So moving in is not my favorite thing. I hope your move-in was enjoyable, easy, fast, painless, like a vaccine. I hope you had to do very little, perhaps with cute, strong college boys to help with the lifting. I hope you didn't forget anything at home. I hope you had enough space for all you brought. But most of all, I hope that once you moved-in, it was over and you have nothing more in the way of moving-in still to do. No linens to buy, no dishwashing detergent to fetch, and no pictures to hang.
Even though it's standard practice in Ireland to have rentals fully-furnished (how much money would people save in NYC if this was the case?!), I'm finding a lot of money needs to be invested in a move-in. Sure, you can bring all of your clothes, underwear, coffee (which I totally did). But what about bedding? Pillows? Hangers? Where are you going to store all of that underwear when your fully-furnished room has no drawers? Will you hang it from a hanger, or will you arrange it prettily across the windowsill? I've considered all options, and I'm not sure which it's going to be yet. I've only been here three days. But by the state of my room right now, people are going to think I just got off the plane. Actually, scratch that. No one could have made this mess if they'd just gotten off the plane. It would take a few hours at least!
I arrived at the airport on Wednesday afternoon. My lovely housemate came and picked me up, and we had dinner and drinks on the town, in a last attempt to keep me awake until sundown to avoid atrocious jet-lag. It worked, in a way, I was only partially jet-lagged after that. Thursday, I got a hand running a million and one errands including, groceries, bedding, hangers, and beer. Friday, my friends had work, so I spent the day walking around my new neighborhood and trying to get my bearings. Luckily, I did so in my running shoes because after I got lost the third time, I was exhausted and just wanted to run the whole way home.
There are a few challenges with moving to a new place, and one additional one for moving to a new country. Please note all of them; it will be handy to be mentally prepared. I think it would be anyway. I can't say I was so I couldn't tell you.
1) STUFF. This is a big deal. Never underestimate it. You will need to make several, if not dozens or hundreds, of continuous runs to the shops to pick up more and more little but essential things that you perpetually forget.
2) NEIGHBORHOOD. If you're moving, you're probably now living in a place that you have not lived in before. Which means you're in a new neighborhood. You will probably get lost. Especially when you no longer have a smart phone with a handy GPS feature because you're living in a foreign country. At least carry a cab fare and know your address. Hopefully you won't need them.
Bonus: LANGUAGE BARRIER.
You'd be surprised what a big deal this is, even when moving to another English speaking country. For example, when my housemate wanted to get sheer curtains for the front room, her boyfriend tried to help her. But he had no idea what she was asking for. Because he called them net curtains. My nextdoor neighbor asked what I was doing in Ireland. I tried to tell her I was getting my graduate degree. She would've understood me, if I'd said postgrad degree.
So I hope your move-in was easier than mine. I will probably be moving in for the next three years. Which is how long I intend to stay here now that I've invested all this money in stuff!
Let me know how yours is going! And if it's not as adventurous as mine, you'll have to come up with another adventure for us!
Happy adventuring,
SARLEx
No comments:
Post a Comment