How to weigh your luggage

I know I've mentioned previously that it's a good idea to take your luggage to a FedEx or other location that has large scales in order to weigh your bags before getting to the airport. I learned the hard way by trying to put 70 lb, HUGE, bulky bags on a small scale designed for people that it doesn't work very well. Um, yeah, it's pointless. Well, not completely a waste since I was successful in weighing our two smaller bags. The rest of them we took to our local grocery store (Publix); E made two trips and we got a general idea of how much each bag weighed. 


The only problem with making trips back and forth to weigh your bags is that once you get home you do a lot of rearranging. You remember that one bag was two pounds over and another was three over, but you have no idea how to exactly make them even without dragging them to the store to weigh them again. That is, until I discovered this....thanks to our friends/neighbors who had just bought a brand new Digital Luggage Scale. Our friend was over and she mentioned that her in-laws had purchased a handheld scale and that it can hold up to 88 lbs; she offered to lend it to us so we didn't have to go to the airport without a good understanding of how much our bags really weigh. Simple, small, and easy to use.

The scale that we used doesn't look exactly like this but it does the job, and you can change the unit from pounds to kilos to grams to ounces. All you have to do is place the bag upright on the floor near a staircase and stand on the (approximately) the third step up. Hook the luggage onto the scale and lift (and I mean lift because remember some of these bags weigh in at 75 lbs) and wait for the scale to give you the correct weight of the bag. I don't suggest doing this unless you're strong or want a hernia, so be careful. Luckily I live with a professional athlete. We were easily, and quickly, able to shift weight and volume among the 3-4 bags that we have that were a bit overweight, once we knew their correct weight. Turns out we actually have about an extra 5 lbs to spare overall. That's amazing news because I was worried about that.  


I feel a hug sense of relief, because we all know how stressful this move has been for me (well, for anyone). So we have almost 560 lbs of luggage - and that doesn't count our carry-ons. I'm not worrying about the weight on those because my carry-on luggage has never been weighed before and I'm going to avoid that at all costs. I know that the cat can only be 10 kg (about 20 lbs) including his carrier but we're safe there. What's left to do then? Finish cleaning the apartment, take a trip to the local GoodWill, pack our carry-ons, and meet friends for dinner.

It's crunch time

It's definitely crunch time over here in the "Bound for Brasilia" household. We only have a few days left and are not ready to walk out the door at this time, though we're pretty darn close. Our upstairs is cleaned, vacuumed, and ready to vacate with the exception of our mattress/box spring that we're selling in a couple of days; we're also still using that bathroom since it has the shower. Sebastian's "stuff" has been moved from the downstairs bathroom (so I could clean it and shut it off) and moved upstairs. So I'm sharing a bathroom with two boys during our last few days in this apartment. We brought down one piece (our last piece) of furniture from the upstairs which we're about to sell in a couple of hours, and the rest of our clothes - those that are out because we'll either be wearing them the next couple days or the day of our trip. As I look around the first floor I want to say that there's still a lot in it, but that's because we're taking most of it with us. We're at 8 large suitcases, 2 carry-ons, 2 personal items, 1 trophy (that's too big to put anywhere), and 1 cat. The rest will be sold/donated/disposed of over the weekend.


I think, and hope, that I've taken care of all of the paperwork that it takes to move. I know it may seem that I'm organized and I believe that I am, but it's a lot to do. I'm VERY glad that I have my mom's support as far as her helping us with our mail. We're also very blessed to have such amazing friends that will take us to the airport and help us out once we sell our car. And now that we have a MagicJack we'll have a US phone number so we can make any calls to/from the US at no extra cost. 


Honestly, I'm afraid that putting into words all that I'm thinking and worrying about is just going to stress me out, so maybe I shouldn't. We've gotten everything done and will be ready to leave in a few days. I'm not going to stress out over things that are out of my control, and everything else we'll work itself out in the end. If we have any issues then we'll just cross that bridge when we get there. Moving itself is stressful enough; I don't need to worry myself. 


For now I just need to enjoy my last few days in the States and prepare for the fun adventure ahead of me. I love to be abroad more than anyone else I know (or close to it) so I need to feel excited and not worry because really, I can't wait to be in Brazil! [Oh yeah...and a special thanks to my new friend (really a friend of Renata's and now mine) who is going to take us all around Brasilia once we arrive. Yeah!!!]

