Saturday, March 3, 2007

The Day our Stuff came

Talking with neighbors (all other ex-pats) over the past weeks, most seemed to recall the day their stuff came with a fondness usually reserved for days like your wedding, or the birth of a child. But then there’s “the day our stuff came.” Actually, for us too, it was a good day. Just five hours after promised (not counting the week to clear customs), a truck pulled up with more stuff than I even remember having. That we left the overwhelming majority of our things in MN doesn’t seem possible as box after box of US-bought possessions come in. Golf clubs, Caden’s bike, a box labeled dry grocery, more than half a suitcase worth of clothes. I flash back to Madonna’s classic hit, Material Girl. The coffee maker box comes in. I could almost dance to the beat. Our picture books of home and the MN-photo calendar get pulled out.

I can fully appreciate how wretchedly material this sounds (I even acknowledged the flashback to the 80s song), but the welcome comforts of home brought a sense of ease to the day that really is nice after a few weeks of everything being foreign. And the breakfast of Lucky Charms and tall mug of coffee this morning were comforts that soothed the soul, even if the milk either comes off the shelf (if you can find this kind at about one in every 6 stores – labeled “no boiling required”) or delivered to the door in bags… boiling required. Anyway, my mind jumps ahead to the next move, and I can’t help but wonder what we’ll pack from this home. I know the tapestry that my team got me will be making the journey, and the memories of an indescribable place that makes you miss home but yet now is home.

Placing our stuff around the house highlights the contradictions. I place the toaster oven on the counter, and try to explain to our maid what it is (we don’t have an oven). I’m excited for the clothes, but have no idea where to put them as Wade and I share a 15” hanging closet rod (and I remember worrying I didn’t have enough summer clothes for this climate). My yoga mat is here and reminds me to embrace the culture and country, all our toys come box after box and remind me to embrace a the culture and country – the materialism is both comforting and maybe my first lesson to take home on being at least appreciative if not ascetic. Could I really not live without 200 paper plates, Archer Farms dried mangoes, and 24 rolls of Quilted Northern? Well, I don’t have to find out – I packed them!

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