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We would never have chosen to move right now. Who in their right mind would choose to move during a pandemic?
Not me! Not you!
However, sometimes, you have no choice. Oftentimes, it seems, we have no choice.
We Had No Idea!
In the fall of 2017, when we moved our belongings from our house in France to a storage unit nearby, we had no idea what spring 2020 would bring.
We didn’t know. You didn’t know. Nobody knew.
Our family was right in the middle of our move when the COVID-19 crisis slammed us in the face.
Just the week before total lockdown started here in Spain, we had signed a contract on our new rental house. It was the beginning of March 2020.
We were excited about our new house. It was finally time to transition to our own place.
Since leaving our home in France in 2017, we have been living in other people’s homes. We are thankful and grateful for people’s generosity and kindness to allow us to stay in their furnished homes—both in the US and here in Spain.
However, it’s hard to live without your own “stuff,” your own “belongings,” your own “home” long-term. It has now been over 2 1/2 years that we have not had our own home.
Our Plan Was Perfect!
When we signed the rental contract for our new house in March, we were excited. We had our next two months well-planned and organized.
On April 1, as soon as we had the house keys, we would go to the house to thoroughly clean. On April 8, we would go to France for our kids’ spring break (one week) to see friends, get our belongings from our storage unit, and bring them down to Spain. For the last two weeks of April, we would go to the house everyday to unpack boxes and gradually “move in,” while still living in our current furnished house. On May 1, we would officially transition to our new home with our stuff.
The plan sounded perfect. It sounded peaceful. It sounded like a nice, smooth transition from one home to the next.
Yes, it sounded perfect.
A Nomadic Adventure
I actually can’t recall having a nice, smooth transition from one home to the next—ever. Our family’s nomadic adventures around the world have always been full of . . . yes, adventure! Overnight evacuations, unexpected job relocations, high-risk pregnancies . . . lots of unforeseen circumstances that have required us to pack up our bags and homes quickly.
Rarely have we had the “normal” 6-12 months notice for a major geographical move to the other side of the world. Most of our transitions have been abrupt and quick.
Perhaps this type of nomadic, overseas life sounds exciting. However, after years and years of living like this, one longs for stability and peaceful transitions.
Especially if you have kids.
We have four of them—four boys! My husband and I always say, “If it were just the two of us, we would probably be traveling all over the world and never settle down in any one place!” But, when you have kids in tow, you need some stability. You need some roots.
You need smooth transitions—especially when it comes to moves.
Nice and Smooth?
That was our hope for this move—smooth.
Well, we tried. We tried hard to make this a nice, smooth transition.
We failed. We failed hard . . . and it wasn’t our fault.
Our plan failed due to a major global crisis, and we now have to adjust. It’s out of our control—absolutely out of our control!
At the beginning of March, we went into total lockdown here in Spain. Schools closed. Borders closed.
Borders closed—that was the hardest news for us to hear.
Stuck!
We live in Spain. We are trying to move into an empty, unfurnished house in Spain. Our belongings are in a “home box” storage unit in France. The border is closed between Spain and France.
No travel. No belongings. No move.
We have now been stuck . . . stuck for two months . . . stuck between two countries . . . with two houses, two rental payments.
And, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.
Nothing.
Forced to Make a Decision
A few weeks ago, we made a decision. We made the decision to move. We made the decision to move into our new, empty, unfurnished rental house . . . and wait.
It wasn’t by choice.
Two rental payments were becoming a huge financial burden that couldn’t continue.
For the past few weeks, we have been sneaking over zone borders and praying that we wouldn’t run into any police controls. Spain is currently divided into zones and phases for its gradual deconfinement plan. The furnished house where we are currently living is in one zone, and our new house is in another zone (5 minutes away). In Spain, right now, you cannot circulate between zones.
So, we have been doing this illegally—out of necessity.
We have been going to our new rental house to clean and get it ready. We even had to fight with the owner to get the house painted quickly this week. The lockdown in Spain didn’t make this task easy either, since no painters were working!
Challenges on every side!
So, our family is now in the thick of packing. Tomorrow, Friday, May 29, 2020, we are moving . . . well, partially.
Camping Out
Thankfully, the house has appliances, so we will be able to “camp out” until the borders open for us to go to France to get our belongings. We have mattresses, so we will sleep on the floor and have minimal furniture.
Our family will learn to be content and to live a “simple” life with few things. That’s a good lesson for us all to learn.
We have no idea how long this situation will last. There are still so many unknowns.
So, as of tomorrow, we will still be “stuck between two countries,” but we won’t be stuck with two houses and two rental payments. We will be living in our very own house (without furniture)—only 5 minutes away!
This is the shortest distance we have ever moved . . . usually we are crossing continents and oceans!
Yipee!
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—”THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
What are you stuck in the middle of right now—can’t go forward, can’t go backward?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
