Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Moving house, moving countries

Yep, this is really happening. I’ve been in Greece only for a year and already have to move on. Whatchagonnado… Unfortunately the Greek job market situation is currently very unfavorable (to put it mildly), especially for young professionals who wish to earn their worth and be able grow, let alone the ones who barely speak any Greek (like myself) while actually dealing in the language business. What can I say, Greek isn’t easy and while I could surely learn to speak it tolerably, I certainly could never write in it, thus my job options as a writer here would always be limited. Anyway, new country – new start and I have a really good feeling about this one. As for what particular place I’m talking about, let me tell you when I get there;)

mover

In the meantime I’m facing a pretty difficult task of moving house. I’ve done it once before (when I left for Greece), but then I was leaving my very own apartment, which means I could leave behind whatever I couldn’t take with me. The current situation is quite the opposite.

It’s most amazing how much stuff gets accumulated in the apartment after just one year! Especially if two people are contributing. And the necessity to remove all of that out of the apartment without simply tossing it in the trash is honestly overwhelming. First of all I need to sell my sofa, bed, fridge and washing machine. To be honest I find it decidedly annoying that Greeks only want to rent empty apartments, instead of furnished ones, which makes the moving so much tougher. By now I’m ready to shout from the window: “Guys, buy my stuff already!” because I kinda have to move out in two weeks… Another big task, besides selling, is sending all the remaining stuff (which no way can fit in plane luggage) over to where I’m headed. That’s why I spent today hunting down empty carton boxes next to supermarkets in the area – to pack up everything and get an accurate estimate of the shipment cost. But from the info I’ve collected already it sure isn’t going to be cheap either way. And finally I need to pass all the stuff that’s too inexpensive to actually sell as used items (like an iron, a blender and other kitchen stuff) into good hands.

totems7

Speaking of “good hands,” I’ve got two issues of British Vogue (December 2010 and March 2011) and three of French Vogue (March, July and August 2011) and also a bunch of Empires, and I as much as I love them, I just can’t afford adding some heavy magazines to my big pile of stuff. So, if any of you Athens girls and boys wishes to claim them, let me know! It’s an unconditional giveaway!

In the meantime I’ll continue daily digging myself out of the mess that my apartment is now, and sorting things in bags and boxes and dealing with other issues … and sleeping on the couch as if I’m just crashing here temporarily – that’s what it feels like these days anyway.Audrey-Hepburn

And one last thing. Permit me Athens girls and boys to ask you a favor. In case you’re looking to buy a washing machine, a bed or a sofa, or in case you know someone who does, be so kind as to check out the links  below. I’m sure we could come up with some mutually beneficial bargains. And, naturally, I would highly appreciate any advice in this matter. Help the poor foreigner, please!

http://www.xe.gr/epipla/kanapedes-salonioy-trapezarias%7Cad-5681166.html

http://www.xe.gr/spiti-kipos/plyntiria-royxon%7Cad-5680972.html

http://www.xe.gr/epipla/krevatia%7Cad-5882881.html

6 comments:

  1. Having experienced more than 5 times moving from country to country ,i can tell you that giving the stuff away was the best way.Invited friends around,even neighbours who i didnt know.and offer the stuff in exchange for whatever each one can and want to pay.worked a treat,in UK...:)My best wishes to your new destination,keeping in mind greek is not such a hard thing to learn,if you wanted.i ve got spaniards who speak ancient greek and write in new greek ,even translate to catalan or castillan greek authors.it is interesting to read something written by non greeks in greek ,even if it not apreciated by the "wise" men in greece.there is a lot a different perspective has to offer to ideas and their expression in alternative ways.
    You can fool some people sometimes But you can't fool all the people all the time B Marley was singing ,now all greeks understand this,even if its not in greek....:)
    Best of luck whatever you do!!
    kisses

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  2. First of all, kudos for efficiently transferring from one country to another. Without your confidence and effort, your move wouldn't be a success. Second, selling your stuff is a fantastic idea! :) Hope you were able to go through the process smoothly as you left Greece.

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