2 weeks in and I don’t have much to report. Granted, I’m staying in a lot… I’m having more trouble adjusting than I thought I would. I've even turned insomniac and I *love* sleeping.

Oli and I went to look at apartments/villas last week and the first two we looked at were in dusty, depressing areas much like the area we’re in now. Then we hit the jackpot when a co-worker suggested the apartment complex she lives in. We took a look and it’s pretty much perfect (or as close as we’re gonna get here). Surrounded by palm trees, with a big shaded garden (with a peacock!) and a 15 minute walk to the Crowne Plaza Hotel and the beach. The master bedroom is big enough to hold a dance party, and we even get an actual kitchen-sized kitchen (take note, Japan)! All for 200rials/month.

The only downside is that during Khareef season when all the tourists come to town the landlord kicks us out. But after asking around, that seems to happen no matter where you’re living. Oli has his holiday around that time anyway so we’ll probably just take off for the two months and visit his mum. Of course, this all depends on whether or not I last until holiday time but after seeing this apartment surrounded by actual GREEN things I think I can hold on.


Sooo…. That’s all I got for now. I’m spending my days playing Sims and missing Kyoto, and my evenings watching bad movies on Satellite TV with Oli. His company is still processing my ‘family-joining visa’ and they’ve already seen my medical exam papers so I guess I don’t have any weird viruses… oh! And Oli and I have the same blood type, AB+. Which apparently Japanese people say is ‘crazy-person’ blood type. Explains a lot.

I went out again today. I had to do medical exam for family-joining visa. Then we ran into a guy Oli works with. He brought us to his landlord who he says is a good guy, so we could ask about apartments in a nicer part of town.

Rent is really cheap, a 3 bedroom VILLA cost less than 200rial/month ($500 CND?). But because Salalah is a tourist town during Khareef (monsoon) season, the landlords kick you out beginning of July until September so they can charge waaay more to have tourist families stay. So... that's weird. And inconvenient.

I still don't like it here. But we're looking at a villa tomorrow so maybe I will like that.

• 17:54 nothings happening. still. #

korpsy @ Twitter
Keeping in Touch via LoudTwitter

Ahhhh we are stuck in this stupid hotel with nothing to do for yet another long day. We took a walk around yesterday but it was hot and there's nothing around here and we're going nuts.... Ahhh!
Already we are planning our escape. We haven't even seen Salalah yet! Thought we were made of stronger stuff but 8 months traveling really wore us out. This is tough.

• 13:23 RT @rockglass:www.lostvault.com/ DeathRow inmates looking for pen pals #
• 13:23 we in the desert, yo! #

korpsy @ Twitter
Keeping in Touch via LoudTwitter

Oli's friend Ken and I have started trading writing, because I like his poetry and I miss writing mine. So thanks to that, and my friend Sadi ordering me to write a book while I'm here (and giving me a pretty tight deadline, lol) I'm gonna try some creative writing in all this free time I have.

so I'll be posting stuff in my lighter_spins account if you're interested in adding it, if you haven't already

Some action actually took place yesterday. The company came to pick up Oli and I, and took him for a medical exam. Then we went to the company building and Oli signed a contract. That was scary. Now we are bound to Oman for at least one year. It made both of us nervous, actually we're still nervous.

The company seems very disorganized, even in little matters like calling a taxi, or ordering lunch. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, and the head doesn't exist. I guess this is normal here but I don't like it. Oli and I made a pact to just go with the flow and let them do things their way, and try not to get frustrated about it.

It seems like we're going to be in this hotel for awhile before we finally fly to Salalah. Oli still needs to do fingerprints for immigration and they haven't even started my spouse-visa yet. We order room-service every day and watch movies on our laptops.

I took some photos from the car yesterday. ( clickity )

• 10:31 checked into our hotel and passed out for 14hrs. It's 7:30am here and breakfast was good. outside is all sand :o/ #
• 20:01 still no contact from the company. have they stranded us here? atleast we have tv and internet. #

korpsy @ Twitter
Keeping in Touch via LoudTwitter

Update: the company has finally made contact. They want Oli tomorrow morning for a medical examination, and me to do spouse-visa stuff. Oli is terrified because he thinks they're gonna find some hidden fatal disease or something during the exam. I think he's a big baby.

Anyway, it's good to know they hadn't forgotten about us!

The last 24hrs have been an absolute NIGHTMARE. I never ever ever want to travel alone again. Oli and I were together up until Fukuoka airport, where we separated for Oli to go to Seoul, and myself to Kansai. I arrived at Kansai airport a good 6hrs before my flight and 4hrs before I could even check in. I like airports, even by myself I kept entertained parading my cart back and forth infront of shops and using the free wifi. Finally it was time to check in, and the problems began.

International flights allow 30kg of check-in baggage. I had a suitcase, a box and Oli's guitar which added up to 38kg. Every kg over the limit costs 3500yen (aprox. $40CAD) so it would have been a small fortune, something I really can't afford. I say would have been, because in the end I only paid 10,000yen ($120CAD) because after taking out 3 pairs of shoes (which brought it down to 36kg, still too heavy!) and bursting into tears in front of the check-in girl they finally took pity on me, or were just sick of dealing with me, and said 10,000yen was fine.

