An Eternity Later, My Luggage is Finally Packed

Procrastination is not an issue for me, and by, "not," I mean, "definitely." However, the excitement for my travel to Kenya drove me to begin packing a week in advance, which makes me wonder how much more I would have accomplished during college had I felt the same fervor for writing papers. I knew there were a lot of items I wanted to purchase for this trip, such as the entire Walgreens inventory and 56 cotton V-neck tees from the Gap. Although I made a detailed list of items to buy, I also knew there would be last minute runs to the store to pick up that hundredth pack of tissues I forgot I'll obviously be needing. Therefore, I wanted to allow myself time for this inevitability.

Having learned from my mother how to pack in the most efficient way possible, I consider myself a pro. I pride myself on my skill to pull out key pieces from my wardrobe and ultimately wear almost everything I brought while away.  Not to stereotype against my fellow gals, but it is a pretty phenomenal feat to boast, "spent nearly a week traveling through Morocco with only an average-sized backpack" on my travel resume.

Packing my luggage for this trip was very humbling, however. Every detail of packing had to be thought out twice, which made this experience much more difficult than any other; I must admit to no longer holding the title of packing connoisseur.  I had to think realistically about what I'm going to wear and what I'm going to use and what I can get once in Kenya. How often will I have a chance to wash clothes? How often will I shower? Should I bring mostly dark clothing to lessen the visibility of how dirty they actually are? Will I wear the same pants 7 days in a row or 10 days in a row? How high maintenance would it be if I brought nail polish? Could I pretend I brought it by mistake, sigh, and play it off with, "well, it would be a shame to have brought it in vain..."? The struggle has been very real; (is my Western princess showing again?)

From the photo, it would seem half of what I am bringing to Kenya is maxi pads; false, it is only a quarter of what I am bringing. Actually, I wish I could bring more; they are for the women in slums who brave menstruation without sanitary napkins. Ladies, can you even begin to imagine what that must be like? We are afforded such a luxury with the entire supermarket isles dedicated to fifty-five variations of tampons, pads, and panty liners, which some people still manage to complain about. "Disposable society" takes on a whole new meaning when you think about the reality these women face for one long week every month.

Another quarter of my suitcase is filled with stickers, crayons, flashcards, puzzles, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, pens, and books. When shopping for classroom items to bring, I initially picked up coloring book after coloring book (which have become much more sophisticated than when I was a child, mind you). It hit me that they were probably not the most useful items, however, for obvious reasons. Tact was crucial on the hunt for the perfect, re-usable class objects, always keeping luggage weight limits in the back of my mind. Speaking of which, it is notable that I am only allowed 18 lbs. for my carry-on and 50 lbs. for my suitcase, which is ludicrous for someone going away for two whole months. On the other hand, it is frightening to think of the packing chaos that would have ensued had I been allowed more.

My ridiculously colored backpack goes everywhere with me, as most of my friends know, so it is obviously traveling with me to Kenya. I have a million little pouches and bags to keep all my stuff organized, including my new gorgeous, and very useful, pouch from The Royal Native (check this brand out, ladies) pictured right above my backpack. Also above my backpack, is shown my plane literature: Chelsea Handler's My Horizontal Life, because no one makes me laugh like she does, and my Kenya guide. Oh, and of course, there is my shockingly large and in charge repellent-treated mosquito net. The hassle to get this net was almost not worth avoiding Malaria (just kidding); I had to order it from an Australian charity because treated nets approved by the WHO are usually only manufactured by labs for mass distribution in affected areas and not sold individually. My determination got me through the ordeal, however, as a Chinese fortune cookie once told me it would.

A week and 80 lbs. later, I am ready to board my flight to Zurich, on which I plan to pass out for its entirety thanks to my good friend, Melatonin. In order to adjust to the time change, I should sleep on my first flight but stay awake on the flight to Nairobi, which lands at 6 in the evening Kenyan time (UTC/GMT +3). They better have The Lion King 1, 2, and 1&1/2 on their movie queue.

I downloaded a countdown app on my phone a few weeks ago to keep me aware of how much time I had left to enjoy New York. It currently reads, "Kenya: 1 day left." Technically, my flight leaves in less than 24 hours. This trip has snuck up on me so quickly. Ready or not, here I come, Africa!


Tuonane baadaye! (See you later!)