What to Take?

It's just now becoming clear how little stuff we'll be taking overseas. It works out to be about 8 suitcases + 2 or 3 carry-ons, depending on how the seating works out. I think a lot about the repercussions of forgetting something. To send a medium sized package, worth $100, to Managua, it costs over $500! It would actually be cheaper to have my mom fly down and bring it! That means that there are lots of reasons to not forget those things that will make it easier for us, and especially the girls, to adjust to the new life in Central America.

I find myself being the most worried about things like Frizz-Ease. I take comfort in knowing that the texture of my hair is very similar to Latina hair. They must have some great hair care products, right? There's a certain helplessness is the thought of being completely unattractive for three years. It's not like the humidity is low there, either. I'm sure that it seems incredibly vain that such a thought would take up so much space in my brain. It isn't that being ugly for three years is my greatest fear, but we all know that it is harder to get things done when you feel like a hag. It's easier to be productive when you feel like you look presentable. I'm sure that God can take care of that, though. Maybe He'll change my heart toward the issue, or maybe I'll learn some cool braiding techniques. Who knows? They may have Frizz-Ease in bulk!

We're going to have to take a ton of bug spray, which is heavy and takes up a lot of space. The stuff that they sell there is a little iffy for kids, and DeLaynie attracts bugs from all over this great planet of ours. She apparently smells similar to an all-you-can-eat buffet to the insect kingdom. Sunscreen (the 75 spf kind) is also going to be a necessary take-along. We have a long family history of skin cancer, so I'll be the whitest chick in Costa Rica (where we go to language school) before I'll get a sunburn. A tan isn't worth it. It did occur to me to take some bronzer/sunless tanner, but I just can't think up a good enough reason to waste weight that could be used for things like clothing, shoes, and my oh-so-important Crock Pot. :)