Remembrances

I've become a sentimentalist over the years.  I have some of my mother's furniture and personal possessions, a plant stand made of Italian mosaic that belonged to my favorite Aunt Alma, a framed photo taken by my deceased brother in Rockport, Massachusetts, the flag which draped my father's coffin...he being a veteran of both WWI and II.  I will pack only my clothes and personal effects when I move to Utila, and I will mail a small box of "remembrances" to myself a couple of weeks before I leave.  I understand, from my friend Jan, that mail from the states takes about two weeks to arrive on Utila!

In that box I will have the needed paperwork for filing income tax, insurance and retirement papers, etc.  I will also pack the wide-bowled silver spoon with which my mother ate her Cream of Wheat every morning for the last forty or so years of her life.  Tarnished and fragile from years of service, it will enable me to have my mother with me in my new home.  Also included will be the wine glass from my daughter, Monice...hand painted with various beach paraphernalia and the words "Life's A Beach".  Since, for me, it will be, how could I possibly leave that behind?

I'm having a friend and co-worker make a carrying case for my laptop and accessories from a U.S. Navy-issue wool blanket that my father brought back from overseas after WWII.  The friend makes wonderful and useful items from felted wool...things such as slippers, mittens, and now a laptop bag.  So I will have a piece of my father with me as well. 

Because of its size, I can't take my Aunt Alma's mosaic plant stand with me, but I can take the sweet little pair of ceramic shoes that belonged to her.  And I'll take the decorative school bus made from a flattened soda (or beer) can and decorated with the little wooden heads of the students in the hand-painted windows...a gift from Ted, a good friend and the talented man who does the body work on the school buses for the Middleton-Cross Plains School District.  It will be a reminder, not only of Ted and his friendship, but also of the eight wonderful years spent at a job I loved...transporting some of the most amazing special needs children I've ever had the good fortune to meet, care for and love.

My very talented son, James, made me so many wonderful gifts over the years.  I will return most of them so that he may share them with his daughter, Ruby Sophia, who will be born in early June.  I will, however, take with me a quirky, primitive looking ceramic mask that should fit in well with "island decor"...very unique, very cool, and made while he was only in elementary school!

My BFF (best friend forever), Marilyn, who I've known since third grade, gave me a small suncatcher when I visited her in Massachusetts last fall.  It's a sunburst in blue and purple...two of my favorite colors...and I will hang it in the window of my apartment in Utila and reminisce on a lifetime of memories with my soul sister.

There are numerous small crafts made for me by my grandchildren...magnets, hanging ornaments...that I will pack in the box.  And I mustn't forget the heart necklace given to me by my grandson, Zach...that adorable child of the heart who came to us from Russia seven years ago.

I will have small but meaningful remembrances of all my loved ones, past and present, with me.  The rest I will sell or give to my children, and I will move...unencumbered...to my new life.  At first I wondered if I would be able to do it, sentimentalist that I am, but the more I pondered the closer I came to the realization that this would be a liberating experience for me!

I'm prepared for missing my family and friends like crazy and, easily prone to tears anyhow, I'm sure more than a few will be shed, both during and after the move.  But this is the age of technology, and they are only as far away as my computer.  I have many friends on Facebook, and we can keep up with one another's activities in that way, as well as with emails.  I'm equipped with webcam and Skype on my laptop, so I can talk to...and see...my family and friends from time to time.  And I know there are many who will visit me on my island paradise...what could possibly be a better vacation place?!  Yes, life can be very, very good...if you're willing to take a chance. 

Making Progress

I guess I worried for nothing.  I will have a passport before my move.  Honduras requires that you have six months REMAINING on your passport before you can enter the country...you don't need to RECEIVE your (new) passport six months prior to entering the country.

I discovered a very cool feature on the Website for the Honduran Embassy in the U.S.  If you click on "Contact Us", you can then have a live chat online with an embassy representative.  I typed out my question and, in a matter of moments, had my answer!  Yulia was very patient with a first-time overseas traveler and quickly put my mind at rest.  The Internet is truly a valuable resource, and I encourage anyone who is contemplating a move (or even a trip) outside the U.S. to take advantage of what the Internet can offer.  Just do a Google search of ANYTHING and you can have your answer in mere moments.

Passport in hand...theoretically...I firmed up plans with The Sandstone Apts. on Utila.  My new email friend, Jan, who moved to Utila from the states seven years ago, had confirmed that The Sandstone would be a good (temporary, at least) option upon my arrival.  A fully furnished one-bedroom apartment, including wifi, cable tv and a/c, right by the ocean and away from the "hustle and bustle of the downtown area", I'm certain that I'll be quite happy there.  Owner, Rita, told me she would hold it for me with a $100 deposit to be returned whenever I leave.

So, my passport is on its way and I have a place to live.  Looks like Utila is quickly becoming a reality!

Today I am off to my lovely daughter, Monice's, where I will have my first class in "Laptop 101".  We baby boomers have enough challenges with your everyday PC, and I'm thinking that learning the ins and outs of laptop use will be similar to learning a foreign language!  Keep in mind, this laptop will be my connection to family and friends.  Not only will I have email and Facebook, but the use of the webcam will allow me to see and talk to those friends who also have it on their computers.  I'm going to look into Skype, and friend, Jan, uses a magic jack on her computer, so we'll see which one I decide on.

As you can probably see by now, there's more to moving out of the country than just getting a passport and making plane reservations!