Yesterday was perhaps the most tiring evening of our lives. It was really not very smart to attempt a housing move during a weekday. But we had no other choice. The keys need to be handed over to the new owners on Thursday and we needed last weekend to sell as much of our stuff as possible.
We spent the whole of last week selling our household things. Every weekday, after work, we would open our garage door and welcome people, who saw our ads on craigslist. The previous week we had managed to sell very little and I didn’t have very high hopes for the rest of the things. But last week, our sales went very well. After slashing the prices on some of our furniture, we generated more interest and eventually managed to sell all of it. All, except the outdoor grill and an old DLP TV that needed some repair work. These along with some kitchen stuff that didn’t sell has been kept aside for our maid, Carmen. She sounded thrilled over the phone with our generosity.
Last week’s selling experience was very, very interesting. We met many people – most very nice, warm and friendly – a couple of them not so nice. They all asked us why we were selling – if we wanted to keep the conversation short, we would just simply say that we are moving back to India for good. Otherwise we would try to explain our true intentions. This shocked and surprised them – they would find it hard to believe that we would want to sell such a beautiful house with such beautiful stuff to go tramping around Asia. But some of them were genuinely happy for us and thought that this was the bravest thing to do. They offered their email addresses and asked us to keep them updated of our travels through our blog and/or website. This encouragement has felt really nice. It also helped me stay focussed on our dream and let go of my attachment to some of the stuff at home. In fact, I almost feel like I’m giving away all my material attachments in order to achieve something higher … or something to that effect.
We spent the weekend selling stuff and packing the rest. Given the amount of things we had either trashed or placed in the garage for sale, we thought that we wouldn’t have much to pack. So we took it lightly and worked on it leisurely. But by Sun evening we realized that we had tons left to pack and a work day loomed before us. In fact, we were still not completely done by yesterday evening when the movers showed up. By the time they loaded all our stuff from the house and unloaded it at the apt, it was past 8pm. We still had a bunch of stuff left at the house. So without waiting to unpack, we headed back, ate pizza and drank wine at the plaza, stopped by the house and loaded more of our things into the cars. Its hard to believe that 2 people would need so much stuff to get by. I have no idea how all of this is going to fit into the tiny 1-bed apt we are renting.
By the time, we got back to the apt, partially unloaded our cars (there’s still tons of stuff in the trunks), unpacked some of the boxes, showered and went to bed, it was 1:30am. This morning when we woke up our bodies hurt and the apt looked like someone showered boxes on it – they are all over the place – need to do some serious unpacking tonight. We kept Shayna at Petsmart for the night – might keep her there tonight as well. There is no place on the floor for her to move around so can’t bring her home yet¦
The apt itself, much to my surprise and in spite of the current chaos, seems cosy and functional. Madhu liked it and made me think positively about it as well. Up until moving there, I was quite worried about the lack of closet space in the apt and the old-style bathroom – I thought those things would really bother me. But the cabinets/closets in the kitchen, pantry, bedroom and bathroom are actually quite big and well planned, giving ample storage space. And the bathroom is quite spacious and doesn’t feel cramped like those in the apts we’ve lived before. So overall, I think we made the right choice in moving here. Once we’ve finished unpacking and settled in a bit, we should be able to relax and enjoy the freedom of being debt-free….
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