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When L. asked me what I was packing, an unassuming, innocent, reasonably curious question, I found myself unable to answer.
“I…I can’t talk about it right now…” I had said. We were down by the shore in Avalon, NJ. staying at C.’s family’s beach house; it was my last weekend before beginning the trip, and while mostly calm and relaxed in the days leading up to my departure, I wasn’t without periods of stress, anxiety, and doubt. Lounging around with my friends, sipping wine and indulging in a butterfat cheese spread from Murray’s, I was glad to be away from the city and spending quality time with close friends. And I was happy to talk details about the trip. Most of the time.
The previous week I’d been in Buffalo and had soaked up as much of my sister as possible in the few days we had together–her back from China, me nearly off to South America. Because Stephanie had done something similar last year, being in her presence was an endless source of comfort. My last few days were relatively stress-free, until it came to the unavoidable packing issue.
How *does* one pack for a year? Better question: how does one pack for a year of seasons?
Reasearching (read: googling) travel advice, I stumbled upon a couple of decent packing lists, and from those and my own prior backpacking experience, I faced the task ahead. Here’s what made the cut:
Clothing:
5 J. Crew ribbed tank tops (I live in these, and they’re great for layering.)
1 skirt
2 dresses (one that works for colder weather)
1 bikini (I’m planning on buying a Brazilian bikini because, apparently, that’s the only way to beach it down here.)
two pairs of flip-flops (one leather, OluKai, one non-leather, Merrell, which can double as a shower shoe when I’m staying in hostels that have community bathrooms)
sneakers
everyday shoes for walking, hiking, etc
favorite jeans
Patagonia rain jacket (the hood that doesn’t want to stay put is a source of frustration)
20+ pairs of underwear
2 bras
1 sports bra
running shorts
long-sleeve dry fit running shirt
2 pairs cotton shorts
leggings for running and cold-weather sleeping, if necessary
khaki-type pants
4 T-shirts
3 sweaters: 1 light wool, 1 heavy wool, 1 cotton
hoody fleece
black comfy pants
beach cover-up
1 cute/sexy halter top (already I fear I’ve not packed enough going-out attire)
scarf that doubles as light blanket or hair towel if absolutely necessary
several pairs of socks
absorbant towel
lounge/sleep pants and T-shirt
long-sleeve shirt, good for layering
sleep shorts
2 hair scarves
2 hats: one light weather, one wool
Personal Care Items:
Suave 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner
Blistex DCT
earplugs, several pairs
Venus razor cartridges (I forgot the actual Venus razor, but I reckon I can still shave my legs using just the razor portion.)
toilet tissue
Nars The Multiple (Thanks a mil, C., for lightening my make-up load significantly!)
Dove soap, several bars
toothbrush (I have serious misgivings about leaving my electric toothbrush behind as my whites haven’t seen a cavity since I started with the Oral B spin brush many years ago.)
dental floss
tampons
mascara
loose powder
body lotion
eye mask for sleeping
suncreen, 30 SPF
insect repellent with DEET
tweezers
q-tips
night cream for face
daily facial moisturizer
1 lipgloss
Medications:
Dramamine
Immodium
Pepto Bismal (I have a stomach of steel, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.)
Malarone (anti-malaria pills)
Aleve
Tylenol
Neosporin
Antibiotics: Cipro, Doxycycline
Clear Eyes (not sure why I bought this)
Diflucan (not interested in being caught in a foreign country without this)
heartburn medication
Alka-Seltzer
vitamins (is this in the right category?)
Other:
Steripen (Thank you Rachel, Aunt Carol, Mom and Dad!)
cameras: Panasonic Lumix FX 37, Pentax N73 digital SLR
batteries
zip drive
extra memory cards for cameras
Sony Vaio laptop
Skype headset
REI headlamp (a supposed necessity for long bus trips)
Books:
Lonely Planet’s South America on Shoestring
Joseph J. Keenan’s Breaking out of Beginner’s Spanish
Richard Ford’s Women with Men
Paul Beatty’s White Boy Shuffle
(I’m counting on book exchange places to keep a new book in circulation always.)
I figure I will end up chucking a few things as necessary. As it is right now, what I’ve listed fills my large backpack, my day-pack and another over-the-shoulder bag. My friend Denise drove me to the airport yesterday, and I was fortunate to have a ride today as well, so I haven’t had to do much walking with all of my stuff just yet, but I’m not sure how much weight my back can handle carrying if I have a lot of ground to cover.
Although I’ve always managed to keep dates and appointments in my mental memory, I’ve a penchant for keeping hand-written to do lists. Like others I know, I derive a certain satisfaction from crossing things off of my list, but it is also in the writing of the list itself that I find a release. Er, usually.
With less than a week remaining before my flight to Brazil, I face a daunting list, most of which must be considered before I head back to Brooklyn on Thursday night.
In no exact order, copied from my white notebook, here’s what I’ve got going on at the moment:
-Renew driver’s license
-Triple A for Amex traveler’s checks
-Call accountant
-Cancel Netflix
-Call Paula
-Birthday card for Jane
-other cards to people
-paperwork in order for parents
-Call Bank of America cust. service to notify of travels
-Notify non-facebook people of blog
-Haircut, 11 AM Tues.
-Flickr photo caption
-Thank-you cards to Aunt Paula & Uncle Steve and Aunt Sharon
-Gift for Caswell
-Start tagging
-Start commenting
-Find place to stay in Sao Paolo
-Reply Carolyn
-laundry
-iron linen pants
-Apt. deposit $??
-Show Steph how to use Sprint Instinct
-Print power of attorney forms; have forms signed and notarized
-Go over budget one more time
-Have everyone’s addresses in gmail?
-Father’s day gift??
-Pick up last paychecks
-Bill Bob; call Bob
-e-mail brother password info
-ask L if ok to give out phone number to friends for wknd of 12th
-Buy ski lock for backpack
-too late to buy water tablet things—ask R.
-self-defense pointers from Aunt C.
-look up time of flight on Thurs.
-unsubscribe from annoying e-mail lists
-inventory list (i.e. where my things are)
-change FB profile stuff, add some party and fam photos
-Buy one more SD card?
-Run or do yoga or walk dogs
-update couchsurfing profile
-second gmail address for blog
-comment on comments or thank people for commenting?
-Word doc of passwords
-more blog postings (e.g. packing list, Agent Greg)
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