The actual preparations have been underway since, oh, December, 2011. Not long considering the huge undertaking of moving country again. But as I've learned, what you don't pack you can always buy when you're there. In this case one of those things will be my Permit to live in SA. Something tells me (all of Pete's South African friends), that the trip to Home Affairs to sort out the Permit will be something special - something you can only experience in a 3rd World Country. So stay tuned for a great blog entry about that.
I've now narrowed the list down to the essentials, leaving out the 100 or so items that would bore you to tears (changing address for 40+ organizations, placing a monetary value on every item I own to determine if it's worth shipping, more than a few conversations about every little unknown detail and contingency plans in case they happen, to name just a few).
Preparation List:
1 x plane ticket (with return option to satisfy South African Immigration Officers)
2 x suitcases (packed to bursting, maximum weight allowance)
1 x 6 week trip home to Canada (to say 'Farewell, but not goodbye.' - currently underway)
Anything I think they might not have that I'll need (which is ridiculous because they actually have most things you can get anywhere else. This is SA, not the moon... Although I'm not sure they have Kraft Dinner, Kraft Peanut Butter, real Maple Syrup - none of which I eat on a regular basis but all of which I will want to eat on a regular basis if I can't find them)
1 x positive attitude (and sense of adventure/humor)
and lastly
>Lot of guts (in good supply since birth)
All set. T minus 5 days to departure, with: 1 x 9 hr plane ride to London, UK; 1 x 6 hr Layover; 1 x 11 hr flight to Johanessburg, SA.
A few last things to do while in Vancouver, BC, one of which is sit outside in the sun and have a beer, because it's harder to do than you'd think when it rains all the time.
Ta for now.
x
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