Saturday, February 2, 2013
So what exactly does one pack for a 12 week internship in the middle of winter? A limited color spectrum and cardigans. Lots of cardigans. This is essentially advocating layering, but for grownups. When I was living in Scotland six years ago I layered with hoodies. But now I am an adult and need to show up to work where the locals are dressed nicely, and the foreigners are dressed like grad students.
There's a few more tricks: (1) multipurpose items (my pajamas are yoga pants). (2) Know your country. Sometimes you can buy additional items where you'll be staying. I, however, have US size 9.5 feet and so purchasing shoes here in Japan would present a slight challenge. And (3), bring things you plan on leaving behind, so that you're guaranteed space for souvenirs. I have a bath towel, a pair of black shoes, and a tired pajama shirt that are all going to retire here in Japan.
This all fits into a large suitcase, a carry-on-sized suitcase, a laptop backpack, and a tote bag. Along with a bunch of other non-clothings.
5 comments:
Wise! When I moved to Australia I went with the no more than 5 rule. I brought Five t-shirts. five long sleeve shirts, etc etc. I could've probably gone by the no more than 3 rule...but then I would have left behind ALL my favourite things.
Very smart!
Reminds me a bit about a social experiment I read about once where participants could only wear 5 garments from their wardrobe for an entire month. Surprisingly, most people found that this limitation was actually very freeing and it made getting ready in the morning much easier!
When I lived in Beijing for a year everything I had fit into two suitcases. It had to, else I couldn't bring it back to the States! I definitely bought a lot of things when I was in China, but I also had brought a lot of things from home that I planned to leave behind. It's all about layering and strategic planning, haha.
I'm very impressed that you managed to pack for 3 months away at all. If I were you I'd probably still be cowering in my bedroom, surrounded by clothes.
Packing I believe is an art... You have to get so much into such a small space... Haha!
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