Packing and Preparation?

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Packing and Preparation?

Postby MiraPira » Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:35 am

I am so excited that July can hardly get here fast enough. I know however, that it will be here before we know it. I am trying to work out a timeline for preparation. I have a lot to get in order before I leave, so much in fact that it's somewhat overwhelming. I am married with a full house (two daughters, six pets and a very supportive hubby). :) I'm curious about everyone else's thoughts on this issue.

For me, here's the list I've got so far:

1. Clean up the house-not just tidy and laundry but an honest to goodness Spring Clean. This will allow me to set aside things in my spare room that I'll need to bring along and store things that will just collect dust. This is one step, but probably the most daunting. :/

2. Sort through clothing-I want to have each season packed into a box for easy sending.

3. Find dog/cat sitting services to support my family while I am gone.

4. Making dental, eye doc and med check up appointments for the whole family.

5. Clear out the spice rack and other pantry items-plan to eat what we have so that when I'm gone the stuff doesn't sit around going stale. 2-3 year old cinnamon is not something I want to come home to. >.<;;;

6. Figure out my health insurance here in the states. We can't get out of the plan for the whole family since sign up is in DEC. but I'm going to see if we are even covered by it, maybe we can make an appeal to save the cost?

And that doesn't even get me to the PARTICULARS of JET prep, like Japanese practice, lesson materials, pictures to take, technology, etc. I'd like to hear what people are planning in that sense too. My hope is that in seeing other's "to do" lists it will help me process my own (and vice a versa). :)
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby merkypie » Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:41 am

I'm currently going through my stuff. I have collected a lot of things and so I'm sorting through, " What to sell, what to keep, and what to give away ". I won't actually be packing clothes and stuff till around a month prior to leaving. Since I don't have any major home attachments I don't have much to prepare for. Just working up the funds needed to start off over there and reducing the clutter I have here.
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby MiraPira » Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:49 am

merkypie wrote:I'm currently going through my stuff. I have collected a lot of things and so I'm sorting through, " What to sell, what to keep, and what to give away ". I won't actually be packing clothes and stuff till around a month prior to leaving. Since I don't have any major home attachments I don't have much to prepare for. Just working up the funds needed to start off over there and reducing the clutter I have here.


Ahhh. That sounds nice. :) I have a lot more to tie up at home (and moving the family over later has to be sorted out too). Selling things, that's a thought I didn't have. I have a lot of stuff that could go. Maybe a pre-Japan garage sale or ebay flurry is in order. Thanks. :)
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby nyc_to_japan » Sat Apr 21, 2012 5:14 am

So much to do! I have no idea what im doing. I currently live in NYC, and my roommate and I have to break our lease because it ends at the end of August, which is obviously too late. In the meantime, I'm going to gradually move things back to my parents' house, and probably move back there about two weeks before departure to pack, say goodbyes, etc....but I have no idea whether or not that is enough time, or whether or not I'll be able to break my lease mid-month. It's all a bit stressful and I'm kind of putting off these little details until I get my placement in May because I have this gloomy "what if I'm the .0001% that ends up not getting a placement after all?" thought going on, LOL. But yeah-so much to do...I don't even know where to begin!
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby MiraPira » Sat Apr 21, 2012 5:27 am

nyc_to_japan wrote:So much to do! I have no idea what im doing. I currently live in NYC, and my roommate and I have to break our lease because it ends at the end of August, which is obviously too late. In the meantime, I'm going to gradually move things back to my parents' house, and probably move back there about two weeks before departure to pack, say goodbyes, etc....but I have no idea whether or not that is enough time, or whether or not I'll be able to break my lease mid-month. It's all a bit stressful and I'm kind of putting off these little details until I get my placement in May because I have this gloomy "what if I'm the .0001% that ends up not getting a placement after all?" thought going on, LOL. But yeah-so much to do...I don't even know where to begin!


