Moving On

I think in most cases it's best not to draw things out. Moving is probably the same, a quick move which appears from nowhere and has you packed up and gone within a month may not leave you with much time for proper goodbyes but at least once you have made the decision to go you can get on with going. 

Our move has been a known factor since the day we arrived. We knew where we would be likely to move to and we knew roughly when the move would take place. For the most part we have ignored this and settled into life here in Singapore. We have a great apartment with some of our own pictures on the walls, I fill my time with a couple of volunteering jobs and most of all we have established friendships here.

After my trip to Ghana last month it has no longer been possible to ignore the move and that routine and settled feeling has all but vanished. Now my time if filled with managing the move. Ghanaian customs need lists to be produced, as do the company responsible for the international shipment and of course the list of expectations for handing back our Singapore apartment. Arranging accommodation for after our belongings have been shipped, medicals, visas, closing down bank/electricity/mobile accounts, the lists seem endless. There are quite a few people involved and it's easy to start to feel like a project manager in need of a project plan to manage it all.

We have moved a lot in the last 4.5 years, in fact this is our 4th move. Singapore has been an amazing journey, so amazing it deserves its own 'Goodbye' post. Of course everything comes at a price and this is one of the moments where we start paying. By saying goodbye to Singapore, to the friends we have only just made, packing up our lives and facing starting over once again. This can leave you feeling very, very far form home and sometimes even questioning where home is. If there is one thing Singapore has taught me it is that expat living is about being flexible and adaptable, the more you are the easier the transition will be. Ultimately the experiences you have and the wonderful variety of people you meet will far outweigh these slightly difficult transitional phases. So on that note back to the lists.....