A dot on the horizon for getting sh*t done

For the past couple of months things have been unsure and a bit foggy (although very sunny) around our emigration plans. The fact that we are moving to Sardegna has never been off the table, of course. It’s just that our timeline didn’t really agree with reality anymore (thank you, mr. Corona). Our original plan of house hunting in May was cancelled and things have been too unsure to plan a new trip. The longer we’ve been waiting without being able to look too far ahead has made both M and me a bit restless. We felt like standing still and we are eager to move forward.

Although the situation around corona has been getting worse after a relatively quiet summer in The Netherlands, we decided it is not an option to sit around and wait for this to go away. We live in a big crowded city and it feels like the worst place to be. We don’t have a car and I prefer to limit my time in public transport. Add all the people everywhere and the summer heat of the past weeks and you can imagine I’ve been feeling a bit stuck in our apartment.

Especially with corona around, what we need is more space, more nature, less people. Space for us to relax on our roof terrace (we’re praying for one of those…), to go to an empty beach, to hike without seeing a single soul along the way. That would be a much safer and more comfortable environment. We came to the conclusion that we’re better off over there, especially when the infections here (and even there) are on the rise.

It was time to make some new decisions, to give ourselves something to look forward to. So we did. We decided on the train and boat instead of taking a flight. It’ll take us 24 hours to reach Sardegna. We both love slow traveling so we’re actually really looking forward to that part of trip (unlike traveling by plane, where I only enjoy the view from the window). Booking something is of course not a guarantee that we can actually go. The situation can change at any time and as before, things are still unsure and foggy. But let’s just hope for the best.

With the trip planned, things are getting real (again). So we’ve been clearing out cabinets, sorting and selling stuff. We have narrowed down our list of potential houses we would like to visit and will soon contact them to make an appointment. The truth is we have no idea how renting an apartment in the south of Sardegna works, but we feel we could come back mid October with a contract and maybe even a key.

In that case, the moment we get home things get really real real fast. We will know what to bring (because we would know if we can and want to fit our couch and dining table in the new apartment….) and what to get rid of. We can end our tenancy here and have a serious deadline to get sh*t done.

Bank accounts, insurance, phone contracts, end my business here and start one in Italy. I’ve been stressing so much about all these things for the past year(s) that I now somehow feel quite relaxed about it. Even though things haven’t been checked off the list, having researched and thought about it (obsessively) before makes me feel prepared and confident we can deal with things as they appear.

Our final exploration trip starts in 4 weeks. And in those 4 weeks there’s is still a lot of mess to be cleaned, admin to be done (digitizing!) and projects to finish (Indian recipes!). Metterci al lavoro!