a tip for the future: if it ever happens that you are living in australia and make a sudden, last-minute, life-changing decision to move home in the middle of february, you should really, really think about what you take with you.
here's the thing: in late january when we decided to move home, i wasn't really thinking straight. i was somewhat exhilarated, somewhat terrified. i was emotional and apparently stressed, though i didn't really think it at the time. i suppose, in fact, that i just wasn't thinking straight. so when i was packing my bag- a MEC duffle/hockey bag- all i could think about was how cold montreal would be. so i packed whatever warm things i had (which, it turns out, wasn't actually that much), added some workout clothes, pj's and underthings...and not much else. i had only really planned to be without my clothes for a few weeks, a month or 2 at best. i was wrong. so terribly, terribly wrong.
perhaps it was our own fault, going with a cheaper company. but when we moved to australia from hamilton, it only took our things about 2.5 months to arrive. in fact, only days after we settled in perth did we get a phone call asking us to clear customs. well- not so this time! i have been back in canada since feb 1st and we finally got out things. today! (today!) 6 months later. which, i might point out, is not so convenient when you packed for a month. in feb. in canada.
how a shipment from australia can take 5.5 months to get from australia to montreal is beyond me. did someone row it across the pacific, then cycle across the country with it? the most frustrating component was that the moving company just didn't seem to care. such little information about timelines and location of our stuff. at one point they couldn't exactly tell us where things were, just that they were in the country. nor could they explain why they hadn't been delivered yet. unfortunately for us (who were very keen to berate someone about it all) the montreal-end of the company was surprisingly helpful and pleasant to deal with (damn them!)
it's not like we had a lot of stuff either (perhaps this was the bigger fault) because the flooding in queensland decided to take what was ours and do with it what it pleased (which as it turns out, was destroy it...) but those 8 boxes were really missing in my life. mostly because i had no clothes (packing in feb doesn't bode well when may hits, and even less so when july comes around). john has had to put up with my whinging- "where's our stuff?" "i just want my stuff", "why can't we have our stuff?" over and over again, so i expect that he is just as happy (if not happier) then me to see it here now.
after clearing canadian customs yesterday, we awoke to our buzzer ringing at 7:15 this morning. delivery! it was like christmas morning. i jumped out of bed, started squealing a bit and jumped all around the house. "my things! my things" (omg, it's just what i wanted! how did you know?). i bypassed the gym this morning, far to excited to start ripping open some boxes, sifting through the bags and sorting my things.
and so now i am happy. i leave for NYC tomorrow evening and have things to put in my bag that aren't long sleeved and wooly. i have my sweet road bike sitting (dismantled) in my living room, just begging for me take it for a spin. i have my camping gear in the storage locker eager to get outside. and, most importantly, i have my sanity.
merry christmas y'all
xo
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