Monday, June 18, 2007

Container Day

Well, today is a BIG day in our moving life. As I type, Chris and some faithful helpers are loading a 40 foot shipping container that will be sent to Normal, IL. The shipping company allots you 2 hours to strategically pack your own things, so I'm sure the guys are working hard and fast. A bonus of being pregnant and chasing a toddler all day...no loading containers for me!

In the last few days, we have sealed and labeled about 90 boxes and items to be shipped. We combined forces with 2 other families so the whole container is not ours. It should take about a month to arrive, and then we will drive to pick it up when Chris returns from Austria in August. Hopefully we will then have a home by then so we have a place for our things to land.

A few things, too, about moving in Europe. One, unless you are independently wealthy, you usually do the moving yourself. People in Austria rarely move due to the huge hassle of navigating one way city streets or public transportation, hauling boxes and furniture up and down narrow spiral staircases, and lack of parking or moving help. Two, families in Austria often buy or rent an apartment for a long time, so moving every couple years is often unheard of. The neighbors in our building have been shocked watching us the last few days. They have been asking questions, too, that we would never get in the USA. Three, due to this tendency for renters to stay a while, rental contracts are very detailed and full of requirements. So now that our apartment is empty and we are temporarily staying in another family's place, we still have to clean, paint the walls with a fresh coat of white paint, clean the windows, and polish the floors.

Our goal is by the end of this week to be completely finished with our apartment. Then we'll have one week left to enjoy Vienna, responsibility free!

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