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! ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment