The Farewell Tour: The Final Leg of Transitioning to Another Country

It has begun. We are sub 45 days out, the chaos has arrived and it feels like a million different emotions happening at one time. This is the hard part, the unraveling of your current chapter. The final leg of transitioning to another country.

I call this the farewell tour because in many ways,
it feels like every experience from here on out could be the last version of itself.

The last time we visit this beach town or have a date night at our favorite place, etc… It’s a bit of a roller coaster, one you have to ride to get to the other side. Every action feels emotional, every encounter is draining in the midst of the busiest time of the whole transition. You have to

Decision Fatigue

Decision fatigue mixed with the the counting down of the days often leaves me feeling both over-scheduled and behind at the same time. However, I’m not sure there is really any other way. Our family is typically organized and plans ahead well, but so much of moving abroad happens at the end.

There is selling of items, paperwork for moving, new school zoom meet and greets and official documents that need attention. The sorting of belongings, the last minute preparations for what’s ahead and constant logistical changes. It all happens now. I’m tired just writing about it. The checklists that are never ending and the worry about forgetting something important are ever present thoughts in the back of my mind. Have I thought it through enough?

The Importance of Goodbyes

And then there is saying all the “goodbyes”. Lots of them…. to places, to things, to friends and family. It’s a processing of grief in the middle of a whirlwind of excitement.

To be brutally honest, I hate this part…. but it’s a really important part. Processing through belongings, being grateful for our home, our life as we know it, and then letting it go with an open heart. Part of the journey is the end, and that will always sit with me.

So while I have a few more weeks to feel the feelings of familiarity… I know that many of these wonderful moments will come with me as memories. I’m putting them in the bank for those first few weeks of loneliness that I know will catch up to me.

One of favorite books to help with transitioning to another country is: Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges. This book makes very logical patterns and sense out of very confusing times of life. Not all of us will be transitioning to another country, but all of us will experience transitions at various times in life and learning to work with the change instead of against it helps the other side become a hopefully and growth focused experience. We have an Expat Book Club post about it as well – check it out here!