most likely moving overseas in about a year

[triadofchaos]

looks like DH's job is going to take us from the States to Australia next year. my mind is already trying to take stock of what needs to come with us and what can stay here. has anyone made a big move like this? what did you take? what did you wish you had taken? what did you not need to take after all? DH is trying to tell me we need to leave books here! and i've told him i'd rather ditch other stuff first since books are essential to me! any suggestions for getting ready to HS overseas as an expat? we'll probably be there for 2-3 years or so. anyone already WTMing it in Oz?

[Laura Corin]

I would think in terms of sentimental value and feeling at home when deciding what to take. Take books if those are what will make you and your children feel at home. But don't forget pictures, special ornaments, Christmas decorations.... whatever will make you all feel a connection between old and new lives.

 

One thing that I have seen done is a special photo album (small) for each child, with special memories of the US - family, places, etc. That can be a really valuable thing to talk through when children are worried and frightened. I would urge you to involve the children as much as possible - let them talk about their fears, rather than trying all the time to make them happy about the move. Even if they can't control the move, being listened to will help them cope. This may be obvious to you, but I fall too easily into the habit of trying the jolly the kids along instead of letting them express their sadness and confusion.

 

I would not try to home educate the moment you get there. Be prepared to leave a big gap (we took six weeks last time) before expecting to get into a routine.

 

I highly recommend a book called Third Culture Kids, by Pollock and Van Reken. A lot will not be relevant to you at this stage, but it's very good on making transitions as smooth as possible.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[TravelingChris]

We lived for three years overseas in Belgium. We had problems gettng little things like file folders, socks, certain other school suppplies. Overall, we had a lot easier time getting most art supplies over there. Each country will be different as to what is easy/hard to get. One suggestion I have is if you know what area you will be moving to, get on th internet and look at things like libraries. I know that UK libraries and there catalogs are online so maybe Australia's are too. THat will give you a good idea of what types of books they carry. I always have names of certain siubjects I look up and some authors. This gives me a good idea about how adequate a library system may be. Since it is an English speaking country, you should have no problems getting books.

[Mama Anna]

I use a move as an opportunity to get rid of the stuff we haven't used in the last couple of years (with the exception of my wedding dress, etc.) but I always keep certain things. For me, one essential when we were overseas was a selection of books from home. When things got to be too much culturally, heat-wise, or just hormonally, I'd pull out a book that was set in my home state (or one similar to it) and get a good dose of "home-ness." Since I grew up in Ohio, Stratton-Porter's Laddie was particularly good for this.

 

Books are heavy and make a large move (especially when you're paying by weight) difficult. On the other hand, homeschooling probably means that you've got to keep a selection of them. But beyond homeschool texts and your kids' favorites, I'd recommend taking a few for yourself that you can read over and over and over again. I'm not sure what Australia's libraries are like but not all bookstores around the world stock the same stuff - you really may not be able to replace a favorite that you reeeaaally want to read at the moment.

 

Just a thought: so many libraries in the States have websites. Could you google library sites in Australia and figure out what might be available?

 

HTH!

Mama Anna

[triadofchaos]

Thanks for the book recommendation and for the general feedback. We will be headed to Darwin which is on the north coast and H-O-T, hot most of the year. That is a great idea to look up the library system! I will have to do that sometime soon. I tracked down a couple of Australian homeschooling resources via the web, but info seems to be sparse so far for that particular area of the country.

 

I will keep the thoughts of respecting the kids' feelings about moving and not jumping back into HS work too soon in mind.

[Deb in NZ]

Libraries here in NZ are 1000x better that the libraries we had in the Pacific Islands, but they don't carry many of my favorite American classics that I grew up with. Also, children's books are very expensive compared to US prices & shipping is almost doubles the price when I order from overseas. Your children are young, but you may want to bring a supply of the level 1, 2, 3, etc. readers. My dc loves those. As they are paperback, they didn't add too much weight to our luggage. I usually come back from a US trip with at least 1-2 suitcases worth of books spread out over all the bags.

 

Bring your favorite cookbooks or start copying into a blank book your family's favorite recipes. Food can really help with homesickness. Try to get a multisystem DVD player when you arrive & you can play DVDs from the US. Bring 1 set of favorite sheets for the kids, so that their beds feels like home, but plan to get all other linen, etc. in Aussie. If you are going for 2-3 years, do you get a moving allowance? Will you be sending a container? If so, you can plan to bring the kids' toys, bikes, etc. If not, bring only the basics & plan to hit garage sales, etc. when you arrive.

 

JMHO,

Deb, a Yankee living in NZ

[triadofchaos]

Thanks Deb! We will get a moving allowance, but I'm not sure about the specifics like method of shipping and weight allowances and whatnot. Those are helpful tips. I appreciate them!

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Thanks Deb! We will get a moving allowance, but I'm not sure about the specifics like method of shipping and weight allowances and whatnot. Those are helpful tips. I appreciate them!

 

Some advice will depend on whether you will be able to mail stuff to a US address or if you will be using only an Australian address. In other words, if you can ship to an APO/FPO or a US address that forwards your mail, you may be able to mail yourself boxes of books or other items that you want early on.

