TRAVELING WITH OUR CATS TO FRANCE - PHASE 1: PAPERWORK

We made it! Mimi and Chloe are with us in France. Here's how it played out.

If you've read my previous posts on the subject, you are aware that there are rules to be followed when bringing domestic animals into France. They must be micro chipped. They must have all the appropriate vaccinations. They must pass a health examination within ten days of entry into France. And the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarian for your state must sign off on their paperwork within ten days of entry into France. The timing is tight. The rules as published on the French consular website can be found here.

Again, as reported previously, we forewarned our new vet, Dr. Greg Leck, months in advance. (The vet who had cared for our Siamese step-sisters since their birth having retired, apparently just to avoid this craziness.) The girls were chipped. The paperwork downloaded, printed, and discussed. Meanwhile, in order to bring the girls with us in the cabin and in order to go through French customs rather than customs in Barcelona (so that the girls would arrive as French rather than Spanish cats), we chose Turkish Airlines - JFK to Istanbul to Marseilles.

We bought soft-sided carriers, left them out and open for the girls to explore, put their favorite toys in them, and took the girls for several short rides in the carriers in hopes that would acclimate them. The girls weren't happy about it, Mimi (the elder of the two by one year) being the more vocal. She would also occasionally mark the padding with a spot of piss - just enough to let us know that she was pissed. But all in all, they dealt with the carriers well.

As our day of departure approached, things began to get tricky. Our vet had trouble connecting with the USDA vet in Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania state capitol about 80 miles from our home in Bath. The USDA wasn't responding to voice mails or faxes. Finally, during our visit to our local vet exactly nine days before our anticipated entry into France, we asked Dr. Leck once again to try to contact the USDA. Lo and behold, contact was made. "Fax me the paperwork," said the USDA, "and I'll get back to you in five minutes."

Yeah. Right.

But that's exactly what happened. Surprise, surprise. A quick tweak, another fax, and according to the USDA we were good to go. Good to go, that is, to Harrisburg to have the paperwork signed and sealed.

Can it be done over the counter?

Yes.

What are your hours?

8 AM to 4 PM.

Great. I hopped on my Suzuki and took the 80 mile ride to Harrisburg from Bath, found the right building, took the elevator up one floor, found the right office, and walked right in. And there, at the counter, was a sign that read: By Appointment Only. Appointment Hours 9:00 - 11:00 AM, 1:00 - 3:00 PM.

Frack!

I rang the bell. I begged.

Maybe it could be done today. Maybe not. The vet is a busy man. He might not be able to fit you in.

I proposed to go to lunch for an hour, come back, and see where things stood.

I went to lunch for an hour and came back. I rang the bell. The vet appeared.

You're the one with the cats going to France?

That's me.

That'll be $38.

Done.

I'll post once more when we arrive at our house in Quarante.

CHOOSING AN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COMPANY - PART THREE

We've chosen New York International Shipping (NYINTSHIP) for our move to France. Reasons appear in a previous post. But basically, the decision came down to two factors, a reasonable price (including them packing our stuff instead of packing ourselves) and a couple of online reviews touting their operation in France.

I haven't been disappointed to date.

That's not to say that there haven't been glitches.

Glitch #1
Paperwork requirements are burdensome and confusing.That's not all the company's fault. We're talking an international move here. Bureaucrats want to see paper. But it's precisely for that reason that clear instructions and timely assistance is necessary. For instance, I was given a password for a secure portion of the company website from which I could download a number of documents. After much gnashing of teeth, I called the company and was informed that the password entry box only accepted small caps. Silly. And as I found out, sometimes small caps worked and sometimes they didn't. From that point on, I simply emailed  a request for a particular document. Worked well.

Glitch #2
Not a glitch, I suppose. More of a disappointment.

After the first flurry of paperwork leading to a firm quote, NYINTSHIP asked for a deposit to slide me into the schedule. I found $1,500 to be reasonable.

Do you accept PayPal?

Yes.

So I sent $1,500 through PayPal. And NYINTSHIP said that I was on the hook for the PayPal fee, about $45. Disappointing. As I've written in Part 2, I could see no sense getting stirred up about $45 on a deal this size. I need their good will more than I need the $45.

Glitch #3
Our final invoice will be about 50% more than the estimate.

I'm not complaining about this one at all. Our fault. We're taking more than we estimated at first. When you add the living room sofa to the list, the price is bound to bounce for a relatively small shipment like ours. But because the company needs weeks of lead time to schedule your pickup and shipping, unless you've solidified your plans early on and get an in-person professional estimate, you are almost bound to under estimate. I'd added 10% to my initial estimate on principle. Obviously not enough.

Our lousy winter weather caused a one-day delay in the arrival of the truck and crew. One day turned into two days. But once they arrived, the crew of four were quick, thorough and considerate. Boom. Done.

Have you ever seen a man build a box around a couch from a roll of corrugated cardboard?

Now we wait. I assume that there will be one more post in this series, the one in which I report that all went well with the shipping and delivery.

Please, Lord...

EDIT: To skip to my review of New York International Shipping after our move was complete, Click HERE.

