Packing Light
My move to Paris kicks off in just three more weeks. Three short weeks to pack my entire life into a few suitcases, boxes and a rented storage unit. My head hurts just thinking about it.
Moving abroad means making some tough decisions about what really matters to you in terms of your “stuff”, because taking it all with you is just not practical. When I first decided I wanted to live in Paris, I started out by scaling back my lifestyle right here in the good old U.S.A.
I knew that a Parisian apartment was likely to have very little closet space compared to what I’m used to. Paris being one of the most expensive cities in Europe, I also knew I’d have to rent a rather small apartment. And I knew that shipping everything I owned was likely to be both unnecessary and cost-prohibitive.
So scale back I did. I sold all the furniture I wasn’t completely in love with. I donated bags of clothing to charity. I gave things to friends and family members I thought they could use. Essentially, I reduced my worldly possessions by 50-60%. And you know what? I haven’t missed any of it.
In Paris, I’m going to be renting a furnished apartment, complete with linens and cookware. This will give me the opportunity to get to know the city and eventually – assuming I decide to stay indefinitely –
look around for an unfurnished apartment to call my own. If you’re thinking of moving to Paris, I highly recommend taking this “try before you buy (or rent)” approach so you can find the perfect neighborhood for your tastes and lifestyle. The Internet makes it simple to locate and look at short-term furnished apartments; I found a great rental site at VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner).
But let’s face it, while I have become more of a minimalist, there are some things a girl just needs to have with her. In my case, the necessities are clothes, my computer, my CD and DVD collection, and books – lots and lots of books.
Clothing isn’t as big a packing issue right now as it would have been, say, three months ago. I’ve been working hard to lose some excess weight and have already dropped several sizes (yippee!), which has forced me to clean out the closets. So I’ll be packing light as far as the wardrobe goes, and I’m looking forward to shopping in Paris as the need for smaller sizes arises.
For my CDs and DVDs, I got smart and bought a couple of storage folios with the little pockets. Keeping the disks but tossing their plastic cases will also save on shipping, and won’t present a storage issue in my new apartment. My laptop and related equipment are essential for my work. So that’s a no-brainer; heavy or not, it’s got to come along for the ride.
The books are another story. As a writer, my books feel like a part of my identity, and there are some I just can’t part with: writer’s resource books; all my French study books and English-tutoring materials (I’ll certainly be needing THOSE); and a selection of my favorite classics and fiction (yes, Harry Potter is coming with me). I’ve done a fair job of pairing them down, but the long and short of it is: I will be shipping at least five boxes from my personal library. And that will come dear, although I did some research and discovered it may be cheaper for me to check up to three boxes of books as additional luggage on the plane than to ship them via UPS or another carrier.
Sure, there are other things I’m going to bring: American measuring cups and spoons for cooking (it will take time to convert my brain to Metric); tax files for next year; some family photos; and even an American flag (hey, you never know). I’m also bringing my own pillows, comforter and blanket so the bed feels like “home”; I got a few of those “space bag” things to shrink them down in size, and a big duffel bag in which to tote them along with my extra shoes and handbags.
Right now, contemplating all of the packing still to be done and a hundred little decisions still to be made, it’s overwhelming. But I keep reminding myself that if I forget something I really need, I can either buy it or arrange to have someone here send it to me. In the meantime, I’ve already learned how to live with less “stuff” in my life, so I’m sure I’ll be fine no matter how petite the apartment or how minimal the armoire space. It’s very freeing, not being so attached to things.
Once I get to Paris and settle in, I can always bring more things over if I want to. Like my photo albums or a small decorative item or two; things to make my furnished rental feel more like ME.
And maybe a few more books. Maybe.
