The time has come. You have been planning this trip for at least a semester, or if you’re like me, since before you choose a college. You’ve been accepted to your program. Your classes have been approved by your school. You have a plane ticket for next week. But sitting before you may be your biggest preparatory struggle yet: an empty suitcase taunting you.
What do you pack? What is unnecessary that you want? What is critical that you forgot? What can you or can’t you get when you’re there? And how do you make it fit in a single suitcase? (If you’re like me, you get one checked bag and one carry on. For the. Entire. Semester.
Stress level: Sheldon Cooper
If you’re like me, your first step is research. This means talking to people who went on your program, reading blogs of people who studied in the same city/region/country (depending how remote your specific location is), and making your own personalized packing list.
Then, you sit out in the middle of your bedroom with piles of your stuff surrounding you, and you go into extreme puzzle mode.
You start by packing how you always do for the semester, and quickly realize you will have to be much more space efficient then that.
You unpack and repack and somehow there is more stuff trying to fit into your suitcase than the first time.
You go back to research and watch Youtube videos on how to most efficiently pack.
You procrastinate by watching the snapchat stories of your friends back at school for the semester.
While on Snapchat, you also get jealous of the friends already on their abroad programs and the fact that they somehow already conquered the suitcase demon.
You stare at the stuffed animal friend you really wanted to bring and question how essential he really is.
You decide he is incredibly essential and wonder how much space one less pair of socks would give you.
You realize whatever is on your body on the plane doesn’t have to be in your suitcase.
You wish you had Hermione’s magic bag.
You start trying clothes on to make sure you aren’t bringing anything that doesn’t fit or doesn’t look cute on you anymore (but really you’re still just procrastinating).
You complain to your friends who don’t have to pack like this, and they say they don’t know how you’re going to survive (and you’re not sure if you will).
You unpack everything again because you’re no longer sure what you packed.
You finally manage to fit all of your clothing into one suitcase.
You stare at the pile of shoes awaiting you.
After my incredible struggles with the act of packing my bag, I plan on writing another article following my semester abroad with helpful tips and tricks about what you really do and do not need while abroad. This article is not meant to be informative. It is just so everyone can understand my pain.