Hello to everyone who lives in this community, where I'd like to reach out to share our life experiences with everyone.
Today, I want to participate in article #8, about moving, something I like to share, and you'll find out why later.
When two people meet, or when we start a new job, there are always questions: Where do you live? Where were you born? and/or Where have you lived?
All of these questions are related to today's topic, and although I want to focus on the last one, I'll refer to all of them.
When people ask me the questions listed above, I say I was born in Camagüey province, grew up in Las Tunas, studied most of my life in Matanzas, got married in Holguín, and currently live in Havana.
That is, I've lived in 5 of the country's 15 provinces.
I have important memories from each of these stages.
The first was when my parents divorced, and when I was only six years old, we decided to travel to my mother's husband's house. From that time, I remember my mother, three of my siblings, my stepfather, and I living in a very small space, which only had one bedroom, one bathroom, and a kitchen-dining room.
It was a time of hardship, but we were able to overcome it because of the love we had for each other.
Later, my stepfather was given a house with three bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a dining room, and our living conditions improved.
Afterward, my siblings and I went to study in Matanzas, in the western part of the country, and we stayed there for six years, including high school and pre-university.
In 1997, I moved to Moa, a municipality in the eastern province of Holguín.
I lived there for 17 years.
The Story Behind the Move
From 1997 to 2015, I lived with my wife and her two children in a comfortable home. It had two floors, each with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a dining room. When the children came of age, we decided they would live in one house and my wife and I in another.
However, the oldest son went to live abroad and asked us to move to the country's capital because it would be better for him to see us when he came to Cuba.
In 2015, I left to fulfill a work contract, and when I returned in December of that same year, I was no longer living in Moa. My wife and youngest son had moved to Havana.
I must say that when I arrived at the house, I didn't like it at all. You must understand that a house I had never seen, that didn't have all the necessary conditions for living because it needed to be restored, and, compared to the two homes I had left behind, the change was for the worse.
But no.
We began restoring the home and making it more beautiful and enjoyable.
I must also say that my wife and the youngest of the boys had to face this process alone.
Eight Tips to Make Moving Easier
· Plan the move with a list of things to do before, during, and after the move.
· Take what you need and what you don't need, sell it, or give it to someone who needs it.
· Find a place to store things to move so they don't get lost or broken.
· Pack ahead of time to avoid forgetting anything.
· Ask for help before and during the move, involving family and friends.
· Organize moving day with the necessary items, which can't be missing, including what needs to be unpacked and where the essentials for the new home should go.
Maintain a positive attitude because we're facing something new, and at some point, not everything may go well.
Celebrate the new move because it's a new stage in our lives, and if we did it, it will improve our lives.
A final comment
No move is the same, so each piece of advice should be adapted to the needs and situations we face.
What do you think?
Note: I used DeepL Translate.
The photo is my own and was taken with my Samsung J2 phone.