The Expat Diaries: The Sound Of An Almost Empty Home
D-Day is very near!
Now that we are less than a week removed from emigration day, the countdown has never been more real as it is today. Every single day our house produces more and more echoes because of emptier walls and yesterday when we gave away our big living room carpet, the walls seem to be constantly repeating whatever noise we make, even if it were whispers. I never realized that even a carpet on the floor helps to soften the echoing sounds in a room. It's annoying as well as satisfying at the same time because, with every item that disappears from our walls or floor, we are one step closer to our actual moving day.
The excitement & more stress
Although I should be very pleased with the sales I've been able to do during the past months, I still find it hard to let go of some items without seeing some returns for them. Even though I've been forcing myself to eliminate items every single day by checking them and asking myself "Will I wear this at all? Has it been unused for X amount of time? Is it worth the extra weight?" and similar questions, I still see too many excessive items around me. Yes, I know before any order comes chaos in these situations as I'm currently in, but I have to be honest when I say that I'm so happy already knowing that in a few days, this will be behind us.
Al decisions are final then, even if they turn out the wrong decision, we will have to deal with it as there's no going back by then. That thought gives me some peace of mind already. Just a few more days of (seemingly) endless clutter and my brain will be able to relax. Just in time as well because the stress is not fun and because of it, I'm afraid to oversee things because this will be the very first time that we travel post-pandemic. Let's hope all goes well and our tests will turn out negative on Sunday!
Tomorrow I will be able to start packing
Although I've already put all our clothes that we will not use these days into our 2 trolleys, tomorrow I can use the space where the toddler bed is for the 2 big suitcases and lay them open on that spot. This will help my brain oversee what fits, and what not and how to properly divide everything. So even though this means the lady will have to sleep in the office in the bunk bed, it also means I can finally oversee things more clearly. Which is exactly what I need with days left on the clock.
It would not be the first time that we assume something fits easily and then it turns out we are way wrong, I want to be able to anticipate that. Thankfully, I've been smart enough to book extra luggage meaning we have 90 kg of luggage allowance, even though we don't have the 3 big suitcases but only 2, it means the suitcases can be a little heavier thanks to overpaying. I also booked 2 hand luggage each just to be sure. I'm hoping to avoid it though, it's more a precaution in case we'd discover we still have more volume left to take.
Donating toys and crafting supplies
A kind girl who is a nanny came to pick up some free stuff a few weeks ago, she was kind and seemed like the perfect nanny haha. She loves giving the kids some gifts when she can and I decided to contact her for all the toys we can't take as well as crafting supplies we once bought but didn't meet our expectations. These things add up if you have to buy them, so I'm only taking the quality supplies with me and donating the remaining to her. She will pick that up tonight, after already coming here twice before lol. This means I will probably see a lot less clutter because my daughter and myself are being very strict now to sort what we need and whatnot. I'm actually really proud of her way of handling the giving away part. It truly helps when someone comes at the door and she likes the person, so I've noticed.
Most daunting task ahead
If I'm being 100% honest, the thing I look up to the most is the final part of sorting paperwork. Why? Because some have been moved with us from our home country in 2016 and others came with us from Spain, some of them I really don't know if we will need them still in Spain or we need to go through the process completely again, we'll see. I will make sure all Spanish documents come with us and try to wipe out as many Hungarian ones as possible. These piles of paper add up to the weight, and the less we will have to carry, the better.
It's hard to believe that we will be back in Spain next week around this time, even all settled in our first temporary home and while my boyfriend doesn't have to work. He will have a so needed break from work and our daughter will finally be able to enjoy a lot of swimming :) which she is so looking forward to. So am I btw, by just sitting in the water while the sun shines on my skin, hoping to break the light color I currently wear haha.
This may or may not be the final part before departure, depending on how smooth it all goes. Thank you for reading so far!
Previous parts of The Expat Diaries
- Narrowing down our life to 5 suitcases
- When the universe aligns everything perfectly
- Catching up and saying goodbyes
- We're closing the kindergarten chapter sooner than expected
- Finding a place to live in Spain
- The countdown is real - The last times in Budapest
- Our life in 6 suitcases - sorting, selling & giving away our belongings
- Moving back to Spain very soon!
Credits
- The header image is my personal design made in Canva Pro I don't give permission to use any of my designs unless I've given permission directly.
- The text divider is my own design, created with Canva Pro with the usage of images from Canva Pro or in other cases my own images. The text divider designs are also for my own use only, unless I've given you direct permission to use them.
Let's Connect
If you want to connect, you can give me a follow on my socials. For inquiries, you can send me a direct message on Discord.
Social Media Management Portfolio:
https://twitter.com/makehivethrive/status/1529803330934947841
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people(@thisismylife) sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
Whoa, time seems to fly that you are moving already next week. I can only imagine how difficult it is to clear some of the things for a lighter baggage but glad you seem to have sorted out already except the papers. All the best to you as you make your final preparations :)
Thank you :)
Wow, time is flying by so quickly!!
Yes it is :)
Congratulations @thisismylife! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):
Your next target is to reach 550 posts.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
It is good to lighten ones load when moving. It is a lot of work however as you do not want to get rid of something then regret it later.
Oh! I am so, so excited for you to get over to Spain! And you also made me think about the mountain of paperwork in bins under my bed that I really need to prune and purge my way through. Eee! Hope the last few days aren't too hectic😊
Dont get a sunburn together with your fried brain.....take it slow paso a paso chica !CTP
Paso a paso it is
Gracias!
Hello @thisismylife,
I've enjoyed reading this as I'm always fascinated with relocating to different countries and the procedures involved. I also took a look at your previous post links, so thanks for sharing them.
I hope you'll have a great time in Spain:)
Thank you for stopping by. I also love reading about other people's experiences relocating. It's such a different journey for everyone depending on their wants and needs. I hope so too! :)
That's very true:)
You're most welcome.
See you around:)))
Wow! Moving to another country is not an easy task. It's usually stressful and confusing(stuffs to pack). You have gone far with the packing and I must say, kudos to you. Hahaha I couldn't survive 😆.
Congratulations on your progress. I wish you make good memories in Spain. Do take care and rest also 😳.
As usual, great to read your blog. It is a total new experience that is out of my knowledge.
I can't wait for you and your family to settle down in Spain finally! You have come a long way and in much need of a break from the stress of decluttering and packing!
Yes, get a little tan and good luck on your move! 😊 !LUV
@kemmyb(1/3) gave you LUV.
H-E tools | discord | community | <>< daily
It is hard for me to imagine all the difficulties of moving to a new country across an ocean. Thanks you for sharing your experiences.