Luggage Haul

MAN have we been busy. If you’ve been reading this blog for its duration, then you know how hectic our spring was before we moved to Ecuador. We had to get visas, pack stuff, get immunizations, doctor’s appointments, etc. Well this go around was even busier. We’ve had to do all of those things for our visas to Saudi Arabia, and also take care of finishing up a lot of stuff in Ecuador. We’ve had that other stuff going on plus the paperwork necessary for selling our car (much easier than purchasing!), blood tests to make sure we don’t have diseases as we leave (nope!), and closing down all of our local accounts. That’s on top of our…you know…jobs and stuff, which always get busier at the end of the school year. Needless to say we’ve been busy.

During the hectic shuffling and preparation, we decided that we were going to opt out of using our shipment. Our original contract with our school in Ecuador includes a clause about covering our shipment. Shannon and I each had a weight allowance that we could use to send our stuff back to Orlando. It’s fairly common practice among international schools. We also had a shipping allowance for our new school in Saudi Arabia.

After thinking it over, we realized that our new school provides housing for us upon arrival. Included in that housing is a set of sheets, blankets, plates, pots, pans, and some basic level appliances. For all of the things we don’t get included, we can make a run to the local IKEA or have things shipped from amazon.com. We really only need to bring our clothes. So we decided that instead of shipping our stuff in April, living without it for a few months, waiting a few months for it to get to Florida, then doing it all over again to have it arrive in Saudi Arabia a few months after we arrive, we decided to forgo our shipment.

Instead of sending all of our stuff in boxes on a boat for months and months, we decided to downsize. We sold a lot of our bulky items and pretty much everything that we couldn’t wear. Then we bought some extra luggage. We asked Shannon’s mom to come visit us one last time to bring the luggage and to hang out for a last trip.

We found out along the way that this summer, for the first time, Ecuador is imposing some travel embargoes. It starts on June 1 and goes throughout August. People cannot enter or exit the country with more than their two bag allotment, not even for an extra charge. Hearing that was a significant blow to our plans. We would no longer be able to bring our excess baggage with us, and we missed the window for shipping as well. However, never fear when Shannon’s mom Candy is available to help. By sheer luck, we booked the flight for her the weekend BEFORE the embargo started, narrowly avoiding complete disaster.

We picked her up on Thursday night and she left on Monday morning. It was a quick trip, but a fruitful one. We got our luggage and had a lot of fun too. We went to Papallacta to soak in the thermal pools again. We went to the park to haggle and bargain and buy one last load of llama blankets and gifts. Then on Sunday, I got the heck out of the way and the ladies turned into a formidable packing force. Eight suitcases were laid out, reinforced, packed with padding, and crammed with about 95% of our remaining worldly possessions. It was a sight to behold. My job was to make food, bring them stuff they needed, and stay the heck out of the way.

When the dust settled, our apartment was a barren wasteland of nothing. All of our paintings were off of the wall and in suitcases. Clothes in the suitcases. Everything…in the suitcases. We dropped off Candy at the airport, two days before the embargo started, and now all of our stuff is waiting at her parents’ house, instead of waiting at customs or on a ship.

It was a wonderful trip, and proof, once again, that our three years in South America have taught us to effectively navigate the unnecessarily difficult procedural red tape, with loop holes.