Things That I Am
Sad I Forgot:
When I am traveling solo or on a
budget (so, always), it is unnecessary to go out to eat, but a girl’s gotta
eat. Markets and grocery stores provide a nice opportunity to experience local
flavors (it is actually quite fun to peruse a foreign grocery store) and it is
the most affordable option for long-term travel. I first bought this handy
utensil (about $2) for my trip to Europe with Ami to make our eating on the
road a bit easier. Unfortunately I had packed both hers and mine in my bag
which was lost thanks to the airline. Luckily my bag reappeared magically on my
mother’s doorstep unannounced and I was able to finally retrieve and use my
handy gadget on future trips. The small, lightweight, and durable plastic ended
up being handy for everyday use for my lunches at school; it never left my
backpack for three years. Last year while in France I managed to snap it in
half while scooping peanut butter (I am not sure exactly how beyond that).
Well, I am back in France with my peanut butter but do not have my handy
utensil. A fork and knife on one end, a spoon on the other, and an easy to hold
curved handle. How I miss you.
2. Washcloths
You might be thinking, gross,
how is she getting clean. I have a scrubby cloth thing that my soap is in,
gross I am not. A washcloth though can prove handy for various purposes. Last
year I used a washcloth as a clean surface on which to place cups or fruit
after washing them, and another for either giving my face a quick scrub or for
cleaning up messes in my room. Not essential for some, but I am missing mine
today. As I noted in my last post though, this is one of those things I could
easily buy if I truly cannot live without it.
3. Clothes…!
Seriously, WTF was I thinking
for this trip. I packed clothes and even made sure I stuck with the same colors
to make it easier to mix-and-match/coordinate, but I feel like I really failed
this time. I was definitely distracted. It is also difficult to pack when you
have museum research, tourism time, excavation dirt, and
lounge-around-in-the-evening time to consider. Also with the amount of equipment
I had to bring, I had so little room for clothes it was a bit frustrating. I
suppose it might be one of those rare trips where I actually buy some clothes
here because two t-shirts is not going to cut it for 2 months.
4. My Updated I-pod
Yes, my I-pod is here, but for
whatever reason, it did not update and add all the great TED Talk Videos I
downloaded right before I came. As I do not have I-Tunes on my mini-computer I
am without. Sad.
Things That Have
Already Broke
1. My USB External Mouse
While not essential, it would
have made some activities on this trip a lot easier than the tiny touch pad on
my tiny netbook.
2. The Scale
I needed to bring a scale to
weigh some ancient coins. Alas, I plugged her in and she said ‘no’. I am
scrambling to figure out another alternative, but nothing has come up so far.
(On the Upside!) Things
I Am Thankful to Have With Me
While this pack was a hefty
investment (even at 30% off like I snagged it), it is really quite worth it. As
far as looks go, it is a big awkward and big/bulky. As far as convenience and
ease of travel, it is a winner; totally worth hunting down the UPS driver to
make sure I got my bag before I left (it’s a long story). Anyway, this bag is
great because it is a duffel-style (easy to access everything), a rolling
suitcase, but it also has the option to convert to a backpack when the terrain
gets rough! In addition to the main bag, there is a detachable daypack that
zips on to the front providing extra storage and ultimately, one less bag to
pack!
I’ll try to limit details here.
I never used these before but razors are one of my mother’s classic stocking
stuffers at Christmas. This year she stepped it up with these fancy ones. At
first, I was thinking, “Hmmm… I never use anything so fancy, and I only use
shaving cream if I’m shaving in the sink… I guess I’ll give ‘em a shot since
they were free and all…” Well, I can totally live without these fancy ones at
home, but for travel, they are great. The showers at the school where I stay
for research and excavations are push-button timed making it nearly impossible
to shave in the shower. I typically did it in the sink last year which resulted
in lots of cuts. BUT THIS YEAR, I can shave cut-free with the fancy
cream-included razors. For those of you that always use shaving cream, you
might want to consider this alternative since it would be one less
liquid/bottle to pack. Thanks Mom!
3. JIF Peanut Butter
Everyone laughs, but I have been
packing a jar of peanut butter since I started traveling abroad. It is one of
those rare things that is difficult to find in the form we know and love in the
States. Apparently you can find Skippy in Paris, but I have always been a JIF
girl. It is perfect for breakfast, for snacking, or when you just need a taste
of home.
Ok, I am off to Dijon tomorrow to see some good friends. I will start actually discussing my travels instead of my packing issues soon! Have a good weekend all! :)
1 comment:
My father says, "Man cannot live by bread alone. He must have peanut butter." When I lived in Spain we had to make a looooong trip to the US Navy base at Rota to get peanut butter, and then everyone gathered around the kitchen table with spoons and we gorged ourselves. (The other thing we could never find in Spain was yellow mustard.) In Peru, we found peanut butter was a very necessary source of extra protein and fat (we were always starving because we were at 12,000 ft and digging 10 hours a day). Incidentally, now that I make almost all of my own cleaning and grooming products, I find I can get by (at home or away) with nothing but baking soda and vinegar, which, fortunately, are easier to obtain abroad than peanut butter and yellow mustard. Hope you're having a great time in France!
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