So much ago..and a new apartment!

We were talking about when we made our decision to pursue moving to Prague.  It was late January of this year.  Funny, we said it seemed so long ago,  but actually it wasn't.  Brian said, "It was just so much ago!"  We have done many things in a short amount of time and things have been in a whirlwind.  Now we're just along for the ride!

Our relocation agent, Dana, sent us some ideas for apartments.  We felt really good about the first offer she sent, but wanted to take our time.  We put the first offer on google maps and discovered it was across the street from a large park.  It appeared to be a great location, was furnished, affordable, sunny, and has a balcony.  After a couple of days talking in circles, we decided we should just get it.  Might as well be spontaneous, right? 

An overseas wire transfer is another thing.  Since we needed to put a deposit down to hold the property, we tried for an entire day to translate and obtain the information we needed from the Czech bank.  FYI, IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number and you will need a Swift code as well.  Whew!

Here is the link to our new apartment:
http://www.homesweethome.cz/en/long-term-apartment-rentals/L23795-prague-2---vinohrady-gorgeous-cozy-apartment-2-1-for-rent-slezska-street-balcony-87-sqm/

Just for fun!

Check out the photo page, I've uploaded some photos of the House on Warbler Street.  It was a wonderful home for many years, thank you to all who shared it with us!

http://livingoffthewall.shutterfly.com/

And the Winner is...

PRAGUE!  

Unfortunately (or not?) the job offer in New Zealand could not happen.  Everyone included was disappointed, but their government is strict  and the center would not receive the funding it deserved if they offered me the job.  Talk about RED TAPE!

We are very excited and finishing up our final plans.  We have spent the last few days clearing out the house, putting out trash, and tying up loose ends.  Today we scheduled disconnection for our utilities and car/house insurance.  We also secured a PO Box online and picked up the keys.  For now, all that is left is 2 pieces of furniture!  Unbelievable!

 Oh yeah, don't forget this:  British Airways flight attendants are on strike.  Guess what airline we are flying???

3/12/10 - Sold the car!

Note to self:  be sure to have immediate back up plan when car sells after 10 minutes of being listed.

We are surprised but very pleased to have sold the car so quickly.  Our back up plan was borrowing Brian's mom's car.  She is a flight attendant and not always in town.  However, she is of course in town and needs her car!  We found a rental car, very few right now due to spring training.  They were nice enough to charge us the inflated price for spring training as well.  Aww...so nice.

We are set with Nancy's car now, whew.  A big thank you to our friends Cindy and Kristina who offered to help and rearranged their schedule to accommodate even when we ended up working it out.  You're great!

Prague Apartment - fixed

Hi all!  We just fixed the apartment link, check it out!

http://www.rezidenceostrovni.cz/apartman-c-3

3/10/10 - New Developments...

We have been MIA for a while, let us tell you why:

So...just when you make a decision, the tables are turned.  This week Dena was presented with a job interview over Skype (Dena's new favorite thing).  Catch - the job is in New Zealand.  Remember the blog that said we were going to wait out the permanent residency there?  Yeah.

The job is for an Early Childhood Centre in Wellington, the capital city.  This is good because there is more likelihood Brian can find a job, as opposed to living in a rural town.  We have spent the last week waiting on government "processes" to assess Dena's qualifications.  The job offer is pending on this.

So, our plans may drastically change since a work permit is like a free ticket into the country and to the path of permanent residency.  All this 2 1/2 weeks before Prague departure....can you say STRESSED??!!