One Way Ticket

Santiago here we come! After spending most of the last year exploring the possibility of moving abroad, things are really starting to get real.  Today marks 30 days until we board a plane and head 5000 miles south to Santiago, Chile, the city we’ll call home for the next 2 years. 

Have we ever been to Santiago before?  No.

Do we speak Spanish? Un poco. (But we’re learning!)

Are we crazy? Maybe.

It’s a pretty surreal feeling to be sitting at home, in a place that has become so comfortable and familiar, knowing that we’re about to head into completely unfamiliar territory.  It’s thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.

A little background.  Matt and I have both always been interested in living and working internationally at some point in our lives.  Throughout our relationship we’ve made it a priority to travel as much as possible, and a couple years ago we agreed that if either of our careers allowed us the opportunity to work abroad, we would go for it.  I work for a company with offices all over the world, and was offered a 2-year assignment in our Santiago office.   It’s both an exciting career opportunity and a chance Matt and I to push outside of our comfort zone and broaden our view of the world.

Now that our departure date is just a matter of weeks away, we starting to learn just how much goes into a move of this magnitude.  There are closets to clean out, furniture and cars to be sold, and bags upon bags to be taken to goodwill.  There are banks to call, utilities to cancel and customs forms to fill out.  What do we bring, store,sell, donate, trash?  How many shoes do I really have room for?

In some ways it’s refreshing.  There’s nothing like trying to pack your life into a few suitcases to help you simplify.  During a month when a lot of people are going on new year’s cleanses, it feels a little bit like we’re cleansing ourselves of our unnecessary belongings.  Only the essentials will make their way to our new home with us.

It’s certainly not going to be easy.  Packing and moving our lives will be a challenge, but all that pales in comparison to knowing we’ll have to say goodbye to so many great friends and loved ones.  We’ll be back, of course, and we’ll have visitors, but putting that many miles between us and the people we love is definitely the main thing that makes this move so bittersweet.   We’ll miss milestones, birthdays, weddings and births.  It’ll be hard, but we know our friendships will stand the test of time and distance.

January is a month I generally hope will pass quickly, but this year, I hope it takes it’s time.  We’re ready for the next adventure, but until it arrives we’re going to make the most of each day and enjoy this exciting time in our life!

So, ready or not, here we go!  Over the next months and years, I’ll use this blog to document our travels and provide updates on our adventures abroad.  I can honestly say I have no idea what exactly our lives will look like a month from now, but I’m excited to find out!