Stuff

What does it look like to go to a new place taking only what you can carry with you?

We don't know. We don't think we could carry everything we're bringing all at once. But close enough...two 50-pound duffle bags each (or approximately 50 pounds, thanks to a nice airline counter employee who didn't bother to check!), plus an over-stuffed “carry-on” and a sizeable “personal item” each. How did we get down to so little?

We didn't. We packed seemingly endless boxes of books, papers, kitchen supplies, household décor, etc. into our parents' attics. An interesting process – 100 pounds each sounds like a lot when you start out and feels like a lot when you have to carry it in the end, but in between it seems scant. Do I need this? Will I miss it? Will I be happy to have everything back again when we return, or will I be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it?  

(Andrew thinks the logical alternative to all of this is a big fire.)

Despite managing to cut ties and leave, we are not living the simple life. The number of electronic toys and gadgets that we are bringing certainly attests to this. However, we hope to be good stewards of these by using them to keep the ties that we could not and will not cut. It is in that spirit that we begin what we hope will be an interesting, worthwhile, and maybe even insightful series of reflections on our travel, our studies, a new culture, and life in general. We hope you will keep in touch as well and respond with your thoughts.

So to start off...what is one thing that you would make sure to fit into your 100-lb. Limit, even if it meant leaving more practical things behind?