In just one month

In just one month we will be arriving in Ecuador! We are several steps closer to our final move. Today we went to the Ecuadorian consulate in SFO and got Pat's 12-IX Visa. This visa will give us time to go through the process of applying for his residency. I have heard that is a long and painful process and I have also heard that it is very simple now that many Ecuadorian institutions are modernized. We will see. What we know is that we will not hire a lawyer and pay $1,200 for all this business. It will be a good experience for us and we will have time to do it. Besides, I am Ecuadorian and I have dealt with Ecuadorian institutions.

Meanwhile, our lives here are changing rapidly. I am training my replacement at my job. It is both tiring and easier as Laurie learns more and more. I am letting go little by little of my responsibilities. I will really miss a lot of people I have met all these years. I am sure many of them will come to visit us.
Seems like I am more aware now that some things I might be doing for the last time, some places I might be visiting for the last time, some people I might be seeing for the last time, so I try to enjoy myself and make the most of it everyday.

Here are some photos of the place I have lived these past 8 years. I have great memories of this farm. 

Here I worked 3 years

Here I lived few years

Here I lived few others

In my path to home or work

The white barn

Packing

First we though we will take with us only our suitcases. Since we each could check two 50 lb bags and a carry on, we though that should be enough. As time went by and as we discovered that we could send boxes by plane on reasonably price, we have been packing and packing! Now we have 25 boxes of all sizes. Well, it makes sense to take what we have instead of buying everything new in Ecuador. Also, since they want Ecuadorian immigrants to come back they have pretty nice benefits for us now. For example, I won't pay taxes on the stuff we bring as long as they are household items. I like this.

But still we need to do some paperwork before we ship the boxes. We need a detail list of what the boxes contain, then this list needs to be notarized and then it needs to be signed at the ecuadorian consulate in SFO. We are working on that these days - among other things...

Some of the boxes