Every year I want to write an annual reflection. Yet, I don’t do it.
If I think, what did I do in the past year, I’d tell you this: get up to work, eat, shower, sleep, and go to work again. I guess that’s what life is like for a lot of people.
But in 2020, many things did happen, and there are still many unknowns, because our moving house plan fell through. When I keep thinking about how to solve the problem, I want to slow down, take a moment and write.
Plan is nothing, planning is everything.
The year of 2020 started with the honeymoon in Spain, and then COVID hit.
In February, we finally confirmed that we would leave Japan and move to Germany. I handed in my resignation letter. At that time, I naively thought that COVID would only last for a while, perhaps, a month. ‘Hopefully it won’t affect the German visa.’ I prayed. But soon after, ‘your visa application appointment has been canceled’, and the wait will be half a year.
Waiting is torturing. It may succeed or it may not, what should I do if it succeeds? What if it doesn’t work? My mind is full of question marks from time to time. However, worrying helps nothing. So I started to learn German, cook every meal in everyday, and regularly do exercise(finally!). In fact, it’s okay, no big deal, it can be done.
Leave Japan in 38 Days
When we got the visas in September, we immediately planned when to fly, how to sell all the belongings in Japan, how to transport them to Germany, and how to find a house in Germany.
During the process, I was always affected by the news of COVID, ‘Europe, the death toll of the severe epidemic reached XX million.’ Curry Boy told me: ‘Don’t read too much news, it won’t help you.’ (The news just want all the attention, really.)
When we really wanted to say goodbye to Tokyo and fly to Germany, we set off excitedly and anxiously with 3 suitcases and 2 backpacks. On the 12-hour long-distance flight, every cough can stimulate the nerves of every passenger. But I didn’t forget to seize the opportunity to watch a few sets of Hong Kong-made movies and eat Hong Kong-style flight meals haha!
Find a House in 3 Months
After arriving in Germany without any problem, we kicked off our second big project: house hunting.
Everyone says that it is difficult to rent an apartment here, and it will take at least a few months, so the worst plan is to rent a furnished apartment after a short-term lease, and then take our time to find a suitable apartment. After looking at more than 20 units, we finally found an apartment that both Curry Boy and I thought it was the most ideal, and successfully rented it. Challenge cleared!
Now, when I look back these 3 months in Germany, actually only the first month was not lockdown. I’m glad we came in time. If all retail stores are closed during the hard lockdown, it will only be more challenging. We are lucky.
When I Think Good Luck Has Keep Coming⋯⋯
Now, we have entered the final stage of settle down: furnishing the home.
I can tell you, there are walls, ceiling, floor, doors, locks, a fitted kitchen with oven, dishwasher, refrigerator, a toilet and shower, lights…and plumbing! For the rest, we have to buy.
As of now, a dining table, 2 dining chairs, a Fissler pressure cooker, a washing machine, a vacuum cleaner, a microwave oven, a kettle, and those household belongings from Japan have all arrived in good condition.
But, what about sofa, bed frames, wardrobes, TV cabinet and working desk?
That’s right. We made a mistake.
Because we hadn’t secure a parking space outside the building, IKEA refused to deliver.
The two delivery drivers kept talking to us in German, and we kept using our baby-level German and English to try to convince them. THE TRUCK WAS 20 METERS AWAY FROM OUR BUILDING! Instead of arguing with us in a different language, why not just take out our furnitures?
Of course, things didn’t turn out like this, otherwise I wouldn’t be still writing articles but would be busy installing furniture. After more than ten minutes of disturbance, the two of us could only watched our furniture leaving us.
I can deal with no sofa, no bed, no wardrobe, no TV cabinet, but I must ask the mattress to be delivered smoothly on Saturday. I don’t want to sleep on the ground in the new year. Amen.
