I came back to the Philippines a few weeks ago to close down my house on Clark and finally move to Thailand permanently. It was far more stressful than I allowed myself to think that it would be. Partly because it was a big decision to cut my ties to the Philippines where I have lived for so long, and also the stress of the actual mechanics of closing the house down and leaving. I do not think of myself as sentimental but I still have a close connection with four people here and even though I do not see them that often when I am physically here, there is an emotional cost to leaving them behind. Thankfully it is easy to stay in contact.

I have to laugh at myself, because I have talked about minimalism for a long time, and every time I turned around for the last 10-15 days I was opening another drawer or cabinet and realizing “Ohh what is that?”. 😊Not to mention getting to grips with just letting things go, especially giving them away.

But it has been a salutary experience. And I think that by the time I’m done, and I’m on my flight out, there will be a huge sense of relief. So much of this stuff I really didn’t need.

I did ship 3 boxes (75kg) of stuff to Thailand via DHL. That proved a bit of a hassle. Thai customs (of course) interfered. The funny thing about that was that DHL in the Philippines assured me that there wouldn’t be a problem because these were all used personal goods. My mistake, of course, was believing them. The funny thing was that there were a couple of bamboo cutting boards and drawer organizers in one of the boxes. This apparently meant that we had to apply to the Department of Agriculture for an import permit for a wood product. Honestly, you just cannot make this crap up. It seems to be very difficult to get a grasp on what Thai customs actually wants. But my housekeeper seems to be struggling through it and two of the three boxes have been released. We’re just waiting on the 3rd at this point. It looks like I will get it at the additional cost of $200 – DHL is monumentally incompetent.

The psychological burden of maintaining two different households in two different countries has been significant. And one of those is in a country that unfortunately, I really don’t like very much anymore, and does not have, perhaps, the best memories for me. I have changed a lot over the last couple of years, and the fatigue that I felt following my long struggle to gain other passports, renounce my US citizenship, and move to Thailand is great. I am sincerely hoping that once I have divested myself of this extra household, and I can just relax in Thailand, that some of my energy will come back.

It has been difficult to get rid of stuff, mainly because people don’t want to pay you anything for something that is used, regardless that it is high quality and in pristine condition. The other problem has been that some of my items have just been too large for the average Filipino house. I get that. But I really despair of people that haggle with me over a $40 price tag for something and try to get it for $30 or $20. Really? They are that destitute? Maybe they shouldn’t be shopping for anything at all in that case.

As I write this, I am waiting for my landlord to come over. And I have to ask him point blank how much of the one year rent that I paid in advance, of which eight months will be left following my vacating the premises, will he return to me. 😊

Honestly, this is a sunk cost for me. I already wrote it off. If he gives me anything, that would be great. If he does not, life is too short to get upset over something like that. A friend did suggest that if he won’t offer a refund I just keep the lease. I had thought about that but decided I just didn’t want the burden. That would mean it was still a responsibility for me.

[He agreed to returning me half of the remaining rent and took some of the biggest items I had left albeit at fire sale prices. But that is still ok. I expected nothing so it was good for me].

So far, the item that seems to be causing me the most problem is the infrared sauna that I bought just about 10 months ago. Not an item that a lot of people want to buy. And on top of that, I have to get a team of people from the original store up here to disassemble and move it, which is going to cost me quite a bit. Ohh well. 😊 At the time I bought it, it seemed like a very good idea. It was only seven months later that I made the decision that I wasn’t going to stay here in the Philippines anymore. And I truly had no idea at the time I bought it that that was going to happen.

I’m traveling to Singapore in a couple of days travelling on, God help me, a budget airline, because that is the only flight that leaves out of Clark to Singapore. Well, we’ll see how it goes. I am going there to discuss some things with my bank and sign my Singapore will.

It seems that I have to have a separate will in each country in which I have assets. No country respects any will not made in that country. Ah well. A pain, but must be done.

USA – Easy. Online. About 40 minutes. 1 original copy. 2 witnesses. Done.

Thailand – Not too bad but has to be English / Thai and lots of stamps / Red Ribbon. Only 2 originals needed. 1 witness.

Philippines –The worst of the lot in terms of archaic legalese and needing multiple (6) original copies. And three witnesses. And has to be notarized with entries in a separate book. Just so needlessly complex.

Singapore – Fairly easy to do but it is a pain having to be physically present to sign (same as Thailand and the Philippines). Only two originals needed. 1 witness.

I finished the Singapore trip and am back in the Philippines for the final 2 days. A goat rope of course. So many last minute decisions. And it didn’t help I came down with a fever and a sore throat while I was there. Added stress of hoping the fever didn’t show up on a thermal scanner. But all was good. And flying Jet Star wasn’t bad. Changi airport really smooth to get through.

And the last 2 days in the Philippines. A whirlwind of stuff … The lawyer failed me and couldn’t get my will ready. Very aggravating. Silly woman. Now I will have to make a trip back to just do that.

I was a bag of nerves by the time I made it to the airport. The trip to Hong Kong was a bit of a chore, but the next morning, as I sat in the Executive Lounge at the Marriott, having a cup of coffee and looking out at the sunrise, I felt the burden lift. Not completely but I truly felt better. For the first time in weeks, no anxiety.

Bye for now and I hope to post a little sooner next month. The next step will me slimming down what I have now crammed into my condo in Pattaya. You can see the mess below. 😊