it's that time again

It's that time again! We're moving. Crossing the ocean once again. But this time around I'll qualify our move as first class, as I don't have to pack all the boxes. The moving company arrived at 7h30 this morning and is still busy packing all our belongings. Why didn't I always move like that?! Probably because I could not afford it, just as we wouldn't now, if it were not paid by M's company.

We'll be flying to Miami on Monday and moving into our new house on Tuesday. As our belongings will take between six to eight weeks to be delivered to us, we'll camp in the meantime. Although I'd qualify that camping as first class as well, since M's company is renting the basic furniture and houseware kits for us in the meantime. Anyway, camping in our beautiful house under the sun and the palm trees in a city like Miami can only be a partie de plaisir me thinks! Oh how I cannot wait to be there!

it could happen after all

I've been living in Hanover for two and half years now. Hard to believe it's been so long already. Although on the other hand it does feel like I've been here for an eternity. By all means much longer than planned. I've been pretty much feeling like lingering in a waiting room, as if my life was on hold. Leaving without M was never really an option, although I would have taken that job in Zurich if I had been given the opportunity. But things happen for a reason, and if I left my life in Madrid to live with M back in 2005, it certainly was not to find myself alone in Zurich in 2007. Life decided otherwise anyway. And I'm glad it did, as we now have a beautiful daughter. When we move, we'll move all three together. Which amazingly enough might actually happen now. The board gave the green light to M's transfer to Miami yesterday. No obstacles stand in the way to our new life any longer. Although we'll wait until the contract is signed before we open the champagne. A magnum bottle it will be!

too much

Too much is going on in my life right now to be writing it about it here. I would not even know where to start, even if I wanted to.

I need some time to take it all in, to take care of it all. Then we'll see. But the move being one of them, I probably won't have the time or the internet connection working to update Lovely Planète until a couple of weeks. Bare with me. I'll be back.

signed and confirmed

It is signed. It is confirmed. We will be moving to a bigger nicer apartment on the 1st of November. We'll be gaining an extra room, 20m3, a balcony, the charm of Altbau with 3m high ceilings and Dielenboden, and last but certainly not least, 10 steps up instead of the actual 93 to enter our soon-to-be new home. I am delighted, as this also means that I will finally be surrounded by all my furniture and personal belongings very soon. They have been in storage in Madrid since December 2005, but it's time to send them to Hannover at last! Now, don't jump to conclusions though, Hannover is still a temporary solution, i.e. the plan of leaving to Godknowswhere asap remains. The wait will nevertheless be much more pleasant. Of that I am convinced.

See you upon our return from our swiss-italian Summer vacation in two weeks!

All set

We are all set now. Our kitchen that is. Boxes and boxes of tableware invaded our small flat. Big plates, small plates, pasta plates, bigger small plates, bowls, serving plates, martini glasses, bordeaux glasses, white wine glasses, whisky glasses, OJ glasses, shot glasses. You name it, we have it. And 12 of each.

Meaning if you've already seen my petite basic kitchen, you are now asking yourself where on earth I will fit it all. Right. Absolutely right. On a un problème Françoise. For now, part of it has been stored in the cellar. But we will soon have to face a move to a bigger apartment, with a bigger kitchen, a guest room, big closets, and room for all my furniture and boxes that are still stored in Madrid. Sooner than later. Because after 17 months of temporariness, I need long-term.

Goodbye

I'm finally done. Done packing it all that is. Tomorrow the storage company will pick it all up, and it will then be time for me to say goodbye to my wonderful appartement and to Madrid. They both sheltered me through the last two and half years, since I first arrived starting a brand new phase of my life. Remembering who I was then makes me realise how many/much things/I have changed. For the better I think. I do leave with plenty of good memories, with old and new friends, wiser and happy, and definitely looking forward to what's expecting me next.

Next post will probably be written from Germany, so till then, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

To do

Looking at my gigantic to do list used to literally depress me and/or stress me. I can however happily and proudly say that it has notably decreased. If I continue like this, I might even be able to enjoy a few moments of freedom in Madrid before I leave. Freedom being a few hours of shopping (still need to buy a few xmas presents!), visiting friends, or (hopefully and) spending time with my father.

