Leaving Home-II

Packing is bitter sweet-It started to dawn on me that I was leaving when I opened my empty suitcase. I was quite emotional, this could be my nature or the fact that I did not know what to expect and I was terrified.

Now, you can find most things here. DO NOT attempt to bring food items...DON'T DO IT. You will find your teas, milk, noodles, rice, vegetables, laundry detergents, bathing and facial soap...anything you need can be found here at your local Panda (Think Walmart or ShopRite but BIGGER).

Packing clothing is tricky, if you are going to be in mixed company...prepare to always have your Abaya on. An Abaya is a long, flowy dress that every woman is expected to wear in public places (read:outside your house). If you can find an Abaya in your local markets, or if you can sew one...please go ahead and do this. You will not be allowed to leave the airport wearing your regular clothes. You do not want that kind of attention on you anyway. I will talk about Abayas in a later post.

Leave your above the knee skirts and sleeveless tops at home. Wearing those to the office will get you stared at. Pack these clothes, if you will be working in an all female environment with little male interaction.

Pack comfortable shoes, bring some of your heels to give life to your Abaya but take comfy shoes also.

Purses are a huge fashion statement. If you are a purse person...you will be in heaven here. Your purse gives life to the all black Abaya.

Pack the necessary things, everything else can be found here.

Leaving Home-I

In these parts, a job offer is a great thing but it is not an assurance that you will start work. There are three big bridges to cross before you celebrate your new position.

Securing your visa

This process can be a challenge, it is not uncommon for you to get to the embassy and find that you brought one of the many required documents. So let me help you out here. In my situation, I secured my visa in my home country and not the United States.

-My preparation included gathering all academic transcripts and certificates. Your certificates should be stamped by the Ministry of Education (of the country where your schools are located) verifying that the certificate is from an accredited school. Once you have these, make copies. The embassy will look at the originals but collect only copies.

-Passport photographs are a must, for those of you traveling to the city where the embassy is located, take your pictures from home. Take about 8 copies with you.

-International Passport and a copy of the passport information page. Make sure your passport has ample blank, un-stamped pages left. I do not know the exact number but make sure it is more than 2.

-Women!! Take a letter from your guardian granting you permission to travel for work. Your guardian is a male figured related to you by blood or marriage.

-Letter of Conduct, get to a police station and ask for a police certificate. This certificate should show that you are not a felon.

-Letter of Clean Health-visit a government hospital and get a health records report. This report should state that you are of sound health. Once you get here, you will go to the hospital for another test.

-Visa Fee-You pay your visa fees to a travel agent located away from the embassy. The agent will issue you a receipt to take to the embassy. Call the Embassy to inquire exact fee and suggested travel agent.

If everything is good and clear, you could get your visa stamped on the same day. Make sure you get to the embassy before 12:30pm. As most will open at 8 or 9am, close at 12:00pm and reopen at 1:30pm.

Now that Visa has been stamped...get ready to pack.

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Come on in...

Who am I-A fun loving introvert!

Where am I-The Kingdom!

What are you doing there?-I teach at a University

Where have you lived?-North America, West Africa

So you are used to the change in environment?-Not at all, Culture shock is an understatement of what I am going through.

So tell us a little of what you are experiencing-I am glad you asked, I plan to use this blog to give insights into some of the daily experiences. I hope someone out there will benefit from this blog. Prior to getting on the plane, I researched EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, you can not know everything about a place until you have visited that place. Now, there are some things I have encountered that I wish someone told me about before getting here.

I welcome you to send me messages, post comments and ask questions that you might have about Life in the Kingdom.

Please note that I might point out cultural differences that I find but I will not use this space to criticize any of the Kingdom's cultures...after all, it is their Culture.

Welcome once again!