Getting ready for ready, set, go

Today we had a meeting with the housing liasion to work on getting a timeline and sequence of events established for exiting our rental house here in Belgium.

There are laws governing notification of the landlord, protocols for pre-exit housing inspections, final inspections, and the turning over of the keys. The chimney must be swept and the furnace serviced and certificates stating that has been done obtained. There are different procedures to be followed for notifying the phone company, Internet service provider, and cell phone carrier. There's a method for ensuring payment of the final electric, water, and gas bills.

There are letters to be prepared in Dutch and letters to be prepared in French. There are issues with shutting down bank accounts and stopping automatic payments. There's a set method for getting a return of our letter of guaranty. And of course, there's all the stuff related to canceling renters insurance, adjusting coverage, blah, blah, blah.

Then there's the careful orchestration of household goods and car shipments, borrowing furniture to use,  finding a place to live for a few weeks between exiting our house and moving to America, ensuring that medical and school records are in hand, and that everything is in place on the other end when we arrive. I am so glad we already have a house and know where the kids will be going to school.

These are the days when I'm grateful that E is the most anal retentive person I know.  An international move requires the skills of someone who is detailed oriented and determined in following through on every task and ensuring it gets done and done on time.  I'm great at organizing and list making and putting things in motion, but I'm just silly and naive enough to believe that things will get done because I put them in motion and jumped through the hoops on my end. I never expect to have to follow up and make sure the worker bees and bureaucrats do what what they're supposed to do on their end. E, who has worked as a civil servant all his adult life, knows all about the importance of the follow through and follow up. He's tenacious like a pitbull but affable like a cocker spaniel. He knows how to grease the wheels politely.

So as we cruise into the start of the holiday season, I'm making a list and checking it twice, and that list has nothing to do with Thanksgiving or Christmas preparations....

November 20, 2007

Comments

[Di]

Oh lordy, I knew moving house was made difficult in Belgium (as compared to New Zealand where we regularly move with ease) but I didn't know it was THAT complicated.

Gert has tried to explain it to me, the woman who likes to move house every couple of years. Seems my wings are being seriously clipped in all kinds of way today.

Must be the rain, perhaps when the sun returns so will the 'happy'.

Good luck, let me know if we can do anything vaguely helpful :)

[Claudia]

I remember all this ONLY too well. Of course, it wasn't ME that needed to take care of all the loose ends, but my parents (including the crap that comes along with bringing an animal back in to the U.S.). All I remember is being curled up in the fetal position in what had been my bedroom/refuge for the past 6 years and swearing revenge for being ripped away from my friends, Belgian boyfriend and the best years of my life all because my father was retiring. It was SO unfair. (I was 18 - everything is unfair at 18).

The night before our flight we stayed in a hotel and I partied like a rock star at the Roi D'Espagne on the Grande Plaze. I broke my heel on the cobblestones on my favorite pair of boots. It was a horrible, bad, no good day.

:-)

But I digress - you will survive. It will ALL come together, between you and E. and the kids....it will be fine. Just remember to breathe...Now if I could just follow my OWN advice, no?

< hugs >

C.

[Manictastic]

I wish you well on your grand exit :) Do keep us posted about the Belgian bureaucracy sheninigans, it's great fun -to read :D.

[Elisabeth]

It makes me dizzy just to think about all that you have to do... I plan on taking a semester sabbatical in France sometime in the not-too-distant future, and one thing that I am not relishing is the logistics of getting that set up. What to do with my place when I am gone, etc...

By the way, I read the previous post and loved your daughter's poem. That kid has a lot of talent, that's for sure!

[furiousBall]

boy that's a lot of stuff. i have a headache right over my left eyebrow from reading this, or more exactly a left eyebrow ache

[Peter]

E must be a godsend while going through the intricacies of an international move. Especially in a well organized country like Belgium, where even one's complete identity can get lost with the failure of a simple electronic Belgian ID card chip. Trust me, I've been there.

Following up on the actual actions of local bureaucrats is an absolute prerequisite to prevent being confronted with Kafkaesque "but why didn't you ~" reactions.

It sure will be a somewhat unusual Christmas, but the knowledge that there's a whole new life waiting at home across the Atlantic must be an exciting notion.

[RD]

Oh, yes, I remember... Every family needs an E to navigate the Belgian system--no other like it in the world. I suspect that moving into and out of Belgium is quite a lucrative business for the country, given all the "experts" that have to approve your arrival and departure. Anal retentive is good. (I've got my own E at home and grew to appreciate him like never before.) As overwhelming as it all seems, remember that it somehow all comes together in the end. Best of luck!

[KDK]

I left Brussels one month ago, and while I wanted to return to the states, it was very difficult to leave the place I called home for 3 years. Now I find myself homesick for Brussels (who would have thought!) ... and wander to your site since your postings are a great cure for that! I could certainly relate to the horrible rainy day, having had many of my own. And this one too: I am still chasing loose ends both in Brussels and at my new home. I am overwhelmed and frustrated that my lists seem to be getting LONGER instead of shorter with the addition of follow-ups. This posting reminds me that I've come a long way, and gives me peace to know that I'm not the only one who feels the weight (or wait) of a move. [I bet you can do some neat play on words with that one.]

PS: one thing not on the list which I share with you since I underestimated the impact: the emotional toll of saying 'au revoir': to friends, neighbors, colleagues, places, food, a way of life ...

Thanks for curing my home-sickness. And Happy Thanksgiving!

[wordgirl]

We moved into this house 14 years ago next month. We closed on the house in November, but the owners of this one were taking their own sweet time getting out. When we finally had moved the last stick of furniture into this new place it was one week before Christmas. There was just enough time to get a tree and throw some lights on it. We had a kindergartener, a four year old and an 8 month old. All of our books were in boxes because we had no book shelves. The only reason my Chrismtas shopping was done was because we lived with my parents for three weeks while waiting for this house to be vacated and my mom helped take care of the kids. That said, it was all a cakewalk compared to what it must be like to move here from another country. I'm feeling for ya, kid.