This is our last full day in Europe. Tomorrow we fly to the other side of the world.

Those stressful loose ends…

They say relocation can be stressful. I would agree. Then relocating to the other side of the world must be even more stressful. The reality of emigrating to a far-off land means that you not only need to pack your personal possessions but also tie up a whole load of loose ends. Like selling your cars (see last post) and finding long term storage for things you leave behind. That is if you are not simply getting rid of everything.

These last few days in Madrid have been extra stressful because the apartment we were renting was virtually empty. Beds and sofas on their way by ship to Sydney, New South Wales. Well, apart from hundreds of boxes of crap that needed to be moved out. It meant staying with the mother-in-law – or suegra in Spanish. Give me strength!!

After a few nights of sleeping in Dani’s abuela’s house that 24-hour journey suddenly seems a lot more appealing. Right now it could be a 48 hour journey as far as I am concerned. Let’s get this show on the road I say! This short week has really upped the stress levels.

OK. All joking aside: When you think that family members will no longer be there for us due to the great distances it does help you focus on what is important. It is going to be hard to adjust once the initial holiday-mode feeling has died down. But it should be fun. It is what you make it.

A taste of things to come?

I am afraid I already know that the project Dani’ mum will be working on out in Sydney will be a complete joke. I already know it is being run by fools. Here’s why…

With some of those loose ends still to be tied up they have been requesting her presence in tele-conference calls for the past two days. Normally that would not be too big of an ask right? /but taking into account the time difference it has meant that she has been getting up for video conferences between 5am and 7.30am for the past two days. As if that wasn’t enough; the actions resulting from these meeting lead to them asking her to go to the office and sort some (minor) details out for the project.

Nut-jobs…

What?! Are these people crazy or just stupid?

My reaction was I suppose obvious.

Don’t they know that she is about to fly down there specifically to get on with the job.

I would have said, ‘I can get you what you want over these next two days or just go with the plan and fly down there to live and work full-time on the project. Which do you prefer?’

Can’t these people wait couple of days and get everything sorted face-to-face? These projects go on and on for years. Is a couple of days going to make that much difference?

Sadly, I know the answer. Well actually there are two answers and I know both of them. One is ‘yes’. They need to tick a box right this minute so they can look good. The real answer is of course ‘no’. It doesn’t make the slightest difference. Whatever they have discussed and agreed this week will be undone and done again at least another two or three times before things get implemented.

Agh! ‘F*#k them’ I say. I am so glad that I am out of that. For the time being that is…

Meanwhile let’s get down there and see what’s what. We are ready to go…