Our last day in Chicago consisted of a suburban playground tour. We managed to hit three before it was time to go.
Outfit change courtesy of Boo spilling milk all over herself between parks. Ick.
At the last park, we met a little girl (2 years old) and her grandmother. They were Bulgarian, and didn't speak a single word of English. From speaking with the relocation company who will be assisting us upon arrival, most everyone speaks English in Luxembourg, but this was a nice intro for Boo to (sort of) get that not everyone will understand her, and that sometimes we have to figure out how to communicate in other ways.
By the time we picked up John and started to head "home" to Cleveland, the playground day had done its job, and Boo passed out for a good three hours. It was perfect, because then she didn't have to deal with the 5-hour drive as much.
We arrived to our hotel room in Cleveland around 9pm, and promptly collapsed.
The next day Boo and I ran last-minute errands, like grabbing neck pillows and embroidery floss, getting her bangs trimmed, that kind of thing. Then we popped over to TableTop (www.tabletopcleve.com) to grab lunch, say goodbye to some friends, and enjoy a few rounds of Hungry Hungry Hippos.
Boo also had an eye appointment at Cleveland Clinic, which she has every 6 months to make sure her arthritis hasn't inflamed her eyes or affected her vision. Her eyes are fine, but boy was she borderline naughty all day. I think/know she's worn out from being shuttled around constantly and it's taking a bit of a toll. Her taking a two-hour car nap on our way to pick up John and head back to Canton to finish the final packing confirmed this for me.
This past week reminds me that Boo is freshly four, and though energetic, can't keep up with this pace for long. Accordingly, when we arrive in Lux tomorrow morning, we are going to relax for a few days and take it easy, for everyone's sake. Playgrounds and casual exploring of our neighborhood, that kind of thing.
And now the day has finally arrived. I completely finished packing, save for toiletries, last night. I can't say the same for John, but he's almost there. I'll take a picture of our final suitcase count when we are out the door, but we are on track.
I ended up using two XL Spacesaver bags from a pack I picked up at Costco - one for my clothes and one for Boo's. I love these things for shrinking bulky winter coats and sweaters.
If you don't know what a Spacesaver bag is, it's basically a huge reinforced Ziploc bag that one can shove clothes or linens in, seal, attach a vacuum to a valve on the top of the bag, and suck all the air out. I liken it to how junkyard cars get crushed into a compact cube. Once you are ready to open the bag, it's just like opening a Ziploc and poof! Air whooshes in and your clothes are restored to normal size, with minimal wrinkling.
Using the Spacesaver bags freed up just enough room to shove all our shoes and vitamins in our single checked suitcase each, without the expander. So, if customs or TSA decide to open those bags, there's room for it to expand, it just won't be nice and neat. Boy will that be annoying if they do so. I used this method to move to Seoul and it was handy. I plan to donate Boo's summer clothing once Fall hits, and I'm not taking back any toiletries, so in theory, we will have room for the random things we will buy on this trip without having to get another suitcase.
When we arrive in Luxembourg around 10am on Sunday (4am EST), our car will be waiting at the airport for us. Knowing this makes me relieved that I was on a crusade to pack minimally, as it would have been a royal pain to juggle 4 suitcases each in such a situation.
The airport is about 15 minutes from our apartment, where someone from the relocation company will meet us to provide keys and all that good stuff. The next day, John has to go apply for residency (which, as I mentioned before, will be denied, but it buys him extra time), get a pass from City Hall that permits us to park on the street, open a bank account, get me a SIM card, and receive a medical exam. Once taken care of, John gets about a week to acclimate, as his project sponsor won't be arriving until that next week, and the Lux plant contact is on vacation or something. No complaints here!
After all the admin stuff is handled, the "concierge," for lack of a better term, will take him/us (not sure) on a tour of the city to point out hospitals and playgrounds and other points of interest. This is one aspect of John's company (among many) that I really appreciate as a family member: they are very accommodating and family-conscious. Even when we moved to Cleveland, we received a tour of neighborhoods and attractions, plus lots of information on the area (kind of like a dossier). It's a huge perk and very helpful to feel situated and comfortable moving somewhere new and different.
There is also an employee from John's company who just arrived In Luxembourg and may need a friend, since she came alone and may be having a bit of culture shock. I remember this well from Korea, so I am happy to potentially have a new friend and person to take a few hours at night here and there to have some Boo-free time to recharge. Hopefully she feels the same way, seeing as I'm apparently a decade older. Oy, poor thing.
At this point, there isn't much more I can do to be ready, other than get dressed and drive to the airport. I'm going to breathe a huge sigh of relief at approximately 5am EST, when we have arrived to the apartment.
I'm not sure what the Internet situation will be, but I believe we have wifi already set up at the apartment. Until then, au revoir!
No comments:
Post a Comment