Like many other people, I have taken part in my share of moves over the years: moving in and out of the college dorms while in university, moving into my first apartment after college, moving on to Boston, then moving back to Texas. Of course, we cannot forget the relocation to Spain, then Germany and eventually into the flat where I have resided the last 12 years.
Additionally, I helped quite a few people over the years with their own moves. It's just what you do.
Upon arriving in Germany, I have continued to lend a helping hand (and back) whenever possible. A German girl I met while living in Spain called on me soon after I arrived in Frankfurt to seek my assistance for her move. At the time, she was living a few blocks away from me, but was going to move out of the WG (Wohngemeinschaft) and in with her fiance.
Though quite some years ago, I do remember showing up at her flat, only to find that she had not really started packing yet. On top of that, no one else had apparently shown up to help with the move. Fortunately, her father and brother did show up a little while later. However, that really just meant that more people were sitting around waiting for her to get her act together and get things sorted. This was a little awkward due to the fact that no one in her family spoke any English and my German was in the really early stages; basic "moving" vocabulary was still several months away from me.
In the end, we got Svenja moved, and I did actually feel helpful and productive.
A couple of years later, a group of rallied to help Nadja move from her WG to Bornheim. We had a better turn out of helpers, but Nadja had a lot of boxes of books. Heavy. But, again, we got it done.
Things went rather quiet on the relocation front for several years, until about 3 years ago, when my buddy Mono asked for some assistance in moving his office. I certainly said yes I will be glad to help, and on that particular Sunday morning, a group of about 6 of us all turned up to help move his gear. Mono is a graphic artist, so most of his office equipment was heavy and bulky. Fortunately, Mono planned things out really really well, so we actually got the van loaded quickly and efficiently.
Unloading was about the same; heavy but manageable. All of us helping out seemed to click and work really well together.
It really is all about the preparation. During that move a few years ago, we all commented on how well things went. Likewise, we all traded stories from previous experiences where the move did not go so well. Once we got Mono into his new office, we all sat around and celebrated with a few bottles of beer. As you do.
Alas, the shop owner where Mono had his office went out of business last year, so in August 2017, he
once again asked for assistance. This time, we would move from the shop to a studio in an office building in a town about 15 minutes drive from our neighborhood. 6 of us showed up that Sunday morning (Sundays are the best days for these kinds of operations, due to less traffic, etc) and were again pleased (but not surprised) that everything was prepared to be put in the moving van.
We efficiently and quickly got the van loaded, drove to the next town, and unloaded things without too much difficulty. True, we were all quite gratified to be able to use the loading elevator to get all of the bulky stuff up to the office. Again, things went really really smoothly.
Afterwards, we headed off to the kiosk for the post move beers; Mono shelled out for drinks as his way of saying thanks. As you do. (In fact, every time I have helped someone move in Germany, or the states, for that matter, the person was always grateful for the help and gladly bought us several rounds of drinks)
Unfortunately, not long after that move from August 2017, we found that the days Mono would be able to have his office in the next town were sort of numbered. We were not really sure when we would have to move him again, but we new the day would come.
And that day came four days ago.
Since I had done this twice already, there was certainly no doubt that Mono had made all the necessary preparations, making sure that everything was organized.
At 10am last Sunday, I met Mono and then was pleased when his brother-in-law showed up. The three of us drove to the office and met a fourth guy. We would be the primary guys doing the move, and we did not dilly dally. We jumped right on it and started shoving stuff in the freight elevator so as to get the truck loaded. Most of the things were pretty bulky, but we had two guys down on the dock, Mono shuttling in the elevator, and I was upstairs clearing the office.
We made some pretty decent time and by about close to noon we were closing the truck doors and headed back for Bornheim, making one small stop to re-shut the rear door.
True, it was really warm outside, and it was about to get warmer. From time to time, usually in the middle of situations exactly like this one, my father tends to quip, "Gee, I wish it would get hot..." which tended to bring a couple of grim smiles.
I refrained from making such a remark as we started unloading the truck in front of Mono's building. The task now was to get everything upstairs to his apartment.
On the fourth floor.
No. This time, there was no elevator.
And, for those readers not so familiar with how Europeans count the stories in a building, I will quickly explain that the ground floor is just that, on the ground level. Thus, the first story is really the second story. Thus, we had quite a few flights of steps between Mono's flat and the street level.
We actually all got a little frazzled for a few minutes as we tried to coordinate and plan the best attack. The facts were: all the stuff was heavy as shit, most of it was awkward to carry, and the two heaviest items were the LAST things that we would be bringing up stairs.
