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Movers! Are! Here!

I hear tape tapin', boxes foldin', men cursin', sweat drippin'... the movers are here and packing the rest of what I didn't like art, collectibles and breakables. I'm really doing this -- the reality of it all has set in officially and my goodness it feels so exciting. I must go now, I still have much work to do... and a dinner party to go to at 5pm in our honor, so things are definitely busy today. In the meantime, will I eventually curl up into a ball of stress and freak out? When will I start to feel fear in this process? Everyone tells me I'm usually happy during a time when I'm supposed to be climbing the walls but I am genuinely excited. I've been wanting to move abroad for eons, the dream is coming true, no time to wimp out now I guess. But I'm still wondering, at what point during an int'l relocation does one turn into a ball of tears? Perhaps I will be a rare few, a lucky one, that breezes through this? I dunno. I'm usually pretty emotional... and I am leaving America for most likely, a very long time. Maybe even forever.
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Comments

Allison said…
I think the "when it hits you" moment for any big change is when you maybe have a little (or big) cry. And that's not a bad thing ... that can be the point that releases the stress and fears. I think it's pretty individual when that moment comes ... when the movers come, when you get on the plane, or maybe not even until you've been over there for several months and it sinks in that you're not coming back. Whatever the case, as long as it's balanced with excitement and good things, don't worry about it. You're off on a big adventure!
July 27, 2009 at 6:08 PM
→lisa said…
Ack, Holly! I'm so excited for you! It's been so neat hearing about one of your life's dreams finally coming true.

Usually when I'm right in the middle of a big change like this, I'm too focused on the task at hand to give my emotions room. Then, when the dust has settled, it hits me by surprise. Some little thing, remembering a favorite object I no longer have, a smell, anything really, will set me off.

Moving to another country is an intimidating prospect, especially when you are trying to learn the language, and any immigrant goes through periods of homesickness and the loneliness that comes from feeling like an outsider. But you have your husband and his family there to help you, and regular contact with your family and friends back home (and your cyberfriends!), I think you'll do great :)

GOOD LUCK!
July 27, 2009 at 7:07 PM
Diane Kappa said…
It hit me about 3 months after I arrived in Budapest. It was when I wanted to see a friend and couldn't. I had a good cry and ate lots of sweets and got many hugs from the hubby. Then I was fine...

Now it has been 10 months and every now and then it hits me again but differently...more like...OMG WE DID IT!

You will be fine!
July 27, 2009 at 7:41 PM
TERI REES WANG said…
Just keep breathing!!!

..it's all good.
July 27, 2009 at 7:51 PM
1richtungsblog said…
I think you are far to busy to worry and to have negative feelings! :) It will probably hit you once you get back to your old routine but then you have so many exiting things comming up so it might not even hit you at all!
Good luck and stay positive! xo Anita
July 27, 2009 at 8:18 PM
haus maus said…
Your comments mean so much to me, thank you. I really liked the personal experiences that you shared. I wonder what it will feel like to be homesick, I mean I relocated from north to south to north again (all in America) but never full-time outside of the U.S. I am sure I'll have some nervous breakdown eventually LOL but for now I'm going to just ride the wave and see if and when I crash, how it feels and why... I wonder about times when I cannot express myself in German (I am very outgoing, I talk to everything and everyone, and I use my hands a lot when I talk, smile a lot and can be very enthusiastic) so I wonder how I'll do in Germany where people are more reserved. When I relocated from the south to the north here in America I thought I would die. People were SO COLD weather was SO BAD and I thought everything was so somber and moody and just depressing up here. Then after years I got used to it and I'm fine. I think I'll always miss a friendly environment but that's what vacation is for, plus I have lots of very energetic/friendly family members and friends in Germany so I think they'll help me. And thank goodness for decor8 and blogging in general, I've met so many outstanding people online and in person, the transition will be a lot easier. I often think of my life before blogging and how moving abroad would have been such a different experience without the support and friendship I have gained online.

