Pack Your Bags

It’s been 5 and a half years in Singapore and also the 5th move I’ve had. From crashing on my sister’s couch for 3 months while I looked for work. 2+ years up in Buangkok with Barb and Mark who so readily welcomed me. Another 2+ years in the East where I immediately fell in love with the neighbourhood. And now 10 months at Erica’s amazing spare bedroom in lovely Newton.

I am not a fan of packing. If I could have extended my stay in Newton as Erica’s roomie, I would have done so. But our landlord had sold the place and so it was on to the next thing. The next thing being my own place. I’ve always just rented a room from a friend (or a strange who became a friend) but have always been toying with having my own place.

Expensive? For sure, but at 33 and with working from home being the new normal for a bit longer, I thought, why not? Also, it’s just something new. There’s so much I don’t have and don’t know what to do. I don’t own a cheque book to make deposits. I don’t know how to open a public utilities account. I don’t know how to haggle on rent or schedule wifi installation. I don’t own pots or pans or trash cans or place mats or kitchen towels or mats.

Thank goodness for family and friends who have answered dumbass questions (how does one do anything?!?) from me and have donated spare rice cookers or lent me cheques! The parents that encouraged me with my one shortlisted place after creating google sheets of lists of possible places — when you know, you know?

Then there’s lists of things to do (that’s ok though, you love lists): permits to apply for! Movers to book! Timing it all up so that they all fall on the same day around the same time and taking off work to do so! Then there’s the packing up your life you just unpacked 10 months earlier! And realising after a week of your life in boxes, that you don’t need the things in the boxes after all!

And then last night, we find out that the government is further easing measures and they ease on the day you move! So technically you could have moved on a Saturday if you wanted people to help you out, but that’s ok because you have your ways anyway and would just be anxious trying to have things done your way when that’s silly!

And now you’re hearing they may open up offices soon but you don’t want that yet because you literally got your own place so that you could work from home in peace! But that’s neither here nor there. When people ask you if you’re excited, you say you’re terrified! Because you are. But that’s ok. You’ll figure it out. Eventually.