The reality of packing suitcases - things always take up more space and weigh more than originally planned for. I've been slowly packing/gathering things into one place for the past week. But now that the time of departure is approximately 53ish hours away, I've been spending a little more focused time on it. Last night packing items consisted of food. Yes, I am bringing food with me. I've been told that the amazing Haitian cooks that work at the mission I will be living at will make lunch for the staff every day. Sweet! So for breakfast and dinner, especially at the beginning when EVERYTHING is new and different, I was advised to bring along some simple food staples for easy cooking, as well as some comforts to make the transition a little easier. Also threw in some seasonal favorites (i.e candy corn, pumpkin spice cookies, apple cider!) Knowing about this plan to bring food, my church youth group took it upon themselves to gather the food for me! I was extremely encouraged by their excitement to be involved and blessed by what they provided.
So much food!!
I received quite a few box dinners (i.e. hamburger helper, etc). Since noodles are easy to get in Haiti, in an effort to conserve space and weight, I just removed the seasoning packet from the box, donated the noodles to mom's kitchen, and wrote the directions from the box onto the packet. Brilliant!
Everything packed nicely into the suitcase. Two things to note: 1) it weighs considerably more than the 50lb weight limit I am allowed by American Airlines and 2) the fan is still outside of the suitcase. If I had to choose between a fan at night and pop tarts in the morning, I choose fan. So it's back to square one.....
And this is where I am at now in the packing process. Wish me luck!
Packing is ALWAYS a challenge! But food is for sure a comfort you will love and maybe if you can't fit it all you send it to yourself as a care package? That way in about a month you'll get fresh new supplies. Mail in Zambia takes 1 month or more so beware of expiration dates!-Em Skur
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that you are going to work on Haiti! As someone else living overseas, I am glad you are taking care to pack American foods. That is the most common link to back home. The packing is a lot of work. It makes you realize how quickly you have stored up "earthly" treasures when you have to sort out what you can and cannot take. Hoping for all the best for you!
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