It has been only 3 day since my last update and so many things have happened and I made a lot of progress regarding our move.
Our latest arrival date to Brazil would be April 1 because I am signing the lease to start on April 1! I am so thrilled and in love with the house!!! The decision to advance our move date was due to (1) finding the dream house; (2) missing my family terribly and can’t think of being away from them often until June; (3) Brasilia is amazing, and I really want to start living here with the family.
I’ve gone to meet with team which is a group of young, enthusiastic and friendly people who made me feel welcomed. My office is amazing! I showed it to the girls and they said the view looks like New Zealand. hahaha… because it’s all green. I’ve had briefing regarding relocating to Brasilia and found out about car purchase, driver license, work modality with helpers, visa application process, getting local ID, etc.
I’ve visited the schools (American and British) and really like them. Lizzy may have to start in one school and transfer to the other next school year. Not ideal but doable. It’s still possible she gets a spot in the same school as Sofia but I’m preparing for the “worst” case scenario.
I’ve gathered so many tips from colleagues. It was so nice to learn about their experience as things are not the same than other countries. For example, in Brasilia is common to put a rental deposit (3 months) and advanced rental payments (2 months), while in Indonesia I had to pay one year in advance. It’s common that the house comes without the appliances while in Manila and Jakarta we had all the appliances already in. So, I’ll have to buy a fridge and a laundry washer. It’s normal to have the rent indexed to inflation (after first year) while in Manila and Jakarta I paid the same rent for the duration of my stay. If I had no one to check, I wouldn’t know what’s normal what’s not.
I’ve initiated the packing and shipping process in Jakarta, I will be throwing things once I go back.
Still a lot to do until we all settle here, but I feel I’ve made a lot of progress in few days.
I’ve been running everyday and love the park!
the sky is so clean and this is the view from my hotel room during sunset
I’ve tried the authentic acai bowl, love it!
Tomorrow I’ll start my Amazonas trip, super excited!
And then I will finally fly home. Living in hotels for 3 weeks is not fun no matter how great the hotel is. I want to hug my girls and sleep in my own bed so badly. Overall, despite the bumps and ups/downs, I am super happy and excited for what’s about to become our life. I had to make some tough decisions. My guiding principle is how would I rate/evaluate my decision today in 10 years. Would I regret it? If not, I should not aim to have the perfect solution, something needs to give.
Our New Journey 
I am so happy for you, Coco! Your family is going to love it in Brasilia!
I especially love your running route.
Enjoy the Amazonas trip! 😀
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Sooo impressed with everything you’ve done! I think I would be way out of my comfort zone trying to do all of that in a foreign country, by myself. Ha. But I guess you are way more used to being a world traveler than I am, so I guess it makes sense that you don’t have much issue with it! Glad it’s all coming together so well!
What was the deal originally why you couldn’t bring the family until June? So now they will go by April 1st, right? Before was it related to not pulling them out of school? Or were you not originally able to get them in a new school yet this year but now you can?
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It’s not ideal to pull the girls out of school mid year so wanted to leave them until end of semester. But I don’t think I can commute this way, so decided to let them finish the quarter and leave.
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I’m with Kae – SOOOO impressed by how much you’ve accomplished. I would be completely overwhelmed a process like this and wouldn’t know where to start.
I love that you already have a running route and have found a great place to live. Those are two key things for your happiness and feeling like you’re settling in ❤
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I’m excited for you, it seems like you are going to love it there, and I think it’s wonderful that you have people telling you the customary way things are done, so you know what to expect, don’t have to worry about being taken advantage of, etc. I’m thrilled that you love the house!
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I remember living out of hotels and people thinking that it was such an exciting life, but it does get old sometimes, even when it is a nice hotel! I am curious to hear how much the shipping cost, as I looked into sending a cell phone from the US to Europe and it was going to cost me like $150! Actually if you feel comfortable sharing (or in private if not!) I would love to hear a comparison of the costs of things in both places. I mean, I’ve traveled in both countries, but I would have no clue how much an actual house rental would cost!
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On shipping I have no idea as my organization takes care of it. We can ship up to 40ft container worth of things. In term of housing, Jakarta is actually slightly more expensive than Brasilia. Meals and groceries I find them similar.
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Ooooh this is so exciting!
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I’m so glad your family will be able to join you in April rather than waiting until June. That would’ve been a long time to be apart. Switching schools is an ideal, but you’ll make it work if that’s what has to happen for Lizzy. Your kids are so resilient so this is just another little bump in the road for them. It’s nice to have local experts to tell you what is typical and what isn’t. Brasilia sounds amazing though!!
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This is SO exciting! I’ve never been anywhere in Brazil, and to be honest I actually had to google “Brasilia” to figure out where it was (oh- it’s the capital!) April 1st isn’t that far away! I’ll be so interested to follow along your new adventure.
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