Today reader, there is a sense of melancholy and pure panic that seems to cover everything I do. The sense of loss is strong, and the question of "what next," looms entirely too close in my mind for comfort. In addition, looking at my future, and the financial means which surround me mean that I have almost entirely succumbed once more to depression. It seems all too easy now.
How different from the joy I felt each day upon awaking in France!
But I digress.
This post is all about packing. What worked, and most importantly, what didn't, in an effort to try and find ways to get better at it in the future.
So let's begin.
I carried 4 bags on my trip, and here is the contents of each of them.
Firstly, I had a brand new black bag that I used for my purse. It was from target, and it had anti-pickpocket proof pockets, something I was excited about since I would spend a lot of time in airports, on trains, and in Paris, which is notorious for pickpockets, though I hear Barcelona is worse.
In this bag I had masks, Chapstick, my wallet, my phone, my phone charger (towards the end of the trip, at the beginning it was in my backpack), my passport (only when in the airport), and tickets. I kept my headphones in here. I carried my contact lens and my glasses case. My bow got stored in here when I wanted to take it off. I carried Tylenol and ibuprofen as well.
These were all very useful.
Other things that wound up in my bag: the email of the librarian at Institute of Touraine.
The drawing my host mom did of the haircut she suggested.
Pens.
Museum guides
Map of Tours my host dad gave me (very wrinkled and stubbornly unused but very cherished)
Hair ties
Tickets to museums
Hand sanitizing wipe.
Receipts (entirely un-useful) but to (and in the amounts in for anyone who's curious how travel adds up)--
- Excess baggage (135.00 euro) (I checked two bags)
- My ticket to the comic museum in Angouleme (5 euro)
- Bakery receipt for a tart and a sandwich, 6,40 euro
- Chocolates from a recommended place from my professor, 11 euro.
- Doctor's bill without insurance, 67,50 euro
- Bakery bill, 4,75 euro
- Receipt for the borrowing of 20 euro to check out library books
- Another doctor's bill, this time for less at 35,00 euro
- Blank receipt.
- The receipt for the restaurant I liked to frequent, 15,90
- Bakery receipt, 2,50 euro
- The restaurant I ate at while charging my phone in Angouleme, 18,00 euro for two dishes, a lot of bread, and water. I had a leek appetizer and a big salad. The place was called La Plancha.
- The fee for the covid test to get back the US. 44 euro!!!! (but in fairness, it was back in 24 hours)
- Bakery receipt for 2,50 euro
- A 5 euro charge for something I don't recall. A bookmark, likely.
- The charge for my hotel in Angouleme, 67,90
- The restaurant again, at 15,90
- The receipt for my ankle brace that actually does work, which is nice, 33,77
- The amount I spent on grabbing comic books in a shop (and candy) after being on cloud nine with my host family in Paris, 42,85
- Haircut receipt, 85,00 euro
- A purchase for 5,45 that I don't remember.
- Bakery charge for 5,70 euro
- Museum entry ticket for the Museum of Beaux Arts in Tours, 6,00 euro
Coins
Metro Ticket
Bobby Pins
Card for the restaurant I liked going to.
Ear plugs
Covid Test for reentry result page
So now you know.