But I can't get carried away with joy yet. First things first. Got a gazillion things to do!

Roller coaster

I feel like I am on a roller coaster these days. I am surrounded by boxes, some closed, others unfinished and open. I stress out about not being able to finish the packing on time, and minutes later I realize I have plenty of time ahead of me. I worry about how to solve the legal issue of my company not paying me everything they owe me, and then just feel thankful to have left and the hell with them. The fact is I go from happiness and relief, to stress and irritation in a matter of seconds: I love the appartment M chose and rented, but get all frustrated when I see that we can't seem to agree on oh so many things about it.

I am happy about my decision, of that I am sure. I spent a wonderful weekend in Hannover and felt relieved when I saw all the pieces of the puzzle fitting together. I soon forgot about how nightmarishly my trip had started, when the airline made me pay a fortune for 18 kgs excess baggage, after my 'savior' sat next to me in the plane: a very nice Spanish lady, whose daughter followed the same exact path I am about to embark on. She left everything she had in Spain (job, appt, etc.) to move to Hannover and be with the man she loved. Funny coincidence, right? Or maybe not?

The Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen, Girls and Boys, it's confirmed: I am going ahead with the temporary solution. The Plan is simple: I am leaving my job (announced it to my boss this morning and boy did it feel great!), leaving Madrid, and starting a brand new student life in Hannover January of 2006! Yup, I plan to spend the first months of 2006 taking it easy, savouring my finally living together with M, and immersing myself into the German culture. I will take intensive German classes for four months, my goal being to be fluent by the end of April. And hopefully by then, M and/or I will have found a new job in another European city which will finally take us to the long-term solution.

I am happy, I feel light and free, excited and a bit scared. It just feels right and I cannot wait to start this new phase of my life. It's time for change. At last.

Wish us luck

As I wrote in a previous post, I am still working on other options to work and move to Switzerland. I am still waiting on some companies' feedback but I do have a concrete and interesting offer on the table. A very appealing one as a matter of fact. It's risky but challenging and exciting.

In a nutshell, I would be launching and managing the Swiss branch of a mobile company. I wouldn't be earning a fixed salary every month but instead getting a share of the revenues. Which means not making any money in the first few months, until the deals with the operators are closed, the contracts signed and the services launched. But it also means making mad money afterwards. And I would also be managing 'my' company. Thrilling.

This option is only viable when Marc has a job with a fixed salary that enables us to pay the rent and our monthly bills. As it so happens, he is one of the two remaining candidates for a job opening in Zurich. Knock on wood, cross your fingers, light a candle, pray, wish us luck. That's certainly what I will be doing until next Friday, the day of his second interview.

Majoring in 'Patience'

Life certainly seems to enjoy playing with us, don't you think? I was always very bad at being patient for example, and life sure has been trying to teach me that great strength these past years. I guess I havent' mastered it yet (even if I firmly believe I have much improved) because I keep getting these obstacles right in my face which test my patience on a daily basis.

Some years ago, I was dying to leave the States and come back to Europe. Well that took me 24 months and as I was only at 'patience 101' that wait was hell for me.

Some months ago, I started a serious relationship with someone I had fallen for. As he happened to live thousands of kilometers away and still does, our 18 month relationship was and is still spent earning bi-monthly Star Alliance and One World miles. Level 200 of the Patience major successfully passed.

And now of course, as we decided to live together, thus moving and looking for jobs in Switzerland, I seem to have unwillingly registered to the advanced level of Patience. The hardest one by far.

New horizons

Life will never cease to amaze me! After two years in Madrid, it seems that events will soon be taking me to Zurich... I'm excited, I'm curious, I'm scared! This move means so much: it implicates a lot of BIG changes, personal as well as professional. I know, I asked and fought for this but now that it's 99% confirmed panick is what I'm starting to feel.

My impressions so far: Zurich has a lot to offer, my new job will be tough but exciting, and most of all we will finally move in together. My fear: even if it is the biggest city in Switzerland, it sure seems small, especially after Miami and Madrid!