The last time I posted, I wrote about what items I knew I'd take to China. I wrote about things that people had suggested and things that I knew I would want to have because I missed them when I moved to Europe. In my last blog, I had three suitcases almost packed. At that time, I had just learned that my new school suggested I NOT ship anything, but rather, take all of the items I wanted in extra checked luggage. Here I am just a little over a day out from moving, and I've got FOUR large suitcases packed and two small suitcases as well as a large tote. Actually, I think that I may have to run buy ONE MORE large case in exchange for a small one because I'm just shy of enough space to get all of my things packed.
Since I began packing my luggage a month ago, I thought it would be a good idea to unpack and go back through all the items in my suitcases so I'd know exactly what I'd been putting in there. I had been shopping several times to get more foodstuffs (grits, peanut butter, Mike & Ikes, Sour Patch Watermelon, mixed nuts, granola bars, etc), travel size toiletries to keep me fresh on the long flight, and books to stock up on English reading material. I went back through each suitcase and inventoried it so I'd know exactly what was there, but that was last week, and in the time since, I've just started shoving things wherever they'll fit without recording the items! It's not like me, and I'm sure I'll forget something because of these last minute additions without putting them down on paper, but I'm sort of at the point I just want to get there, and I don't care what else goes in the bags. It's overwhelming to look at each suitcase's long inventory, and I can't imagine having to take things out again to review. I bet my belongings wouldn't go back in if I tried that now!!
Because it is almost moving day, I thought I should also just quickly describe what life has been like for me this summer. To say it's been a breeze would be a lie. To tell you that my sole emotion is excitement would be neglecting to tell you the whole truth. I have had an unbelievable time with friends and family and am so very blessed to have been able to accomplish SOOO much in the past two months (lots of my Charleston Bucket List items), especially in the past two weeks, but I definitely have had a roller coaster of emotions.
Imagine this, you know you are leaving your friends and family and you know you want to spend every moment you possibly can with them, but you also have to pack your house to move (a place you've lived for ten years) and get all of your items ready to take with you overseas. You have to consider what is most important clothing wise and among your personal items, and decide what items you'll need for your job and your home because you know some things won't be available where you're going. With this in your head, you're trying to schedule every waking moment with the ones you love while constantly going over lists you've attempted to memorize. You get up on a Thursday morning to exercise, do laundry, run errands and buy last minute items, babysit, tutor, meet friends to paddle board and have a drink, then babysit again (this time for a baby who you secretly wish was your own so it's not actually babysitting because you're obsessed with the little man). You have no idea what day it is, but you know that whatever tomorrow is, you have a similar schedule, and you can hardly remember yesterday but you know it was just as packed, wait, was that yesterday or the day before?! Appointments, brunch with a friend, errands, dinner with another friend and a summer concert you're dying to attend for tomorrow. You put EVERY effort forward to say YES to EVERY person who asks to see you. You feel SO GUILTY for having to say to no to some things and not get to see a few people who really mean a lot to you. You feel even worse saying goodbye to those who you actually will see in the next few days. You cry every time you leave your mother although you know you'll see her tomorrow, but in the back of your mind, you also realize there will soon be days when you won't see her, and that breaks your heart. How can you love a person SO much...is it physically possible to love another human more?
This has been my life for the past two weeks. I'm getting little sleep, eating too much, exercising too little, packing constantly and running around like a mad woman between all of the appointments and errands. I'm crying a the drop of a hat so I've got swollen eyes on a regular basis now. I hardly have any voice at all. I'm loving every second with every person who thinks highly enough of me to see me, and I'm honored that SO many good friends took the time to be part of my going away party last night (thanks Cat and Chris for hosting), but I'm exhausted. I'm so tired I can't sleep. I have so much on my mind it never slows...even my dreams, when I do get to sleep and have them, are jammed packed full of crazy. I have one day left before I move to the other side of the world. This is the very last night I'll ever spend as a resident in a house that, as I explained to a friend earlier, lives and breaths to its own rhythm. This house is more than a home. It is its own being. It has protected me. It has comforted me. It's spoken to me. It's wrapped its arms around me and welcomed me home many a night and from many a travels. Knowing hat I'll never come back to this house and stay here as its occupant really saddens me. When I come home to Charleston, for the first time, I won't have my own place. I'll have family and friends, but I'll no longer have MY base. That's a hard realization.
