T Minus 2 Days

Almost everything we own has now been packed up and sent away.

AAAAHHH!

So, I should probably back up. Since getting back from NYC almost a month ago, we’ve been extremely busy getting ready for our move to Togo. I’ll break some of this down into bits.

The weekend after our trip to NYC, we went to visit the Teacher’s family. They live far in the country, so it got to be a test of our SUV for Togo. At one point, heading back to her uncle’s after the family reunion, our GPS took us down what looked like an ATV track. We checked with the ATVers at our end, and they assured us that, if we had a full tank of gas, it would in fact get us to where we were going. We took it…and the SUV did perfectly. I was not happy about having to get one, but I’m confident now that wherever we go in Togo, we’ll be able to make it. (Fortunately, the only other traffic we passed was another guy on an ATV. There wouldn’t have been room for any other vehicle and us on the road at the same time.)

Sometime around the same time, I (hesitantly, nervously) ordered a custom suit online from indochino.com. Another FSO had recommended the site, but he hadn’t received his yet. I was very nervous, but…it looked awesome. The site also required about 20 measurements in order to fit it to me. Here’s the suit I ordered:

Image from Indochino, not mine.

Obviously, that’s  a model, not me.  I’m probably 100 lbs heavier than that fellow, and not in a flattering way. I was therefore VERY nervous about the suit.

But, when it came, it fit me better than any suit I’d ever owned. (Sorry, no pictures. I do believe that would send my Regional Security Officer into fits before I even meet her.) The material is fantastic, with the exact details I wanted. For example, I *hate* pleats, and yet they’re so very very common on large men’s pants and suits. I was able to specify NO PLEATS in making the suit! I’m going to have to buy more when I can.

The other biggest part of our lives has been “pack out”. For those unfamiliar with the Foreign Service life, it’s when movers come and get all of our stuff and take it away. For those going to real hardship posts, it also includes buying and shipping insane amounts of stuff that we take for granted in the US. For example:

That’s 405 pounds of cat litter. Hopefully, two years worth.

All of that is now gone. As is the X-Box, almost all of our movies, spices, and decorations. We are back to being in a hotel room, rather than our home. It’s a very weird feeling.

Thursday, we fly out. I will be cancelling my cell phone before we go (it won’t work there anyway), and it will likely be some time before we get internet. In other words, we’ll be incommunicado for at least a bit. I’ll get on Facebook hopefully when I get to the office, and let everyone know we got there!

And now, for some travel music: