The weeks before the big move
August 13, 2016
The entire process of
moving to Japan was extremely smooth. Sean (my husband) did a fantastic job at
staying organized and on top of all of the logistics. There is a ton to know
and do as far as the amount of paperwork and effort that goes into moving
overseas. Months before the move we started making lists of everything we
needed to do. Some things on that list included international driver licenses, spouse/
working visas, money exchange and research. LOTS of research! Knowing that we
would be welcoming our tiny dancer in Japan I did a lot of reading. Blogs,
vlogs and websites were my addiction in the months leading up to the move. Some
of the things we had to handle back home were the obvious ones, letting our
jobs know, selling our things/ storing what we were keeping, canceling accounts/
notifying our bank and the post office that we were leaving. Letting our
landlord know and scheduling a walk through with him. We got in dentist
appointments and doctor visits.
This is where it got a
little tricky for me. From the time we realized that Japan was an actually
reality, the pregnancy was a big factor in making the move. Thank God everything
has gone perfect and I have had a wonderful pregnancy (other than the getting
bigger part but that was to be expected). It was a lot to do but we stuck to
our lists and checked things off as we could. Honestly, I am still surprised
that really nothing went wrong.
Then there was the emotional
side of what was going on during those weeks. I would say that even before
pregnancy I was a pretty emotional person. During those weeks the lack of
control when it came to my emotions was overwhelming to say the least. I was so
happy at some points and within minutes could be in full on tears or anger. This
was not just during those weeks before but has carried on into this past week
being here in Japan (Please take a minute and say a prayer for poor Sean). But
really, those weeks before I honestly felt so torn. Where I grew up has always
been a big part of who I identify as. Spending days with my family and friends
during that time made me realize how blessed I am to have such amazing people
to miss. There are some really incredible things happening this year in the
lives of people I am extremely close to. Thinking about not being present for
those moments breaks my heart in two.
Then there was putting
my stethoscope down and walking away from a job that I loved. No matter where
life takes me I will always be a nurse at heart and it was hard to leave a
place where I had that official title. All of these things that I thought made
me who I was were changing. The process made me think about who I was as a
person without all the titles. Japan has been something that Sean and I have prayed
for and dreamed about for years. We were both amazed that it was actually
happening in such a flawless way. This year I want to use my time wisely. I
want to focus on being in the moment. Not letting life rush by but noticing the
simple things around me. I am thrilled to have a year caring for and meetings the
needs of our first child. I cannot wait to watch her grow. I am so excited to
be able to have a schedule with weekends off that I can spend time with my
husband trying new things and seeing different sites.
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