How to Move Across the World
James and I (Stephanie) have been married 10 years as of October 3. Since beginning our union as baby 22 year old we have moved 6 times across the NC region. In our early moves, this meant recruiting our friends to bring their muscle and kindly load up a U-Haul for the lucrative payment of chick-fil-a breakfast biscuits and pizza. Once we purchased our first home we felt it was time to level up and hire professional movers. After experiencing that luxury, there was no going back to the days of old. Our next 3 moves we experienced the bliss of watching all of our items loaded and unloaded while we watched from afar. We even gave a packing service a try once - which I would not recommend by the way. After so many more we felt like somewhat of experts at relocating, but we were sorely mistaken. Our move to Korea was an undertaking way beyond our expertise.
We faced our biggest logistical challenge yet- navigating a move of two adults, two children, and ten years of accumulated stuff across 7,132 miles (11,477 km)
1️⃣ REDUCE. The first step to a move this daunting is to reduce. And I’m talking reduce on a massive level. We resolved to move only 40 boxes and our luggage (~8 large suitcases plus allowed carry on’s)
This meant we needed to go through every cabinet, every drawer, and nook and cranny to sort through our belongings.
Initially we sorted things into three categories
Trash
Donate or Sell
Keep
I was truly shocked and ashamed at the amount of junk we had amassed. And for those who don’t know me- I am notorious for being on the extreme side of organization. I would probably put myself in whatever category we identify as opposite of hoarder. STILL so much had accumulated. This has been a true lesson in consumerism, a reminder that we can truly live on incredibly less than what we tell ourselves. My hope moving forward is that we will think more deeply about our purchases, but time will tell if this lesson sticks.
2️⃣ REMOVE. After the initial sort, we held a massive garage sale that stretched the whole length across our garage and driveway. This was a lot of work and included James and I waking up around 5am to set up for those early morning arrivals. We are so thankful for the extra support we received from friends before and after the sale!
3️⃣ REORGANIZE. Following the sale there was still much to do. This included going through every drawer, cabinet, and nook and cranny at least a couple more times. We dove into the deep dark pit of Facebook marketplace to pass our items on to their next owner. We left items by the streets. We completed 5 or more truckloads of trips to Goodwill.
We had a dear friend offer to store a few tubs and sentimental items for us which was a blessing and an answer to prayer.
4️⃣RE-ORIENT. Once we completed the assessment of what was actually coming with us to Korea, we were able to pack our suitcases. We had 10 suitcases, 4 carry-on bags, two backpacks, a stroller, a two seater wagon, and two kids 🤪. It was quite the undertaking, and we certainly received our fair share of odd looks from bystanders to our chaos crew.
Our items (which ended up being 42 boxes)were picked up via FedEx for shipment to Korea two days before departure and safely arrived about two weeks after our arrival. With the exception of some heartbreaking items getting broken —- some sentimental china such—- everything was in good condition and all was accounted for.
2.5 months into our Korean residency, we are thankful to have now sold our house back in Concord and feel comfortably settled into our new home. We both hope to be here for quite some time and not think about moving anytime soon.
