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Living Abroad-What to Pack

© Julie Thompson

So, what do you put into those nice, new packing boxes that you’ve got in the middle of the living room? A lot, of course, will depend on you and your economic possibilities. Also, your destination plays a part; will you really need your down coat in Vanuatu? (Check the website: maybe you will!) However, here are some things you might not want to be without.

Don’t forget your knick-knacks. It’s amazing how a certain figurine, or picture or even a faithful kitchen pot can make your new home seem more familiar to you. Would you believe that I’ve got a sixteen-year-old crock-pot that I’ve carried around with me through three states and two countries? And, I have my Puerto Rican stele always hanging up where I can easily see it: twenty years old. You need familiarity when you leave home, in order to adapt more rapidly to your new home. Family photos, a favorite vase (preferably carried in your carry-on bag, WELL-PROTECTED), a wall hanging: they do make a difference.

Are you going to a country where you’ll be learning a new language? Then, one way to keep in touch with the news in your home country is short-wave radio. If you’re going to be far away from urban centers, a window on the world is a good thing. Short-wave receivers with digital readouts for the radio frequencies are better than the simple band ones. Try finding BBC Worldservice or VOA without the digital readout, and you’ll see what I mean! Of course, it’s fascinating to try to identify the different radio stations, just by the music that they play: “Oh, Canada”, for Radio Canada International, for instance. Or, the opening bars of “The Great Gate of Kiev”, from Modest Moussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”, played on a musical jewelry box, for The Voice of Russia, English version.

If you are going to an underdeveloped area, whatever country you’re in, one book that will be very useful to have along is “Where There is No Doctor”, by David Warner. (Now that Amazon.com and BN.com have used books for sale, you might find a good deal on it.) This book is as good as its title. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I have consulted it and applied successfully its suggestions. It’s easy to understand and easy to follow its instructions. You may even get a reputation in your area as a “doctor”! (A friend from the States visited me once and brought her well-equipped first aid kit, another item you might want to pack. She used in once in public, and a couple of days later, a local friend of mine came to my house, asking for my “medical” friend! Another book along that line is Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James Blach and Phyliss Blach. I