WORKAWAY.INFO - A REVIEW

Before I get to workaway...

Miles Barrington runs a properly registered business in the Languedoc called Languedoc Property Service. He provides most all of the services that an Anglo property owner in the region might need from security checks, key holding and pool maintenance to arranging for electrical or roof work to accompanying you as a friendly interpreter when you're buying a car. The friends who first turned us onto Miles a few years ago called him a standup guy. We have always found him to be. And so we've tasked him to supervise the preparation of our house in Quarante for our arrival. More about that in a subsequent post.

Miles bought an impressive but poorly maintained old winegrower's house that a realtor would say has potential. Lots of work to do but once the work is finished, the house will be a showcase. Coincidentally, and fortunately for us, Miles' house is in Quarante just a few hundred yards from ours. During a conversation about his progress on fitting out our kitchen, Miles mentioned that things were a bit slow because he had a crew in from workaway to do some work on his place. When I asked him what he was talking about, Miles sent me to the workaway site. And that's the connection between Miles and workaway.

workaway.info combines the age-old premise that work can be fairly exchanged for room and board with the modern technology that can facilitate such exchanges worldwide.You can register as a host or as a workawayer. Hosts post the work that needs to be done and a calendar. Workawayers post their skills and their travel plans. Jobs/skills can be as varied as animal care, construction, computer work or language practice. Both hosts and workawayers can post pictures. Either can get in touch with the other through the website's messaging service without revealing their personal contact information. Each can rate the other at the end of the visit.

We registered as hosts, needing general help picking and carrying, sorting and packing as we broke down our house, prepared what we were planning to ship to France, and disposed of the rest. It would also be nice to practice our French. We received responses from around the world, from Maryland to France to South Africa. Miles suggested that we only invite people who had done workaway before and were rated, that we invite no one younger than their mid 20s, and that we manage expectations carefully. Good advice. For providing room and board, you have a right to expect value for dollar. If you wanted to host a lazy teenager on vacation, you probably have a niece, nephew or cousin that would do nicely.

Our first workawayers were a married French couple from the Languedoc. The husband was on an extended sabbatical/vacation and the wife owned a marketing firm that she'd sold to her employees. They'd never been workawayers before but they were seasoned travelers in their early 40s and had sufficient web footprints for me to determine that they were responsible, professional adults. And they'd just sold their house in France not far from our place, so they sympathized with our situation. After several email exchanges, we invited them for the month of February and they accepted. They would work four hours a day, five days a week. We'd provide the makings for breakfast and lunch. Cathey would cook dinner for us all. They'd have a private bedroom and share a bathroom with us. We'd pick them up at the airport in Philly and deliver them to Philly or New York when it was time for them to leave.

Patrick and Benedicte are wonderful, a cheerful and obviously loving couple, willing and flexible. Patrick had practically no English at all but Benedicte was fluent if not idiomatic. They worked for more hours than we thought that they would. They seemed disappointed when we ran out of work for the day. In Patrick's case, that may have been because Benedicte required him to study his English in his spare time. As a possible result, Patrick offered to draw on skills that hadn't been mentioned in their profile and proceeded to strip wallpaper, apply a skinny layer of plaster, and along with Benedicte paint two rooms. They even seemed to enjoy shoveling snow. They'd had no need to learn that particular skill while living along the Med. Given the horrid winter weather, they put in plenty of practice. We were grateful.

We have another workawayer coming in soon to finish out our sorting in  advance of the arrival of the movers. We've even decided to try for a workawayer who is a carpenter to help me build bookshelves and such after we arrive in Quarante. It's been a great deal for us so far. Check it out.

SNOW

I would be remiss if I didn't note during the current blizzard that, when I was a youngster 50 years ago, we walked five miles to school and back, in the snow, uphill both ways.

CHOOSING AN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COMPANY - PART 2

Having chosen NY International Shipping as the company that we will use to ship such modest belongings as we will take with us from The States to southern France, the pace of communication has picked up a bit. Forms must be completed, a deposit paid. It’s always something, to quote Roseanne Roseannadanna. And it’s not always something pleasant.

On accepting NY International’s quote by email, I was directed the section of the company website that contained the booking form, password protected, and I was given the password. It didn't work. I called and was told to use small caps. It worked.

I filled out the booking form. At the end, a chart told me how much I would have to put down as a deposit. For the amount of my quote, NY International required a deposit of $1,500. I used the PayPal button right there on the page.

The logistics office contacted me. Forms. According to a footnote, Americans going to France are not required to fill out a customs form. I emailed and asked the question. I'm an American. I'm going to France. Do I fill out the form? The answer? Fill out the form.

I emailed the customs form. I emailed a scan of my passport. PayPal indicated that the transfer of the deposit was completed. I called to conform. There was a problem. PayPal charges a percentage. That percentage would be deducted from the $1,500.

???

I had two choices.

1. What the hell! You put the PayPal button on your site. The site didn't say anything about deducting the fee. I want to be credited for the full amount that I sent to you.
   
