[LMB] Wood, etc.

[Claudia Muir]

Kevin Kennedy wrote:
> Hmm. I was just thinking about people who would have temporary postings to 
> Kline Station or Beta Colony, when it would be appallingly expensive to ship 
> one's furniture there and back.
I can help you with that, from Real Life experience.  We call those 
"furnished postings".  You only get a small moving allowance for 
personal effects, and are supplied with a furnished house/apartment 
which is assigned to you (or, if you are an independent contractor, that 
you have to find yourself).

The furnishings are supplied by the contracting/employing/hiring office 
(State Dep/USAID, e.g.), and get rotated out after 7 years or when the 
stuff starts falling apart.  They are then auctioned off at ridiculous 
prices to the local population.

Somehow, I imagine it might just like that in the future too. ;-)
>  I just wondered if any of the upscale public 
> areas might feature bamboo, etc. as part of the interiorscaping. The stuff 
> would probably need replacing every so often and I wonder if it would get 
> turned into wicker/rattan type furniture for the locals. Probably still 
> expensive, but an alternative to imported for someone who liked furniture 
> from organic material.
Yes, and no.  I like the idea of bamboo, which you can recycle, after 
all.  Closed cycles are wonderful for closed systems like a space 
station. I do think, though, that a personal preference of almost 
anything that a temp could have would not be catered to, especially if 
it is expensive.  Again, this is Real Life experience. [You need to ship 
your car? Why? Because you would lose half the value of the car when you 
sell it, and not be able to buy a new one cash when you arrive?  And 
this is my problem exactly why?]


Claudia, professional Expat