September
Wake us up when it ends
Our family’s “Getting to New Zealand” punch list has been organized by responsible party (mostly Dad, TBH) and time of completion. There were so many chores in the September category that felt both final and far away. “I’m not thinking about that until September,” Mom would often muse. Imagine our surprise then, on Labor Day, when we realized that September had arrived at last.
It feels a bit poetic that we chose this month to move. Our timeline originally considered allowing the boys enough time in school to make friends before the New Zealand summer holidays, starting our new lives as quickly as possible, and seeking the envious “double summer” calendar by moving to the southern hemisphere at the beginning our fall/their spring.
September carries a special connotation for many. Students and parents of young children think of the preparation and excitement of a new school year. Our packing and shopping seem similar: buying shoes that meet the school uniform requirements, loading up on supplies that are allegedly hard to find in New Zealand1, opening expat-friendly brokerage accounts and credit cards, and booking travel.
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." -F. Scott Fitzgerald
On the other hand, September feels like a loss for the sun lovers who bemoan the chilly breezes and the shortening days. We are working on eating the last of our freezer contents. We no longer shop at Costco. Every day, Facebook Marketplace and Buy Nothing Group members collect items from our front porch that we once valued enough to bring into our home. Mom is ticking off her last Saturday call, her last OB shift, 5 more weekday assignments… Worst of all, we are ending conversations with people knowing full well that they may be our last.
"I used to love September, but now it just rhymes with remember." -Dominic Riccitello
It feels a bit like a funeral, boxing up the contents of our lives while friends and acquaintances say the nicest things about us. But it is the fact that nothing lasts forever that has inspired this great journey of ours. We carry all of the emotions with us, knowing that happy and sad, excited and worried can coexist and all be true. “We’re excited for you, but sad for us,” is the refrain we hear repeatedly when we announce our upcoming departure. Same, friend, same.
Benadryl (cream and pills), melatonin, stick deodorant, lip balm, ibuprofen (cost is much higher in NZ), seasonings and spices to make Mexican food