Decluttering, pics of home and current progress...

This has been one of the main aims since Jan and it's been an amazing thing. I'm only 28 but the quantity of 'stuff' that is accumulated over the years is crazy. As mentioned in my last post, we can only take what we can carry and can only store a few boxes at my Grandparents house so it's a matter of only saving the truly important things. I've got my childhood in one box, my son's first things (cards, memory book, those baby clothes you just can't get rid of etc) in another and 2 holdalls full of my music collection so far. Luckily most of the music is coming with us in digital form as I think it will be an important and comforting link to our old life. Every little step make such a difference and I feel 'lighter' and more 'free' all the time.

I am not the kind of person that can leave it all to the last minute which means that I'm getting rid of as many of the non essentials as possible now. We're all sleeping on mattresses on the floor now, our wardrobe has been dismantled and is ready to give to a friend and a bookcase has already been given away. We've made 3 trips to the local charity shop and 2 trips to the dump and there'll be a fair few more to come.

It's funny really but the main things that I want to take with me are decorative, you know, the hangings, pictures, windchimes etc. All the things that make home home to me. C probably thinks I'm mad but it's important that it feels like home, especially in the beginning.

As promised, here's a few pictures of our home to be:

Main entrance in the front arch on the left side. Kitchen and bathroom windows at the front and bedroom windows above. Small balcony on left and large balcony to right.

Kitchen with bathroon to the left. Main entrance to the right.

Living area from above on the mezzanine floor with back double doors.

 

Door to the main balcony area.

Rest of the mezzanine floor with door to small balcony.

Half of the main balcony with large planter troughs (can't wait to get growing some herbs/vegetables etc)

View from the front, we'll be living with 3 other families with children as well as other residents in the community (AV is split into many smaller community living spaces)

View from the back (throught the double doors), this will eventually become a back garden.

 

So, yes! Very exciting. We first saw this house last April when it was still being finished off. It now has furniture in it and a housesitter who will stay until Aug.

 

In terms of other progress, we have enough for the tickets now but don't want to get them until the Entry Visa is sorted. We can't get the Entry Visa until we get the letter of recommendation from the AV Entry Service. The letter of recommendation is only valid for 6 months so we will be getting that next month to give us a little leaway should we need a few extra weeks to be ready to go.

 

I've contacted the kindergarten over there and will be applying in July for K to start in Oct which gives him and us a month to settle over there. I'm really excited about this as K (3.5 years old) is loving nursery over here. Here is a little description of the kindergarten:

 

Started in 1984, the Kindergarten today provides for 46 children in four groups. About half these children are Tamilians, though ten other nationalities are also represented. The coordinating team consists of 7 main teachers and assistant teachers plus 5 specialized teachers for music, Sanskrit song, swimming and body awareness.

In the rhythm of the day, the Kindergarten alternates between rigorous activity and quiet activity, directed activity and free choice activity. The aim is to develop the whole child, their concentration and each of the senses, while at the same time keeping a balance between meeting the needs of the child and meeting the needs of the group. Children have opportunities for self-expression and the exploration of their own interests, but at the same time they are expected to be considerate toward others, to respect the environment, to participate and to share. The children learn in English, but all children are also taught Tamil and French plus songs in Sanskrit.

 

Sounds great and is exactly the kind of thing that I want for him growing up around children of many different nationalities and especially learning all those languages - we're already teaching him basic French.

 

So that's it really. Slowly our flat is emptying, with our unwanted belongings going to friends, charity or the tip to be recycled and boxes of memories being stored for another day. The date of departure is just 5.5 months away and the excitement is mounting.

 

Speak soon! L xx