanks to Kolbi at A Daring Adventure for keeping the cogs in this Roundup machine turning! The calendar says that Kamilla at A Junket Tale is hosting on October 22nd. Check the calendar for future roundup locations & to sign up!

Yee-haw!

*image from zazzle.com

I am swimming in new waters, people. I decided to be "social" online and am hosting the Weekly State Department Blog Roundup which will take place HERE on Friday, Oct. 15th.

Here's the deets. There is an optional theme that you may write on, if you so choose. I think I get to choose, so my 'theme' is:

Traditions: What traditions have arisen in your life because of the State Dept?

Do you always hit the beach on Valentines day? (depending on your locale, some people can) Or do the kids get new outfits for air travel on R&R? Something that is completely normal for you now, but wasn't before the State Dept.

Another 'for example', my two middle children had just gotten back from a grocery run with Daddy. He had gotten them each their own bottle of flavored sparkling water. My 8 yo, Mairyn, exclaimed, "I love this stuff! I'm going to save some of it so I can take it on the airplane with me!" Then my 6 yo, Grant, volleyed back, "No! No you can't, Mairyn! No liquids on the plane! The security mens says so!" True, so true, my young padowan.

So get thinking! I already have mine prepared. (in my head) That's the advantage to hosting the Roundup. If you want to host, go here. A Daring Adventure is quite the lady; she has the calendar for hosting. For examples of previous Roundups, go here. My good friend, Connie, at Whale Ears and other Wonderings, hosted last week.

*If there is any cloudiness to my explanation, please let me know & I'll explain better*

You can email me the blog post you want included in this Friday's Roundup or leave the link in the comments for this post.
--> lydia (dot) penrod @ gmail (dot) com.