We are now in the midst of pack-out. Like seriously. As I sit here on the carpet I am surrounded by boxes and watching the bubble wrap flow freely from the roll. I really, really hate this time. I'm not good at it, rather, I'm a wreck.
The tension started on the day of the survey when they showed up and didn't speak any English after I had specifically requested and been guaranteed an English speaker. After an hour on the phone they left and returned later with an interpreter. Normally I just plow my way through these things (and I mean that quiet literally with no grace), but there is no way I could coordinate a move with shipments of four types in Spanish.
A big part of the move for me is just getting past my own emotions. This has nothing to do with my family, the embassy or the movers. It's simply me. I really should be checked into a mental institution for the week where I can happily chat with all the other crazy people. Pick me up on the way to the airport and all crisis' will have been averted.
Although the employee is supposed to have the time off of work to help with the pack-out, Chad was the only medical person in town, so he had to work. Therefore circumstances alone caused me to be a bit uptight when the packers arrived.
The plan was to begin with Damon's room, pack his 100 lbs. then move onto our air shipment. We began but they didn't bring a scale with them. Their idea was to "guesstemate" our shipping weight. It didn't take much at all for me to fall apart yesterday morning. Another hour on the phone with the embassy. Of course they were flabbergasted that there was no scale at our pack-out either. After that I watched them drop part of our computer on the floor and unpack all the little pre-packed things, you know, Christmas ornaments and such. By lunch time I sat in the corner and had a good cry.
The scale arrived after lunch. We discovered Damon's shipment to be 150 lbs. over weight. He spent this morning unpacking it all and they repacked it for him. I hovered over the scale to make sure he got exactly 100 lbs. of stuff to take to college. We now have a pile of stuff in his room that I have no idea what to do with. I'm likely to throw it out the window.
Today is going much better. Chad is here, he's been a load of help. We are at 50 boxes and 2,356 lbs. Downstairs is finished and now they are moving upstairs.
They are going to do our house and furniture inspection this afternoon. Ha! It's the dirtiest the place has been in two years and you can't see any surfaces with all the stuff in the way. I'm sure they will have to do another one.
Oh well, in 9 days I will be on a plane headed home - whether my stuff makes it out of Colombia or not!
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