Just another Thursday: July 7th

Outside my window.. it's hot and humid and sunny

Today I feel.. tired, overwhelmed, but content

I am thankful.. for good friends. In particular (today), for Zack, Emily, Aliah, Stephanie, Jelis, and Paolo

Tomorrow I am going.. to have a Greek lunch with a friend, a Japanese dinner with friends, and then to party on the last Friday that I'm in Orlando at Siberian Nights with a Brazilian DJ (from Manaus!)

I am wearing.. yoga pants and a tank top (I've packed all of my good stuff)

I wish.. that my 8th suitcase won't exceed 70 lbs and that the airline will look away if E decides to take a BIG bag as his personal item

This weekend.. will be my last in the States (for awhile)

I am reading.. "1984", "Committed", and will soon be reading "Of Mice and Men"

I am working on.. packing and moving to Brazil

Yesterday I.. cleaned the house, threw away garbage, donated food and other items to our friends, made arrangements to sell our car, read, and packed

I am hoping.. for a smooth trip to Brazil with NO issues (please, please)

I am hearing.. E's techno music and a knock on the door. My shoes arrived!

I bet you don’t know.. that I'm about to go out and get a pedicure

One of my favorite.. things to do lately is sleep :)

I don't want to clean

I don't really feel like doing anything but moving already. I'm ready to go. When it came to deciding when we'd travel, it wasn't too difficult to choose a date since my contract begins on July 15th. I was out of school in the beginning of June and E could quit any time. I knew that we would need some time to get everything together and I wanted to stay for the 4th of July, so initially this week was when we were going to depart. However, I started to freak out a bit (for lack of a better word), as school was coming to a close, with all the errands/chores we need to do before leaving, so our tickets were bought for next week. We have until next week in the country.


Maybe one more week is the perfect amount of time. I mean, we are mostly packed, even with the set back of having to buy another piece of luggage, and most of our closets and cabinets have been cleaned out at this time. We gave away dishes, a crock pot, a blender, a clock, etc. to friends and even our maintenance man this weekend. The cat has been taken care of (with the exception of our trip to the USDA, but that'll be done in 2 days). So should we be ready? Yes, and I'd say we almost are. We have everything lined up with how we're taking all of our luggage to the airport (thanks to amazing friends!) so there's not much left to finish.


We've said goodbye to my family and most of our friends that we don't see on a regular basis. (That's the hard part I choose not to think about too much). So what is left to do? Oh yeah, clean. Our shopping is done. We're not working. We have to clean. We have to scrub down this apartment before we move out. I have some more papers to organize and then we have to throw away shower curtains and donate bed sheets. Then we have to clean. Clean. Clean. I'm not a lazy person, but cleaning is no fun. However, it's got to be done. Since I don't want to spend my last couple of days in the country cleaning, guess what's on the agenda for today? Breakfast and cleaning out our bedroom closet. At least once the hangers are all taken out and the few shirts hanging up there, I can clean it, vacuum the rug and close it up for good.


I also need to tackle the rest of the kitchen cabinets, the corners of every room, the ceiling fans, and anywhere the cat has been recently. The vet told me yesterday that I'm very organized and it was nice to hear, but it's true because I have to be. Now don't think I'm doing this all on my own. No way. E is helping with everything. He's good with tackling projects that need to be finished; it just can be kind of tough when you know you can't clean out everything because you still need to live here for another week. ......alright, alright, enough writing....time to get back to work. I don't want to clean, but there's nothing else to do.

Turns out there are 8

And so it is....7 suitcases is not enough. It has to be 8. We've already had to make adjustments  as far as what, and how much, we can take with us. But now we have to do it again - in the sense that we had to buy another suitcase. We realistically cannot take all that we had planned in just 7 bags. Although we don't want to pay more for excess baggage (which in the end will fall on my employer), it's better to pay now than to later go in search of the perfect coffee maker (that we already own), among other personal belongings and household items.


I'd prefer to spend $100 now rather than have to go shopping in Brazil where everyone says that many kitchen appliances, for instance, are over priced and at the same time made of low quality material. And this way, moving with 7 suitcases, we should end up with a bit of extra space for more towels, bedding, shirts for me!, and other miscellaneous items that I didn't want to leave behind (i.e. Sebastian's comfortable bed. He'll need something from home, too). I just wonder how we're going to get this all to the airport. Thanks to our friend who will help us get there. We'll have 8 suitcases, 2 carry ons, 2 personal items, and a (crying?) cat. Wish us luck!


