How do you eat an elephant? You start by taking a bite. Such was our move strategy when packing. Just do it. So we packed bit by bit over a week, in between meals, cat naps, nights on the town. And when the movers arrived Friday morning everything was mostly packed into plastic bins and plastic bags.

There were three movers and three supervisors. Yang supervised from inside the condo and our ayi and I took turns supervising the elevator area and the truck area outside. We don't have anything super valuable but it would still be a bummer to have stuff stolen, so we stood and watched as the workers lifted, carried, and placed. We also had to supervise as our apartment security guard would occasionally hassle the movers for no apparent reason. On time they asked them to keep a man at the truck at all times so that it could be moved even though they clearly left enough space.

Having helpers used to make me feel very guilty. That the laborer career path is/was just narrow alley I happened not to wander into. No lower, no higher value than the path I am on. But at some point I got used to paying people for services. To be fair to myself I don't value my boss's boss at work any higher than the man who carried our washing machine on his back on Friday. Well, at least the mover can do something I can't do.

The truck was a bit narrow, a city moving truck, a long way from uhaul. After a couple of hours they had loaded up the truck and headed over to Lido, where our new apartment is. We drove over in our buzz box, Yang and I with the Ayi and one mover. I could see the mover in the mirror. Young, not terribly expressive, not as uncomfortable as I thought he might be.

The unpacking went a lot faster because the movers called some buddy movers and we now had seven workers. One group of movers could load up an elevator full of stuff and by the time the other group had it unloaded into the apartment, the next elevator load was ready. They did not even charge extra for the extra workers. The whole move, including one more stop, ended up costing us less than 800 kuai (about $115 USD).

Over the next couple of days we unpacked. Aidan and Lydia seemed really happy in their new surroundings, enjoying the extra space, especially in the living room were we've opted to keep the area open. Over the next week, as I went to a mandatory residential training class, Yang got the house in order and made it a home. I sit here, typing this now, with listening to the murmurs of the city life below, the red neon sign of the bazaar next door having just switched off, two little ones sleeping with a third on the way, thinking life is pretty good.