 

Is this a definite short term assignment or one that is more permanent or one that is open ended? Short term might make storage worth while. It would also give you more of an idea if you need all your books or just a couple years worth.

 

For example, we'll be moving soon. I'm planning on storing most of our stuff and only taking what we need for a couple years. This includes storing a lot of our decorations, prints etc. I'll take what I need for a couple years of school and hope that we're somewhere where I can get my storage stuff when the third year rolls around.

 

On the other hand, I'll take all our clothes or get rid of them because they'll be outgrown or damaged at the end of storage. I'll probably also get rid of most of our press board bookshelves because they're old enough that they're not worth the storage weight.

 

Third Culture Kids is a very good book. So is Survival Kit for Overseas Living. You may be able to find both of these in a larger library. I also like the Culture Shock series of books.

 

One more random thought is to check into what your medical coverage will be there. You may find that there is stuff you want to make sure you get done in the US (update eye exams and get contacts and glasses for example or make sure dental work is done) and other stuff that is worth delaying (if for example, you have wider dental coverage there).

 

There is some good info at Military One Source on international moves. Obviously, some of the concerns about allowances are directed toward military families. But it may help you think through some of the issues involved.

[Rosie_0801]

looks like DH's job is going to take us from the States to Australia next year. my mind is already trying to take stock of what needs to come with us and what can stay here. has anyone made a big move like this? what did you take? what did you wish you had taken? what did you not need to take after all? DH is trying to tell me we need to leave books here! and i've told him i'd rather ditch other stuff first since books are essential to me! any suggestions for getting ready to HS overseas as an expat? we'll probably be there for 2-3 years or so. anyone already WTMing it in Oz?

 

Australia is a rather large place, but unless you are moving to the middle of nowhere, library access and amazon.com will be available to you ;) Bring your essential school stuff, the sort of stuff that you'd have to buy another copy of if you left it home; but your pleasure reading and whatnot can be dug out of a library. Once you've gotten over the trip, you'll find that moving from there to here is not much trickier than moving from one city in the US to another unfamiliar city in the US. You know, once you find the library, the bank and the supermarket, you'll be right. We all speak English, just ask someone ;)

I'd recommend you introduce yourself here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chooz/

and here:

http://homeschoolads.proboards51.com/index.cgi

They're both good ways of finding other homeschoolers in your area.

I may be able to help you if you're moving to Victoria, Peela will surely provide info if you're moving to Western Australia. Oh, and “The WideBrownLand for Me” seems to be the standard Australian history text around here. It makes sense to do a bit of that while you are "on location."

Give us a yell if I can help with anything. Oh, and you ought to check the cost of medical expenses. You may well find it cheaper here.

:)

Rosie

[Momto5]

We are also considering moving oversees and have a lot of the same questions you have. One resource I have found invaluable is an expat message board for the country we are considering. Try searching for expat australia or something similar. The expat forum for the country we are considering has an entire board on moving to and living in that country. I got great thoughtful responses on places to live, what to bring, etc.

 

Good luck to you and how exciting!!

[Starr]

I moved many, many times. I think what suprised me most was how much I never needed or missed what what left behind. I don't recommend spending alot on storage. :)

[Kate in Arabia]

When we moved we shipped everything we had in the world, which was 80% books, lol. We didn't want to spend money (which we didn't have) on storage facilities in the US, and didn't want to impose on anyone to store it for us. We were given a moving allowance, which wasn't a whole lot, and a "settling in" allowance, which was quite a bit more because here you have to buy your appliances (like stove, refrigerator, etc.) when you move in.

 

I guess we're kind of open-ended here. Dh's contract runs for 3 yrs, he just renewed for a second 3 yrs last year. But employment is never certain, you can really annoy the wrong person and get shipped home the next day, so there are no guarantees.

 

I would second the earlier poster who recommended looking online for expat forums for your target country/city. Generally you can find out a lot, and you can make contacts for possible new friends in advance, which is a great help.

 

Kate

[keptwoman]

Shipping for international moves is usually by cubic measure rather than weight, so books shouldn't cost any more than a box of clothes or whatever. But I guess it depends whether they are paying for you to bring the whole house or just personal belongings as to how much cost they will allow.

 

It's my humble opinion that the libraries here are not the greatest, but that's comparing Victoria, Australia with New Zealand and of course Darwin libraries compared with yours could be either much better or much worse. They will definitely be online :)

Don't forget also that most of your appliances won't work here as we use 240V not 120V.

[Melissa in Australia]

I would say that country libraries are pathetic.:glare: I can't speak for the Darwin library though. I buy all the books that I need.I I have given up on the library .

books are almost double the price that is listed in America. there is no where the number of homeschoolers in Australia , so it can be hard to find people that have the same schooling philosophy. there are a few American homeschoolers in Alice Springs. which is in the same State as Darwin.

Darwin is very humid., and very hot.

I hope you enjoy your time in Australia. we are very friendly.;)

 

MelissaL

[triadofchaos]

thanks everyone for the feedback. like i said, i am in the learning phase. i have traveled a little overseas for short periods of time, but never lived overseas so a lot of this is new. this isn't the first project DH's company has done in Australia, so i am hoping they make it less complicated, not more! That's interesting to know about shipping measures. I'll have to be sure to let DH know that so he'll stop pestering me about the book issue!