Visa Renewal

3 years ago, we almost only paid for 2 year visas when we first filed the paperwork in the UAE.  Knowing L3's propensity for moving people around, we didn't foresee a long stay.  But here we are.  Matt went through the process a few months ago--his expires much earlier than me and the kids because we had had to wait for our birth certificates and marriage license to go visit Washington DC to be properly attested.  We were doing monthly visa runs while waiting.  We had till June 6, 2015 to renew or move.  Since the job is not only still here, but has added more responsibly, we figured we better gather paperwork and start the slog.

A week ago I drove to Abu Dhabi with passports, visas, national ID cards, medical cards, 4 copies of passport pictures for 4 people in two different shirts each, villa rental contract, properly filled paperwork, birth certificates, and marriage license, arabic translations of all the certificates, and all the necessary money in exact change.  I spent an hour or so at the Raytheon office and on the phone with Matt back at home getting him to send PDF's of a few things I didn't know I needed.  Even with all that, we needed to email back and forth with the owners of our Villa to get a copy of official sale contract for where we are living.  So we couldn't finish that day.  But I could go to the medical place and get another blood test and chest x-ray to make sure I don't have any horrible diseases.  I had left at 8:45 and was back by 3.  We got the other needed paperwork sorted and sent via email.  I thought there was nothing more to do till it was time to pick up everything.  

I was wrong.  I got a call yesterday informing me that since Isaac is 16, he now needs fingerprinting, or "biometrics".  I was told he could do it in Dubai, so having 2 hours before piano/guitar lessons, we quickly got in the car and drove to the correct building only to find that they couldn't do anything for him without his original passport and form...which were in Abu Dhabi.

So this morning, Isaac and I left the house a bit before 9 to drive back to the Raytheon office to run inside and pick-up the blessed passport and form.  We then drove to the closest National Identity Authority building, got lost, tried to find parking at a nearby mall and walked, finally found it, got a number, waited, then for 2 minutes, this

After that thrilling experience, the starving teenager needed sustenance.  We stopped at the food court in the mall on the way back to the car, then drove back to Raytheon to return the passport and properly stamped form, and returned home.  Pulled into the garage at 3:14 feeling quite satisfied at a well spent 6 hour block to fill a 2 minute need. 

blah.  Matt passed us on 11 on his way to sign the 4 forms before going to work.  Now we should really be done.