Finito
Starting to creep about a bit and do things even as I'm struggling with itchy rashes. At least I no longer feel like the stuff on the bottom of someone's shoes.
We got the final word yesterday on the status of our seized household goods and I can finally talk about what's going on and what has happened without jeopardizing a thing finally.
Back up to us shipping our stuff. Recap - sorted all the boxes in the storage room above our garage and marked them. Booked a shipping container. The shipping container was delayed, but when they could get it out to our house I would be back in Costa Rica, so I paid my realtor to have a crew load the container. I left a detailed list of what went, what needed to go to the dump, or Goodwill, and what our kids would be picking up.
Unbeknownst to me the crew packed everything, from trash to treasure, into the shipping container. When my kids showed up to get their things it was all gone. I called the shipping company in a panic and they said no worries, just file the exception paperwork and let aduana (customs) know what happened, pay the fine for the overage and boogie on. The paperwork listed 58 cartons of household goods and assorted furniture of another 20 items. The container contained 182 separate cartons and furniture.
I have kicked myself a million times since then for not staying behind and handling this, putting it in the hands of others. When I shipped our first household goods, just those essentials you need to set up a household I shipped 2 pallets of goods. Everything went smoothly, the guys showed up to pick up the boxes, carrying tape and assorted packing materials, took one look at what I'd done and said "Oh, so you've moved internationally before" because everything was packed, listed and inventories right.
Storms at sea and added stops on the ship meant that the promised delivery date got pushed back over 6 weeks. Our things arrive and we were not given a choice in which customs agent helped us. I was not able to use the same wonderful lady who helped me clear our other household goods. This company drug their feet, the agent was lackadaisical and lazy.
In the middle of trying to jump through the paperwork hoops to get everything cleared, even the unexpected boxes two things happen. I have a stroke. Many organizations in Costa Rica, including customs, go on strike. Add another two months onto the process in a place that is slower than sloths to get things done in the first place.
Fill out endless paperwork, and fall is here. We are told that the government of Costa Rica is siezing anything beyond those original boxes and furniture listed on the bill of lading, to get our asses down to San Jose to sort our possessions to what we want in those boxes. We do just that. I hated that trip and cried copious tears, but we sorted out what was important from what was not.
Months pass, we wait, we keep asking to pay the aduana fees and get our stuff. Finally last April it happens. But the things they bring are only about half what we picked out and marked. The other half is things like a desk drawer instead of the full desk. I found out that customs does not consider a full desk one item, but 7 drawers and one desk as 8 items. No wonder the item list was so high!
We're told that they'll get us the rest of our stuff on a salvage ticket in a few months. Then we're told that is impossible. In the meantime we've been told to offer gratitude payments to various underhanded people to make this happen. It does not. One lawyer demands 2 K up front, but cannot guarantee to get our things out. We don't pay him because his idea of how to rescue our stuff involves showing up with empty boxes stuffed with newspaper and exchanging them for the full boxes of our stuff. Other illegal schemes and payments are mentioned, this one wants a big bribe, that one wants another big bribe.
But we paid zero bribes. Neither Jim nor I are comfortable with that at all. I don't fancy going to jail in Costa Rica. Plus, both of us consider ourselves people with some morals and integrity. It's just not how we'd be comfortable doing things.
Yesterday our last hope, a contact with links to the underworld who is rumored to have major influence, told us that our stuff was slated for destruction soon, and it was a hopeless cause. At least we know now.
What has come from this is that I have learned that I don't need my stuff. Would it have been nice to have my great grandmothers china and Jims baseball card collection? Yes, but this has genuinely worked out to be one of those things that seems like a tragedy, but turns out to be a great life lesson. If you had told me before this happened that I don't need my things I would have laughed in your face. Now I know that to be true. I am fine, happy and doing well without them. Happy I'm not having to clean any of that extra crap. I hope whoever is wearing my fut coat enjoys it.
