Before She Left For Good
By hereandthere
@hereandthere (45628)
Philippines
September 21, 2015 5:27am CST
She was a single mother, then someone helped her and her kids to migrate to another country.
While their papers were being processed, she started decluttering not just their own things, but also the house she grew up in.
Every weekend, she and her daughters would search and open dusty and cobwebbed closets and boxes all around the house. They sorted and washed decades'-old kids and adult clothes, shoes, bags, household items, toys and trinkets.
All these were organized for a weekly garage sale which they also took charge of.
The other thing she did in the months leading up to their departure was to wake up early to make and have breakfast with her parents before leaving for work.
15 people like this
11 responses
@topffer (42155)
• France
21 Sep 15
I am not sure it is good to sale everything before being sure that you will be satisfied of your new home/country. Not all migrants are settling in the country where they migrate, and even if they settle, some are going back to their native country to retire...
3 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
21 Sep 15
@topffer some people actually prefer starting over on a clean slate so everything is from their own blood, sweat and tears
2 people like this
@marguicha (230334)
• Chile
3 Oct 15
I partly agree with you, but most of the time the migration has roots in unbearable problems. It is better to forget.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
4 Oct 15
@marguicha it was mostly for financial stability. they moved a lot so they don't have a lot of stuff. besides, airlines also have baggage limitations.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
21 Sep 15
@sofssu it was a big project to tackle and they were surprised at the turnout
2 people like this
@allknowing (153544)
• India
22 Sep 15
We had that experience when we shifted from the city to a semi rural town which is our new home.We got rid of a lot of stuff too.
2 people like this
@allknowing (153544)
• India
23 Sep 15
@hereandthere Most of it was given away to people who were working for me. I had a landscaped garden designing business then.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
22 Sep 15
@allknowing exactly. so how did you go about it? did you give them to family, friends, neighbors, charity? did you sell them? how did you transport them to your new place - in batches, or in one big truck?
@jstory07 (148701)
• Roseburg, Oregon
24 Sep 15
Sounds like she was prepared to leave and have another life.
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
21 Sep 15
@ladyduck they didn't have much stuff in the first place and there's a limit to what they can bring anyway. it was actually a relief to her parents that their own 'junk' were significantly decreased.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
22 Sep 15
@jabouk no, i'm still here. it's someone i know.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Sep 15
@tampa_girl7 it took several months because she kept finding new stuff and sometimes they stop when business is slow, or they're busy with something else, and her parents appreciate what they did.
@cahaya1983 (11116)
• Malaysia
22 Sep 15
That's a lot of cleaning and de-cluttering. I'm surprised she did that much while the papers are still being processed, though.
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
22 Sep 15
@cahaya both the papers and the garage sale was a long process
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
24 Sep 15
@cahaya1983 she and her kids never had much stuff to begin with since they moved a lot, so they packed mostly clothes, shoes and important documents, then stayed with their sponsor first.
i did know someone who shipped his furniture from here to the us, but he's rich. 
1 person likes this
@cahaya1983 (11116)
• Malaysia
23 Sep 15
@hereandthere I'm sure. I hope everything turns out well since she got rid of so much stuff.
@Pattitude (1286)
• Newton, North Carolina
12 Nov 15
I have been in that situation before. I hate moving, and it looks like I will be moving soon.
