Packed Up. Ready to go?

After a wonderful past few days (including a very well-attended farewell party at Cottage Inn in Ann Arbor), the next stage hit me: actually leaving. Tomorrow. On the day before I leave, I've been running last-minute errands, trying to include everything I could possibly need in my luggage. Of course it's unlikely that I have everything I need, but at this point, it's time to stop fixating on it. I've packed and unpacked the bags a few times, trying to take several inventories and testing out the bags' capabilities. Now, I'm staring at the bags across from me. In only two bags, one a hiking backpack and the other an Earth Angels duffel bag (LLEA!), I have packed two years of my life.

So now I'll tell you what I'm bringing. I apologize in advance if you're not interested in what I'm bringing, but I plan to go into detail for the people who, like me, were searching desperately for advice on what to bring with them on their Peace Corps journey.



Luggage
-large hiking backpack (60L capacity)
-relatively large duffel bag (carry-on)

Camping Equipment
-small day pack
-hydra pack (the thingy with the straw that all those fancy hikers use. I'm excited for drinking water outta that!)
-sleeping bag
-sleeping mat
-backpack rain cover
-backpack duffel maker (to protect the straps when going through baggage claim)
-travel pillow
-packable throw blanket
-wind-up flashlight
-headlamp (requested and recommended by current volunteers and the Peace Corps itself)
-iron padlock
-travel alarm clock
-swiss army knife (with which I have already cut myself)
-spork/knife 3-in-1 combo utensil
-camper's toilet paper (thanks, Marie! Kinda.)
-small radio

Clothes
-rain jacket
-2 sweatshirts (repping U-M and Summer in the City)
-8 short-sleeved t-shirts
-3 short-sleeved collared shirts
-2 pairs of shorts
-swimtrunks
-4 pairs of pants: 2 khakis, 1 jeans, 1 linen
-2 athletic shorts
-8 pairs of socks
-7 pairs of underwear
-3 long-sleeved dress shirts
-5 undershirts
-5 handkerchiefs
-sweatband, armband, bandana (for both style and function)

School Supplies
-markers
-colored pencils
-crayons
-sharpies
-and much more... (I will stop there in order to maintain the appearance of sanity, but there's enough for a small and large pouch.)

Electronics
-digital camera
-Kindle
-iPod
-solar recharger
-battery recharger
-AA/AAA rechargeable batteries

Fun & Games
-deck of playing cards
-UNO
-Bananagrams
-The Giving Tree (my favorite book, which I plan to share with and give to my school)
-squid knit toy, named Chipirón


"Oh, hey."

Miscellaneous
-Glee Club flask
-legal pad and envelopes (for writing letters to my peeps. Thanks Anne!)
-4 composition notebooks
-small journal
-address book
-day planner
-passport/ travel "I'm a tourist, but I'm safe about my essentials" carrying case
-Panama Peace Corps Welcome Book
-world/Michigan/Metro-Detroit maps
-somewhat completed Peace Corps forms, immunization records, etc. (aka all the boring stuff)

It seems like a lot to me, but it ended up being well within the weight limit. So that's good. I'm glad about that. The clothes I'm wearing tomorrow are all set out, and my cell phone is set to be cancelled on January 12.

So, everything is ready to go, except for me...