Buying a car -- simple? Noooo.

This is the first time I’ve take out to post. I've been working since a few days after we arrived, even though we have not had our "Orientation" yet. In theory you are not supposed to go to work before that, but they needed me to start and there is so much to learn to become productive here. The amount of work to be done is really overwhelming. I am really looking forward to helping out.

Things are very busy here, and there is little time to even think with all we are doing to try to figure out to get settled. Right now one of the projects is "buying a car". You wouldn't think that would be very complicated, but trust me, it is amazingly more difficult and time-consuming than it is in the US. Since Baha'is have a tourist status in the country, there is certain paperwork that has to be done and go through many different offices. Fortunately we have been getting lots of help from staff at the Baha’i World Centre, or it would take forever.

Anyway, we started the process of ordering the vehicle and today I have to go give them my passport and drivers license so they can bring the car through customs -- which they don't do until AFTER you have paid and given your papers. After all that, it should take 1 to 3 weeks to actually get the car -- and they will keep my license and passport the whole time!

We are settling down a bit. Our shipment came. It is wonderful to have our things, but our little apartment is stuffed with boxes and everything is everywhere. Slowly we are finding ways of organizing. Our A/C has been fixed after a few days without, and our fridge as well (after loosing all the food), we have a washer and dryer now (ahh, to have clean clothes!!) and now we know that we can't turn on everything electronic in the house at the same time -- dryer, stereo, and microwave -- or the main fuse blows and the lights go out. :-) So we are learning how life is here and getting used to it.

It is really wonderful to be so close to the Baha'i Shrines and Gardens. Yesterday Yasmeen and I took a walk and found that about 1/2 a mile from our flat there is a raised pathway behind the mall and hotels at the top of the mountain where there is terrific view from the mountain ridge over Haifa and the bay. A little later, after dark, we returned with May and Nadia to show them the glowing city below us. We continued on further down that path and arrived at the top of the Baha’i Terraces, with the pathways down the mountain all lit up like strings of pearls, and had a breathtaking view of the golden glowing Shrine of the Báb in the middle of the terraces.

Greetings to everyone,
- Na'im