Don't be gloomy! I talked to our local coordinator about that worry, because I have it too. She says she's never known it to happen directly but they have the caveat there because it has happened in rare situations. Rare situations. So don't be gloomy! You are probably just fine! :)
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby dtrue » Sat Apr 21, 2012 5:52 am

MiraPira wrote:
merkypie wrote:I'm currently going through my stuff. I have collected a lot of things and so I'm sorting through, " What to sell, what to keep, and what to give away ". I won't actually be packing clothes and stuff till around a month prior to leaving. Since I don't have any major home attachments I don't have much to prepare for. Just working up the funds needed to start off over there and reducing the clutter I have here.


Ahhh. That sounds nice. :) I have a lot more to tie up at home (and moving the family over later has to be sorted out too). Selling things, that's a thought I didn't have. I have a lot of stuff that could go. Maybe a pre-Japan garage sale or ebay flurry is in order. Thanks. :)


I am beginning to feel the stress of everything to do now too. I sent all the paperwork in so I am good on that end, but I am moving the whole family right away....husband and 3 year old son. I have to find someone to rent the house we own and setup a contract, sell cars and tons of other stuff we never use. I have to transfer all my small business stuff into my father-inlaws name so he can run it while we are gone, find a new awesome home for my cat, and tons more.

I keep telling myself to write a to-do list, but I don't even know where to start. I feel like craigslist and garage sales are going to be my best friend soon.......
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby andypj1 » Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:03 am

dtrue wrote:
I am beginning to feel the stress of everything to do now too. I sent all the paperwork in so I am good on that end, but I am moving the whole family right away....husband and 3 year old son. I have to find someone to rent the house we own and setup a contract, sell cars and tons of other stuff we never use. I have to transfer all my small business stuff into my father-inlaws name so he can run it while we are gone, find a new awesome home for my cat, and tons more.

I keep telling myself to write a to-do list, but I don't even know where to start. I feel like craigslist and garage sales are going to be my best friend soon.......


My wife and I are in the SAME boat. Been hitting up Amazon selling stuff, looking at getting rid of the cars, renting the house, find a place for our little doggy. Wife is shortlist and I'm an alternate so we have that can of worms to deal with as we get closer to departure. Thank goodness I sold my restaurant or that would be a huge headache to deal with!
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby nyc_to_japan » Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:05 am

MiraPira wrote:Don't be gloomy! I talked to our local coordinator about that worry, because I have it too. She says she's never known it to happen directly but they have the caveat there because it has happened in rare situations. Rare situations. So don't be gloomy! You are probably just fine! :)


That makes me feel a lot better! I am SO excited about this, like I'm sure everyone else is, but I keep having these little fears like, "what it I get nervous at my physical and my blood pressure is 121 over 80 and they decide I'm unhealthy and I can't go?" LOL

And yes, I recognize the above statement for exactly how irrational it is!

But anyway, I am also selling a bunch of stuff in hopes of more money upon arrival in Japan and trying to pick up as much extra work as possible, and also trying to study as much Japanese as I can! That's my main priority right now - learning Japanese. I'm a beginner. I can read hiragana and katakana and a handful of kanji, but that's about it, so I'm working on that a lot! Then I'm gonna slowly start stocking up on things like hair products that I know I won't be able to get in Japan, and then I'll worry about the more logistical stuff. I only have me to worry about, and no house or business to leave behind or family to send over, so I can't imagine how stressful it must be for you if it's this bad for just me!

Luckily, though, the excitement far outweighs the stress!
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby Jak90 » Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:13 am

Wow, this thread really puts it into perspective how little I have to do in comparison; I really should stop complaining to myself!

On my end... I have to make sure I ace my finals and then lug everything back to my mum's place if I'm not taking it with me... And that's it...?

Good luck to all you guys and girls who have a whole lot more to do than me!! I can't imagine how stressful it must be!
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby comedyrun » Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:22 am

I am kind of jealous of the straight out of college people on this. I've been living on my own in Los Angeles, CA since I graduated in 2008. I have collected so much junk that I have to take care of now that I did not have in college.