I hope you all don't mind as I share a lot of my more "internal" experiences on haus maus too. I think for me it will be very helpful as I go through this experience.
July 27, 2009 at 8:24 PM
Anonymous said…
The "huge change freakout" usually hits me about 8 weeks in... the novelty of the new place has worn off a bit and I start to miss friends and family. It subsides for me at about week 16 or 20, because by then, I have started to make new friends, get invited places, etc.

Lots of luck with your move! I'm very excited for your adventure.
July 27, 2009 at 8:24 PM
Cayce said…
Holly, I just started reading your blog and definitely want to hear about your 'internal' experiences. I'm going to be following you across the pond (to England, though, not Germany) in January and have been feeling equal amounts of excitement and what I can only describe as future homesickness... anticipating all of the things I'm going to miss when I leave. Anyway, I'm so looking forward to hearing all about your move and the first few transition months.
July 27, 2009 at 9:21 PM
Anonymous said…
oh i am so excited for you. My husband and I are looking into moving to Europe. We lived in Lithuania a few years ago and have been pining to go back ever since. I bet that you will have moments of sadness, it just comes with any big life change, but it's your dream and fulfilling it has to be so wonderful for you! Enjoy everything and each moment. :)
July 27, 2009 at 9:43 PM
Nina said…
I think the fact that you are familiar with the city you're moving to will definitely be an advantage to you. While it may not feel like home yet, you do have family there and it may not "hit you" at all. When I relocated (granted, it was a different situation, I was 15, so it wasn't by choice, but I do remember it all very well) the moment it "hit me" was when the plane took off. My family had already moved and I was flying by myself, and I was going to a place I had never been before where I knew no one but my immediate family. It took me about a year to really feel at home in this new place, but the whole thing didn't seem as difficult while I was in the middle of it all. i think you'll be perfectly fine and I can't wait to read more about your new adventure!
July 28, 2009 at 3:51 PM
Juliette said…
It first really hit me after we went through security at Logan and I was on the phone sitting in a rocking chair by the windows saying yet another goodbye to my best friend. The dumb security people insisted on taking my little tube of baking soda toothpaste and I was upset b/c I knew I couldn't buy it in Germany and would have to wait for my boxes to arrive. I was sort of shocked and embarrassed at crying in public at first, then I thought the odds of seeing any of these people again were so slim...hehe so I just cried and hubby passed me kleenex. =)

I've had little teary bouts now and then since getting here, esp. when I had some health problems to deal with and going through it with foreign doctors was yet another emotional hurdle in an already tough situation. I'm super thankful for an understanding husband and our VOIP phone to easily talk to friends and family State-side.

Like you said about your move from the South to the North - it takes time and adjusting, and as an expat sometimes the adjustment issues are a little different, but you get through it! It's so exciting to be on the cusp of a new chapter in life, isn't it?!?! =)
July 28, 2009 at 5:53 PM
shanon said…
So happy for you that things are going so well, Holly! Remember, you choose your reactions. So it's your choice if there eventually comes a "ball of tears" moment or not. And it's okay to decide to let it happen, if that's what you need at some point.

I think it's rather funny to hear you say that you were worried when you moved to the North where the "people were so cold," because when I moved to the South (from Minnesota, via California) I had kind of the same experience. I always felt a little let down that people weren't nicer, or weren't as friendly or polite as I was to them, etc. And I felt like I always stood out as the girl with the weird accent. Even after nearly a year my coworkers still looked at me stunned/confused sometimes.

But I just know you'll do well, because you have your "insider," your hubs, to fill you in whenever you need help figuring the people and the places out.

Best wishes Holly!
July 29, 2009 at 1:18 AM
Monica said…
This is such a positive move for you that I am sure that you will be more than fine. The sorting and weeding out before the move was the worst for me. We had less than two months to organize everything and at first the letting go of stuff was fun, but I remember at the end I just couldn't make another decision about what to keep and what not to keep. It was very draining. I never regretted the move though and I see it as a wonderful chapter in my life that is completed. The instant contact with everyone through e-mail, Facebook is also a big plus. All the best!
July 29, 2009 at 8:38 AM
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