Practice Makes Perfect - A Perfectly Packed Suitcase That Is

In the past week, I have made serious progress on the seemingly never-ending list of tasks that come along with preparing to study abroad. I’ve received my final acceptance letter to Palazzi, my ticket has been purchased, my visa application is being processed, and my passport is patiently waiting to earn its first stamp. “What is left to do now?” you might ask. Why practicing packing of course! This is exactly the reason why right around midnight on Tuesday night I found myself in my bedroom, surrounded by two of my roommates, debating which outfits to pack. The goal was to choose clothing that wouldn’t be the equivalent of having a red, white, and blue sign reading "American" around my neck. As each garment was displayed for judgment, it was rated on its overall ‘europeanness,’ and if an item scored low, it was often met with a comment like, “Oh, they would NEVER wear that,” or “Eh, too American.”  It turns out that “too American” translates to "too comfortable." Needless to say, none of my sweatpants, t-shirts, or sweatshirts made the cut.

From all that I’ve heard about the fashion in Italy, America is approximately a year behind the trends. Because I tend to be about a year behind the American trends, I’m a bit concerned that I will stand out like a sore thumb. However a little google research has assured me that there will be plenty of shopping in Florence for me to participate in those European trends. I am all about blending in and adopting the culture and fashion of Italy during my trip, but I am also concerned about looking completely ridiculous. For example, the moment I am caught dead in herum pants (see horrifying pictures below) is exactly the moment I need to be shipped back to America.  

During our study abroad orientation, the topic of packing was addressed. It was advised by a certain male study abroad advisor (ehem...Joey) that we each only pack 10 outfits to last us the entire semester. The horrified look on my face that was soon followed by uncontrollable laughter during this part of the discussion was probably distracting for the other students, and I apologize for this. However, I could not imagine living for 5 months on the same 10 outfits. Because of my attitude toward packing, I can already tell that the one 50-1b bag luggage limit is going to be a serious challenge.

One of the most important aspects of practicing packing is making everything fit in my one suitcase. Since this task is equally as challenging as being asked to pack all my roommates in my carry-on, it's a good thing that I spent all of middle school playing tetris on my Game Boy. These finely-honed spatial skills will hopefully aid me in this seemingly impossible task. If all else fails, I have decided to wear everything that doesn't fit in my bag on the plane. The mental picture that I have of me boarding the plane looks a lot like the scene from A Christmas Story where Ralphie's mother bundles his little brother, Randy, up so much for the cold winter weather that he can no longer move. I'm anticipating getting a few strange looks from my fellow travelers when I fly out of Detroit in January looking like this (see below); however, I'm not sure how well this look will go over when I return in June.