Moving Day

Yep, Monday was moving day. We had everything for the flight packed up in our suitcases, so all that was left were the items to be shipped. It is a 2 1/2 month journey for our "personal effects;" which means they will take the crates to New York, cross the Atlantic Ocean, go through the Suez Canal, take a giro copter from Siam to Jakarta, and eventaully make it to Australia where they will reach Darwin via Camel Train (insurance unfortunately does not cover bandit attacks).

Our movers were two gents, Ron and his silent partner Luis. Ron enjoyed regailing us with his previous moving experiences. These stories were usually followed by "Ain't that right Luis?"; and Luis would respond begrudgingly with an inaudible grunt "..." We did learn, after purchasing several hundred dollars of extra insurance (the moving company only covers $0.60 per pound -- so about $1600 --), that should we make a claim on any damages incurred during the move, Ron will be charged for the cost and money taken out of his pay check. It is really comforting knowing we have this insurance, and it is particularly heartwarming to meet the man who will be reimbursing us. It does beg the question - Where is the money we're paying for insurance going? This isn't Soviet Russia for crying out loud! We don't see any bread lines around here!

Anyhoo, our minimalist decor/American Furniture Warehouse's finery is now on its way to Darwin Australia. We're next!

And what can we expect when we get there?

Well, we'll be house sitting for Jenni's boss, Tess. Tess and her partner have provided important instructions for "surviving" in their home, which include:

1) Muzzle the dog whenever we take her for a walk. She's on her third notice from the city council.
2) In case of typhoon do not stay in the house. It's the least safe place in the neighborhood.
3) Please bag up and throw away the rotting rat carcases in the back yard.

and my personal favorite...

4) Watch out for the frog who lives in the toilet, especially after the "morning flush."

So clearly we're excited. Already we're becoming familiar with Australian lingo. Our real estate agent tells us there are many nice apartments on Frangipangi street in Humpty Doo.

Our next blog should come from Darwin, provided the apocalypse doesn't happen. Although given what we've heard about monsoonal flooding and the frog population, were not sure we'd notice.

Preparedness

We've finally received notification that our Visas have been approved. That means that we can start pushing ahead with the move. I wish moving to Australia was as easy as preparing a home anti-terrorist kit...finding duct tape is a lot easier than choosing an insurance company. Australia has a socialized health-care system, but foreigners aren't allowed to use it, so we need to have our own insurance. We are also choosing a bank to give our money to. Currently our selection criteria is based on who has the best automated email response. You'd be surprised how little these companies actually answer your questions. Most respond with "Our website makes it very easy to sign up for our service," to questions like "What fees does your bank charge for currency exchanges?"

We also have to prepare to ship our stuff overseas. Jenni continues her insurgent-like techniques of slowly getting rid of any item purchased outside of our relationship; "We won't need to take these towels with us, they have a loose thread." We actually do not have that much to ship; no big furniture items, no bed, etc. The hardest choices will come with which books to take. They have to be books that we are not too attached to, because, apparently, the humidity in Darwin does a number on the paper. Hugh and Basil (pronounced Basil) are packing up too, picking their favorite leaves, bottle caps, and wads of paper to take with them.

Well, I can only ramble on for so long about online application forms, but this is the point where we are in the move...just getting started.