The flat is emptying

The apartment is emptying out and our excitement is building. The year has finally arrived where we can finally get started. The cold and wet weather is adding to the anticipation.

We’ve now finalized our long trip to the Philippines, including flights and accommodations, and we’ve even added another destination: a month in Vietnam is now on the program.

In the meantime, we’ve also met the new landlord who took over the entire building at the start of the year. We’ve already discussed various details regarding our move-out with him and are currently waiting for the documents to be finalized. The move-out is scheduled for the end of March at the latest, and after that we’ll spend the rest of the time until the end of April with our parents.

I dread the last few days in the empty apartment; it’s easier to move when the furniture is transported from A to B all at once rather than disappearing piece by piece, which makes the apartment seem quite cold and bare. On the other hand, I’m always quite happy when another item is sold, as that means one less thing to throw away. More than enough will end up at the recycling center.

Some large pieces of furniture are already gone, like the wardrobe with its big glass doors and the heavy treadmill. There are fewer bikes now, too, though not all of them have been sold yet. The climbing gear, including the shoes, is practically gone.

Last week, I unfortunately had to say goodbye to the gecko as well. After I posted an ad offering the animal and its terrarium for free, I received several inquiries from families who wanted to take the gecko for their children but had absolutely no experience with terrariums. However, my gecko’s species is by no means a beginner’s pet. It can easily happen that, if handled roughly, its skin peels off or it sheds its tail. I was already quite desperate. But then a suitable contact was finally made through the exotic pet caretaker, and now the greenie lives in Bielefeld with a truly knowledgeable owner who has a lot of experience and was genuinely happy about the new addition to the terrarium room.

In addition to all the sorting out, our belongings are now gradually falling apart. The bedding and many items of clothing and shoes are wearing out, but so are things like the electric blanket, which we don’t want to replace but will miss. We also had to replace various electronic devices (cell phones, headphones, camera, electric toothbrush, etc.).

A few days ago, we spoke with the insurance broker about new health insurance abroad that suits us, as well as liability insurance. We were able to take out the liability insurance already; the health insurance can only be taken out three months before departure.

Since we can’t deregister from Germany until one week before leaving, we looked for a place to stay so we could apply for the deregistration certificate at the citizens’ office shortly before departure and distribute it to the relevant offices and authorities. Thank you both for taking us in ❤️