3.24.11 The Woman Talks About Clothes

Now that I've finished burning myself a cheerful shade of pink in Disneyworld, I finally have the time to chime in on this blog. I've been taking a stereotypically feminine approach to this adventure by addressing the most pressing issue first: what clothes I'm taking with me. A mighty reduction of the wardrobe is required.

I've done something similar before, when I lived in Jordan for two months on less than 50 pounds of luggage. I found that I actually quite liked having all of my worldly possessions fit into a single suitcase. The problem is that "packing for two months" doesn't have quite the same panic-inducing effect as "packing for a whole year," and that since I studied in Jordan my style has become significantly more elaborate. Lace takes up more suitcase space than nice, practical khakis.

Today I spent the afternoon tearing through my closet, creating large, messy piles on the bedroom floor that are still lurking there, waiting for me to pick them back up and shove them back in my closet. Contrary to how the bedroom looks, though (sorry honey), I've actually accomplished quite a lot.

I've disposed of almost anything that isn't black and, therefore, automatically matching. Sorry, pretty yellow shirt. I'm trying to make sure that almost all of the clothes I'm bringing are appropriate for work as well as recreation. Good-bye, see-through blouse. No cleavage allowed, so I'm ditching anything too boobalicious and sewing lace inserts into my more modest V-necks. And I'm beginning to come to grips with the idea that it may not be possible to take all of my many and varied skirts. Definitely still struggling with that one.

These criteria have left me with approximately a suitcase-full of inky flounces. Of course, that's not counting underwear, socks, shoes, stuffed animals (don't judge), our purple tapestry, my tea cup, the special Advent calendar I've been sewing, or any of the thousands of things I'm sure I haven't even considered yet.

The worst part is that, like everyone else who hasn't taken Thoreau's advice to heart, when I think about moving to a new country and starting a new job...well, the instinct is to acquire rather than to reduce. Ebay and etsy, you're not helping. Stop distracting me from the important parts of moving to Korea, like double-checking paperwork for the animals and looking up consulate interview requirements. You've been warned.