Back to our suitcases....each one cannot exceed 70 lbs or we'll be charged extra (which defeats the purpose of us having to add one more bag into the mix). So how do you know if your bag is the appropriate weight? Well, we know that our bathroom scale won't work because it's too small. Only the smallest suitcases will fit. So we've been taking our suitcases to our local grocery store (Publix) since they have a large scale for the public to use. With our first 3 weighed bags we were in luck. They were between 63 - 69 lbs (of course we added weight to the lightest one); however, the 4th weighted 91 lbs! I had to take out heavy items from that one and that's when we knew we need another bag. We'll have to reweigh that bag to make sure that it's no more than 70 lbs. 


So we've completed most our shopping and packing at this point (living in Orlando means outlet malls and shopping malls everywhere). We also have about a week and a half before we're out. I think we've sold our TV, we have a pending cancellation on our TV/Internet, we only have one car and one phone to take care of, I've cancelled credit cards, changed our address with the post office, and we've bought a new carry on bag for me. I learned the hard way that the bag I had planned to take as a carry on to Brazil will not work. It only has straps; I need a rolling piece of luggage, so that's what we bought. If I'm carrying a purse with a laptop and Sebastian, I cannot lug around a bag like I did to New York.  



I'll feel more relaxed once we have at least 6 of our bags packed, weighed, and waiting in the corner ready to be moved (we're about half way there now). This way I can focus on the smaller things as well as spending time with our friends, like the Girl's Night Out coming up this weekend. We're almost there folks! :)

I've signed my contract

I have received my teacher contract for the next two years (which can be extended) for the international school where I'll be teaching in Brasilia, Brazil starting next month! I printed three copies, initialed the margin of the first page and signed my signature on the second for each copy; tomorrow I'll mail all three copies to the school - they'll give me a copy after everyone signs their copy so I can keep one for my personal records. 


It's official now :). It could seem weird that I'm signing the contract now, versus in December when I received the job offer, but not all schools/counties work the same. For example, I signed the last contract that I had from my former school district in Florida (from August to August) MONTHS into the school year. I did receive a written job offer from the school in Brasilia and they have invested a lot into me, so I never doubted that I had the job. I actually don't even feel much better now that I'm putting the signed contract in the mail. But I AM glad that it's taken care of.


Once I printed out the contracts I realized I had to print out 13 copies of our cell phone bills, meaning each bill from the last 13 months. This is part of our requirement in providing proof that E has lived outside of Brazil for at least a year. I was having a problem printing them so I only got a few months in hand, but we still have a few more weeks so I'll do it later. AT&T is not the best phone company in the United States and of course their website was having difficulties. At least I got started with this.


On to the rest of moving....I gave away a framed piece of artwork that I love (one by Gustav Klimt) - but did so to a classmate of mine so I'm happy that she'll be able to enjoy it. We also have packed two full suitcases that will not be touched until we arrive in Brazil. One of them is 60 lbs (full of E's clothes) and the other is about 68... lbs. These are our smaller suitcases so it's OK that the first one is not heavier, plus it's jammed to the max (thanks to my amazing packing skills). We'll take all of our bags to FedEx to weigh them before we arrive at the airport to make sure they're all under 70 lbs. I did have to open up one suitcase to find the novel 1984 since I just found out that the 11th graders will start the year reading that book; turns out I won't be able to teach To Kill a Mockingbird until the year after, but that's OK. I could potentially fill that suitcase more, but I'm not going over 70 lbs.


This week we need to visit the army/ navy store and hopefully buy a heavy duty duffle bag and we're good to go. Our closet is almost empty and our piles are significantly smaller. Most of the books have been packed away, as well as some of our valuables, tucked between towels and pieces of clothing.  It's the rest of our valuables and kitchen appliances that need to be carefully packed. Our list of items to buy has also shrunk greatly so I know we're almost there. Good to know because we'll be on "vacation" in a few days and I don't want to worry about anything at all.


Until later....

Wordless Wednesday: Packing for Brazil

What's on my mind?

As I have less than a month before my departure, I've been thinking about...

