Last time we moved, I had multiple entries (
here and
here) detailing all the things we had to do. The latter link is actually very similar to how things went down this time around. Meaning, it was exactly the same mess and I couldn't believe I actually got it done. Suffice it to say that having Chase older helped a lot but having Nate already in the US and me working crazily to finish things at work made it harder.
I guess I should back up a bit and explain how exactly things went down. When COVID hit, due to the shutdown, my professor has able to extend my contract until the end of December. This gave us a bit more time to find jobs and figure stuff out so I contacted our apartment management company to also ask for an extension (which they did grant us exceptionally due to COVID). Having graduated with his PhD from Harvard in the spring, Nate got a job in early July at a bank in NYC. He was in Switzerland at this time and at first, HR told him he could work remotely from Switzerland but later, the lawyers told him that the tax implications made it much better to be on US soil. Therefore, in mid August, Nate moved to Omaha to live with his parents and work remotely from there. When he left, I (re)started looking for jobs and thankfully was able to find a job at a small company in Connecticut to start in mid January. This helped us start to arrange other things about our future life like buying a car (2021 Hybrid Honda CR-V that Nate picked up in Omaha in early December) and figuring out where we would live.
Before Nate left in August, we already started to organize and figure out the moving situation. Our apartment still looked like it did 6 years ago
here (Chase now had a real bed and not a crib but the rest stayed the same) but we, of course, accumulated a good amount of stuff. This was especially true for Chase toys and bricolages (crafts). I ended up scanning many bricolages and other documents to save digitally and then recycling the physical copies. Between August and December, I was also sorting things and listing them to sell or give away on various Facebook groups and marketplace (in the end, we gave a few furniture pieces to some lab mates and friends; sold the bed frame, dining table, and Chase's bookshelf and dresser; and donated Chase's bed and all our kitchen stuff and household appliances). Thankfully Christine, Ben, and Amber helped me take things to donate or to the déchèterie (dump), plus Jamshid drove me to a few places and Rachel provided more than enough boxes leftover from their move. Like last time, I had underestimated how many boxes we'd need. Nate had left with just a suitcase and a carry-on so I was inspired to try to do the same for Chase and myself. Even though I donated or got rid of many MANY things, I still ended up shipping 7 medium boxes for a total of 109 kg. These were mostly clothes and Chase's books but also some craft supplies, board games, and a bit of Chase's toys. We shipped these directly to a future colleague of mine living in the NY/CT area.
Even though the apartment management company had agreed (in August) to have us move out officially December 22nd, when I called to double-check they had given that day off to all the people working in the office. So they offered us December 21st (Monday) afternoon. So, I arranged to have cleaning people do a deep clean of the apartment before giving it back (something necessary in Switzerland) that morning. My plan was to leave the Friday before (Chase's last day of school) and only come back on Monday to let in the cleaners in the morning and do the inspection in the evening. The last work week before moving was particularly stressful in terms of timing everything and that Friday, I threw away 9 35-L bags of garbage away. It was intense, but I/we made it! Thankfully, Marko and Sofia's parents took us in for the days between leaving the apartment and leaving the country, which really helped Chase and I destress from the craziness. Chase also had some time to spend with Marko before the move, which he really enjoyed.
Actually, despite COVID restrictions (which were a bit more lax in the fall than the spring), we were thankfully able to say goodbye to a few good sets of friends -- which was important for Chase who didn't get to do any type of goodbye party with this school friends. I was also able to do a Zoom Apéro to officially say goodbye to EPFL work friends and those in the EPFL Postdoc Association (of which I was vice-president this last year), and even did a small goodbye spot on our church video with our pastor. Even in 2020, we were able to have some closure in leaving Switzerland.
Chase first day of school on the left and last day of school on the right. This year, for 3P, he went to the brand-new school in Morges named after the CryoEM Nobel-prize winner Jacques Dubochet.
Chase was rightly very sad to leave his school friends so I made and printed this card to give to his friends so they could contact him if they wanted. He was very happy to give these cards out to all his friends. Both his school and his garderie (day care) put together some books with best wishes for him on his trip.
It was very hard to say goodbye to Theo and his family. We met them in church when the boys were tiny babies, and as evidenced by (many) earlier entries, have gone on many Swiss adventures with them and will miss them a lot. Chase and Theo had formed a strong friendship so pulling them apart was very difficult.
We were also happy to have the chance to say goodbye to Pierre and Jan and the girls. It snowed in early December so we were able to go to Col de Mollendruz (#1 here) for some cross country skiing for the moms and some sledding for the kids. Not only was Pierre was at EPFL (in the same department as me) when we first arrived so Chase and Daphné were together for a number of years of daycare, but we also went to the same church. We will also miss them!
We were so fortunate to be able to spend a few days with Marko and Sofia before leaving Switzerland. There was a lot of energy and Christmas excitement (plus St. Nicolas visit) as well as some Christmas-themed games thanks to the other Oksana. The picture on the right was Chase on the metro going to the airport to leave Switzerland. Thumbs up! Thankfully Italo helped us with our bags to Lausanne gare where we took a direct train to the airport.
Chase and I flew for many hours to make it to Omaha. Originally, we had booked a ticket with one layover (to limit our coronavirus exposure) but many flights have gotten cancelled so we ended up with a layover in Frankfurt and one in Chicago. Thankfully, our flight across the ocean was almost empty so that helped. We made it to Omaha the night of the 23rd to reunite with Nate. This year, both Melissa (and Daniel) and David along with Tindra were home to celebrate so it was great to be able to see the whole family. Chase was even able to play with his cousin for the first time in two years. Chase and I are still quarantining and will have to requarantine when we make it to CT in January but I'm happy we made it this far. It was quite an ordeal to leave Switzerland and move to a brand new place in the US during a pandemic but we're making steady progress and are excited about the adventure that awaits us.
Reunited in Nebraska.