I need to sell my car, move almost everything I own from LA to Ohio, come across move out money, make sure my student loans and recurring things are set up for a few months, help my roommate find a replacement me, and set up everything nicely for Dr. Phineas Von Fluglethorpe (my kitty).
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby Kirari » Sat Apr 21, 2012 7:16 am

@mirapira - I understand much of what you're going through. Though I don't have a husband and children to worry about, I need to do all that sorting & selling in addition to a ton of work to finish school and graduate. Also - are you going without your family? I'm having a bit of anxiety about leaving people whom are important to me (actually, mostly my doggie), so I was wondering how others might be dealing with that.

As far as getting ready to go, unfortunately I have to wait until I graduate. But I have a couple of links from Apartment Therapy that you or anybody might want to take a look at:
How to pare down your stuff
How to sell everything you own

Edit:
@comedyrun - I'm in college, but I'm older than the traditional student, so I know what you mean about accumulated junk. Also, lovin your cat's name. :D
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby hawkharness » Sat Apr 21, 2012 7:24 am

Kirari wrote:@mirapira - I understand much of what you're going through. Though I don't have a husband and children to worry about, I need to do all that sorting & selling in addition to a ton of work to finish school and graduate. Also - are you going without your family? I'm having a bit of anxiety about leaving people whom are important to me (actually, mostly my doggie), so I was wondering how others might be dealing with that.

As far as getting ready to go, unfortunately I have to wait until I graduate. But I have a couple of links from Apartment Therapy that you or anybody might want to take a look at:
How to pare down your stuff
How to sell everything you own

Edit:
@comedyrun - I'm in college, but I'm older than the traditional student, so I know what you mean about accumulated junk. Also, lovin your cat's name. :D


Awesome links!! Lots of great information there (especially for a compulsive shopper like myself). :D
Re: Aspiring US JETs 2012
by hawkharness » Sat Jan 28, 2012 12:40 am

Sadly, I am fairly certain no one gets placed in Tokyo (city, anyway). The people who do get placed in Tokyo prefecture end up being on the outlying islands.
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby lenamarie0485 » Sat Apr 21, 2012 7:41 am

merkypie wrote:I'm currently going through my stuff. I have collected a lot of things and so I'm sorting through, " What to sell, what to keep, and what to give away ". I won't actually be packing clothes and stuff till around a month prior to leaving. Since I don't have any major home attachments I don't have much to prepare for. Just working up the funds needed to start off over there and reducing the clutter I have here.


Same for me. I'm being kind of lazy on my 'what to sell', since I still have classes to deal with. I need to start hopping on that, I don't want to be left with a bunch of items worth something and having to drop it off at Goodwill :|
I'm not going through any of my clothes until I find out where I'm placed. I'm hoping I'll actually get to ditch my winter wools :D
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby ume no hana » Sat Apr 21, 2012 7:49 am

Thank you for the great links! :D
It's hard to decide about clothes and stuff just yet because we have yet to get our placements.....
there's a big range in weather/climate :)

I recommend making listing and weekly goals for yourself!

Also, you might want to look into getting a power of attorney...(if necessary)
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Re: Packing and Preparation?

Postby Kirari » Sat Apr 21, 2012 7:54 am

lenamarie0485 wrote:I'm not going through any of my clothes until I find out where I'm placed. I'm hoping I'll actually get to ditch my winter wools :D


Same here. With any luck, I'll get my placement around the same time that I graduate (May 20) so I'll be totally free to focus on it then. Though I hope I don't hav to get rid of my winter clothes, because I want to be in a place where it gets cold! Not that I have much, living in Florida as I do. I'll just have that stuff shipped later by seamail or something. I'm actually looking forward to paring down and organizing my stuff, and then moving over with just the bare minimum. I can't stand having accumulated junk that sits there and does nothing. I think it'll be cathartic, in a way. :D

Glad people are liking the links! I love Apartment Therapy, especially the DIY stuff.

I don't really understand power of attorney. Is that for someone to make decisions for me in case I'm unable? I just assumed my mom would do that, I suppose.
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