Before and After

Due to a phantom 'luggage embargo' when the new teachers were arriving in Monterrey (phantom because it seemed to only exist on an obscure link on the airline website, and not in reality), I arrived in Monterrey with only one suitcase (well, a suitcase, a carry-on, and a back-pack). I brought a few key non-clothing items: a photograph I cherish of me and some of my Baltimore Peeps that I do not have electronically, a wind-chime I've had at every apartment since I left America, a painting from Istanbul, some magnets, and some coasters (see previous decorating post).

As I mentioned two posts previous, the house was sparse when my roommate and I moved in. We each hung a few things we had squeezed into our luggage and the result was this:

Thanks to a few digital photos (that are now printed, framed and hung on the wall) and those key purchases I mentioned two posts previous, the result is this:

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Those orange leather barstools are gorgeous, are they not?

People at work keep saying "I can't believe how much money you are spending (it's really not that much) - you just got here!" but here is what I learned in Cairo (advice all international teachers should follow):

You will know pretty quickly whether or not you are a 'right fit' for your school and vice-versa. If you comfortable and plan to stay a few years, a little spending up-front for creature comforts (a microwave, a tv, some wall hangings, a table and chairs for the garden) that will stay with you for a few years is a good investment! I wish someone had given me this advice when I moved to Cairo - instead, after four years of slowly accumulating everything I needed to feel 'at home,' it was time to leave and I had to do what I would have had to do anyway had I bought everything my first year there: turn-around and sell it all.

Signing bonuses, settling-in allowances, and cashed-out 401Ks (you know, the one you cashed out because you didn't have enough in it to bother rolling it over to an IRA before leaving the US) are there for a reason: to help you set - up "HOME" in your new home so you don't feel so much like an transient (even if, in a way, you are) in your new country.

I still have a few purchases to make, but I know that, for however long I'm here, I'm going to be comfortable.