The overly complicated nature of this move weighs on me much of the time. I'm a college instructor and our semester doesn't end until the week of December 20th. We fly out 10 days later, and I will be expected to spend every waking (and resting) moment with various clusters of family--especially considering La Hija's presence is coveted by... well, everyone. Such is life with a charming 2 year old.
What complicates matters even more is that I don't live in the same state as the majority of my family--anything I'd like to keep (store) must be moved 8 hrs away, so it's not just a simple matter of vacating our apartment. Then there's the question of whether or not I need to actually change my official residence and get a new license before I head off.
This stuff gives me a headache.
On a positive note, I've officially started mailing boxes of random stuff to El Capitán. Two boxes out so far. Who knows how many will eventually go via mail, as luggage is limited due to excess baggage embargoes. Even if we could bring extra bags, I don't know if I would considering how ridiculously fee-happy airlines are right now. Being the wonderful man that he is, Mi Amor keeps gently reminding me that I don't need to send things that we can replace there, but I'm having difficulty with emerging emotional attachments to the most random things: a blender/food processor combo that my mom had gotten us when I was pregnant, for example. Rationally, I understand that we could get another one; emotionally, I don't care and sent it because I want that one.
Evidently, moving out of the country is turning me even more wonky than I am by nature.
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4 comments:
Oh, I remember those tough decisions. I had a huge garage sale. I got rid of more than half of my 'stuff' but still brought much more here to Honduras than I really needed to.
Clothes in particular -- I should have gotten rid of much more of them.
I'm not knowledgeable about El Salvador at all, but here in Honduras, quality kitchen items (particularly good pots and pans and knives) are not easy to find, so if that is important to you, you might want to try to find out more about what is available there.
Another thing is nice linens and towels. I like soft sheets!
I would say that baby things and toys are readily available.
Sentimental things? I say that if you are planning to stay and those things make you happy, bring 'em.
If you will be living in a big city, your decisions might be different than if you will be in a small town. Also, some US things such as electronics or appliances are more expensive in CA countries. Also you have to consider the shipping costs, taxes and duties (if you have to pay them), so sometimes, even if something costs more here, it works out about the same.
With CAFTA, we seem to be seeing more US-type products in Honduras. I can't say that I've noticed that they are any cheaper than they used to be though.
Kitchens in Honduras are TINY! And closets are non-existent in most houses.
So, there are lots of things to think about. It's not easy, I know.
Thankfully, we've had the opportunity to go around and price the appliances we'll need once we get there (he can get by with some pots and pans and a two burner stove--i like cooking too much to be without an oven and proper range... and with a 3 person household it doesn't make sense to not have a washer). He is planning on taking care of getting those before we arrive... in addition to getting internet access.
We are lucky enough (right now, at least) to have a house with a closet in the master bedroom. This is the first house he's had that has had one, though. In light of this I've been getting as much portable storage as possible (those collapsible cloth drawers and boxes, for example), since stuff like that is really expensive down there. We were trying to find a particle board armoire and the cheapest one was $250... and it was so not worth anything near that.
Right now it seems that most of what will go down there with us will be clothes (mostly for La Hija--she's got about a year's worth of clothes and shoes--the clothes down there are either really expensive or really poorly made in my experience), my laptops, valuables and sentimental stuff. I may have to get some pots and pans mailed down to us unless I can find some good cast iron down there.
So exciting... yet so overwhelming! :)
We had some kitchen electrics and pots and pans, utensils and bake ware shipped. It was very nice to have those things. My husband's mother paid for that shipment! LG is right about considering shipping costs verses buying new in ES, but sometimes you can't find what you are looking for or it is SOO ridiculously expensive for the good brands anyway.
I too brought more clothes than needed at first. Now I left a lot back in the states and brought a bunch of baby goods I found at garage sales this past summer.
Still, I don't think I could ever bring enough that I would like. This last trip my favorite thing I brought with me is my little Shark 2 in 1 vacuum. I paid $20 for it. Took it out of the box and shipped it packed with my clothes. I hate sweeping!
You know, I think I'm just coming to terms with the fact that I'm sending things down there as a sort of security blanket for myself. I want to have things that with me that are familiar... I want to bring some arty/decorative stuff because Mi Amor lives a pretty Spartan lifestyle when I'm not around ;P
Then there are the other things: toys, books, music, movies... I'm leaving a lot in the states and will work on bringing it back with me after US visits.
All I have to say is that I still get teased a little bit for what I send. I just let him get his in his giggles and tell him that I'm a little crazy and he has to deal with it!
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