Moving Day is Here!

OK, so it finally came.That day I thought was so far off....moving day. The moving van rolled up a little after 10 a.m. and out came Juan and Scott. They left Sacramento at 2 a.m., had to chain up coming over Donner Pass, and were ready to work as soon as they got out of the truck. I've noticed, however, that as the day has drug on, so too are they (dragging, that is).

Dave and I fed Juan and Scott at about noon, hoping to increase their energy level. We had a nice conversation. It was interesting, albeit sad, to hear about the struggles of the average American. I hope this doesn't come across as snobbish, because that's not how I mean for it to be. Those of us who live in Elko have been pretty insulated from the economic struggles of those throughout the United States. Yes, some of Nevada's cities and communities are experiencing record level unemployment and foreclosures rates, but not here in Elko. We are blessed to live in a community largely supported by gold mining companies. And, if you haven't heard, gold is at over $1,400 an ounce. It wasn't that many years ago when gold was barely staying above $250 an ounce. Layoffs were occurring and our economy struggled. Anyway, both Juan and Scott have had their lives upended by the turn in the economy, losing their jobs, family, and things that they held dear. They are kind men who are happy to now have a job and are starting to see things turn around. I admire them.

I am sitting in our recliner, listening to Kenny Chesney on my iPod as there is no TV left in the living room. I am surrounded by boxes, and I am filled with emotion, which has been the case in the last week. I am scared. I am nervous. I am excited. I am sad. I am happy. I feel like I could burst into tears at any time. I just am....

The furniture is still here, but the pictures are being packed or stored. Those "things" that mean the most to me are going with me to Ghana, and they are now packed. Take note, Benjamin. I didn't pack Marty (my cat). He has spent the entire day upstairs under the bed and finally came down just now to sniff at the boxes. He definitely senses things are not as they were.

Putting my sentimentality aside, I have cleaned things in my kitchen that haven't seen cleaning solution in quite some time! I've basically moved from room to room behind Juan and Scott. They just kind of look at me like I'm crazy. I have found it to be therapeutic.

As the boxes are slowly moved from the house and garage to the truck, that knot in my stomach grows. The day we will be leaving our family, friends, and jobs will soon be upon us. But until then, we will enjoy the parties, the get togethers, the dinners, etc. Let me tell you....there is never just one going away party in my family!

But, here's the positive. Next week we get to see my sister and brother-in-law, and some very dear friends for a weekend in Las Vegas! Kids are coming home from college for Spring Break, our grandson will be here in a couple of weeks. What's better than that?? As Melissa would say (or tattoo on her side), "Seize the Day!"

The Art of Moving

Moving from one place to another is hectic, stressful, and exhausting....and that's when you are simply moving across town, much less half way around the world. Our move to Africa is also unique in that we will be maintaining our home in Elko during our three year adventure. Daniel, Dave's son, will live in the house and take care of the place. It will be nice for us to still  have a home to come back to in Elko.

For those of you contemplating an international move, here are some insights into the process based on our very limited experience.

Immunization Shots! Prior to our "look see" last March, Dave and I received a total of 11 immunization shots. Dave has since had two more, and I have had one (with one more left to go). All of the following immunizations must be up to date: Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Meingococcus, Polio, Hepatitis B, Rabies, MMR, and Tetanus-diphtheria. In addition, Ghana is home to pesky mosquitoes, which can be deadly as they carry the infectious disease, Malaria. We have a prescription for Malarone, which is a preventative medicine for the disease. We have heard from other ex-pats that some take the drug, while others choose not to, and simply reduce the likelihood of being exposed to mosquito bites. We have decided to take the drug and then see how comfortable we are with not continuing the use after a few months.

Physical. Holy cow! We've never been so thoroughly examined in our entire life. The doctor and nurses checked every inch of us from head to toe. Blood draws, chest xrays, urine samples, hearing tests, eye tests, and then finally stress tests. I am thrilled to share with everyone that Dave and I are in excellent physical health. Yippee!

