I was entirely ineffective in this move. Eric tells me I have been in denial for months. We ought to have packed and prepared over the past two years, rather than waiting these past weeks to empty out the house. He points out that I bought a new car when I knew I was moving, but how would I know that we would move to Ecuador and New York? I also allowed Maya to acquire the two cats, hardly a good idea with the travel to Ecuador...
How we managed is unthinkable to me. I avoided everything by working in the office 13 hours a day for the past three days. Of course, it was necessary to work to earn money to pay bills etc, but poor Eric was left alone to move hundreds of boxes. I had packed through June and July while Eric was in Woods Hole, sorting through clothes and papers, and emptying out the top two floors of the house. I used plastic boxes and labelled everything and was so very proud of my achievement. But Eric had the main floor and the basement and the garage, which were overflowing. By the time I came home from my three weeks in Europe, he was in a panic, throwing everything without much thought into cardboard boxes. I could not bear to watch him and was relieved to be at the office. Maya visited with her friends, crying daily and missing her life.
The last twelve hours were intense. I finished at the office and came home to pack our bags for the trip the next morning. The house was a disaster. Eric hates packing the kitchen and complained every time I encountered him. I focussed on the packing and tried to ignore his pain. I could not help him, felt guilty and pained, but could not do it. The Bencichous came by for a visit at 10 or so, brought us ic cream and more tears for Maya. I dropped off my car at Emily's even later and continued puttering around with the packing until early morning hours. I finally fell asleep at 3 in the morning, not believing Eric would get it all done, and deciding that that was ok.
Eric woke us up at 6, but I had slept little anyway and was awake when he came by with a truck he had rented for a few hours. Maya and I were kicked out of the bed. I helped Eric pile the bed onto the truck. When he returned, it was too late for another storage run, so I insisted we clean up a bit and get the house ready for the cleaners....but soon it was time to go, with the car piled high including the two cats, which were coming with us to Ecuador (why in the world?)
Flying with the cats was easier than expected. The Delta agents in Baltimore were a little confused and reluctant, but once past them, security was interesting (Eric had to take each cat out individually, send their carriers through the XRay, then meet the carrier on the other side of the machine. The cats were quiet and well behaved. In Atlanta, we had to find a family bathroom to clean out Felix's cage, where he had had an accident. We were bumped up to first class between Atlanta and Quito, which was great for us (yeah, Delta) and Maya and I watched movies all the way. We had a famous Ecuadorian with us in the first class cabin, and dozens of reporters and photographers met us at the airport, but I never figured out who he was.
It was late when we landed. We got all the bags and cats through and met Erika at the other side of the barrier. She took the cats for a few days, and we headed to the Sierra Madre in the Mariscal. Too tired for thought or reason, we were asleep in no time. Eric had not slept for over 24 hours, I am not sure how he does that.
The sun was shining the next morning. We woke up after 8, but then I learned that Ecuador is one hour behind East coast time (perhaps because we do Daylight savings) and we were not too late starting our day. We taxied to Maya's old school, where she started the school day without much hesitation, and Eric and I got her registered. Everyone was delighted to see her, and she seemed comfortable too, although she speaks almost no Spanish. Eric and I spent the rest of our day looking for apartments in Republica del Salvador. It appears that rent is higher, as is occupancy. I decided more than ever that I wanted to live close to where we had lived before, and where I felt comfortable. Before too long, I had to take a taxi to pick up Maya. We rode to Rio Coca to look for her dance school. It had moved to the same street that Isabel lives on, so we registered Maya for daily dance classes, and visited Erika and the cats, who were doing fine. Isabel was gone for the afternoon.
Maya was at school today, and Eric and I found an apartment that we like and that takes cats and will accept a six month lease. Yahoo. With a balcony and a little view of Pichincha. We decided it would work for us. Whew. I met with the mothers at ballet school, and caught up with the gossip, as if I had never left. We will move out of our hotel tomorrow, into our new home. I feel that everything is somehow unreal, that I am not really here....
He
How we managed is unthinkable to me. I avoided everything by working in the office 13 hours a day for the past three days. Of course, it was necessary to work to earn money to pay bills etc, but poor Eric was left alone to move hundreds of boxes. I had packed through June and July while Eric was in Woods Hole, sorting through clothes and papers, and emptying out the top two floors of the house. I used plastic boxes and labelled everything and was so very proud of my achievement. But Eric had the main floor and the basement and the garage, which were overflowing. By the time I came home from my three weeks in Europe, he was in a panic, throwing everything without much thought into cardboard boxes. I could not bear to watch him and was relieved to be at the office. Maya visited with her friends, crying daily and missing her life.
The last twelve hours were intense. I finished at the office and came home to pack our bags for the trip the next morning. The house was a disaster. Eric hates packing the kitchen and complained every time I encountered him. I focussed on the packing and tried to ignore his pain. I could not help him, felt guilty and pained, but could not do it. The Bencichous came by for a visit at 10 or so, brought us ic cream and more tears for Maya. I dropped off my car at Emily's even later and continued puttering around with the packing until early morning hours. I finally fell asleep at 3 in the morning, not believing Eric would get it all done, and deciding that that was ok.
Eric woke us up at 6, but I had slept little anyway and was awake when he came by with a truck he had rented for a few hours. Maya and I were kicked out of the bed. I helped Eric pile the bed onto the truck. When he returned, it was too late for another storage run, so I insisted we clean up a bit and get the house ready for the cleaners....but soon it was time to go, with the car piled high including the two cats, which were coming with us to Ecuador (why in the world?)
Flying with the cats was easier than expected. The Delta agents in Baltimore were a little confused and reluctant, but once past them, security was interesting (Eric had to take each cat out individually, send their carriers through the XRay, then meet the carrier on the other side of the machine. The cats were quiet and well behaved. In Atlanta, we had to find a family bathroom to clean out Felix's cage, where he had had an accident. We were bumped up to first class between Atlanta and Quito, which was great for us (yeah, Delta) and Maya and I watched movies all the way. We had a famous Ecuadorian with us in the first class cabin, and dozens of reporters and photographers met us at the airport, but I never figured out who he was.
It was late when we landed. We got all the bags and cats through and met Erika at the other side of the barrier. She took the cats for a few days, and we headed to the Sierra Madre in the Mariscal. Too tired for thought or reason, we were asleep in no time. Eric had not slept for over 24 hours, I am not sure how he does that.
The sun was shining the next morning. We woke up after 8, but then I learned that Ecuador is one hour behind East coast time (perhaps because we do Daylight savings) and we were not too late starting our day. We taxied to Maya's old school, where she started the school day without much hesitation, and Eric and I got her registered. Everyone was delighted to see her, and she seemed comfortable too, although she speaks almost no Spanish. Eric and I spent the rest of our day looking for apartments in Republica del Salvador. It appears that rent is higher, as is occupancy. I decided more than ever that I wanted to live close to where we had lived before, and where I felt comfortable. Before too long, I had to take a taxi to pick up Maya. We rode to Rio Coca to look for her dance school. It had moved to the same street that Isabel lives on, so we registered Maya for daily dance classes, and visited Erika and the cats, who were doing fine. Isabel was gone for the afternoon.
Maya was at school today, and Eric and I found an apartment that we like and that takes cats and will accept a six month lease. Yahoo. With a balcony and a little view of Pichincha. We decided it would work for us. Whew. I met with the mothers at ballet school, and caught up with the gossip, as if I had never left. We will move out of our hotel tomorrow, into our new home. I feel that everything is somehow unreal, that I am not really here....
He
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