Moving overseas

[TrooperBari]

Anyone have experience in, or advice for, packing up and taking a gig overseas?

I accepted an offer to be sports editor for an English-language paper in Asia, and they want me there by the end of the month. I've already racked up a decent expense in canceling contracts (**** you very much, DirecTV), and I'll likely spend the weekend divvying up my already meager belongings into what to take and what to leave with the parents. What else should I add to my checklist?

 

[Tom Petty]

learn to love dog.

 

[slappy4428]

Anyone have experience in, or advice for, packing up and taking a gig overseas?

I accepted an offer to be sports editor for an English-language paper in Asia, and they want me there by the end of the month. I've already racked up a decent expense in canceling contracts (**** you very much, DirecTV), and I'll likely spend the weekend divvying up my already meager belongings into what to take and what to leave with the parents. What else should I add to my checklist?

Deciding whether or not to stay in the Poll...

Actually, the person you need to talk to is Guerrilla Scribe... he's been working in Europe for years

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Books, CDs, etc. get left behind. Sell your car.

Check to see if your electronics will work over there. You'll either need to ditch them or get converters for them all.

Write down your SJ password in case you forget once you get there.

 

[slappy4428]

Shots... lots and lots of shots...

 

[User 1019]

learn to love dog.

 

[ServeItUp]

I'm jealous. Hit me up when you need a copy editor.

Anyway, rip all your CDs to your computer and make sure your adaptors work over there. Agree with everything said here. And investigate the money situation thoroughly, like if you can use your bank account over there without penalty. Sounds like a stupid question but I'd be curious how that works.

 

[BTExpress]

Hope you do not need to bring a pet with you.

It can be complicated (as I'm finding out).

 

[TrooperBari]

Deciding whether or not to stay in the Poll...

If you have people on the waiting list, I'll step aside.

Anyway, rip all your CDs to your computer and make sure your adaptors work over there. Agree with everything said here. And investigate the money situation thoroughly, like if you can use your bank account over there without penalty. Sounds like a stupid question but I'd be curious how that works.

My current bank only goes as far as American Samoa, so I'll probably have to empty it out before leaving. There's a Citibank and an HSBC over there, so banking shouldn't be too difficult once I arrive.

Hope you do not need to bring a pet with you.

It can be complicated (as I'm finding out).

No pets, thankfully. Just me, my laptop, some clothes and a selection of books, DVDs and CDs.

 

[Football_Bat]

If you don't mind, which country in Asia will be home base? China? India? Qatar?

 

[TrooperBari]

If you don't mind, which country in Asia will be home base? China? India? Qatar?

Indonesia.

I've tried a few places before, but I've never got this far. The Japan Times never returned my e-mails, the China Daily said my services were not required (a blessing in disguise, that was) and the Korea Times expected me to pay for my flight and housing.

I'd like to work in Japan one day, so hopefully this is a good first step.

----------------

Thanks for the replies, folks. Once I find an ex-pat bar suitable for SJ Outings, I'll let you know.

 

[Blitz]

Take only clothes and any important paperwork.
Hopefully, you are leaving your important stuff in storage opr with family here.
Put it somewhere and move forward, don't worry about it.
Don't know how long you plan to stay gone, but ..
Clothes are the only important thing.
Appliances and electronic plug-in stuff won't work over there, I highly suspect.
So don't worry with that stuff.
We bought lots of that sort of stuff, then sold it easily when we left Europe.
I was in Germany for 3 years until returning a few months ago.
Make sure you have easy access to your money once you get there.
ATMs will be plentiful, too.
Good luck. Communicating back to U.S. will be easier than you think.
Watch and see.

 

[User 1019]

If you don't mind, which country in Asia will be home base? China? India? Qatar?

Indonesia.

I've tried a few places before, but I've never got this far. The Japan Times never returned my e-mails, the China Daily said my services were not required (a blessing in disguise, that was) and the Korea Times expected me to pay for my flight and housing.

I'd like to work in Japan one day, so hopefully this is a good first step.

----------------

Thanks for the replies, folks. Once I find an ex-pat bar suitable for SJ Outings, I'll let you know.

Is the Indonesian population friendly to 'Muricans?

 

[KJIM]

Is this a term gig, or permanent? Congrats.

Here are tips from a Peace Corps planner and packer:

Alert your credit card companies so they won't freeze your cards once you start to use them.

Consider putting a freeze on your credit accounts. I did that to two of the three credit-reporting companies before I came to Morocco.

Consider renters insurance for wherever you leave your stuff in the States, if you do.

Second the motion on the shots. Check out your local health department if you don't have insurance. The CDC site will say which you need, but I'd think Hep A and B, minimum.

I needed a bunch of passport-sized photos for in-country IDs, but your new gig probably will supply those.

Get a Lonely Planet and start working on phrases.

Definitely get the converters for electronics, but look into a surge protector, too. I fried two laptop chargers here before realizing what was happening.

