Yowzers. The moving boxes have just arrived at our flat. They’re a month early, but this will leave plenty of time to select, cull, and browse our belongings. Now comes the game: what’s worth keeping? Geez time flies. I can hardly believe it’s the middle of April, tipping toward the start of May.
Category Archives: Finding Home
Slowly saying goodbye
Ah the pain! I just wrote a page long posting in Word, only to absent-mindedly close the entire program (not saved) and lose my work. Blarg! Who says “blarg” anyhow? I think it’s a female. Maybe Felicia Day from the Guild? I don’t know.
Anyhow, this post was all about writing letters. Basically moving home (moving countries) means a lot of ties must be severed. In the past two weeks I’ve written some very final notices. Work involved a gushing letter – professional yet personal – of resignation that took a few drafts to achieve. Ever since a bad experience leaving a big employer (“pass me your vest and get out”), where I gave a thank you card and felt like an ass for the effort – I have hesitated in expressing too much gratitude.
But then, when people provide incredible support shouldn’t gratitude be shown? Yes, it should.
Therefore I started off my resignation letter like this:
“Many thanks for the opportunity. Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind regards, Catherine Brunelle”
And finished it like this
“You’re all so awesome, this place is awesome, our job is awesome. Everything’s awesome! And I’m going to miss every last bit of it. Hugs, Catherine”
Well, that may be an exaggeration – but you get the gist.
And then yesterday I wrote a letter to our landlady [if you want a good example of how to be a landlord, she’s it. Responsive yet distant. A very good combination in the world of accommodation.] and let her know we’re moving. Final month in Southampton: May. Beautiful sunny May when the roses bloom and smell like perfume. May, the month I felt my bump. May, the month my life changed. It’ll be post-cancer one year when we finally leave the UK.
. . . maybe we’ll come back, because apparently anything can happen . . . but for now, Canada and Hungary are waiting with open arms (of our parents).
So that’s the start of the letters. Next will come the papers for shipping, the agreements for money transfers, the ending of contracts and all thae inevitable red tape of life. Over the past four years we’ve settled in. Now it’s time to squirm out.
There you go – post about moving, take two. The ball is rolling and it’s only a matter of time.
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Calculating square footage
Lately Zsolt and I have been calculating the square footage of our lives, or rather, our belongings. I’m in the bad habit of associating my possessions with my ‘life’, which actually can’t be further from the truth. Yesterday we were watching videos of what’s left in the tsunami ruined areas of Japan – you know, the ones where people pick through the damage and hope to find something salvageable? And I thought, yes it’s stressful to move, but what if it was a choice between your goods or your life? What would sheets, pots, and books matter then? I find it’s a bad habit to tightly associate life with possessions. Because, as we’ve seen, everything can be lost in a moment.
Anyhow, it’s something I’m trying to remember. I would trade everything except the people I love to be guaranteed absolute health. . . and I bet people suffering from the terror of war and natural disasters would do something similar for a little peace of mind.
So, Zsolt and I were calculating the square footage of our possessions the other day, trying to decide whether we can ship our paintings via a tea box or special carton. A tea box (apparently standard shipping size) would be less expensive. Therefore, we had to revisit grade nine math. Funny how what used to be so easy eventually becomes so easily forgotten. Thank goodness for Wikipedia providing easy to access formulas.
Anyhow, the painting – without the frame – will fit into the tea carton.
Things are starting to look up in the world of moving. We found a company with reasonable prices, and while I’m suspect of the incredibly good deal they offer, I won’t say no. Don’t say no. Gotta say yes . . . Our plan is to order X number of boxes, fill them up with whatever matters most, and sell/give the rest away.
What matters most? Sentimental things go first: the photos, the fridge decorations, the albums, and Christmas ornaments. Next come the clothes: there’s an entire closet of stuff to pick through, but we have time for purging. After that it’s about the kitchen: my pots and pans, everything else can be left. And finally it’s computer related goodies: games, dvds, the computer, the screen (maybe) . . .
Too bad food cannot be easily shipped into Canada. I’d love to bring home some beautiful paprika and kobasz from Hungary. Oh well.
Step one in the moving adventure: find a company for shipping.
Check!
So that’s quite a relief.
Bumpyboobs ~CatherineBrunelleWrites 