Potential Paralysis

T Minus 93

There is a sense of potential paralysis at the moment. It may be obvious from reading this blog that there has been a bit of a lull in preparations for leaving.

We have not been sprucing up the house/garden

We have done all we need to in this regard and have sold. The daily routine grind of clearing and tidying is not necessary – so we have perhaps reverted to a more normal way of living (coffee cups left on sides and clothes not always put away). Though we know we must not let things slide too far the pressure’s off. Work has been busy for both of us and in teaching this has been the busiest term and a half making sure pupils are prepared for exams and coursework moderated.

We have not been clearing out the house.

I knew this phase would come when we had to start getting rid of stuff we still wanted and / or did not know if we were going to need. Winter clothes have served their time (we think!) but will we ever need them again?
Storage is going to be an issue for us! Some items of sentimental value are going to have to go so tough decisions are going to be needed. We must be ruthless.
Then there is the issue of shipping we have had little concrete information about the practicalities of shipping to Mwanza. We don’t want to spend the earth sending out stuff we will never use but don’t want to find ourselves without something we really need. In the UK this is not so much of an issue – you go on holiday and forget to pack a corkscrew or a toothbrush you pop to Tesco (other supermarkets also exist 🙂 ) and pick one up. However, my experiences of looking for AA batteries in Cambodia last summer reminds me of how this may not be so easy in the developing world. Those I found in Siem Reap were of poor quality and lasted a matter of hours.

What Next ?

Our house is going through the process of completion and once complete we need to decide where and when to invest our equity. We have ideas which I won’t share here yet, but it’s another thing to add to the list. We need to invest wisely and the biblical Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25: 14-30) is a helpful one to think on.

Ninety three days seems a long time but we need to avoid doing nothing for fear of doing something wrong. So it’s an end to potential paralysis and half term next week provides an opportunity to take action!