By the way, I am NOT proud of crying at the airport. That was super embarassing and it didn't even have a very good effect on the check-in staff. They just looked vaguely uncomfortable and slightly irritated that they had a crying gaijin refusing to pay 480573805yen for her excess baggage. Later I found out that even though Oli was 17kg overweight he CHARMED the check-in girl down 10kg and only had to pay for 7kg. Of course. And his flight was Fukuoka-Seoul-Dubai with the first airline being Korean Air, who apparently don't charge a ridiculous amount for excess baggage so in the end he only paid 7000yen. Bastard. I bet he cried too and just didn't tell me.

When I finally met up with Oli in Dubai airport I was cranky, exhausted and overjoyed to see him. As I said, I am NEVER traveling alone again. I need travel support! Our final flight was Dubai-Muscat and I passed out through most of the flight, but woke up in time to see the desert and giant mountains surrounding Oman. Even in my half-asleep state I could appreciate that, it was gorgeous and so...vast. Haha, I'm so observant, yeah?

Anyway, when we arrived at Muscat airport there were a few more kicks in the teeth awaiting us. Oli's guitar didn't arrive (the one that made me CRY before I could check it in) so we have to call the airport every day to see if it comes in... and the company rep who was supposed to pick us up was not there. We waited for half an hour before calling the company, who then took another HOUR before a hotel driver showed up. We arrived at our hotel, the 'Al Bahjah' and passed out for 14hrs.

So now it's 8:17am here, 11:17pm in Ontario, Canada and 12:17pm in Japan. We had a lovely breakfast of pita bread, refried beans, feta cheese, yogurt and salad. Oli's guitar is still MIA and nobody from the company has contacted us. I feel like an alien.

(edit): Oli's guitar has turned up at the airport. It is now 5:23pm and the company has yet to contact us in any way. Is this how things are done here? Or are we stranded in this hotel? ( transit pics )

• 10:07 exhausted. in Dubai airport. found Oli w/ no problems. EXHAUSTED. #
• 10:13 about to board our final flight, to Muscat. Oman kokusai kukou hehehe #

korpsy @ Twitter
Keeping in Touch via LoudTwitter

• 09:47 airport in 2 hours. off to Oman. #
• 16:22 All alone in Kansai airport. Flight to Dubai 11:20.. it's only 6:20 now. Atleast there's free wifi! #
• 18:35 20 more min til I can check in and finally eat! #
• 19:53 This is a nightmare. I actually cried at the check in counter. I want Oli. #
• 19:54 On the plus side, crying took the extra baggage cost down from $220 to $100. #

korpsy @ Twitter
Keeping in Touch via LoudTwitter

This traveling alone thing sucks. I just started bawling at the check-in counter 'cos I was 8kg over the weight limit, and it's 3200yen(like, $36) per extra kilogram because they're bastards. I ended up having to take out a bunch of stuff from my suitcase and stuff it into my carry-on, and I *still* had to pay 10,000yen.. they even discounted me cos I was crying!

The shittiest thing is, Oli's gonna have the same problem in Seoul. His total baggage weight is 47kg so I have no idea what he's gonna do. He doesn't even have access to that kind of money right now so.... what? I hope he's okay *worries*. Also I hope he doesn't leave a suitcase behind.

I want to blame this on Oli. He insisted it was okay to bring the extra box instead of sending for it later. Actually, fuck it. I *do* blame Oli. I also blame him for not being here... I really need him here this is awful .

This airport is badly designed. My check-in counter doesn't open until 8:20, so I have all my luggage on a cart and an hour to kill... But the shops and restaurants are on the 3rd floor, which you can only reach by escalator. Which I can't bring the cart up.

And I'm hungry. Stoopid airport.

Well I successfully made it to Kansai airport alone. We had a hiccup in Fukuoka airport when EVEN THOUGH I have a connecting international flight, I still was only allowed 20kg on the domestic from Fukuoka to Kansai. The total came to 44kg which is waaay over their pathetic limit, and the cost of bringing that much extra was near $400 to get it all the way to Muscat. Yeah, right. We switched some things around between Oli and me, and got my check-in luggage down to 37kg which was about $20 to get to Kansai, and now I have to re-check-in all my stuff for the flight to Dubai and Muscat. Which might cost again, because international limit is 30kg. What an expensive move this is turning out to be!

Well that aside, I miss Oli already which is lame, I know. He's flying to Seoul then Dubai where we're meeting up before our flight to Muscat. He's currently still in Fukuoka airport so right now we both have a wait of 5-6 hours but in different cities. Lame lame lame.

...I like flying though :o)

Well thanks to my wonder-mom, and super-grandparents we got several things sorted out. First of all, I decided to go directly to Oman with Oli. I will visit Canada next year for sure though, because round-trip from Oman is retarded cheap (which is exciting! I can visit whenever I want!) and I'm not gonna be working so I have free time all the time :o)

My mom was super duper and stayed up all night finding me a flight the same day as Oli. Unfortunately, it's not the *exact* same flight, so we'll be flying separately until we reach Dubai, which is kinda lonely but I"ll survive. So tomorrow we head out and sometime Saturday morning we're arriving in Muscat together. Scary! We spend a few days there finishing up some legal stuff to do with Oli's new job and then it's off to Salalah.

