Hello! As you may know, we are preparing for a move to Milan, Italy. This preparation experience has been long, as we accepted the job in June, 2024, and have tickets to fly across the pond in February, 2025. A process we hoped to last only three months is now seven.
Prior to this, we had been crashing with family while looking for new housing. We loved our old apartment, but rent was high and we wanted a change. We can’t forget to mention saving money on rent for a few months was nice too. We had a storage unit while living with family and looking for a new place.
A few months in, this opportunity to work and live in Milan for an undetermined amount of time came about, which we obviously accepted with much excitement. This move also changed our priorities and how we spent this transition period.
One of the first things we did was clear out the storage unit and sell as much of what we thought we didn’t need to bring and could replace when we returned. A multi-day garage sale with the help of friends and family was very helpful (shoutout to those who helped with that, you know who you are). Some family generously offered their somewhat empty basement to store what we didn’t want to sell.
We had a few going away parties, probably a little premature, two in July and one in October (we aren’t moving until February), but we were convinced we were moving in September, so it made sense at the time.
The immigration process requires two trips to the Italian Consulate in Chicago, one trip in October, another in January. After the final appointment, if everything is approved, we are cleared to move.
Temporary housing awaits us in Milan. We are not sure exactly where we will live, what it will be furnished with, nor how big the space will be. We are excited to see what life will look like when we get there.
Stay tuned for future posts and join us on this journey.
– The Hills