ETA: and just like that my darling husband wants to drive to San Jose with bribe money and take a final wack at it. I can see I'm going to have my work cut out for me dissuading him.
We got the final word yesterday on the status of our seized household goods and I can finally talk about what's going on and what has happened without jeopardizing a thing finally.
Back up to us shipping our stuff. Recap - sorted all the boxes in the storage room above our garage and marked them. Booked a shipping container. The shipping container was delayed, but when they could get it out to our house I would be back in Costa Rica, so I paid my realtor to have a crew load the container. I left a detailed list of what went, what needed to go to the dump, or Goodwill, and what our kids would be picking up.
Unbeknownst to me the crew packed everything, from trash to treasure, into the shipping container. When my kids showed up to get their things it was all gone. I called the shipping company in a panic and they said no worries, just file the exception paperwork and let aduana (customs) know what happened, pay the fine for the overage and boogie on. The paperwork listed 58 cartons of household goods and assorted furniture of another 20 items. The container contained 182 separate cartons and furniture.
I have kicked myself a million times since then for not staying behind and handling this, putting it in the hands of others. When I shipped our first household goods, just those essentials you need to set up a household I shipped 2 pallets of goods. Everything went smoothly, the guys showed up to pick up the boxes, carrying tape and assorted packing materials, took one look at what I'd done and said "Oh, so you've moved internationally before" because everything was packed, listed and inventories right.
Storms at sea and added stops on the ship meant that the promised delivery date got pushed back over 6 weeks. Our things arrive and we were not given a choice in which customs agent helped us. I was not able to use the same wonderful lady who helped me clear our other household goods. This company drug their feet, the agent was lackadaisical and lazy.
In the middle of trying to jump through the paperwork hoops to get everything cleared, even the unexpected boxes two things happen. I have a stroke. Many organizations in Costa Rica, including customs, go on strike. Add another two months onto the process in a place that is slower than sloths to get things done in the first place.
Fill out endless paperwork, and fall is here. We are told that the government of Costa Rica is siezing anything beyond those original boxes and furniture listed on the bill of lading, to get our asses down to San Jose to sort our possessions to what we want in those boxes. We do just that. I hated that trip and cried copious tears, but we sorted out what was important from what was not.
Months pass, we wait, we keep asking to pay the aduana fees and get our stuff. Finally last April it happens. But the things they bring are only about half what we picked out and marked. The other half is things like a desk drawer instead of the full desk. I found out that customs does not consider a full desk one item, but 7 drawers and one desk as 8 items. No wonder the item list was so high!
We're told that they'll get us the rest of our stuff on a salvage ticket in a few months. Then we're told that is impossible. In the meantime we've been told to offer gratitude payments to various underhanded people to make this happen. It does not. One lawyer demands 2 K up front, but cannot guarantee to get our things out. We don't pay him because his idea of how to rescue our stuff involves showing up with empty boxes stuffed with newspaper and exchanging them for the full boxes of our stuff. Other illegal schemes and payments are mentioned, this one wants a big bribe, that one wants another big bribe.
But we paid zero bribes. Neither Jim nor I are comfortable with that at all. I don't fancy going to jail in Costa Rica. Plus, both of us consider ourselves people with some morals and integrity. It's just not how we'd be comfortable doing things.
Yesterday our last hope, a contact with links to the underworld who is rumored to have major influence, told us that our stuff was slated for destruction soon, and it was a hopeless cause. At least we know now.
What has come from this is that I have learned that I don't need my stuff. Would it have been nice to have my great grandmothers china and Jims baseball card collection? Yes, but this has genuinely worked out to be one of those things that seems like a tragedy, but turns out to be a great life lesson. If you had told me before this happened that I don't need my things I would have laughed in your face. Now I know that to be true. I am fine, happy and doing well without them. Happy I'm not having to clean any of that extra crap. I hope whoever is wearing my fut coat enjoys it.
ETA: and just like that my darling husband wants to drive to San Jose with bribe money and take a final wack at it. I can see I'm going to have my work cut out for me dissuading him.
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