• My crown breaking and although I had planned to have it fixed in Brazil (at a much cheaper price), looks like I may have to have at least a temporary crown put on by my dentist =(
• Needing to sell textbooks from graduate school because I don't have room to take them
• Glad I earned some money from selling my textbooks. Maybe I'll use it to pay the dentist.
• How I have an excuse to go shopping =)
• My new clothes
• Sales at the malls and shopping centers
• Donating clothes and household items to Goodwill
• Packing four more suitcases 
• What I'm going to do with my box full of books. Do I buy a duffle bag to put it in?
• Laundry
• Upcoming trip to Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. The consulate again? YES
• Our imminent trip to New York state and seeing friends and family!
• How I'll miss my friends in Orlando and where our goodbye should be because people keep asking me
• Paying the rest of our bills, cancelling our utilities, cleaning up the apartment, and selling our bed and TV
• How I'm glad I'm no longer working

Books, be gone!

I have now sorted and sorted and dug threw piles and have narrowed it down to the essentials - as far as the books go. I have donated and donated and donated (to friends, colleagues, the public library, my neighbors) until I have less than 150 lbs of books. Oh yeah, and those college books on theories....yeah, they'll be sold at the local college bookstore on Monday. They're HEAVY. No more Spanish language books and/or textbooks will be going in my suitcase. I'm sad to see them go, but I know that it's all for the better.


We've started to pack (it's early, I know) but it's necessary so we know what we can and cannot take. We've also decided to ship a few large items separately because we realize they won't fit in our suitcases but we don't want to leave our fabulous coffee maker behind. But at least the books will all be sold and I can just read from my Kindle in the meantime. 


And now, strange enough, I need to make a quick stop at Barnes 'n Nobles. This coming school year I'll be teaching Romeo & Juliet, Animal Farm, Tuesdays with Morrie, and maybe another novel/story/play. I realize that these books and resources may be difficult to find in Brazil and will most likely be pricey so I need to buy them here. But Animal Farm and the accompanying spark notes don't weigh but a pound and are small so I know at least the hubby won't complain. 


And who doesn't like to go shopping? I know I do! 

Oops, time to make adjustments

I have too much stuff. I actually know that the "problem" is me so I can't say "we have too much stuff" because that wouldn't be true. Maybe it's because I've lived in the U.S. for 20-something years, maybe I'm a hoarder (I don't think so), or maybe it's because I'm a saver of all books that I read a professional and have to keep my books. Honestly, I like the last option. I don't own that many clothes so that'll make packing easier; regardless of the reason, I have just learned that I need to make some major adjustments as to what I take and what I leave. Now. And most of what I need to chuck needs to be that which is heavy, takes up a lot of space, and does not need to go. It's for that reason that we've already begun our initial packing. 

At least I can confirm that those shoe boxes and the magazine are not mine

We have bought our suitcases and are now ready to begin the real packing process, even though E has been slowly packing away clothes in his smaller suitcase. He knows what he won't wear before we leave and what he wants to take with him (i.e. new shirts and socks) so that can be packed away now. As I'd mentioned earlier, I have two piles of mostly books and papers that I planned on taking with us. Now with the luggage staring me in the face, I've had to reconsider my options. I packed up 5 grocery bags of books and will be donating them to my co-workers tomorrow. I figure if I've read it once than that is enough. Because let's be real, only so much is going to fit in our 6 suitcases and 1 box (plus cat sans carry ons).

These are our new upright Samsonite (chic, I know) suitcases. I kept stressing to E while we were at the store, the importance that they must be large, durable, and expandable - so we didn't buy anything smaller than 30". We've also bought a heavy duty box that I can jam full of 70 lbs of books; I just don't know how we're going to lift it, but I guess we only need to do that a couple of times.....and didn't I marry an MMA fighter? Well, yes, yes, I did :). E also bought a duffle bag-type suitcase which is very large and has wheels. All of our suitcases are cloth. And all of them come from Ross so we got awesome new luggage for a decent price. 


I need to also make a mental note to call TAM and find out how much we're allowed as far as carry on baggage because I heard it's not very much. And then we have the cat so that'll add luggage. We're really going to have an adventure at the airports. That's a fact. But with that being said, this is definitely not my first time traveling/moving abroad and I have had to deal with situations similar to this before so we'll figure it out. Plus, we still have another month, I just wanted to start packing/planning now so I know what we're up against and I can decide on what is really important/necessary to take with us. At least we made a list (which of course we also had to shorten, crossing out items that we now realize that no-way-in-hell will fit in our luggage).

