from here
most of the packing is done. what’s left is the small and fragile things like my beautiful gold patterned china, little bits in my studio that need extra sorting & attention and oh what books to bring? it’s been humorous packing my wardrobe backwards, since i’m choosing clothes that will fit the seasons we’ve just had. which also involves putting a hold on my fashion cravings for fall (which is such a good season to dress for) all my sweater weather ensembles, put on hold. max’s toys are all pared down to the minimum, clutter is gone, rooms are becoming empty.
it’s been so invigorating to get down to what i really want to live with. looking at my pile of the few special things that have made the cut i’m also keeping in mind that one of the first things i’ll be doing when we arrive in the city is shopping the street fairs in ciudad vieja, the old city where antiques and jewelry were spread out in abundance. and of course, there will surely be collecting along the way as we see other parts of south america.
to there
montevideo is going to be our homebase for traveling. a prime setup since every three months we will leave the country so we can renew our visa, we will be given the perfect oppurtunity to hit brasil, argentina, chile, maybe paraguay. and how will we be able to resist machu picchu? i recently found this little summary somewhere about montevideo. and from our preview of the place, i couldn’t say it better:
“We had some of the best food on the continent and enjoyed this funny little place. In a way, I suspect Montevideo is a better place to live in than visit. I said earlier it’s a two day city. Well, either that or a two year city as it has difficult-to-find charm squirreled away in abundance.”
life is becoming so exhilarating, but simple too. travel transforms me and gives me perspective. new ideas about the world i live in and the people that make it up. sometimes a trip is more than a suitcase, a renewed passport and pretty pictures. sometimes it flirts with transcendence…journeys we remember forever.
i’ve been packing all morning in a silent house. just me & some royksopp playing loudly and a dismantled house slowly getting into boxes. max has started preschool this week and i should be getting a lot done, but its difficult to focus on everything. he’s riding the bus there and back, gone for most of the day and the house is just so quiet. the lack of a speeding bumble bee boy around a hula hoop circumference around me is halting. i’m secretly happy that i get him back soon because of the move though. and i’m thinking of the adorable uniforms the toddlers in uruguay wear at school.
so i’m taking a break with tape stuck on my pants and piles all around me to respond to the overwhelming amount of emails pouring in from all of you! hope this helps, i would want to know everything to if my friend went to italy, was quiet for a while, then announced she was moving to another country in a couple weeks. i want you to know that your feedback, your concerns and your excitement for me is more than appreciated, and i truly mean that. i love you guys!
the what the ?!@# FAQ ::
um, does this mean that you’ll disappear (online)? haha, no way. me? you’ll be right here with me friend.
what about your shop, can i still buy queenthings? no worries there either. the only thing that will change with my jewelry designing is my location. (ohh lovely exotic materials!) give me a little time to get settled into a new cute casa down below and i will nestle into a creative space before i even figure out the kitchen or a place to sit. *grin honestly, i feel like i am just getting started with jewelry and i fill myself wanting to focus on it more and more.
what about shipping? good question. i know fedex exists in montevideo, but i spoke to an american there who told me the rates for shipping (just to the us) and i almost fainted. i have some ideas still up my sleeve, but as of the moment i just don’t know how reliable the mail will be there. i’ll do whatever i can and get it worked out and i expect every single one of you to do your christmas shopping with me….*giggles
so, are you in some kind of trouble or something? nuh-uh. we aren’t fleeing the country, i’m not renouncing allegiance to the us, i’m no anti-american. this move has absolutely nothing to do with politics. it’s about living creatively, to the fullest, and sometimes with some pretended bravery. but you all have a place to come to if you are wanted by the IRS or FBI or KGB. or anything.
when do you leave, can we get together before then? i want to say goodbye! i know, i know! i want to have one last visit with all of you. but we need to be out in just a few short weeks. the new buyers are ready to move in, and my weekends have been packed with goodbyes for the past month, including the next few weeks too. (i still have to see my twin brother and his grandparents and…) but, wanna come over and help me pack?
but jenny! this is just so sudden! actually it’s something that i’ve always planned to do. my dream is to live in europe (you all know my weakness for italy, but where else will i love?! gotta find that out) we’ve been scouting out cities to move to since last december, and i’ve wanted to experience life somewhere different for even longer. the timing just has never been so perfect as now. so we’re going for it. kinda makes you wonder what else i don’t tell you huh? and you thought i blogged about everything. hehehe.
do you have a modeling contract down there? um, are you serious? (runs away and hides)
so, are you doing ok with all this? yeah. i’m not gonna lie to you and say that i’m bulletproof about leaving my beautiful studio (you just can’t beat a every wall lined with windows!) but i’m so ready. bring. it. on.
soon i will miss the fall, my favorite season of the year. soon i will say goodbye as i pack up my cozy life for a transition into an endless summer…in the southern hemisphere. soon i will have to make room for all these feelings of establishment and venture to another place. for an adventure.
last night i returned after a visit to montevideo, uruguay. it wasn’t so much of a vacation there, not really at all, but more of an exploration. the first day was such a whirlwind, full of ultimate culture shock and intense feelings. marcus and i had our scouting eyes on sized up the place with pure logic and scrutiny. and would you know it? the first day we made it there, we received an offer on our little dollhouse. so added to the weight of changing landscapes was the pressure to decide if we really wanted to sell our house and move to the bottom of the world. while we were there.
i know now that we will never be the same. i’m trading in my familiarities, my things, my life as i know it for experiences. it seems that the most expected thing to do when you “grow up” is to move further into your comfort zone. moving usually involves packing things up to something bigger and better than what you currently have. but this time is going to be different.
though its not a permanent move, i hope that it’s a permanent state of going for the growing pains. i hope that this transition will open up new doors to other opportunities and other worlds. and i just know from the hint of what we saw, i just know it’s gonna be fun.
(last leg of italian dream trip to come here)