Things are good in general, except that I just got tears on my Mac. I am so excited about this move, and after countless hours of prayer I am still confident this IS God's will. I know this is what He's planned for me, but that only makes it slightly easier. I'm still a girl leaving her friends and family and it's still a long ways away. God is good though, and I'm more fortunate than most because of the support system He's granted me, so as moving day approaches, even if there are tears (and there will be more), I'll hold my head high. I'm moving to China!!
Monday, July 28, 2014
Thursday, July 3, 2014
A Girl's Packing Guide-Preparing for China
When I accepted my job in Dongguan earlier this year, I immediately started reaching out to every person I could who had already made the move to China, or Asia in general. I spoke with friends, people who would be new colleagues, and even made posts on Facebook and Internations asking ANYONE and EVERYONE for suggestions. I was given some good information, but still felt very unsure of what to bring versus what not to bring.
I read a few good and helpful books, for example, Moon's Living Abroad in China and Fodor's Hong Kong, and I reviewed everything I could find online. They were all good resources, but still, I felt uneasy about deciding what to take.
I spoke to random people at bars if I overheard China come up in their conversation. I found every missionary in my church who had been or are currently living in China. I got lists of suggestions from everyone, and STILL, felt unsure. People had great advice, but more often than not, I got mixed suggestions.
The few things everyone could agree on for girls traveling to Asia were as follows:
1) TAKE ENOUGH TAMPONS TO LAST A FULL YEAR
2) TAKE ENOUGH DEODORANT TO LAST A FULL YEAR
How in the WORLD do you know how many TAMPONS TO USE IN A YEAR?!
Yesterday I went to Sam's and got my deodorant and tampons, along with toothpaste, razors, and face lotion. I think it's hilarious how I figured out how many tampons to take, and if I taught in an all girls' school, I'd for sure have them using the same problem solving technique. ;)
Mathematics in the real world:
Ok, I am light, so I use 3 tampons a day for 4 days max. If there are 12 months in a year and I have a cycle each month, I need (3 x 4) x 12 which comes to 144 tampons for the year. Then I saw in Sam's Club that their boxes of my brand come with 80 tampons, so I decided two boxes would be sufficient! 160 tampons for the year!
I got a thing of three deodorants because that's what the big pack came in and I may take one more to be safe. I purchased two large Oil of Olay face lotions, four Crest toothpastes, and a new razor with three refill packs of blades which came with four blades each...that should be plenty. Perhaps that's more than I need of some things, but I figured it's better to be safe than sorry.
I already bought my shampoo and conditioner (just one bottle of each because I figure I can find a salon to get refills when I arrive) and I've also already purchased a big bottle of Dove body wash along with a lotion and a sugar scrub made locally here in Charleston by Deep Steep...I wanted to take something from home.
Along with these items, I got two of my tinted moisturizers, three eye shadows, and two acne gels (just in case the humidity in China makes me break out) from Mary Kay. Then I got a cute new pack of emory boards and a new bottle of perfume. Many of the toiletries came from Marshall's to be honest because I found some great deals there...even on the Deep Steep products.
I still need to get Face wash, at least one new bottle, face powder and mascara. I'm also stocking up on q-tips because I remember not liking the quality of them in Ireland or Italy. I think I have enough floss, but that's also something that was hard to find in Italy, so I may get more just in case.
How to get it ALL there:
I forgot to mention that two days ago my boss told me that shipping had been a nightmare for people in the past, so he suggested using my $1,000 shipping stipend for checking extra luggage. I called Air Canada, with whom I'm flying, and they allow two carry-ons at 22 lbs each and two large suitcases at 50 lbs each FREE. They charge $225 for each suitcase after that, and those can be 70 lbs each. Because of this great news, I went to Marshall's yesterday and bought two new big, black, Samsonite suitcases. I wanted all my luggage to match, and it'd be nice if it were all Louis Vuitton or something, but hey, that's just not feasible!! My friend said I'd look like a Kardashian with all my bags...too bad I don't have an entourage to help me carry them all!!
