We moved out of our flat last Thursday and I am now back in the house I used to live in, before Tim and I got back together. It's a little strange. It is also very smelly as a rat burrowed under the foundations of the house and decided to die (and decompose) under the floorboards. It really pongs!
The move went very well, all things considered. The packers were extremely efficient and had all our stuff ready to go by 4pm. Our belongings are being shipped in a 20 foot container, which appeared on the back of a lorry at about 2pm on move day. I was amazed the driver was able to navigate the narrow streets round here, but he is obviously an expert! We didn't even fill half of the container but they secured everything so it won't rock around on the open seas and then put a heavy duty lock that requires bolt cutters to remove. The next people to see the inside of the container will be the Singapore customs officials. I think they are going to have sorting through our DVD collection...
Tim flew out on Saturday and it was his first day of work today. It all seems to have gone well and he is using the subway already - apparently it is very clean and only costs 50p. We won't know ourselves! I am joining him on Friday and to be honest, after this term at school, I can't wait for a bit of a holiday. Although not too much of a holiday because I have to write my second dissertation while I am out there. But I won't think about that just yet.
More updates will follow!
Showing posts with label the move. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the move. Show all posts
Monday, 4 April 2011
Monday, 31 January 2011
Hoarding
I'm a terrible hoarder. I always have been. I keep letters, cards, photos and books. There are drawers full of pens. Boxes full of beauty products, bottles of perfume. But with an impending move, and our flat nearing full capacity, I can feel myself teetering on the edge of a manic clear-out. Today may well be the day. There is not point in filling a large container, sailing it across the ocean, only to open it at the other end and realise that we have just paid to transport a load of rubbish.
When I waver, I will think of the Dutch bikes. The Dutch bikes that I couldn't bear to leave behind when Tim moved back to the UK because that meant admitting that such a happy time was coming to an end. The Dutch bikes that were transported in the back of the white transit van, deposited in my parents house and haven't moved since. Tim was right, they are completely impractical for the hilly countryside where my parents live, they should never have left Holland. He should have overruled me, but he didn't. And now they sit, reproachful and unloved, and a constant reminder.
I won't let my heart rule my head. I will put sentimentality to one side today. It is not things that hold memories. As always, I am sure I will have multiple dilemmas and second thoughts, but I must be strong. So I don't make the same mistake twice.
When I waver, I will think of the Dutch bikes. The Dutch bikes that I couldn't bear to leave behind when Tim moved back to the UK because that meant admitting that such a happy time was coming to an end. The Dutch bikes that were transported in the back of the white transit van, deposited in my parents house and haven't moved since. Tim was right, they are completely impractical for the hilly countryside where my parents live, they should never have left Holland. He should have overruled me, but he didn't. And now they sit, reproachful and unloved, and a constant reminder.
I won't let my heart rule my head. I will put sentimentality to one side today. It is not things that hold memories. As always, I am sure I will have multiple dilemmas and second thoughts, but I must be strong. So I don't make the same mistake twice.
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Singapore Fling
It's official: we are moving to Singapore.
During the day, I am excited about the prospect and I can see how and why it is the right move for us. It's a great step in Tim's career; we have wanted to move abroad and now is as good a time as any when we are child and house-less; Singapore is an amazing jumping off point for exploring Asia and we might even make it to Australia and New Zealand; I saw myself teaching in an international environment when I finished my course anyway, so now I will (hopefully) be able to find a job in an international school.
It's a different story at night, normally when Mr G has already fallen asleep beside me. Then the reality of leaving my family hits me and I feel quite melancholy. After a long time living apart, we've had about six years of uninterrupted (apart from a short stint in India) 'togetherness' and I have been very grateful for it. My parents are a short car journey away. I live within a couple of miles of both my sisters and I get to see and speak to them all the time. But perhaps I have been spoilt and I need to get back into the habit of us all living apart. I am sure the time we spend together in future will be all the sweeter for our separation.
During the day, I am excited about the prospect and I can see how and why it is the right move for us. It's a great step in Tim's career; we have wanted to move abroad and now is as good a time as any when we are child and house-less; Singapore is an amazing jumping off point for exploring Asia and we might even make it to Australia and New Zealand; I saw myself teaching in an international environment when I finished my course anyway, so now I will (hopefully) be able to find a job in an international school.
It's a different story at night, normally when Mr G has already fallen asleep beside me. Then the reality of leaving my family hits me and I feel quite melancholy. After a long time living apart, we've had about six years of uninterrupted (apart from a short stint in India) 'togetherness' and I have been very grateful for it. My parents are a short car journey away. I live within a couple of miles of both my sisters and I get to see and speak to them all the time. But perhaps I have been spoilt and I need to get back into the habit of us all living apart. I am sure the time we spend together in future will be all the sweeter for our separation.
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