The Joys of Moving

Packing is in full swing on Circle Dr. Many of our possessions have been sold. The Uhaul has been rented. Boxes are being packed up and I am in L. O. V. E. with SpaceBags. You know the giant Ziploc bags that you stuff full of clothes, 3 comforters, 12 pillows, and 8 snow suits and then vacuum out the air until the whole thing is the size of a small terrier. Okay, well they aren’t quite that good, but I am still seriously impressed with them. I find myself running through the apartment finding things to stuff in one more SpaceBag just so I can vacuum out the air and watch the whole thing shrink. They have the same appeal as shrinky dinks did when I was a little kid.

BEFORE

AFTER

As I am sure you can see in the pictures, there is still much Spacebag fun to be had.

This move has been fun for the whole family. Even Colby likes to "help" with the packing. Though, I think he prefers un-packing. Regardless, I have been teaching him the fine art of fitting as much as possible in to a box or bag. Here he can be seen using the tried and true squash technique for filling a suitcase.

As much fun as he is having helping Mom pack, poor Buzzy is quite confused about where all of his stuff is going. Without all of his toys easily accessible, he is finding other things to entertain himself. Like this morning, he discovered how to open the front door. Oh How Exciting!! Now, he doesn't need Mom to go outside!

Thank Heavens for the deadbolt.

DIY Visa Photos

A few months ago, I took Colby to AAA for his very first passport photos. The experience was much like any good action film. There was a thrilling chase scene, and one nail-biting fall. Unfortunately, it ended up like most foreign films - with tears. We did walk out with photos that the U.S. government deemed passport worthy - so not a total disaster. For our visas, we needed something different. Unlike passport photos, these photos have to have a red back ground. Given this additional complication, I didn't think we would survive at AAA.

Enter: the internet and DIY help sites.

I think Colby's turned out the best.

ADVENTURE!

In three months, Chris, Colby, and I will be embarking on a journey. The island of Sumba in Indonesia will be our home for one year. We will be living, working, and playing in a small town in the Western part of Sumba called Waikabukak.

So, why are we going? While it is likely that Chris and I are slightly unhinged, the official word is that we are going to Sumba for the noble pursuit of scientific knowledge. We will be working in a malaria research lab at Karitas Hospital in Waikabukak. Chris will be enrolling patients in a clinical study, while I will be learning the finer points of microfluidics. The study counts as part of Chris’s residency program - his research year. For me, it is a formal post-doctoral position.

Colby is oblivious to the trip at this point. He may start to notice when he pack up his toys next month. With a little luck, he will grow up to be just as unhinged as his parents and think that his trip to Indonesia rocked (not that it is the reason for an expensive psychoanalyst). Colby has the opportunity to see the world and learn a new language (Bahasa Indonesia) and see a different culture. I hope this experience will help make him more awesome than he is now.

We have set up this blog to share our adventure with our friends and family. We intend to update it regularly with stories, pictures, and (of course) the occasional surf report.

To start, we will post the funny and the not-so-funny of moving a family to the other side of the planet. We will try include helpful travel tips and information. Hopefully, the tales told here will entice you to come and visit us!