Packing Up
Yesterday the movers came to pack things up and move everything that isn't staying in the house into storage. The tenants are letting us keep just about everything here, so the only things that went are computers, clothes, bathroom stuff, desk stuff, and all our photos. It's amazing how sad the house looks without our photos of friends, family and dogs everywhere! I can't even imagine what it would look like if we had had to pack up all our books, pictures, chatchkes and furniture!
We also finalized our apartment search in Kharkiv. We settled for the really ugly, but slightly bigger and better located, apartment that has all the amenities (air conditioning, hi speed internet, full kitchen, washer and dryer -absolutely unheard of to have a clothes dryer - and a desk). The other, more attractive by far, apartment is a little further from the center (but they have a great metro in Kharkiv, and this is still walking distance to the center - about 1 1/2 kilometers), but it is very very tiny, is a second floor walk up (as opposed to the ugly apartment that is on the 7th floor - top floor - in a building with an elevator), has no oven (the kitchen is like a closet), and no desk. We would have had to pay to install air conditioning and DSL, so this is by far a better deal. But the brown carpet and yellow flowered wallpaper is quite depressing. The worst part is, we have to move twice - this apartment won't be available until June 19 and we arrive in Kharkiv on June 7. So we're going to spend the first 12 days in an even uglier place that is only one room (no separate bedroom), has no air conditioning and no DSL! I'm just going to pretend I'm on a trip for about 3 weeks (leaving June 3 and getting "home" on June 19), go to internet cafes to get email, and spend the time walking around the city and getting to know it. This place is right next door to the one we will be moving to on June 19, so I can really explore the neighborhood. It will all work out. I had been very upset because I had found a couple of places on the internet in March and April that were decent looking, well located and had all the things we needed (like DSL), but they were all in the $800-$1000 a month price range, and OSJI (Open Society Justice Initiative - that's the Soros foundation that is supporting the pilot public defender project in Ukraine that Ed has volunteered to set up) told us that they could definitely find us something for around $300 a month. So we thought we should give them a chance to do that. As it turns out, the only thing they could find with DSL was $800 a month and very small, and a 3rd floor walk up. But by then all the good places on the internet were taken! Well, we will only be in Kharkiv for about 2 or 3 months, so I guess I can live with the brown carpet and yellow walls.
I also took some time today to set up my computer so that I can use a dial-up connection if that is all that is available. I have a feeling I will be using this quite a bit in Kharkiv. It's painful to hear that dial-up sound again, and it takes FOREVER just to download the front page of the NY Times! And it's quite expensive since it costs 15 cents a minute and it takes about 3 minutes just to download my home page!
Some good news last night - Jason and Sandra now have email! So it will be a lot easier to keep in touch with them and see pictures of Allan. Now we can watch both grandsons as they change over their first couple of years on this earth. I don't know what I would do without the internet. I really feel that I can keep connected with everyone, even though I don't see them or actually speak to them. It's very weird - but I know that without it I would feel very isolated.
I had dinner with the "dog park girls" last Monday and they gave me the most wonderful goodbye gift - a collage (actually made by Jill) of photos of just about everyone and their dogs. It's really great, and over Ed's vigorous objections, I'm taking it with me. Ed feels we should take one suitcase each, for a whole year!!! I am quite proud of myself for getting this down to about 9 cartons - and that's with all of Belle's stuff, two big bags of her food, all our clothes, computer stuff, bulky winter coats and boots, 6 months supply of prescription drugs and a few books (I don't know what will be available in English there). If it weren't for my iPod and audible.com, there would be many more cartons - all filled with books!
We also finalized our apartment search in Kharkiv. We settled for the really ugly, but slightly bigger and better located, apartment that has all the amenities (air conditioning, hi speed internet, full kitchen, washer and dryer -absolutely unheard of to have a clothes dryer - and a desk). The other, more attractive by far, apartment is a little further from the center (but they have a great metro in Kharkiv, and this is still walking distance to the center - about 1 1/2 kilometers), but it is very very tiny, is a second floor walk up (as opposed to the ugly apartment that is on the 7th floor - top floor - in a building with an elevator), has no oven (the kitchen is like a closet), and no desk. We would have had to pay to install air conditioning and DSL, so this is by far a better deal. But the brown carpet and yellow flowered wallpaper is quite depressing. The worst part is, we have to move twice - this apartment won't be available until June 19 and we arrive in Kharkiv on June 7. So we're going to spend the first 12 days in an even uglier place that is only one room (no separate bedroom), has no air conditioning and no DSL! I'm just going to pretend I'm on a trip for about 3 weeks (leaving June 3 and getting "home" on June 19), go to internet cafes to get email, and spend the time walking around the city and getting to know it. This place is right next door to the one we will be moving to on June 19, so I can really explore the neighborhood. It will all work out. I had been very upset because I had found a couple of places on the internet in March and April that were decent looking, well located and had all the things we needed (like DSL), but they were all in the $800-$1000 a month price range, and OSJI (Open Society Justice Initiative - that's the Soros foundation that is supporting the pilot public defender project in Ukraine that Ed has volunteered to set up) told us that they could definitely find us something for around $300 a month. So we thought we should give them a chance to do that. As it turns out, the only thing they could find with DSL was $800 a month and very small, and a 3rd floor walk up. But by then all the good places on the internet were taken! Well, we will only be in Kharkiv for about 2 or 3 months, so I guess I can live with the brown carpet and yellow walls.
I also took some time today to set up my computer so that I can use a dial-up connection if that is all that is available. I have a feeling I will be using this quite a bit in Kharkiv. It's painful to hear that dial-up sound again, and it takes FOREVER just to download the front page of the NY Times! And it's quite expensive since it costs 15 cents a minute and it takes about 3 minutes just to download my home page!
Some good news last night - Jason and Sandra now have email! So it will be a lot easier to keep in touch with them and see pictures of Allan. Now we can watch both grandsons as they change over their first couple of years on this earth. I don't know what I would do without the internet. I really feel that I can keep connected with everyone, even though I don't see them or actually speak to them. It's very weird - but I know that without it I would feel very isolated.
I had dinner with the "dog park girls" last Monday and they gave me the most wonderful goodbye gift - a collage (actually made by Jill) of photos of just about everyone and their dogs. It's really great, and over Ed's vigorous objections, I'm taking it with me. Ed feels we should take one suitcase each, for a whole year!!! I am quite proud of myself for getting this down to about 9 cartons - and that's with all of Belle's stuff, two big bags of her food, all our clothes, computer stuff, bulky winter coats and boots, 6 months supply of prescription drugs and a few books (I don't know what will be available in English there). If it weren't for my iPod and audible.com, there would be many more cartons - all filled with books!
posted by Susan Spivak at 12:58 AM
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