Too Much!

So I am just finishing up packing and have way too much stuff. To my credit, I am bringing less than I did to Alaska or Florida or South Carolina. It's probably about 1/4 the amount I had at UCLA. I am probably bringing the same amount I did to Argentina. But I still feel like it is too much for the Peace Corps, as it's much more than recommended on the Panama Welcome Book. But alas... I think what matters most is if I will regret bringing too much, more than not enough. I doubt it.

I'll bet that I won't end up using quite a bit of what I bring. Perhaps I still won't use my tent to camp out on the beach. Perhaps I won't really be chilly enough to use my sleeping bag. Perhaps I'll never need to sew anything or feel the need to try my hand at taxidermy again. But what if I do? Granted I could have the over abundance of socks that I am taking sent by mail to me once I get there. Or I could have more shirts sent. Or my Carhartts. But what if I just brought them now? From experience in Argentina, by the time it arrives by mail (IF AT ALL), I might not need it anymore. True, I could probably purchase things in country. And if you know me, I probably will. (Definitely will: I'm keeping my rubber boots here and buying new ones in Panama already.)

The way I figure it, I know I'll have to move quite a bit within the first few months. I'll need to fly it to Staging in Miami (1), get it to Ciudad del Saber for the start of training (2), move into a home stay (3), move to site home stay(4), move into my own housing (5). I imagine I'll still be able to roll things for the first two moves. Then when we go on volunteer visits, technical training, and cultural training, I am praying that we only have to pack for that week and not take everything we own with us. And when I move into my own house, I figure I'll be in the same general area, so I can make a couple trips if need be. So that really boils down to just two moves (aka two days of my entire service) that I could potentially be moving everything at once, on my own. If I had to, I could do it... even if that means that I'll be taking Tylenol the next day. Hopefully I'll make friends and get helpers. Perhaps I'll wear a pink shirt on those days, as I seem to always get more offers of help when I am wearing such a color. lol. All my luggage is a type of backpack, so it is semi-manageable. Plus I'll be bringing locks for my luggage in case I need to leave one bag behind for a bit. We'll see!

So what exactly am I bringing? Here's a list. Okay, so it's not exact, but that's about it. Some things I want to bring but just can't for the life of me find them. (Binoculars??? They've gotta be around here somewhere!) And undoubtedly, I'll throw in some things last minute. Last minute? Me? lol