Packing for home… had it been two years already?

Monday, June 18 – Tuesday, June 19  2012

Moving over seas two years ago started the most unique experience we’ve ever had—truly the opportunity of a lifetime.  Before our move to Geneva, we had the daunting task of weeding through all of our belongings to determine what would stay in storage for two years in the States and what would come along with us.  Fortunately this time around we were able to say, “take it all.” 

We thought the packers were quick in the U.S. until we met the Germans.  From Monday 12pm-4pm and Tuesday 10am-2pm they worked like machines and packed up everything.  The craziest part is that there were only 3 of them!  It was pretty amazing how quickly it went.  The only problem of the whole experience was that we couldn’t really understand them—they spoke just as much English as we speak German.  It was painful to try and figure out what they were describing in German.  They were nice enough though so we got through it. 

Toward the end of the packing process, a 40-foot shipping container showed up on our tiny little street—this container would transport our stuff back across the Atlantic.  Look how empty that thing is - we could have fit so much more stuff! ;)

After the movers were finished it was bizarre to see our apartment stripped down to bare bones again, just like it was when we arrived.  It was a lovely apartment even when empty—so much character.  While it was by far the smallest of the three homes we’ve lived in since we got married, it was also by far our favorite—we already miss living in it. 

We spent a good 2-3 nights cleaning our butts off just hoping that we were doing enough (we had heard horror stories about the Swiss cleaning standards).  We agreed on the last evening that it is extremely frustrating to clean when you have no idea what’s ‘good enough’!

While our stuff was being packed and we were preparing to move out, Expedia put us up in the Hotel Warwick to help in the transition.  You don’t even want to know how much 6 nights in a mid-range Geneva hotel costs—seriously it’s ridiculous.  Our room pleasantly surprised us though – we had a perfect view the Jet d’Eau and downtown Geneva.

As trying and frustrating as moving can be, we are so thankful for all Expedia did for us.  We had local help to sort out the departure details, which made all the difference in the world.  We still can’t believe how blessed we were to have this opportunity!

Although we were all packed up, we weren't quite finished with our adventure...