Moving House

Just over a week ago, my landlord informed me that I will have to move by the end of February, as he has sold the house and the new owners don’t want tenants, at least not right away. This is the only place I’ve lived with while I’ve been in university, four and a half years now. I’m okay with moving, I knew it would happen eventually, but I really hoped I would get to live here while finishing my Master’s Degree.

Four and a half years is the longest I’ve lived in a place since I was 16, that’s 8 years ago now. My family moved once when I was a baby, which I can’t remember at all, and once when I was 8 years old. Then, when I was 16, almost 17, I moved abroad to do an exchange year. I left with two suitcases, I came back with three and a bag plus I’d shipped some stuff home beforehand. I was home for another year before I moved again, for a year, to attend photo school. I don’t know how much I packed, but by the end of the year, my parents, my stuff and I could only just fit into our car. I was home for the summer before moving again, to the place where I’ve lived since. I brought a suitcase here a few weeks before, and on moving day I brought another two plus some boxes, and we got two book/storage shelves from IKEA.

Having lived here this long, it is needless to say that my stuff has multiplied. A lot. I’ve got three more shelves from friends who wanted to get rid of them, and just a lot more stuff in general. And now I have to pack all this stuff up. I won’t be moving yet; next week is the earliest I can, but hopefully before Christmas, but all I want to do right now is get boxes and start filling them up. I have so many books, mostly due to university but others as well, and so much stuff up on my walls. So many clothes, shoes, makeup, kitchen supplies… Just, a lot.

The thing I look forward to the most about moving, is the chance to start over. This room is decorated the way 19 year old Julie wanted it, largely based on how my room was at photo school, even though I’ve rearranged it a lot and made things different as I’ve grown. But now I get to take all the stuff down, and not put it back up because 24 year old Julie is different. I really can’t wait to just go and check out my new place and and see what my options are, what I can do with it.

I just feel sorry for my parents who will, in all likelihood, have to take in some of my stuff and store it there somewhere. The only thing I know where I would put is my CD shelf (which I use for books); but there’s no room in my room at their house either. But oh well. I’m sure we’ll find a solution. We always do.

Now I just have to get over my cold and finish this essay that’s due in less than 6 days, before I can deal with anything that has anything to do with moving whatsoever!