3 Weeks Ago...

I left the US exactly 3 weeks ago. Many friends asked me, "how do you pack for 6 months?" It was difficult, and yes, I did a lot of it last minute. So for those of you wondering how I got my stuff over here, I thought I'd show you some pictures of my packing experience. And you better enjoy it, because it took me a really long time to upload them!

 This is all my stuff- books, journals, clothes, a 6 month supply of contacts and solution, and other really important things that help make being overseas a bit more like home. My clothes consisted of a little of everything- shorts and t-shirts because of the hot weather, and pants, skirts, and long sleeves because whenever I go out, I have to basically be covered from wrist to ankle. And all of this needed to be packed into two check-ons (weighing under 50lbs), a carry-on, and a purse!

 Here's a better picture- things were strewn all over the living room. Good thing this was about midnight so no one else was trying to do things in there, right? I knew packing last minute had its advantages!

A while later, almost everything has a place. Except for the coco puffs.

Are they really neccesarry? Yes.

Why?

1. Cereal is my favorite food. Nothing beats a bowl of this vitamin and mineral enhanced sugar in a bowl of milk.

2. It's not easy to find cereal of any sort in Africa, and what is here is uber expensive. (seriously-as in add a buck or two to what you pay for the largest size at King Soopers and that's what you could pay here for a little bitty tiny box!)

3. I'm counting on this to keep me from a complete breakdown when I culture shock.

So yes, I had to find a place for them, no matter what!



SUCCESS!!! The suitcase weighed 48lbs, just barely under the limit!



And here's a picture for the sake of my mom- this is how her living room normally looks when I haven't destroyed it . And, this is how I left it at about 1pm that evening- I still had 5 hours left to sleep!



And that is how you pack for 6 months. I did a good job too! The only thing that I noticed I missed was nail clippers- oh well, I think I should be able to find some here, and if not, I'm an expert nail biter anyways!