Less than a week until we move out of our apartment! I've already sold the grill, the washing machine and the kids' beds, and have leads on the furniture. Hopefully someone will go for the fridge and our bed soon, but not too soon. I have wrestled my Lovesac into 10 vacuum bags and squished it into a duffle bag. We're shipping one cubic meter back to Norway, and have done a dry run on the suitcases. We seem to have plenty of space, much thanks to being able to throw away all of my son's clothes as he grew through two rounds this year.
I filled out departure forms for the kids' school yesterday. It gave me a little chill to think back to our arrival when we picked out uniforms for them and met the principal to sign up for classes. I had a meeting at QUT yesterday and today, and my last day at UQ is on Friday. The year has gone so quickly.
Moving out is like moving in in reverse - cancelling all the services you had to set up, packing instead of unpacking. We have tried city apartment living and will not be repeating that stunt. It has been very unfortunate to have a construction project going on right next door for the entire year - a year in which we really could have used some quiet. Being right next to the rooftop terrace has not been ideal on Friday and Saturday nights. Most of the bookings have been by drunk 20-year-olds. So, coming back to a small house in our quiet little Norwegian town will be nice - at least for a while.
There will be much that I will miss. Even today, a friend took me to a completely new place I did not know existed with tiny cafes and wonderful fresh produce. I wondered how much more of the city I just have not explored yet. There is so much variety. Communication is so easy in my native language, and the people are so friendly - we have gotten to know the boys at the Chop Shop and the cashiers at Woollies now. The sounds of the kookaburras and the lorikeets, and the evening flights of the bats will be greatly missed. It has been wonderful to leave the house most days knowing there will be no need for a jacket or even a cardigan.
This has been our year of soaking in the sun, of working less and playing more.
We'll have to try to carry some of it with us. I think we will.
Moving to a new place can be difficult for some people. For me, I consider it as an opportunity to explore new places, and meet new people. I hope you had everything sorted out, with regards the storage, and transport of your things. Don't worry. I am sure you and your family can easily adjust to your new place in no time. :)
ReplyDeleteEricka Muldowney