Preparation Before The Move

I am going back in time and will write a series of posts about THE MOVE - how it all begins, the challenges, the surprises (both good and bad), the learning curve and the adjustments. I am sure I will be pleased to read them in the future. Note: I've created Labels 'The Move' to simplify retrieving all posts related to this topic. Enjoy reading!

Once the decision to move was made, we told the children about it. They were naturally not pleased at all. Lucas was then Year 5 and had his circle of friends. Chloe was in Year 3 and had 2 best friends. They protested and then we came to negotiation. At one point, Lucas even said he will stay back and live with the grandparents. That's how against he was towards the move. After a series of dramas and bribery, we came to a compromise. We will keep the house as it is and will not sell it. If we are all not happy with the move, we can always come back. With this term, the kids reluctantly agreed to move.

Looking for an apartment to rent from far was not easy at all. I had sent in more than 10 inquiries and received no replies at all. The property agents probably thought I was a scam and wasting their time. Properties in Berlin then was at the peak. Everything was snapped up quickly even with the high prices. Somehow with luck, Dominic found a website that rents short term furnished apartments. We grabbed the offer even though the rental was high. We were desperate as we had less than a month to be there, in time for the children to start school.

To add to the agony, my visa was only approved 2 weeks before the departure! Thinking back, we were either so lucky that everything falls in place just in time or simply naive and ignorant. But it did work out well in the end. We were thankful.

We said our farewells to family and friends. We packed 3 luggages of basic essentials and left.