Packing Up

I had packed up my suitcase weeks ago for my trip in August.  For the most part I was just taking gifts for Alejandro's family, so as I bought the presents, I put them in my suitcase.  However, when I made my decision to move to Mexico, I decided that on each trip before the move, I should take some of the things that I will want down there.  So, I unpacked the bag and got out my biggest suitcase. 

I put the gifts back into the big suitcase and still had plenty of room for more stuff.  I wrapped up in bubble wrap some framed photos and a few of my Mexican handicrafts.  The condo that I rent (and plan to buy) is very nicely furnished.  However, looking at it, you would never know that you are in Mexico.  I will want to add a touch of Mexican decor to the place.  I am certainly not going to haul ALL of my handicrafts down there, but there are some prized pieces that I do not want to part with.  I assume that the owner, who is an airline pilot, will clear out all his books on aviation from the bookcases in the office.  Those will be a perfect spot to put some of my items.  Although I have plenty of clothes already at the condo, there is more that I want to take down.  (I have already cleared out and taken six bags of clothes to Goodwill, and before the final move, I will get rid of still more.)  I figure that if I pack a little on each trip prior to the move, I should have a lot of the stuff that I want to take already down there.  

The condo has some framed art prints hanging on the walls, but I will want to replace those with a few pieces of my own artwork as well as some paintings that I have purchased in Mexico. Some of those will fit in my suitcase, but others will not.  And that brings me to one of the more worrisome aspects of the move... getting an international moving company to haul things down there.  There are only a few pieces of furniture... the custom-made, solid wood, Amish end tables and shelf that I bought a couple years ago... that I would like to take.  Those items, along with some larger pieces of art, and any boxes of remaining mementos certainly would not fill a moving van.  Will a moving company be willing to haul such a small load?  And then there is the bureaucracy.  I am allowed to ship my household items to Mexico duty free within six months of obtaining my residency visa, but there is a lot of paperwork that must be done, and which will require a trip to a Mexican consulate up here.  I don't know.  Maybe I should just leave that stuff here to be liquidated.

Nobody said that this was not going to be an adventure... a stressful adventure. 😁