We're getting there folks.

A couple images from a couple moving abroad

It's true. We're all tired of it. 

I'm EXHAUSTED

I'm not just exhausted; I'm pooped. I don't know if it's the heat, the stress from work, the moving preparations, or all of the above. I think it's the latter. Actually, I know it is.


The air conditioners in my classroom are not the hardest working machines, even despite my request for the one to be fixed. Which it was. It received an upgrade and it's better, but it's still hot. I know I live in Florida and it's in the 90s on a daily basis, but still...how can I work effectively like that? 


What was really funny about me getting my AC fixed was how the technician thought that I am from a foreign country because of my accent. Excuse me? My accent? I guess if you call upstate New York a foreign country :). He was just being nice as he had been in the military during the Vietnam War and according to him had the time of his life. I guess he was just nostalgic for travel and living abroad and maybe wanted me to be from overseas. I mean, living in the "south" I'd been told I have an accent but most people know I'm from the U.S. It's just that southerners don't know how to enunciate and I never know if they're saying pEn or pIn. Not my fault.


The packing, or thinking of packing, exhausts me as well. And the trying to sell and thinking about selling also wears me down. The feeling tired enough not to do anything but not tired enough to sleep also makes me feel pooped. And of course the final preparations at school and the students wanting to act crazy and even more like hooligans because it's the end of the year business. Oh yeah, and the papers I need to grade but don't because I'm too tired. Oh Lord, I'm making myself even more exhausted thinking about all of this - and writing it all down. Haha


So what do I do? Make myself run errands with E so we get out of house and I don't just lounge on the couch all afternoon/evening/night watching Meet the Browns episodes - which I love and will miss (even though I can watch the entire show on TBS.com). I also force myself out of the house to walk or do some kind of exercise. At least the exhaustion I feel after that is a good kind of feeling tired. Oh yeah, and I blog. A lot. I've written like 6 blog entries in 2 days. At least I'm giving you all (interesting :) posts to read and can try and be entertaining. Try.


Ok. Enough "tired" talk. Time to grade papers and grade them all. 2 more school days and then 3 more exam days. Then 2 more teacher days and I can sleep in!

Goodbye May. You were swell.

Ahhhhh! 40 something days left until we leave. I remember when we had 4 months left. I can't believe that it's already the last day of May. This month FLEW BY. 


I'm not just ending a stressful school year, but I'm realizing that I won't have much of a summer vacation this year. Turns out I only have about a month. I finish teaching this week, have final exams next week, and then 2 teacher work days to tie up my loose ends and move out of my classroom by the end of the week next week. That means a lot of grading, putting the finishing touches on my students' final exam, grading the exam (but I'm smart - it's multiple choice on scantron), and saying goodbye to my co-workers and students. Then we know what's next....


Once school's out I can focus on our moving preparations "full time" for a month before we leave. I've made my appointments to cancel our services, take care of the cat's business, and we've sold most of what we advertised on-line. That's what takes most of the time and energy and is not fun. Packing and sorting is not a big pain because I get to walk down memory lane as I do it. We also need to take yet another trip to the consulate in Miami and we have a 5-day vacation, if you will, to New York to spend time with my family and friends.


I want to be careful that this post doesn't just turn into a list of what I have to do before we leave. I  was just thinking about how time flew. Maybe it's because it's the last official month of school. I think that's it. My job was tough this year and part of me can't believe that I survived the school. Makes me really think about what my experience will be at a private, international school in Brazil. I've been working at poor, public schools for years and that's what I'm used to. Leaves me wondering how my experience will change in Brazil....how will I cope with teaching students who are more dedicated? Who come from education parents? Who have educated parents? Who really do want to go to college? It makes me anxious. I'm just going to have to be very observant and learn what I can about the school, the students, and the parents beforehand to try and prepare myself. I just know that if I can survive in an environment like where I'm working now, I can make it anywhere. 


It seems simple making the transition from students who fight you when you try to teach to teaching compliant students. I hope that it'll be easy and that I'll be able to modify all of my lesson plans to accommodate my students' needs and the school's expectations. Somehow I believe I will.


Right now I need to get back to grading papers on "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet", Act II, Scene I.