Packing My Life in a Couple Bags

Well here it is folks, my first post!

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Packing might be one of my least favorite activities. Ever. What clothes do I bring? More importantly, out of the 30 or so pair of shoes that I have, which ones do I bring on a trip lasting 9 months? Before I go into my packing fiasco that may or may not have lasted a week, some context may be nice. Starting on October 1st, this chick will become a Language and Culture Assistant for the Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte de Espana. Teaching was not what my degree was in college, but it is a way for me to work on my fluency in Spanish. My focus in college was Spanish and International Studies. Throughout college I was fortunate enough to travel to different countries for study abroad programs that not only helped me learn about other cultures, but fueled my passion to learn about those cultures. Curiosity is definitely my most prominent character trait. After finding my passion for other societies, I found a way to feed that passion:travel.

Enough jibber jabber about la vida de Kerrin Murphy, let’s get back to my packing fiasco! As mentioned before, packing drives me up the wall. My dear friend Allie was able to lend me a hand this afternoon as I finally decided to put those compression bags to use (Which by the way are fantastic for packing more into a smaller bag…but they weigh a TON). We started last night, but found out my current luggage was too small for this next adventure. We trekked to the store and picked out a larger bag. The new bag was 29 inches and had more pockets than the old bag: all for the wopping price of $80.00! When we resumed the next day, it was smooth sailing for the packing crew. Earlier this week, I had my organized friends come over and help me make a packing list:

After going through the list 2 billion times…the packing commenced. A couple hours later the results are as follows:

Last minute items will of course be added…and forgotten. Well I hope this did not bore you too much and that you will come back to see what this trip has in store for me!