If you are anything like me, to make any sort of decision you read tons of other peoples stories that have been through the same scenario. That sentence wasn't structured well, so I'll simplify: I have been scouring peoples blogs and vlogs to decide what to take with me to Korea. Not only what to take but what to leave behind in a storage unit, if anything. I would say this is the most difficult part of the process, but luckily my whole life is in transition right now, so I'm not feeling overly attached to most of my things. What I am worried about is if I'm making the right decisions.
What I've "Learned" I SHOULD Take With Me
According to all the female Korean bloggers above a size 8 (in shoes and clothes) there are a few musts to stockpile:
-Bras (this varies in need but always says somewhere above a B cup)
-Shoes (some say above a size 8, some say 8 and a half. Also I had no walking shoes)
-Pants (as mentioned above a size 8ish or over nothing will fit your bum)
-Undies (see above)
There are a few hitches though... I do not have the suitcase room for all the clothes I am going to need for all the seasons. SO on top of my suitcases I have three boxes to ship to myself. It feels excessive. According to UPS each box is going to cost me around 100 bucks to ship to myself. Now before you think, she doesn't need that many clothes, it isn't all clothes. The first box is winter clothes (that includes sweaters and jackets for fall and winter because I'm from Texas and I NEED TO BE WARM!). The second box is shoes, this box may be a bit much, but hear me out. The bulk of this box is winter boots to keep my feetsies warm on the snowy, cold days. The third box is necessities of a non clothing kind. From allll the things I've read and been told I would think this last box is very vital. It holds: deodorant, minty toothpaste, multivitamins, things that remind me of home (pictures, stuffed animal, etc) and food stuffs.
Hitch number 2, as you can read in the rest of my blog, I am currently dropping weight. In the past 10 months I have lost 70 lbs and am still losing. I don't know what size I"m going to end up at. So while I am trying to buy clothes that I hope will fit me, some may end up being too big. I am waiting until right before I leave to buy new pants and things where the sizing is more important. It's a lot of guesswork. For instance, my winter jacket from this past winter is a bit too big. So I bought a new one during the winter sales. It is a bit too small. But it may be just right come winter in Korea. Guess work. There is also the fact that I plan on continuing my weight loss journey in Korea, so any clothes I bring with me may end up being too big. -_-
The things I should take with me, I knew, were going to be hit or miss. Most definitely I am going to figure out I didn't buy something I needed and probably packed stuff I didn't need. This part was always going to be trial and error because everyone has different needs. No matter how many blogs I read on what to bring, there is no correct formula for each person. When I get closer to my leave date I'll probably post a what I am bringing and then later what I did/didn't need.
Things to Leave Behind/ Get Rid Of
Everything else I own. No. But seriously yes. I have a few options of things to do with my furniture and nick knacks. Pack it all away and put it in an expensive storage unit. Or sell it all and hope I don't regret it if I come back in only a year. This should have been a tougher decision for me, since I am bit of a hoarder, but I chose option number two with a bit of option one. I am limiting myself to 3-4 boxes, my grandfathers roll top desk, and the miniature dollhouse my grandmother built me as a child. As of right now one box is full of the fairy tales from around the world book collection I've been working on since I was a teenager, one box is my DVD collection, and the third box is overflow from that and my ps3/ps3 games. That's it. Everything else is going. I am not keeping any clothes or shoes that can't come with me(this probably accounts for needing to ship boxes to myself). I'm not keeping any furniture (save the roll top desk mentioned above). Everything is being sold/given away with the money helping with my adjustment over there.
This may seem extreme, but I have a few reasons behind why I think this is the best possible option. Firstly, as of right now my furniture is all a mismatched mess. None of it is in bad condition, but most of it was bought for necessity or given to me by family. Ikea and free is all the furniture I own. So if/when I come back it would be nice to start from scratch and make sure my furniture matches. Second, storage units become more expensive the bigger the unit is. So to avoid the larger fees (also having to pay exchange rates when sending money back etc) it makes sense to downsize. Lastly, I think it is a good lesson in letting go. I have always had a weird attachment to my things. In somewhat of an unhealthy way. Before this year I couldn't imagine parting with a single piece. That's why my closet and apartment were/are filled with things I've had since I was in high school but don't use/wear. I didn't want to let it go. It came in handy while decorating and made my apartment feel like "home". But it is past time that I should be able to get rid of these things and live in a much less full apartment. I loved living in my dorm because I bought everything new and it was very sparsely furnished/decorated. It was easy to clean and I loved the simplicity. When I moved back into a full apartment and brought all my things with me, it became cluttered. There was too much stuff, too many nick-knacks that I held onto for no reason more than, it is mine and it was from my parents house. So releasing all these things is cathartic and a way to signify my true leaving of the nest. Plus, I can have a whole new decorating scheme and not worry about incorporating my things. To top it all off, I don't have to worry about paying for all this stuff I'm not using, it's like repaying for the furniture. I can save the money and buy new when I get home.
Ending Thoughts
Like the whole process of uprooting your life and moving abroad, it takes time and consideration. You can read all the blogs you want, but ultimately you have to decide what is best for you. Take advice, but don't take it too strictly. Everyone has their own formula for doing things, so just because you do it differently than someone else, it doesn't mean it's wrong. This is a trial and error process. Not just packing and getting rid of stuff, the whole shebang. You pick a country, you may love it or you may hate it. You find a place to work, you may adore it or you may despise it. Really you just have to keep making leaps of faith in hoping that you are making the right decisions. And even if they don't turn out to be the right ones, well you learned something. I think that every decision you make serves a purpose in your life, whether because it benefits by helping you in some way or it's just there to teach you a lesson of how not to do things. Think it through, weigh your options, find what you think is best for you, and make a decision.
**This is going to be the start of a new segment "The Transition Abroad". It is going to chronicle all the thoughts, struggles, and process of moving to a new country. So more to come as I continue through this process over the next couple of months.
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