Job Discussion Forums

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

On another forum, I`ve had a serious discussion concerning storage of one`s belongings while away in another country. I was taken to task for imposing on my own family for storing about 1/2 closet of goods in a brother`s basement. I continued the discussion with the other poster but have concluded there is no way to change his mind on the matter and wondered what other expatriates have done in the same situation. How many of you living here in Mexico have goods in storage facilities that you pay rent for back in your home countries, and how many of you have belongings at relatives`homes? For those of you who have been here more than five years, I imagine that you have removed all your personal belongings to MX by now, but am I right to asume that for those of you who have been here for less than two years, you have left some goods back home?

What, if any complications have you experienced in storing in a rental facility or with your relatives. Were your parents happy about offering space in a spare bedroom? What are your stories on this matter?

dixie · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 644 Location: D.F

Everything is at my parents house. They don�t really mind, and certainly wouldn�t force me to move it to a rental facility. Most of what I have I am slowly bringing down, one plane trip at a time. Someday I will have all that I want here, and the rest will be sold/given away/thrown out. Until then, it stays with mom & dad.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

I have a few boxes of stuff in my parents' attic. I'd be interested to know what the other poster's issues were; maybe he doesn't have a good relationship with his family?

bdbarnett1 · Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:38 am Post subject:

We're preparing to move to Chile, and all our things will be in a small storage building on my in-laws' property. It was their idea. We're getting rid of everything else, though.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

MELEE · Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:08 pm Post subject:

My parent's still have a bedroom set up for me at their house. Laughing

It doubles as a guest room, half the drawers and closet space are empty for guests to use the other half have "my stuff" in them. But I honestly don't remember what's there...

hlamb · Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Canada

I only planned to be here a year (almost three now!) so I didn't bring much with me. I have collected a bit here and am now slowly getting visitors to take it home for me, since I won't be here forever. The little that I have in Canada is in my parents' basement and they're happy to do that for me. Right now they're using my computer and printer since theirs crashed.

Oreen Scott · Joined: 11 Jan 2008 Posts: 179 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico

I don't have family that could keep things for me.

I'm paying a friend $600/annum to keep a few boxes of stuff and I also want to maintain a Canadian address. I'm thinking I will rent a room. He's thinking I'm not paying enough to be entitled to an entire room.

I think if I had family who could keep stuff for me I would still give whoever that family member was $600/annum. It's what I've budgeted and I feel it's fair as long as my friend has plenty of extra space, which he does.

bdbarnett1 · Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:57 am Post subject:

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

You`ve hit the nail on the proberbial head when you mention that the relationship is not the best. In my parents case, each of us 4 sons personal effects have been removed from the original home as my mother has forbidden any remains to stay in her adobe, and that was from the first year I left. My brothers were also served notice that personals were not welcome. (I am the oldest)

One younger brother has a hope chest of his most personal effects that he has lugged repeatedly from state to state as he has moved from Connecticut to Boston to Mexico City to Boston to Connecticut to Mexico City to Michigan to Massachusetts to Arizona to Florida and finally Baltimore where he is at the present. The time span on those moves is from 1975 to the present.

I always wondered whether it was the usual practice for parents to refuse storage facilities and always assumed that most did not. Now I am beginning to realize that most parents do not mind particularly about storing personals. The issue came to the fore when I put my foot down and badgered my Mom about storing books in her basement but I have received considerable hostility on that account. I am the only son who has ever stored anything after leaving home and I believe it`s only on account of my moving to Mexico, one of her favorite travel destinations that she has relented at all. I am curious if there is anyone else out there who has received likewise considerable resistance to such plans.

I have one friend in Merida who teaches English who is in his early 60`s and still has some personals back in the states with his mom. Yes, Guy, you know of whom I am speaking. I don`t believe this should be an issue for anyone.

MO39 · Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:11 pm Post subject:

At the age of 62, I still have stuff (mostly books) stored on the second (mostly unused) floor of my parents' house back in Pennsylvania. For the most part, they don't mind, but when my father gets annoyed about something I've done, he'll complain that the weight of my library could cause the ceiling to cave in!

MELEE · Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:43 pm Post subject:

geaaronson,

I think, no matter what the age of the person, you are in an unsual position. Most parents of grown children I know have belongings of those children in their homes--no matter where the child lives (abroad, across country or across town).

My parents have moved house twice since I left home and they moved and set up "my room" each time--and I've never asked them to do so. They actually moved into a larger house each time. I imagine most people move into a smaller place when they retire, in which case I think the children should collect or get rid of the stuff. I haven't been to their house in more than 5 years. So like I said, I hardly even remember what is there. During my first five years in Mexico each trip home ment I brought more stuff down here with me, mostly books and clothes as I never had any furniture or the like stored, I sold that all when I left for Ecuador a couple of months after graduating from university.

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Ermmmmmmm...........

I don't keep stuff at my dad's house because my wicked step-mother would probably not allow it, nor do I want my stuff there as it would make me feel obligated to be in touch with them regularly. After having a fairly dysfunctional relationship with my mum for the first 30 years of my life, we get on ok now, and she is my power of attorney, and has 2 document boxes full of horrible tax papers in her cupboard in the spare room. She's made it pretty clear that I can't keep any more than that at her place, but she has no room.

I have two lovely friends who demanded to be allowed to look after my stuff (one travel trunk, two boxes) in their house, to guarantee that I would stay in touch with them. I thought it was really sweet, eventhough I had full intentions to keep them in my life even if I am so far away. They've even just had their first baby, and could probably do with the cupboard space, but still insist on looking after my old photos and records.

That said, I miss my records at the moment, and am thinking of going home to get them, or to at least get them digitised somehow..

Phil_K · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 2041 Location: A World of my Own

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia