As I have noted before, when the boys and I cam here, we came with 6 suitcases and 6 carry-ons and nothing else. Since we've been here, we have acquired little else besides school uniforms, prices for everything being so much higher than I can stomach.
So our time has been an inadvertent experiment in minimalism, which is not only out of character for us, it's out of character for a large sub-set of the population here, where excess and consumption are a way of life for some.
When we sold off half our possessions, I only had a few twinges of regret during the process (goodbye carefully curated library), but I was fairly certain that the things with which we were left were either important enough to keep, of sentimental value, or kids' toys and books. I made the boys go through their toys to get rid of excess weight, and they were troopers during the process, happily saying goodbye to half their dinosaurs and matchbox cars for instance, but I still let them bring the majority of the toys and all of the children's books, because I didn't want them to lose all that was familiar all at once, and I had a sneaking suspicion that it might be difficult to get quality toys and books here. I think that was the right decision, but now I wonder about some of the other decisions I made about what to take, and soon I will have to face a time of reckoning, since we have finally received word that our shipping container has arrived in Doha. We won't have it for up to two more weeks while it passes through customs, but soon enough all those many...many...so many boxes and packages will be here...and I already sort of feel like I want to have another garage sale!
Don't get me wrong: some things I miss terribly, like different clothes (note to self: I have proven that I could do a 30 pieces of clothes for 30 days challenge or something similar, but I really wouldn't enjoy it!) in different colors (navy, black, and coral were a great choice, but I am SO tired of these colors now. And how did I manage to move halfway across the globe and bring only one article of green clothing??) and my kitchen supplies (my kingdom for measuring cups and a giant non-stick skillet!). But I've started to remember some of the other things I brought and sometimes I wonder "what was I thinking? Why didn't I sell that?!"
Part of the problem is one of storage. We had a garage before, and lots of items lived in the garage, like the tool box and the golf clubs and the bikes, but we have no garage here. We also had a basement before, and lots of other things lived in the basement, like the camping equipment and 72 hour kits and our luggage, but we have no basement here. In fact, we have very few closets at all in Doha. Storage is not something integral to the constructions plans here like it is in the States, not because we have more stuff in North America (although, arguably, that is probably true), but because many of us don't like to see all our stuff out at once like folks enjoy here. What that means for me right now, in a practical sense, is that I need to completely rethink the bins and boxes that will soon arrive on my doorstep...and perhaps get rid of even more of them!
Some choices I stand by: bringing bins of art and craft supplies was a very good idea. Bringing a box of new-to-us toys for future gifts and birthday presents was also prescient. However, I probably could have gotten rid of even more of my kitchen paraphernalia, and I should have been more ruthless about the boys' clothes, particularly since they have both grown since we've arrived and they hardly wear anything but uniforms now. I do miss my towels, but it turns out that the mattresses here are just SLIGHTLY different sizes than the standard ones in the US, so I could have eliminated even more of my linens. Some choices I just don't know how to address: while I am glad there are board games coming (we have gotten a tad Uno-ed out), I have no idea where we will keep them. I am happy we packed both our fold-up tables, but I couldn't tell you where we will store them when not in use.
And perhaps what I should do, instead of finding places for all these things, is ask myself once again if we really and truly need them and, if not, give them away or sell them. Perhaps this is our opportunity to embrace minimalism in preparation for our eventual departure from the Middle East. Because we have already committed to leaving with much less than we came with. Our goal is to leave with just our suitcases and perhaps a few boxes of books sent home, but we will not be shipping a container back to the States or to wherever we move next. So the long, gradual purge we began last year will continue, it seems, more quickly than perhaps we imagined.
And in the future perhaps we should always look for houses with very few closets!
So our time has been an inadvertent experiment in minimalism, which is not only out of character for us, it's out of character for a large sub-set of the population here, where excess and consumption are a way of life for some.
When we sold off half our possessions, I only had a few twinges of regret during the process (goodbye carefully curated library), but I was fairly certain that the things with which we were left were either important enough to keep, of sentimental value, or kids' toys and books. I made the boys go through their toys to get rid of excess weight, and they were troopers during the process, happily saying goodbye to half their dinosaurs and matchbox cars for instance, but I still let them bring the majority of the toys and all of the children's books, because I didn't want them to lose all that was familiar all at once, and I had a sneaking suspicion that it might be difficult to get quality toys and books here. I think that was the right decision, but now I wonder about some of the other decisions I made about what to take, and soon I will have to face a time of reckoning, since we have finally received word that our shipping container has arrived in Doha. We won't have it for up to two more weeks while it passes through customs, but soon enough all those many...many...so many boxes and packages will be here...and I already sort of feel like I want to have another garage sale!
Don't get me wrong: some things I miss terribly, like different clothes (note to self: I have proven that I could do a 30 pieces of clothes for 30 days challenge or something similar, but I really wouldn't enjoy it!) in different colors (navy, black, and coral were a great choice, but I am SO tired of these colors now. And how did I manage to move halfway across the globe and bring only one article of green clothing??) and my kitchen supplies (my kingdom for measuring cups and a giant non-stick skillet!). But I've started to remember some of the other things I brought and sometimes I wonder "what was I thinking? Why didn't I sell that?!"
Part of the problem is one of storage. We had a garage before, and lots of items lived in the garage, like the tool box and the golf clubs and the bikes, but we have no garage here. We also had a basement before, and lots of other things lived in the basement, like the camping equipment and 72 hour kits and our luggage, but we have no basement here. In fact, we have very few closets at all in Doha. Storage is not something integral to the constructions plans here like it is in the States, not because we have more stuff in North America (although, arguably, that is probably true), but because many of us don't like to see all our stuff out at once like folks enjoy here. What that means for me right now, in a practical sense, is that I need to completely rethink the bins and boxes that will soon arrive on my doorstep...and perhaps get rid of even more of them!
Some choices I stand by: bringing bins of art and craft supplies was a very good idea. Bringing a box of new-to-us toys for future gifts and birthday presents was also prescient. However, I probably could have gotten rid of even more of my kitchen paraphernalia, and I should have been more ruthless about the boys' clothes, particularly since they have both grown since we've arrived and they hardly wear anything but uniforms now. I do miss my towels, but it turns out that the mattresses here are just SLIGHTLY different sizes than the standard ones in the US, so I could have eliminated even more of my linens. Some choices I just don't know how to address: while I am glad there are board games coming (we have gotten a tad Uno-ed out), I have no idea where we will keep them. I am happy we packed both our fold-up tables, but I couldn't tell you where we will store them when not in use.
And perhaps what I should do, instead of finding places for all these things, is ask myself once again if we really and truly need them and, if not, give them away or sell them. Perhaps this is our opportunity to embrace minimalism in preparation for our eventual departure from the Middle East. Because we have already committed to leaving with much less than we came with. Our goal is to leave with just our suitcases and perhaps a few boxes of books sent home, but we will not be shipping a container back to the States or to wherever we move next. So the long, gradual purge we began last year will continue, it seems, more quickly than perhaps we imagined.
And in the future perhaps we should always look for houses with very few closets!
Nothing like a move to make you hate all your possessions! I've felt the same way after moves -- I could have gotten rid of even more. But then there are always the one or two things you got rid of that you wish you hadn't that haunt you forever. But, still, probably worth getting rid of hundreds and regretting a few than vice versa. I probably wear 10 articles of clothing in 30 days : )
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