What I’m Packing for a Year in Germany

I’m just about entering “last-day” status, the mindset where everyday I’m here is the last one I’ll have of that day for a while. For example, this coming Wednesday will be “the last Wednesday in the States” – not forever, but for a little while.

Because I couldn’t take the stress anymore, and even though I still have at least fifteen works to get through (a lot less, now! the end is in sight), I packed over the weekend.

This is a good depiction of mixed feelings.

I realize the title is kind of misleading and that I’m probably making much ado about nothing, after all, millions of high school graduates set out for colleges around the nation and the world, and can only bring so much, so maybe I should label this post as “packing for college in another country.”

I need someone to knock me to my senses

The other issue is that I got lucky and my father gave me special status in Air Berlin world – I can bring two suitcases at 70 pounds each. This means that I’m not nearly as limited in what I can bring as most people are. It also means that whoever picks me up from the airport better have a big trunk!

ha ha, get it?

The other exception I am to the rule of studying abroad is that I get to come back home a few months after I leave. Anything I may not have brought the first time can come with me in round-two. This is exceptionally helpful, but also makes me very spoiled.

Anyway, here’s a list of what I’ve got packed:

• All my warm-clothes. Seriously, all of them. I live in south Florida, so any clothes I own that are warm are coming with me. I am going to have to buy some warm rain coats and winter coats while abroad. Long-underwear too?
• Some books I need in order to begin research for my thesis. German bookstores are some of the best in the world, but I don’t want to have to hunt down some of the ones I need, especially if they’re in English
• Electronics! I-pod, I-pad, Laptop, Kindle, all the wires that go along with them, some rechargeable batteries. I also have some adapters already, so I won’t be worried about running out of battery before I can buy an adapter. I may invest in some German USB chargers, though.
• Some dishes. Apparently, there are dishes in the shared kitchens in my dorm, but I wouldn’t want to have to clean someone else’s mac n’ cheese crusted plate before I could use it. I also don’t want to have to buy too much during my first days there, since I have a busy schedule the first week!
• One set of towels.
• Toiletries, a little bit of everything to tie me over for the first week until I can stock up on the things I need
• My bike helmet. Seems silly, but I paid a lot for my helmet and would like to get some use out of it while abroad. I also don’t want to have to buy a new one that’s good. I plan on doing most of my travelling through the city by bike.
• My tagesdecke. I am slightly OCD and the prospect of having my bed exposed for a year scares me. I need a blanket to put on my bed during the day, and I don’t want to have to buy a new one.
• Soccer cleats, shin guards!! I’m going to play soccer again!
• Running stuff including, but not limited to: the small amount of warm-running clothes I have, running hydration tools (I plan on doing a lot of nice, long runs!), and my shoes. I’m due for a new pair, but don’t know if I’ll have the chance to buy some immediately.
• Some stationary. I’m going to be writing letters! Germany has great stationary, but I’ve collected such great, personal stationary over the years that I just have to bring it.
• Photos of my family and some small mementos to look at while drunk and depressed when I start getting homesick (just kidding), but I do want to have a way to show my new friends pictures of my folks and my home.

That’s all I have for now. I can’t think of anything else. Any suggestions for what I may have missed?