I've always considered myself to be a good packer. I make lists, pack in advance, and when my sisters complain of their forgotten toothbrushes or pajamas, I always have mine. Over the years I've made fewer packing lists, writing only the items I know aren't on my radar. I've packed more last minute, but still I rarely forget things and always pride myself on packing light (we just went to Arizona for a week recently and while all my family members were dragging along their suitcases, I was living out of my backpack). But never before have I tried to pack for a year and boy was it hard.
I first had to consider my electronics. The EU has different electrical standards/outlets from the US, so I had to buy adapters.They were nice and cheap on Amazon and shipped quickly with Prime. [Edit: these adapters actually ended up working in the hotel I stayed in, but NOT in my dorm. The plugs here in Germany are indented, and for some reason, these adapters have a body that is too wide... For future buyers, I would recommend the round plugs like this.] There are also converters, which actually change the voltage that your electronics receive, but most chargers are capable of working with either the American 110V or the European 220V so the converter isn't worth it. I was really concerned about my laptop though; it uses the third ground prong, and none of my adapters have that. But reading up on what the ground prong really does assured me that it's only for safety (only??) so I didn't worry about getting anything special for it. I can confirm that it does charge without the ground prong. I also got an ethernet cable in case of a lack of wifi in my apartment. Next came clothes. Oh man was that a struggle! I never knew what a fashionista I was until I tried to narrow down which clothes to pack. In short, my mother and I unpacked and repacked my duffel bag at least 5 times before getting it down to an acceptable weight. We packed and stuffed and weighed and unpacked and cut down and repacked and weighed and so on and so forth. I really had to channel my inner minimalist by the end. I even bought some of those vacuumable bags for clothes (they were actually only $7.99 for two at TJ Maxx) as well as some roll up compression bags to try and squish them down further. While squishing the bags was fun, it didn't solve my weight issue, and a couple hours later, some of the bags had begun to let air leak back in. So note to fellow travelers, they may sound like a good idea in theory, but in reality, clothes bricks are harder to pack when you need to fill every nook and cranny and they don't always work as well as they claim to.
1 Comment
It's nearing go time. The time when all my German knowledge will truly be put to the test. I started learning German only a year ago, through a summer language intensive, and apart from winter break, I'd pretty much been continuously learning and using German right up until summer hit. Now it's been three months and the rust is strong. I'm scrambling to remember everything I've learned and internally yelling at myself for letting myself forget so much. Luckily, I have resources:
At this point I'm hoping my German comes flooding back to me once I'm surrounded by it though, because it's time to start packing my life away into two little suitcases (enough adventure for another potential blog post all in itself) and I no longer have the time to sit down and review German. Good thing I have a nice long plane ride ahead of me! ("Deutsching" is a word my friends and I use to refer to anything involving German, like speaking German or doing German homework, since "Deutsch" is how the Germans say "German")
Leaving for Germany has me feeling more emotions than I ever thought possible. One moment I'm excited for the opportunities ahead, the next I'm anxious about being unprepared, and remembering the people I'm leaving behind, if only temporarily. Unlike my usual organized self, I'm pushing off packing till the last minute.... it'll probably come back to bite me in the butt, but I just cant bring myself to start packing my life into a couple of suitcases quite yet! Meanwhile, there are so many questions going through my mind - the kind that keep your mind running at night when you just want to fall asleep. What do I need to remember to pack that isn't on my list yet? What do I need to buy? How can I prepare for the language course that awaits me once I get there? Is my German really as terribly rusty from the summertime as I feel it is? How many suitcases can I bring? Will they be enough? How many shoes are too many shoes? The list is endless, and I'm sure I'll have a hundred more questions the second my plane lands. As the trip approaches, Germany is at the forefront of my mind most days. I can't wait to start this new chapter of my life; there will be so many "firsts" for me, most of which pertain to being an adult: I've never had to consistently use/share a kitchen with anyone besides my parents, I've never paid rent or really any bills besides credit cards, I've rarely ever used public transportation... you get my point. I may cook dinner at home every now and then, but I've never had to worry about suitemates. And public transportation isn't much of a thing where I live, so really all I know how to accomplish comfortably is boarding a train to NYC. These things may all sound simple, but once you factor a foreign language into the mix, nothing is simple anymore. But I see it as a challenge. In fact I joke that I'll come back from Germany and I'll only know how to adult in German, not English! I'm hoping that adulting in German turns out to be pretty similar to adulting here in the States, but I'll have to wait and see...
|
AuthorJust a girl trying to get by in Germany for a year and having adventures along the way! Archives
April 2017
Categories |