International Move
If you have followed me on my Instagram feeds and Facebook page, you have seen a bit more actions there and know what I have been up to. The photos on this post have been mostly published on my Instagram account as well as my blog Facebook page.
My family and I packed up our home for 3 years in Mumbai at the beginning of June, 2016. After the school went off, my 3 kids and I flew to Japan to spend some time with my family. Then four of us flew back to Mumbai to be reunited with my husband. As a family of 5, we officially departed from Mumbai to move back to the U.S.
My last blog post “The Song For Departing Expats” was up during my home visit in Japan in June. In fact, it has been almost 2 months (oh no!!) since I faced the computer to write. Even though I love moving, process of transitioning, new adventures and traveling, it has been a rough ride with anxiety, stress, sleep deprivation, and physical exhaust in the last 2 months. Our journey of an international move might be over, but the process of transition and settling down in our new home is still a work in progress.
Reality of International Move For Me
While I have so much to write about, I recently find myself with little juice left to start writing again. In Indonesia and India, I have been very lucky to have a great household help at home that allowed me to make the time to write my blog posts. Now I am back to the reality in the U.S. where I do all the housework (I haven’t had to clean my temporary housing, but soon I will at our new home) and entertain the kids, all I want to do at the end of a day is to chill and browse internet or watch HGTV. I have been hooked to Fixer Upper by Joanna and Chip of Magnolia.
Since we arrived in Virginia, we have been staying at a corporate apartment. I am so glad that my husband’s office allows us to stay in a temporary home while we set up our new home. It is the only thing that keeps my sanity. Our international move has been smooth. However, in the past month or so, I have been suffering from horrible eczema with an unknown cause. I saw a dermatologist, but she could not figure out, either. My skin condition is so horrible that it makes me not want to go out to see people. I wonder if it is stress related. Who knows…
New Home, Northern Virginia
The photos on this post summarize our move and summer holidays starting from the beginning of June up till now. It’s been a wonderful roller coaster ride with loads of fun and memories. We opened our door to new adventures in Northern Virginia a month ago. We are excited to be back in our home base and love our humble new home.
I hope to journal different stages of decorating our small home. Right now it looks like a disaster zone. Hopefully I can make a bit more improvement. Soon…
After Pack Out In Mumbai
It was very difficult to say good-bye to our lovely household helps who became part of our family and helped my husband and myself manage our family and raise our children.
Japan
International Airport In Mumbai
Texas
NoVA – Our New Home
Our family journey continues…
Kaho, I so enjoy your blog. It is real and touches me because it brings back memories of when my children were young and all the feelings we go thru as moms. I’m excited to hopefully see you when I visit Kara and Josh. You and your family are lovely and I wish you the best back in the “states”. love, Phyllis, (josh mom)
Phyllis, thank you so much for your kinds words and coming to visit my blog!!! I’m happy to hear that my blog touches you and brings back memories!! I am flattered! I hope you will come visit NoVA soon and I will get to see you and hang out!!
Gosh, I just realized your children had grown soooo fast! They are beautiful. When I lived in Indonesia, I also had the perks to have a nanny at home, but I tried my best not to rely on her too much and do more house chores by myself. My mom in law insisted for me to have more helpers, she even offers to pay for one, but I decided to say no, and only keep one nanny. It’s funny when you live in a country like Indonesia (or probably India), people will question the decision of not having helpers especially if you are in a quite good socio-economy position. But then I realized, it helped a lot when I move to Auckland and here, just like in the States, we do everything by ourselves.
Love the choice of paint color in your new house. Way better than the yellow one :). Enjoy your new adventure! You’re an expert now in International Moving, and I admire you for it. For sure it’s not easy with three kids. Lastly, I love HGTV too. It’s like a guilty pleasure to watch those home improvement shows!
Leony, thank you for the comment! I was one of those people who enjoyed having the helps and indulged in the luxury as much as I could! I have been able to jump right back into the regular life of doing everything on my own, but I did have to let go of some things that I was able to enjoy in the past. I’m getting used to it pretty quickly probably because this is what I am used to. I do sometimes miss the freedom I had, though! Thank you for the compliment on our new home! I hope I can put my home together soon!
Wish you a quick recovery from your rashes and settling down comfortably in your new home
Rajan, thank you for your kind words. I also hope I can recover from my rashes soon and settle down in our new home!! I appreciate your comment!
As exciting as moves are, they are also so very darn stressful – with or without extra help. I know you will find your balance and shine just like you did in Mumbai and other posts prior. Give it time and be good to yourself! I hope the eczema gets resolved quickly. Maybe a change of foods also triggered something? not just stress? I hope you are feeling much better soon, if not already!
Thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts!! You’re right about the time. I think I had an unrealistic expectation. I’d like to say that the eczema issue is on the mend. I hope! I think I look slightly better. I realized how important it was to take care of my own health. I think there are many factors to the issue… Since I went through so many drastic changes within 2 months, it made it difficult to pin point what caused my eczema. It is highly likely that it also has to do with food. I hope you are doing well!!
Hi Kaho! I discovered your blog from my blog hopping adventures. If I’m not mistaken, I discovered you via the link from The Diplo Wife. It was one of those tiring and boring days at work and I was looking for something to inspire me. Fortunately, I landed on your blog and I got hooked. 🙂 I almost forgot time and my pending tasks. Hahaha At first, I was amazed with your photography skills. But I discovered that your blog is more than beautiful pictures. I love the contents, the stories, your sentiments and the short and memorable experiences. It feels so refreshing and relaxing while navigating your posts.
I hope you are having a great time in your new home. I hope you have adjusted well, including the entire family. I look forward in reading more stories and experiences.
Thank you, Diane, for landing on my blog and even spending some time to leave me a comment! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed my blog posts, photos and writing! I love hearing feedbacks from my readers, so this means a lot to me! We’re enjoying our new home. There are still some more work for me to do, but it feels like home more and more daily. We love it. Thank you for your visit and I hope you will be back in the future!