Whoop whoop!! We got all our things from the US!! It ONLY took 3 months. 5 days before we went back to the US for the holidays! Ayi Cindy is going to be vey busy!!! So much for her easy month of work.
This is how it went down…
We shipped the kids off to school and the moving truck came at 9. But since they had to wait for the big wig, they couldn’t start unpacking the truck until 930 AM. Who cares – they were here!! I was afraid they weren’t going to show up and we would have to reschedule AFTER we got back from the states. But low and behold they were here early.
This was our 3rd move, but our first move internationally. We had no clue what to expect in China. Were they efficient like the US? Do they use dollies? Does the apartment have a moving elevator? How are we going to fit all our things in this apartment? Do we feed them lunch like we usually do in the US? Do we tip? How are they going to get our king size bed in that elevator? So many questions – we just had to ride it out.
The head honcho guy comes up at precisely 930 AM. Man. They are punctual. Then the boxes started piling up in the house. Since this is an international move, every single box was labeled with a number (same in the US) and they were checked off by the head guy and us (since we aren’t very trusting). This was our first time making sure ALL the boxes made it with a check off list and this was the first time nothing was lost. Score. But our furniture did get damaged. Especially the master bedroom wood furniture and the kids wood furniture. Since this was our third move, it didn’t surprise us. Especially having our things shipped via boat.
Once all the boxes were accounted for, they unpacked the boxes. I’m used to them bringing in the boxes then unpacking them the moment it steps foot in the house. BTW – my question was answered when I saw how they moved our bed. They had to use the stairs. ALL the way to the 15th floor. And this isn’t a light bed. But man! Once those boxes were unpacked our place smelled terrible! The smell of the clothes were so musty. So we washed everything from sheets to socks. Our small washing machine and dryer were literally on 24/7 for five days before we left for vacation. I think I slept 4 hours each night since I’m totally OCD and needed the house perfectly arranged before we left. Also because my mom was coming back with us. And I didn’t want to hear her complaining about how dirty and unorganized the house was.
When the boys came home from school they were EXTREMELY happy. I thought they would have forgotten about their toys, but no, they knew every single toy and asked for every single toy. It was an early Christmas for them! Trying to get them to sleep early that night was painful.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention we all have been sharing 1/UNO/YI/ONE bed for the past two months. I don’t think any of us have gotten really good sleep in the past two months. So the first things that were loaded in the washing machine were the sheets and pillow cases for our bed. Because that was our number one priority – to sleep in our bed without the boys. And thank goodness – we accomplished that!!!
Here is our new place. I do love the new apartment. And yes, I do miss the pedestrian street, but I’d rather live in a place I love.
We used Allied for the move and were very satisfied. Since Chinese movers get paid salary, they actually take their time and are cautious. US movers get paid per job so everything seems rushed so they can get to their next job.
So all in all with the move I give it an A+!