My first moving and packing experience ~ From an nomad's diary

Well, well, where do I start this post from? The feeling right now is so exhilarating that I am not sure how to describe it. My first packing and moving experience has only commenced, of which I can say the former is done and the later is yet to start. But the overall experience was incredibly enlightening (must mention, in a bitter way). Lot of things learnt and lot more to learn yet. All the excitement and the anticipation of what a new place awaits you dies down the moment, packing nightmare starts. And so me being me who started packing a little late as usual ended up in a labyrinth of packing where there seemed no end to it until I disposed off things I had cherished for long and was made to swear by my husband that I would never purchase items that I never remembered to use. Promise made (for now, at least!).And coming to think of it, I wondered how the other army wives manage it, considering this was my first move. It has to be extremely strenuous, overwhelming and mind raking experience to move and pack once in every 2 or 3 years, in the process making a note of every item one has accumulated over years. It has to be quite a propelling experience for an army wife who has to make every place her husband gets posted to, her home, and at the same time imbibing the uncanny knack of knowing what to buy and what not to.

So, after a volley of heated arguments with hubby dearest over who has accumulated more than needed, who has wasted more money on books and who is worse when it comes to maintaining orderliness at home, and finally after a steady torrent of pin pointing sessions, both of us swore that the next time packing wont be this worse! I guess that was the last but positive straw to get pulled for the day. But, as they say, experience is the only good teacher in life, here are a few candid tips for people who are nomadic (like me) for most part of their life.

• Before you start with packing, make a list of all the items at home. Do not postpone this task, because the list only gets longer and complex with time and as the packing starts, one is left just *rolling his eyes*. Also take a note of packing material required. Trunks, stencils, duct tape, cartons, thermocol and bubble wrap are bare essentials for moving and packing. 
• A fortnight before packing, pack up all the small items, showpieces, wall pieces, glass ware and unused appliances. One may use newspapers and old torn clothes to pack them. The small items turn out to be the real culprits after the bigger items are packed. They kind of make you feel in the end that you haven’t yet started with anything! One important thing, write over each package of what it contains.
• If you have unused groceries, cooking oil, and other kitchen material, tape them well (try to make them air tight). Also before packing masalas and spices, make sure to dry them well in the Sun for a day. It prevents any kind of infestation.
• Do not throw away polythenes/carrybags/paperbags etc…..they come extremely handy during these times. Also discarding polythene bags add to pollution. So one might as well use them for stocking.
• Clothes, shoes and the many apparels we ladies have, always go under the scanner when packing starts. They are apparently the cause of all the major arguments that happen between couples. So, try to dispose the old apparels, ones that are not going to be of much use but happen to be in good condition. Blessed are the givers, I say!
• Do not throw away packing stuff like thermocol, carton pieces and cardboard sheets of major electronic appliances. Keep them in a safe place free of dirt and moisture. If kept in good condition, they will be of good use for at least a couple more times of shifting.
• When packing curtains, pillows, sofa covers and bed sheets, you may accommodate them in your fridge, if it is big enough to do so. All the kitchen ware before being packed must be sun dried and wiped with a dry cloth. It saves you a lot of repetitive cleaning when unpacking.
• Books can be best packed in cartons. So if you have used/unused ones, do not throw them away. Make sure you have bubble wrap too. This thing is very useful in packing beds, appliances and books as to some extent they act as shock absorbers and also keep your stuff water proof. In case you have mattresses, wrap them in old cloth and them bubble wrap them. If you have cotton mattresses, you might roll them well and tie them, with your pillows and bed sheets too.
• And last but not the least, after accommodating major stuff in your trunks and after packing all the appliances, lock each one of them, mark them well and most important, write over them, your name and your destination (for eg: Pune --> Mumbai). Make sure, your keys to your trunks are safe.

Well, that’s it. Now after all the learning, let me announce that I am moving on to a new place .And am quite excited about the new life that awaits me there. The best part about being an army wife, is living life as a nomad, learning to adapt to every new place, new people, new environment and a new lifestyle. It is not simple though. But then if life were simple, where would be all the fun? Isn’t it?

And so for now, it is just "Adios Pune" :)

Will keep updating about the new place and its forte soon. So stay tuned, is all I would say for now…..Hope my packing tips above help the rest like me who will be living a nomadic life for a long time.

Signing off…!!

Cheers & God bless...!!