Page 18 - FIS World May 2019

Mock-a-Move
FIS parents share tips and best practices
Whether relocating internationally
or downsizing to make more space, any move requires a bit of strategy and patience
We FIS families are movers by nature. This is the season when the fluttering of FIS wings begins in preparation for relocation and the flight to new destinations. For those families that stay, spring sparks dreams of summer vacation getaways or moving temporarily back home from home.
We are a“stayer”family, having arrived five years ago from a tightly crammed brownstone in Brooklyn to our Oberursel address with hundreds of boxes filled with all the items families need to make a home cozy. We predict we’ll stay for another five years, and are a globetrotting family only during the summer months, as Germany and FIS are home until our youngest parades in cap and gown alongside his graduating peers to a cheering crowd of students and faculty.
Inspired by our Grade 12 students taking mock exams and by the season of goodbyes and departures, the idea of staging a “mock move” lodged into this FIS parent’s brain. I consulted with FIS friends well versed in the art of moving to share some tips. After eight years at FIS, the Küng family left for Moscow last year. Ms. Küng describes herself as“a moving expert”– she had to move 13 times in three years during her uni- versity studies. She found the online FIS Classified ads site to be a valuable tool for selling items, and engaged her teenage boys in the online selling and pre-packing of home goods. She has a streamlining tip for FIS parents, “own what you need, and need what you own.”
Finishing three years at FIS, Viviana Muňoz and fam- ily are moving to Dubai this June. A yoga teacher by training, she breathes calmly as she speaks of her pre- move strategy, “plan ahead and don’t stress.” She’s using FIS communication channels – posting on the school’s Facebook page, parent WhatsApp chats and
Inspired by our Seniors taking mock exams and inspired by the season of goodbyes and departures, the idea of staging a “mock move” lodged into this FIS parent’s brain.
word of mouth – to sell small items such as lamps, to large items like closets and drawers sets, a washer and dryer, to even larger ones, her Volvo XC90!
Jacqie De Vries and family are FIS stayers, too. They arrived from the Netherlands 14 years ago but have moved three times within the Taunus. The last move meant downsizing as two of their four children grad- uated from FIS. With a hands-on approach, much of that move was done by the family. They met great success at the FIS Flea Market, also reserving a table at the monthly Flohmarkt in Oberursel. When things did not sell, Ms. De Vries donated. She went to a local church with bagged items earmarked for immigrant families. Other clothing items and linens were placed in the donation containers stationed all over town. Jacqie made clever use of the German color disposal system, too – yellow bags for plastics, blue bins for paper, and grey ones for general garbage. Great tip!
For a few euros you can buy extra grey bags at your local Rathaus and place them with the grey gar- bage bin. These will be picked up! With a car stuffed with bags, the De Vries family headed to the local Recycling Center more than ten times to wave good- bye to unwanted and unsellable items, while keep- ing those items that help hold to “memories for the kids and grandkids.”
For all of us in the FIS community, families arriving, leaving – and even those who are staying – the sea- son of farewells brings fresh opportunities. Moving opens up horizons, unleashes routines and releases no longer needed items accumulated during the years in our homes. So I’m giving myself a treat this summer, I’ll mock-a-move and sway to the joyous rhythm of boxes packed, garbage bags filled, and the sparkling feeling of disposal!
Deirdre Harriet-Boettcher FIS Parent
16 FIS World May 2019