1 week to move to Costa Rica checklist

So I'm down to the final stretch. One more week until I fly away to Costa Rica. Well I booked my ticket two weeks in advance and now a week later I am realizing I've got a lot to think about. Its not like I've never randomly decided to move to some far away country without notice or preparation. I've got experience waiting until last minute, that's what I do best, but now I'm down to one week and I'm ignoring what needs to be done. Packing up your life, preparing to start a new one and leaving behind the old is stressful. Its inevitable to forget something and make mistakes. The first foot forward is the hardest, so I try to tell myself everything will be fine.

I decided to make a checklist-how to pack to move to a foreign country-for a year-in one week.
 
What needs to be done before you move? I looked it up on Google because it is another step in procrastinating: "how to prepare to move in one week". I found lists about emptying out your hoses, filling medications for the next two weeks and defrost my fridge. Well thats not the best advice for me since I'm living at my dads and he won't be happy if I empty the fridge. Well maybe I should get rid of the kimchi and squid, I dont think he will eat it...
 
So these internet lists werent very helpful in my situation. I decided to make my own how to pack everything you need to live abroad for a year and prepare to move in one week checklist.

Things to think about before moving in one week...to a foreign country:

*look up weather to pack accordingly (which doesn't matter if you end up moving to a different country and climate and need your dad to send you the clothes you didn't pack anyway)

*pack everything you think you'll need and then unpack and take things out you think you won't really need (over and over again until you get most of the crap that you will never actually use out-but still end up with lots of unnecessary stuff and missing the things you really wanted to bring)

*don't pack stuff you can buy when your there (because you can buy almost anything, anywhere; except for tampons, those are tough to find)

*key is to pack light (kind of hard to do when you'll be living in another place for a year...)

*make sure you have a job and place to live

*have extra money saved-you will spend more than you think

*check the visa and tourist requirements (don't listen to friends when they tell you to ignore the laws and end up having to pay for a $1500 return ticket before being allowed to get on the plane-but do ask for a fully refundable ticket and cancel it the next day if you do get stuck in a situation like this)

*try to familiarize yourself with the language (I borrowed Rosetta Stone and wrote down lyrics to Spanish pop songs, but to no avail I arrived to San Jose unable to understand or communicate. Its funny looking back on it, but difficult when your stuck in a situation!)

*clean up the mess of stuff you are leaving behind

Do not:

*get drunk and stay up all night before your 5am flight and show up to the airport still drunk

*arrive to the new country with no way of contacting the person picking you up

*stay longer in the designated country and run out of money

*get in a fight with the person who gave you a place to sleep and work and get kicked out

*continue to work and not get paid for it

After the move is said and done, it takes some time to get used to a new home. It usually takes me two months to feel situated and in somewhat of a routine. Open your mind to differences in people, food, culture and religion. Traveling is a challenge, but worth the move. Once you get to your destination, the hard part is leaving again...

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