Sort, pack, say goodbye, repeat

So I thought that deciding to move abroad was hard … that was before I spent 2 weeks packing, sorting, filing, packing, sorting and then sorting some more.  (After I’d already spent 4 months sorting!)

The chaos of packing meant that those of you who know me will recognise why at times I struggled, really struggled, especially over the last few weeks.  At times I felt very emotional, not as you may think because of the thought of missing friends and family and moving abroad but because of the enormity of the task we had taken on.  I felt out of control and completely overwhelmed and that was why I was emotional, now after 2 and half weeks of what feels like continuous packing (and a little help from mum and dad) you’ll be pleased to know I have regained control.  The air freight has been sent, our house is packed and clean, our luggage is packed (almost), we have our visas, we have had a happy and fun day out for youngest son’s birthday, most goodbyes are done and so finally we have a few days to enjoy our summer before the adventure really begins.

Walking back into your house when technically you’ve moved out is strange, we are currently ‘in transit’.  Its empty, everything echoes, it doesn’t really feel like yours but at the same time you appreciate what a beautiful house you have and how much space you have and then you remember that someone else will be living here.  Hopefully they’ll look after it because walking around it now makes me realise how happy I’ll be when we return to it.

Everyone wants to say good bye, some are more emotional than others but it hasn’t been as hard as I thought, because whenever we have said a big goodbye I’ve been thinking about what I have to do next, after the goodbye, what phone call can I make, what cupboard can I pack, what charity shop shall I visit and this has kept my mind away from the thought that actually I won’t see most of you for 2 years, I probably won’t speak to a lot of you for 2 years.  Our only contact will be through virtual messaging, this blog and Facebook.  As you all keep saying we are brave to do what we are doing,  you wish you had the guts, I therefore know I need to live our adventure to the full and make the most of every opportunity even if it means I am hugely out of my comfort zone.  Let me know if you get fed up with my posts – although I’m hoping to eventually get the hang of this blogging lark and improve the site some more!  I’m sure it won’t all be postitive, there will I’m sure, be tough times, lonely times and sad times but what keeps me sane is the knowledge that if I needed to hear your voices I know I could phone you, that actually, hopefully, you will all still be here in 2 years when I return and we’ll all pick up from where we left off but I’ll have some really good stories to tell that will be highly entertaining after a glass or two of wine.  Make sure you have some stories to tell too!

Sorting done, repacking done, no need to repeat, next stop Ulaanbaatar.

   

A few family shots from our summer trips to London.