For a few minutes, we experimented on how best to bring things inside. Should we bring everything up to the first or second floor, then have a couple of the other guys bring it the rest of the way upstairs? Should we go from point A to B with every little item?
It was at the moment I considered making my father's quip that I had avoided a few minutes before. Luckily I saw the look on someone's face and decided to keep my mouth closed. We all knew we simply had to get things done.
Well, the sweat was pouring, and I quickly felt like I was running out of gas. The more stuff I carried, the more stuff there seemed to be, and things were just really starting to suck.
Still, we pushed on.
I decided to start hauling things all the way up to the top, and hoped I would not faint along the way. Everyone else was in the same boat as me, and none of us are particularly young anymore. As I left the flat to go back down for another load, I heard a few new voices in the stairwell. Connie and Tobi had arrived to help!
A little weeping for joy happened, and then the six of us continued to trudge up and down the flights of stairs to get Mono's gear inside his flat.
Jokes were few and far between, and despite the fact that Connie and Tobi were younger and fresher, they, too were quickly sweaty as all get out. Finally, we realized that we getting closer and closer to getting everything upstairs, so we took a couple of minutes to stand on the street for a break.
Smoke em if you got em.
I did.
Kind of wish I hadn't, since I was feeling like I had just been trapped on a runaway stair-master with an extra 50 kgs strapped to my back.
All of us were really dreading the final task; inside the truck were the two table tops, perfect for workstations for a graphic artist who needs to spread a lot of things out on the table. They are super sturdy and exceptionally heavy. We looked at them in the truck, then roused ourselves to make it happen.
These tops are about 1 meter x almost 2 meter. I already said they are heavy (maybe 50 kilos or so), but usually between two of us we could move them in and out of the moving van. Taking them up to the fourth floor of the building was going to be a different trick. For the first one, we actually did it with about 2 and 1/2 people, and almost regretted it. No one was looking forward to the second top.
This time round, we used three people, and almost did not make it, mostly because we were all just wrecked. In the end, we took it very very slowly (erm, there really was no other way) and paused on every half-landing. And finally we got it inside the flat.
With great relief, we all smiled wearily, looking and feeling very grubby and sweaty.
"Kiosk?" asked Mono, though it was really more of a directive than a question.
Mono, Connie, Tobi, and I all headed down the street to the kiosk and much needed refreshment. The other 2 guys headed off to get on with the rest of their day.
So, I stood around Sunday afternoon drinking a few beers, enjoying the sunshine and not least of all that the move was now complete. At least our part of it. Mono would have to get his set up organized and unpack his various boxes, but that was for another day.
Of course, Sunday afternoon was also the World Cup Final. France vs Croatia.
I was certainly going to watch the match, but was leaning towards home viewing, especially since I was really feeling the heat and physical exertion from the past 4 and half hours. (Wish it would get hot.) And that is exactly what I did. Feeling a bit loopy after 4 beers and no brekkie, I picked up some take-away Thai and headed home to my couch.
The food was delicious, and I elected to take a nap on my living room floor until the kick-off.
Here is where I will give my feedback on the overall tournament. It was so much better than I expected it to be. Sure, Germany and Spain crashed out way earlier than anyone expected, but some of the "smaller" teams did themselves proud, and there were plenty of enjoyable matches. Sure, I caught quite a few of them at the pub, but equally enjoyed watching a few of the games quietly from my own living room. Again, home office helps, as I was able to follow all the group stage matches which were going on during my afternoons.
What I particularly enjoyed this time round was trading messages with Pablo. He was watching a much as he could from the states, and we could catch up in the hangouts on various bits and pieces, never mind the exciting moments of the WC, including the use of VAR, surprise comebacks by the likes of Belgium, and certainly the endurance and drive of team Croatia. Cheers Pablo.
The following day, we once again met at the kiosk, and Mono and I discussed how it went. Both of us agreed that it did suck. (One of the other guys took the time to post on Facebook how much he hated friends that moved....only half intended as a joke, I imagine). Due to the multiple flights of stairs, I was really feeling my legs. Here, days later, I am not feeling like I need to do any squats or other training.
Those two table tops are still fresh memories, but hopefully, this will have been the last time that I need to actively participate in a move. Of course, if someone were to ask me for assistance with taking a large box of cotton balls downstairs, or if someone needed a couple of crates of stuffed animals relocated, I would consider it. However, I am really kind of inclined to say, "Nie wieder."
I am not saying it wasn't fun in it's sadistic sort of way, I am just saying, time for me to use my time doing other activities. Enjoying the summer, for example. Or visiting the new Thai restaurant that just opened up down the street.
see you out there
bryan
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