We are now getting ready for the actual movement of our goods. Newmont contracts with a company who will handle our move. We have been assigned a "relocation counselor," who is guiding us through the process. Basically, we are allowed to send over pretty much whatever we want, as long as it fits into a 20' sea container. One of the few exceptions is alcohol. RIP OFF! I had already purchased a huge bottle of Vodka and another of Jack Daniels. Sigh....

Because of Elko's rural nature, a moving van will take our belongings to Sacramento, where they will then be transferred into the sea container and then taken from there to the ship....I suppose in San Francisco? Never thought to ask! If you have Google Map....do a Google Search on Ghana and then check out San Francisco. That's a hell of a long voyage. We have been told to expect our shipment to arrive in Accra somewhere between 8-10 weeks after it is loaded up in Elko. Once in Ghana, our things will have to clear customs. We're thinking this is going to be a 3 month operation!

In the meantime, what do you keep with you? This has been a source of sleepless nights for me. Think about it....we are living in Elko where the high today was 40 degrees. I need to keep clothes for this type of weather for the next six weeks. Then, in early April we'll be relocating to Ghana, which sits just north of the equator, where the humidity and heat will require a completely different set of clothing. We've had to really think about the things we use on a daily basis and ensure that we have those items available to us for the next three months. Ghana is still a third-world country, and although commerce has definitely improved, there are still limits to the things you can purchase. Unfortunately, it's been almost an entire year since I've been there, and I was so overwhelmed during that week, that it was difficult to think so far ahead. It would have been nice to go back to the country one more time prior to our final move and visit with a different perspective.

Dave and I went through our home together this past weekend. We selected the items we wanted shipped to Africa and made note of the things we would need to purchase once there. I have cleaned out my closet and actually sent bags full of clothes to our local thrift store. It's amazing how much easier it is to let go when you know you are going to be gone for three years. I just kept looking at my clothes thinking "have I worn this all winter?" If not, I put it in the "let go" pile. Dave has to do the same thing with his side of the closet, but I suspect that won't take near as much time. His side is much smaller!!

We have a "pre-move survey" scheduled for Thursday morning, whereby the moving company sends some people out to go through our house. They report back to our relocation counselor, and based ont he information lets us know if we can add to what we are moving, or we need to remove some items. Once that is completed, a date will be scheduled for the actual move. We believe that will occur the first week of March.

After a few weeks of high anxiety over the move, I feel somewhat organized and frankly, ready for the van to pull up and move us out. If you walk into our house today, you really wouldn't even know we were moving (unless you went into the back room). Everything looks in place. We have placed stickers on items that we will be moving, which might appear odd. But, otherwise...business as usual in the Kern household.

More updates to follow on the big move.

A New Adventure

When I moved to Elko in August of 1992, I planned to stay five years and then move back to the Wyoming area. Life threw me some curves. I went through a divorce, found and married my partner for life, Dave, and now I call Elko "home." Eighteen years later, I'm finally leaving. Dave and I are moving to Accra, Ghana, Africa the first week of April.

The move is bittersweet for us. While a new adventure awaits us, we will miss our family and friends. Dave was born and raised in Elko, and other than a few years spent in Reno for college and work, Elko has always been his home. His family surrounds him here, and those that don't live in Elko, visit often. While I never thought I would live in Elko as long as I did, I can't think of anywhere I would have rather been, in retrospect. It has been a wonderful place to raise our family, which grew exponentially by simply marrying Dave. I have made lifelong friends in Elko, to add to those that have been in my life for longer than I can even remember (you know who you are).

Dave works for Newmont, one of the largest gold producing companies in the world. He is the Vice President of Human Resources for North America. He is going to test his skills by heading up the African HR Operations. I have no doubt that he will be as successful there as he's been in North America.

I have been working for the Elko County School District for the past 18 years (with a 2 year hiatus when I went to work for the local college). My latest position has been that of Grant Writer/Manager and Public Information Officer (that's a mouthful). I recently established my own business - Kern Grant Writing Services, LLC, and plan to provide some services to the District virtually. I have also signed a contract with Polycom, a company that offers a variety of technology products to companies, to provide grant writing services to their clients.

I created this blog to allow friends and family to follow us as we head across the ocean to a new land. I suspect we will all learn a little more about the world together. So, let the adventures begin!