At the moment, and I know I'll unpack and repack at least two more times, I've got three suitcases started with my personal items, toiletries, clothes, and school supplies. I managed to get several framed pictures including three wall frames wrapped in bubble wrap into my suitcases. Those three are important to me and one went to Ireland when I moved, so it's definitely going to China.
I know it's a work in progress, and I realize that I am by no means an expert in packing for China, but I'll do this blog in segments so we can all keep up with what's going into my bags and better yet, when I arrive in China and have lived there a little while, I'll make sure to post an updated "Girls's Guide to Packing for China" so the next couple of girls to go know exactly what to take! ;)
I read a few good and helpful books, for example, Moon's Living Abroad in China and Fodor's Hong Kong, and I reviewed everything I could find online. They were all good resources, but still, I felt uneasy about deciding what to take.
I spoke to random people at bars if I overheard China come up in their conversation. I found every missionary in my church who had been or are currently living in China. I got lists of suggestions from everyone, and STILL, felt unsure. People had great advice, but more often than not, I got mixed suggestions.
The few things everyone could agree on for girls traveling to Asia were as follows:
1) TAKE ENOUGH TAMPONS TO LAST A FULL YEAR
2) TAKE ENOUGH DEODORANT TO LAST A FULL YEAR
How in the WORLD do you know how many TAMPONS TO USE IN A YEAR?!
Yesterday I went to Sam's and got my deodorant and tampons, along with toothpaste, razors, and face lotion. I think it's hilarious how I figured out how many tampons to take, and if I taught in an all girls' school, I'd for sure have them using the same problem solving technique. ;)
Mathematics in the real world:
Ok, I am light, so I use 3 tampons a day for 4 days max. If there are 12 months in a year and I have a cycle each month, I need (3 x 4) x 12 which comes to 144 tampons for the year. Then I saw in Sam's Club that their boxes of my brand come with 80 tampons, so I decided two boxes would be sufficient! 160 tampons for the year!
I got a thing of three deodorants because that's what the big pack came in and I may take one more to be safe. I purchased two large Oil of Olay face lotions, four Crest toothpastes, and a new razor with three refill packs of blades which came with four blades each...that should be plenty. Perhaps that's more than I need of some things, but I figured it's better to be safe than sorry.
I already bought my shampoo and conditioner (just one bottle of each because I figure I can find a salon to get refills when I arrive) and I've also already purchased a big bottle of Dove body wash along with a lotion and a sugar scrub made locally here in Charleston by Deep Steep...I wanted to take something from home.
Along with these items, I got two of my tinted moisturizers, three eye shadows, and two acne gels (just in case the humidity in China makes me break out) from Mary Kay. Then I got a cute new pack of emory boards and a new bottle of perfume. Many of the toiletries came from Marshall's to be honest because I found some great deals there...even on the Deep Steep products.
I still need to get Face wash, at least one new bottle, face powder and mascara. I'm also stocking up on q-tips because I remember not liking the quality of them in Ireland or Italy. I think I have enough floss, but that's also something that was hard to find in Italy, so I may get more just in case.
How to get it ALL there:
I forgot to mention that two days ago my boss told me that shipping had been a nightmare for people in the past, so he suggested using my $1,000 shipping stipend for checking extra luggage. I called Air Canada, with whom I'm flying, and they allow two carry-ons at 22 lbs each and two large suitcases at 50 lbs each FREE. They charge $225 for each suitcase after that, and those can be 70 lbs each. Because of this great news, I went to Marshall's yesterday and bought two new big, black, Samsonite suitcases. I wanted all my luggage to match, and it'd be nice if it were all Louis Vuitton or something, but hey, that's just not feasible!! My friend said I'd look like a Kardashian with all my bags...too bad I don't have an entourage to help me carry them all!!
At the moment, and I know I'll unpack and repack at least two more times, I've got three suitcases started with my personal items, toiletries, clothes, and school supplies. I managed to get several framed pictures including three wall frames wrapped in bubble wrap into my suitcases. Those three are important to me and one went to Ireland when I moved, so it's definitely going to China.
I know it's a work in progress, and I realize that I am by no means an expert in packing for China, but I'll do this blog in segments so we can all keep up with what's going into my bags and better yet, when I arrive in China and have lived there a little while, I'll make sure to post an updated "Girls's Guide to Packing for China" so the next couple of girls to go know exactly what to take! ;)
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