Get a Skype account. If you want to call landlines or cell phones back in the States, put money in the account before you leave. I can't do it from Morocco without a fee; not sure if Indonesia might have the same rules. But if you establish the account now, you can have someone else add money if you need it. (Computer-to-computer calls are free.)

Be sure to cancel Netflix, too. The online viewing doesn't work outside the states. Neither does NBC, dammit.

Line up online services for any remaining account you can.

You'll still have to file fed taxes, and maybe state. Here's a suggestion: I did it online from here with Turbotax for free as a State Farm customer. Even though I have no insurance policies, I stuck $100 in a savings account just so I could have an account so I could file taxes for free.

Consider leaving power of attorney to someone back in the States, just in case you need someone to handle something big and important while you're gone.

Make copies of all your legal documents. I scanned mine to PDF and brought them with me. Consider that for your medical records, too.

Don't overpack. I packed 80 pounds of crap for two years and now that I'm here realize I should have left about 1/3 of it at home.

You can buy clothes (and probably everything else) when you get there. Bring stuff that reminds you of home.

Oh, and register to vote by absentee ballot.

 

[User 1019]

Damn. That's some solid advice.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Congratulations on the Jakarta gig, TB. I went only as far as the Philippines ... as a child.

Hmmm, Southeast Asia.

-Update shots ... usually typhoid, TB tine and others
-You got the bank idea down. Withdraw in your area and start anew in Jakarta.
-Pick and choose clothes carefully. It's amazing the stuff one never uses when going to a new place.
-Adaptors? Check that one carefully. We didn't need any in our three-plus years in either the PI or Okinawa ... but Jakarta might well be a different story.
-I gotta agree with you, though ... I'd aim for Japan over Indonesia. Perhaps soon.

Have fun ... the one thing that would make things easier versus the 20-plus years ago when I was overseas is the better phone and PC technology. Talk about shrinking the world ...

 

[Songbird]

If you can be persuasive in making hires, I'd love to come join ya over there.

 

[TrooperBari]

If you don't mind, which country in Asia will be home base? China? India? Qatar?

Indonesia.

I've tried a few places before, but I've never got this far. The Japan Times never returned my e-mails, the China Daily said my services were not required (a blessing in disguise, that was) and the Korea Times expected me to pay for my flight and housing.

I'd like to work in Japan one day, so hopefully this is a good first step.

----------------

Thanks for the replies, folks. Once I find an ex-pat bar suitable for SJ Outings, I'll let you know.

Is the Indonesian population friendly to 'Muricans?

The population of 222 million is something like 88 percent Muslim, but I'm told they're fairly tolerant. If that's too much, Bali (which has a Hindu majority) is the next island over.

 

[imjustagirl]

If you can be persuasive in making hires, I'd love to come join ya over there.

I asked first.

Besides, the world's ending in a month.

 

[TrooperBari]

Is this a term gig, or permanent? Congrats.

Here are tips from a Peace Corps planner and packer:

Alert your credit card companies so they won't freeze your cards once you start to use them.

Consider putting a freeze on your credit accounts. I did that to two of the three credit-reporting companies before I came to Morocco.

Consider renters insurance for wherever you leave your stuff in the States, if you do.

Second the motion on the shots. Check out your local health department if you don't have insurance. The CDC site will say which you need, but I'd think Hep A and B, minimum.

I needed a bunch of passport-sized photos for in-country IDs, but your new gig probably will supply those.

Get a Lonely Planet and start working on phrases.

Definitely get the converters for electronics, but look into a surge protector, too. I fried two laptop chargers here before realizing what was happening.

Get a Skype account. If you want to call landlines or cell phones back in the States, put money in the account before you leave. I can't do it from Morocco without a fee; not sure if Indonesia might have the same rules. But if you establish the account now, you can have someone else add money if you need it. (Computer-to-computer calls are free.)

Be sure to cancel Netflix, too. The online viewing doesn't work outside the states. Neither does NBC, dammit.

Line up online services for any remaining account you can.

You'll still have to file fed taxes, and maybe state. Here's a suggestion: I did it online from here with Turbotax for free as a State Farm customer. Even though I have no insurance policies, I stuck $100 in a savings account just so I could have an account so I could file taxes for free.

Consider leaving power of attorney to someone back in the States, just in case you need someone to handle something big and important while you're gone.

Make copies of all your legal documents. I scanned mine to PDF and brought them with me. Consider that for your medical records, too.

Don't overpack. I packed 80 pounds of crap for two years and now that I'm here realize I should have left about 1/3 of it at home.

You can buy clothes (and probably everything else) when you get there. Bring stuff that reminds you of home.

Oh, and register to vote by absentee ballot.

Solid. Damn solid.[/tomas] Thanks, KJIM. This is a two-year contract with an option to extend by mutual agreement. I'm fairly sure I'll be miserable for a month or two (I always am) before finding my rhythm.

I don't have any credit cards, and I doubt I could secure one before I leave. My plan is to leave what I don't take with my parents. Where might I find converters that work in Indonesia?

I'll have to talk taxes with the H&R Block folks. The Jakarta people told me the salary would be tax-free, both in Indonesia and the U.S.