Patchwork Planet » 2007 » April

Arrival

Jennifer — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 08:51:30 +0000

I’m currently at “home” (as much as it feels like home so far, anyway) using slow, unreliable dial-up internet access, so this will be a short post. I just wanted to let everyone know that we made it to Kyiv safely and are slowly working on learning our way around this crazy, crazy place!

Here’s what we’ve done so far:

Convinced our cat that a 17 hour trip was worth the effort. (She’s still questioning that one.)

Seen almost all the major sites in Kyiv. (We only live about 15 minutes away from all of them!)

Learned how to use appliances using only Russian manuals and “international” symbols. (Unfortunately, they teach international symbols in US schools almost as well as they teach the use of the metric system.)

Met about half of the US Embassy community here. (All very nice and welcoming - unfortunately I only remember a few of their names.)

All in all, it’s been a stressful week, but a good one. I will send more details as soon as I can.

Organized chaos

Jennifer — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 13:40:47 +0000

We’re one step closer to Kyiv - the movers came yesterday and removed most of our worldly belongings. I spent all day Sunday getting our things as organized as possible without actually packing anything. That’s what movers are for, right?

After only one experience with movers (from Providence to Arlington), I’ve learned that if you don’t institute some sort of organization before they arrive, you’re going to end up with boxes of random things packed together. Well, there’s really no way around it, you’re always going to end up with some random things in boxes, but I decided this time I would do my best to control the chaos. And after more than 12 hours of preparation, I think it went rather well. I did see them pack the bulk vitamins I bought at Sam’s Club with my new Singer dress form, but what are you going to do? It’s not going to hurt anything…it will just enhance the excitement of opening all our boxes when they arrive in Kyiv in a few months.

Here are some “before” and “after” photos:

And the “after-after” photos:

That’s right, all that’s left is our rental furniture. They’re coming to get that today and then we’re off to the airport Sheraton to spend our last night in the US. It’s been a crazy week and I’m just ready to get going. Peema, on the other hand, is not looking forward to the trip.

Sitting, Watching, Waiting

Jennifer — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 01:11:35 +0000

One week to go. This is the part of the move I hate the most (I think…). The main thing that’s left to do is divide all of our belongings into different shipments. But it’s still too early to do that. And that means I’m just left thinking about what to pack and waiting to do it.

I spent most of the past week in Indiana with my family. It was a good, relaxing time, but a little disappointing that it snowed every day I was there! I started my trip by spending a couple days with my brother. I got to see his new house and he got to drag me all around downtown Indianapolis in the freezing weather. We also got in quite a few hours of Lego Star Wars II on the Playstation. It’s easier for me to play with him than with Shawn - I think it’s because I get some respect for being the big sister.

Then my mom and I spent a few days in Brown County, Indiana. When I was younger, we made a yearly trip there, but it had been several years since we’d been able to do that. So it was nice to visit some of the shops we have always loved. (My personal favorite is For Bare Feet, but I have a serious sock obsession.)

And today was back to the reality of moving overseas. I feel like I spent most of the day on the phone canceling utilities and making other arrangements. There will be another big shopping trip (or two) this week, we’ll sell the car, and then the movers will come to take our stuff away on Monday!