Wednesday April 9,2008

The word that describes this week so far is frustrating. Frustrating on many different levels, mainly because I'm realizing that certain little things are done differently here than what I'm used to back at home, things that I've probably taken for granted. When I tell you all how my week has been I am expecting no sympathy, I'm not expecting anyone to be surprised. All of my incidents are pretty insignificant but nonetheless has contributed to my frustrations.

On Monday since I figured out how to get to IKEA by subway that was the plan. I had read on their website that they also offered a free shuttle bus from the subway station directly to the store. So I had to take the subway to the end of the line to Kelana Jaya a little further away than Bangsar, in total it probably took me 30 min. to get there...not bad. So I find the stop where the shuttle picks you up and I wait...and wait...and wait. Finally I hailed a taxi because whenever you need one, there's one there to pick you up. Ikea is quite a distance from the subway station so the taxi driver was happy to take me. I already had a list compiled from me and Jim's previous visit and I was ready to buy!! That is until it dawned on me that everything is self-pick and I was getting things like a desk, chair, lamps, rugs, matress set etc. So I asked someone regarding home delivery only to be told that I would still have to self-pick everything that I wanted, pay for it, then take it to the home delivery desk and make arrangements. I left the store. I spent 2 hours in there and was not in a good mood when I left. I found the free shuttle bus to take me back to the subway and I waited...and waited...and waited. Apparently the bus only departs once an hour and vice versa if you're at the subway station. I made a mental note of the schedule so the next time I go I will plan my trip accordingly, either that or bring a book.

On the way home I stopped at a stand in the subway station to buy a prepaid cell phone card. I still had money on my phone but for some reason every 30 days you have to buy more whether you need it or not otherwise you won't be able to make phone calls or send text messages. You can still receive calls but that's it. I got a card for 30 RM and as I was walking home, Jim spotted me while he was sitting at a red light and gave me a ride the rest of the way. I looked at the card that they gave me which has a label on it that you scratch away and it reveals a code that you have to enter in order to redeem your credit, ok, no problem. However the rest of the instructions were in Malay so after an hour of cussing, getting my phone barred and locked by the company for entering the code incorrectly, talking with customer service, and surfing the Hotlink website, I finally figured out what it was I was supposed to do. I will definitely remember this bit of information because in 30 days I'll have to do it all over again.

Tuesday I went to Ampang Point for 2 reasons. One was to go back and speak with guy I met last week about an area rug I wanted for our living room and the other was to find the Post office to mail some packages. First of all let me tell you that it took me 2 days to figure out where the post office was located. It took some creativity searching their website for locations. Attention!! Malaysia needs web designers!! Now my extent of speaking Malay is limited to street signs but it hasn't been a problem since everywhere I go most people speak English. This was not the case at the post office, every sign in the place was in Malay and I swear it took me 5 minutes to figure out how and where to get a number so I could wait my turn. My number was 1340 and they were on 1285, there weren't even that many people in the post office! So I sat down and I waited...and waited...and waited. Finally my turn! I go to the window, which isn't big enough to fit my packages through, and I tell the lady I want to ship to the U.S., now my things are in boxes with the addresses just like home, but she tells me that I can not ship unless the packages are wrapped in paper. AAAGGHHHH!!!! I ask if she has paper I can buy-Nope, I ask if she knows of any place in the mall where I can buy-Nope, AAAGGHHHH!! So I leave, packages in hand. I go to the carpet store and the owner does not have the rug that I want, but he does have it at the warehouse and could I come back tomorrow?AAAGGHHHH!!! Sure, why not, I have to come back anyway with my brown paper wrapped boxes!

Which brings us to today. I get up, go downstairs, I have the porter call for a cab for me so I can go back to Ampang Point, packages in tow. The reason I had a porter call for me is because had I gone to the street and gotten my own cab, I probably would have had to stop 4 taxis before someone agreed to take me. I have been to Ampang Point several time and have never paid the same fare either time. Some taxis have meters, some don't and those you have to negotiate the fare before you leave. Even the ones with meters have charged me different prices even though they always pick me up in the same place and drop me in the same place. I never tip any of them because I figure they're making money off of me somehow, someway. The guy has my carpet and previously he has offered to deliver it for me, not today, he convinces me that he can fold up a 10'x7' rug and it can be easily carried on top of raising the price 100 RM from his previous offer, something about different material than the others...whatever. I want to pay credit and he's constantly asking me to give him part cash that way he can avoid bank fees, sorry buddy, you screwed me, this is my way of getting you back! He made some rude comment about Americans which I didn't pay attention to so, I left, carrying my 10'x7' rug and my nicely brown paper wrapped packages...not fun! So back at the post office, I take a number, I've been through this before, luckily not that many people are waiting and my turn comes fairly quickly-Score one for the Tifster! This time there are no problems until I gave the lady my second package. Their server was down so anything over 2 kg they can not process AAAGGHHHH!! So I left. with my 10'x7' rug minus one package, got refused twice by cabbies, the afternoon downpour started, got overcharged by the taxi driver who finally agreed to take me and so ended my day...until

Jim came home and said he was contacted by our movers and apparently our container has not arrived yet, it's somewhere in China, which means that it hasn't cleared customs, which means that when we move into our house this weekend we will only have the things that I have purchased so far, AAAGGHHHH!!! This should be ok since I did buy a bedroom set for our spare room but I'm putting money on something happening to that delivery!