Zurich - Preparing to Leave My Flat

Bye, Bye, Dear Flat!

I managed to get rid of all my furniture, but somehow disposing of all the small stuff can sometimes be the most problematic. This isn’t helped by my reluctance to throw things away.

It’s at times like this that you realize just how odd some of your behaviors can be. I thought I’d been quite restrained over the last few years, but somehow I ended up with a huge plastic bag full of shampoos, conditioners, soaps, creams, body lotions, shower gels etc that I’d received either as free giveaways or had taken from hotels. Faced with them all en masse, it suddenly seemed bizarre. And it seemed even more bizarre that I should now be packing them when my space was so limited, as I can easily buy these items in Egypt. However, it seemed really stupid to end up throwing away items that I’d diligently taken from hotel rooms. So, I packed them, while thinking I was a little bit nuts as I did so.

I’d also developed a bizarre attachment to the free towel I’d received for completing the Sempachersee crossing earlier in the summer. It was a little smaller than the towels I usually take swimming and so made packing my rucksack to go swimming less of a hassle and this had caused me to get quite fond of it. However, I have plenty of towels in Egypt and I was storing 4 matching towels from Switzerland in case I set up a flat in Edinburgh as a holiday let, so I really didn’t need that Sempachersee one at all. But it was an enormous struggle to let go of it. I kept on telling myself it was only a towel, but my heart just couldn't understand.

I completely overestimated how much I could fit into my suitcases and was continually packing and unpacking. Fortunately, my Bosnian neighbor from upstairs wandered in each day to have a look at how I was getting on and each time she’d take loads of things away with her. It was a bit unpredictable as to what she’d take. She was happy to take any fabrics (which were currently going to recycling anyway), but she had no interest in a very nice picnic basket that I had, complete with contents. Nor did she have any interest in the plates that I tried hard to take with me to Egypt, but just couldn't fit them in, not even into my storage bags. I dithered for ages about whether I should offer my toilet brush and holder (ugh!), which was only a month old but I had to buy it as the other one broke. In the end, she asked if she could take it, which saved me the embarrassment.

I have kept my curtains as they are expensive to buy and I may need them if I want to do a holiday let, but they were very bulky. I could even put them up in Egypt. I’d also bought myself some Nescafe when it had been on special offer to take back with me, which, by the time I came to pack, I rather wish I hadn’t done. Having said that, I’m drinking it now and am grateful to have spared myself the cost for another few weeks since expenditure on first returning is always a bit scary! 

I can't remember what it was now, but there was another thing that I was struggling to let go of, and the Bosnian neighbour also didn't want it. She said, very matter-of-factly, that I should just throw it out and somehow that really helped.

From previous experience, I already knew that sorting out my papers takes a long time, so I'd done that some time back; this was one thing that wasn't a problem this time round, apart from finding the room to pack them (but at least I knew it was all essential stuff).

One day, someone rang my doorbell. I was expecting it to be my Bosnian neighbor, but it was actually someone who had come to one of the flat viewings who wanted to know if my flat had been rented yet! I was completely shocked and told him that the agents hadn’t managed to find a tenant. We both stood and moaned about this; he was annoyed because he could pay and really wanted the flat; I was silently thinking that if they’d let him have the flat, he could have taken some of my stuff off me and spared me the cost of having all my electric lights shut off. I really don’t know what the agency is doing!

In the end, I managed to choose what to fit in my suitcases and I ended up having to give 2 bags and a fold-up chair to Lena to store for me. Everything else had to be thrown out, although around 95% of it was taken by my Bosnian neighbor, so at least it was going to be used or recycled. I was completely exhausted by the end of it.

For my final 6 days in Switzerland, I was moving into a studio flat, so that will be next week’s topic!