2. OK.
   

I took a beat and thought about it. I chose the latter. I wasn't happy about it. It was cheesy. If you're going to accept credit cards or PayPal, you should accept the fees. But here's my thinking. I'm looking at 1% of the total bill. Is it worth the fight, probably a losing fight, and the loss of the company's good will, such as it may be? I decided to consider the extra payment it a gratuity to the company for being the low bidder.

So, the bid led the field. Communication has been excellent. But I wish there hadn't been these little blimps and bumps.

I'll write again as the process proceeds.

EDIT: To skip to my review of New York International Shipping after our move was completed, click HERE.

CHOOSING AN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COMPANY

As I've explained in previous posts, I have no desire to write handbooks. Nor do I wish to cause anyone to choose one product or service over another simply because my wife Cathey and I have made our choices. I'm simply telling the story of our experiences as we prepare to move from our home in the USofA to our home in France. Do your own due diligence. Don't depend on mine.

There are bunches of international shippers. You can find ads and links on expat message boards. There are portal sites that will submit your request for a quote to an array of shippers. If you know someone working in a major international corporation in your area, see if you can find out if the company has a go-to shipper.

Once we had the names of several shipping companies, even before I went to their websites, I began looking at sites that aggregate reviews of them. Let's talk about reviews for a minute.

I operate under the assumption that folks are more likely to write detailed reviews on company or aggregating websites if their experience has been unsatisfactory. You can find the same negative review on different sites if the reviewer is sufficiently pissed off. Cut and Paste facilitates shouting at the wind. Furthermore, if only 1% of the cargo that goes through the Port of New York every year is lost, damaged or delayed, that's nearly 1,000,000 tons of cargo. You're dealing with multiple complex international  systems. It's a crap shoot. Sometimes you lose.

In other words, I read as many reviews of as many companies as I can. Then I go by my gut

I decided to ask four companies for quotes. We exchanged emails. I sent lists. I got quotes. I asked questions. Three of the quotes were so close as to make no difference. Nearly identical. The fourth quote was 15% less than the others. NY International Shipping.

NY International's salesman was the most persistent, thorough communicator. He answered every email promptly and he followed up to make certain that I understood the information that he had sent. Yes. I know. A good salesman can convince you to buy a bad product. But one telephone exchange convinced me.

I asked the NY International salesman why I should trust a quote that was so obviously low. First, he asked me to hold for a few minutes to review the quote to make certain that there was no mistake. I liked that. He didn't pretend to have my quote in his head. It was a serious question and he seemed to be attempting to make certain that his answer was equally serious.  When he came back to the phone, he confirmed the number and added, among one or two other things, that they had a really good, efficient and effective agent in France who saves them money. That connected with one of the reviews of NY International that I'd read lauding their agent on the French side - good communication, solved problems...

So, at the end I settled on NY International Shipping. I'll post on this topic again as events warrant and  once the move has been accomplished.

EDIT: To skip to my review of New York International Shipping after our move was complete, click HERE.

SHAKESPEARE NOT REQUIRED, CHOMSKY AND MORE

SHAKESPEARE

Having been force fed Modern Math in my elementary school years, I have long had an interest in the trend of modern educators eschewing the academic philosophies of the past. I long ago suspected that academic trend setters in this country were idiots. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal only served to confirm that suspicion. (Disclaimer: I subscribe to the WSJ because it's the only national newspaper that I can have delivered to my door before my morning coffee without having to take out a home equity loan to pay for it.)

Author Heather Mac Donald tells a relatively straightforward story. If Ms. Mac Donald is to be believed, and if you will permit me to summarize, junior faculty at UCLA successfully lobbied for replacing the required study of Milton, Chaucer, and Shakespeare with courses studying gender, sexuality, and colonialism. That's a bit simplistic but you get the picture. Today at UCLA, an English major can earn his/her degree having avoided studying the men generally considered to be the inventors of modern language and story telling.

The problem is obvious if you follow the thinking. Shakespeare was an English man. Two strikes. England was a male dominated, colonial society. Anything that Shakespeare had to say was doubly tainted. Music departments take heed, Ms. Mac Donald says. Beethoven and Mozart may be the next to be consigned to the ash heap of academic rejection.

Phooey!

I am no great Shakespeare aficionado. I approach his plays as I do opera. I endure long periods of boredom in order to enjoy occasional bursts of pure fireworks. The man practically invented the modern English language. And if you can't learn about race, class, gender and such from his plays, you aren't being taught properly. It's all there. So I have no hesitation in saying that an English major who has not studied Shakespeare ain't much of an English major.

CHOMSKY

I  watched - on my computer - an interview with Noam Chomsky, with Salon I believe, concerning the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade pact with a bunch of Pacific Rim nations from North and South America to Australia and Japan. In the clip that I watched, Chomsky excoriated the TPP, primarily focused on the great benefit of patent protection - intellectual property rights - to the pharmaceutical industry.

So I went to Amazon.com, found a book written by Chomsky and looked to see if Chomsky had copyrighted the book. He had.

Not much of a socialist...

MORE

I hope that my readers - all three of you - don't mind these short diversions. There are times that the weight of Silly just gets too heavy to bear.