Well, we're doing it again! Drew and I have decided to fulfill a bucket list item and live internationally again, this time with our kids, Emerson (6.5yo) and Avery (5yo). This was an idea we actually created during our time in Hong Kong; we saw all of these expat families with kids, and the kids were thriving in such amazing ways, learning new languages (sometimes multiple in HK!), experiencing new cultures, traveling to new places. It was teaching them invaluable life skills: resiliency, courage, adaptability, empathy for the wellbeing of the entire world (not just the United States), a love of travel. The list is long. We knew we wanted this experience for our own kids if we could pull it off, so we made a plan about 10 years ago to try to make it happen. We tried to time it as well as we could by waiting until the boys were their current ages, 6 and 5, for a couple of reasons. First, I want them to remember this dang thing. Second, I didn't want to be living internationally with a baby. I know there are many amazing mothers who make this happen all the time, but I knew I wanted my tribe around me while my boys were small, mainly for my sake, but also for theirs. Third, the boys are much easier to travel with in general these days. Anyone who has traveled with infants before knows the luggage wrestling match I am referring to, and we plan to travel as much as possible while down there, so being car seat, pack and play, and high chair free was going to make our lives much easier. On the flip side, we also didn't want to wait too long, as the boys are at a great age right now to learn a new language easily (Drew and I are well aware they will be putting us to shame in this regard, and I'm excited to see it). They also are not so entrenched in their friend circles that leaving would be a horrendous heart break for them.
As for Drew and I, we are still very capable to pull this move off on our own (more on the logistical differences between the HK move and this move in another post), our parents are in good health, so leaving them for a few years feels ok, and we've got the travel itch again, so LET'S DO THIS THING!
Here is our general timeline for the move. Our flights are booked for Jan. 8, 2025. We fly from Denver to Atlanta, meet Drew's parents there, and then we all fly from Atlanta direct to Santiago. The flight is around 9 hours, and it's overnight, so fingers crossed that the boys sleep a little. We found a lovely renter for our house in Denver who wanted it furnished (Score!, less packing work for me!), but she also wanted to move in before the holidays, so we officially move out of our house on Nov. 20th. Not ideal, but we knew we needed to take advantage of this opportunity with this good renter when we found her; finding another one during the holidays was going to be super difficult, so we adjusted accordingly. We'll be spending 3 weeks in Michigan visiting Drew's family and my extended family on my mom's side over Thanksgiving. Then we'll be staying with Leah and Osman in Boulder for a week, then with my parents for 2.5 weeks over Christmas, and then finally with Steph, Kane, and the cousins for the final week before take off. Many thanks in advance to all of our family for putting us up during this transition period. We are excited to spend some substantial quality family time with everyone before we leave. When we get to Santiago, we will be staying in an Airbnb for a month while we get our feet under us, and a HUGE thanks to Drew's parents for agreeing to stay with us during this time to help watch the boys while Drew and I go apartment hunting, furniture shopping, bank account opening etc. Overall, we plan to stay in Chile until summer of 2027. That gives the boys 2.5 years in school there, (the school year in Santiago is March - Dec. due to their opposite seasons) and sets us up for a clean start for school in CO when we return. It's enough time to travel, learn Spanish, settle in to the community, and hopefully make some new friends (doubtful we'll find friends like Tiff and Andrew again, as they are one in a million, but, we'll try). In general, long enough to make all of the work to pull this unassisted move off worth it. But not so long that we lose touch with our friends and family back in the States.
So, it's happening. Is it bittersweet? You betcha. We have such a fantastic community of friends and family in Colorado that saying goodbye, even for just a couple of years, feels much harder than the first time we did this. Is it scary? Yes, change and the unknown is always scary. But, Drew and I believe in our bones that the pros outweigh the cons, and so we're jumping on this opportunity while we have the chance.
Disclaimer: I will be writing this blog to document our adventures while overseas, both the good and the bad. It was the same for all of my previous posts while we were living in Hong Kong; feel free to peruse those as well. But that's the only reason. I'm not doing it to hopefully get ad sponsorships or to become vlogger superstars; I cringe at the thought. Ya'll know I'm too introverted for that. So more often than not, this blog will feel unprofessional, rushed, and even raw, and it is. I am not an elegant writer, Leah holds those cards in the family, I am a practical one. So you're welcome to follow along on our journey to Chile and back, I gladly hope that you do, but please know that I am not writing this for you. I am writing it for Drew and I to reread when we are decrepit old folks who can no longer have adventures such as these. And, as any parent knows, with kids tagging along there will be high highs and low lows, and I plan to document as much as feels necessary to fully remember this roller coaster experience. So climb aboard, but I can't promise Cedar Point. It might only be Lakeside Amusement Park. C'est la vie, or more appropriately, Así es la vida!
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