Packing for 2 years!

When I packed for college the first time, I could put everything I owned in my car, and come back the next weekend for other things, if I wanted. Going to Boston required a bit more selectivity, but I could still have my parents mail things left behind. Packing for two years in a place I've never been to, under conditions I'm not used to, proved to be a bit more challenging. Overshadowing the packing process is, of course, the greater question of, CAN I DO IT? Can I take what I have -- both the items that I have delicately and deliberately placed in my two bags and my experiences, beliefs, and goals -- and move to a new country, work on a project with which I have no real tangible experience, positively impact a community, AND be happy? Just typing that was exhausting! Yet despite my nervousness and anxiousness, I am very excited and will definitely get on that plane on Sunday.

For anyone interested, here's what I'm taking:

• 5 tank tops, 5 shirts (I'm planning on buying more clothes when I get there)


• 3 skirts, 3 khakis, 1 pair jeans


• 1 long-sleeved shirt, 1 sweatshirt, 1 light-weight sweater


• Sleepwear


• 2 swimsuits


• A hat and bandannas


• LOTS of underwear and bras


• Shoes: 2 pairs sandals (Chacos and old Rainbows that I finally broke-in), 1 pair running shoes, 1 pair nice shoes


• Transistor AM/FM radio, with light


• Set of portable non-stick pots


• Small set of Tupperware and 2 Nalgene bottles


• Lantern


• Flashlights (1 mag light, 1 solar, 1 beautiful headlamp)


• Duct tape


• Scissors


• Games: Uno, cards, Scrabble


• iPod with charger


• Digital Camera and Lomo (film)


• Flash drive


• Towel


• Fitted and flat sheet


• Pillow


• Photo album


• Several books


• Several journals, pens, envelopes, US stamps

Now that I type it out, my list isn't very exciting... I wonder what things I wish I had brought and what I wish I had left at home!

At this point, the only thing I can focus on is still packing, re-packing, doing the little things that need to be done before I leave, because it really is hard for me to believe I'll be LIVING in another country for 2 years. (It still seems like such a long time!) I still need to remember to call friends, too, but a part of me still doesn't believe I'm actually leaving...