Second thing we got done is Oli is on my friggin' koseki! I didn't think it could be done, but my grandparents persevered and I ended up having to sign some paper stating that Mariko Schott and Mariko Tashiro are, infact, the same person and I am that person... And then it was done! Now if we ever move back to Japan Oli can get a spouse-visa and when we have a kid they can get a Japanese passport. Which will be funny, because our kid is gonna look 100% gaijin.

Anyway, I'm super relieved we got it done. They asked some questions about me owning a Canadian passport and I thought for sure it was all over, but in the end I guess they didn't care too much. Maybe it's a different department that deals with the dual-passport-is-a-no-no thing.

Soooo... Oman! Tomorrow! We've finished packing our life into luggage (I can't wait until it's the last time..ugh) and the stuff we don't need stays here at my grandparents house until we have a permanent home. I'm anxious and excited but I'm not panicking anymore. I think knowing that I can easily fly to Canada if I get homesick makes it easier for me to go. And because it's so easy... my friends should come visit. Yes, you guys! Come to Oman and keep me company. Like I said, I'm not gonna be working so if you come there's a tour guide and free place to crash :o)

• 12:21 packing things for Oman, packing things for storage... not really sure what NOT to bring to Oman... is there a point to shorts and tanktops? #
• 12:21 ...or will I never end up wearing them except in the house? Dammit, I need more info! #
• 20:47 dusty futons attacking my senses. #
• 21:03 bedtime. packing 70% done, the rest tomorrow. will I need fuzzy handcuffs in Oman? lol #

korpsy @ Twitter
Keeping in Touch via LoudTwitter

• 18:12 at my obaachan's in Nogata, stealing in ternets from some hapless fool. #
• 18:25 also, its so nice to see all my clothes. oh, how i missed you, fashion! #
• 18:41 oli is touching my bum. #
• 19:00 ps. flight booked for oman for friday. no longer panicky. #

korpsy @ Twitter
Keeping in Touch via LoudTwitter

• 11:09 anxiety attack. don't wanna go to Oman. don't wanna don't wanna don't wanna. #
• 16:15 suddenly very cold in Kyoto. brrr! #
• 18:02 off we go! Fukuoka, then Oman. #

korpsy @ Twitter
Keeping in Touch via LoudTwitter

Tonight we take the bus 8hrs to Kita-Kyushuu city, to stay at my obaachan's. She doesn't have internet so I think I'll be cut-off from the online world for awhile. Not sure how soon we can get it up in Oman but it's definitely going to be a priority.

We just found out today that the company who hired Oliver is only paying for *his* flights to Salalah. We have to pay for my flights ourselves, which we can't currently even afford. Also, I have to enter on a tourist visa and they'll process the family visa once I'm in the country, which means I have to buy a roundtrip flight 'cos I can't enter on a one-way without the proper visa already issued. For some reason, they can't pay for my flight and then deduct it from Oli's salary, but they said they can loan him the money to pay for my flights once he's in the country. I called my mother to ask if she could loan us the money for the flights until *they* loan us the money and we pay her back with the company loan.

This presents us with several options:

Option #1- My mom pays for my flight on the same day as Oli and we go together, me on a tourist-visa to be later changed into a spouse-visa. We pay her back when the company gives us a loan, the week after we arrive.

Option #2- Oli goes alone, I stay an extra week at my obaachan's until the company loans Oli the money for my flight. I enter on a tourist-visa to be later changed to spouse-visa.

Option #3- Oli goes alone. I go to Canada (my mom's idea) which my mom pays for as a gift. I stay with my parents until the spouse-visa is issued (company said 3 weeks). We use the company loan to pay for my flight from Canada-Oman.
Option #3a, lol -Oli goes alone. I go to Canada for ONE week and we use the company loan to pay for my flight to Oman.

I hate last-minute deciding. There are pros and cons in all these options. I don't want Oli to go by himself, and have the hassle of finding an apartment for us and setting up life there all alone. I definitely don't like the idea of spending 3 weeks apart from him, especially seeing as how we just got married. I think the most time we've spent apart in the last 2 years was like.. 3 days. And it sucked.
But... when my mom said she wanted to pay for me to come to Canada, my heart leapt a little. I would *love* to visit. Yes, it's probably freezing there right now.. and I will be stuck in Niagara-on-the-Lake at my parent's house, probably sleeping on the pull-out couch. And I would miss Oli to bits and feel super guilty that I'm being taken care of and fed by my parents while he's fending for himself in Oman. ..arg.

I'm thinking that we'll probably end up doing option #1. Although I really want to visit Canada, I'd rather go when Oli can go. And I really *would* feel rotten sending him by himself. This is a tough decision though. I have until tomorrow morning to figure it out.

And now, randomly... ( my Halloween costume! )