How much stuff should I bring?
“In late January, when I was squabbling with my mom about how much bug spray to bring, debating the comparative virtues of sweatpants vs. pajama pants (pajamas won!), and turning my room into a cluttered extension of Eastern Mountain Sports, I had no idea that the “stuff” I was buying and piling and packing would become a collection of comfort objects. Over the past 6 weeks, I’ve come to appreciate my photos, my Gortex raingear, my iPod, and my nylon stuff-sacks more than I ever thought possible.
People gawk when they see me lugging around our huge internal frame packs, daypacks, and group gear. We may not be traveling light, but my experiences over the past month and a half have affirmed that everything I brought was worth bringing for one reason or another. My raingear has often kept me dry, and during our Carnival experience, it protected my more stain-prone clothes from flour, foam, and who knows what else? My stuff-sacks have kept me organized through our seemingly constant pattern of packing and unpacking. My photo album and iPod keep me sane, for they have become valuable touchstones for me during times when I need to feel closer to home.
Frequent packing is not a new thing for me; I’ve been moving between my mom’s house and my dad’s for almost ten years. But, what is new is the idea that “home” is defined by where my possessions are. I’m finding that when I’m away for an extended period of time, I feel more at ease if I think of my belongings and the places I bring them as home, rather than some place I happen to be staying, or some lifestyle that I’m testing out. This way, I can feel settled, and it’s easier for me to focus on the present.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I never think about my far away, more permanent home. Like in Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,” a chapter of which I reread for English class here in South America, the things I’m carrying go far beyond what’s in the backpack that’s taller than I am. Along with my down sleeping bag, wicking t-shirts, and my almost-filled journal, I’m carrying memories, countless emotions, and constant thoughts about the million things that might happen after I get home.
But for now, home is where my notebooks, gear, and a few clothes are, and each day, I’m carrying more and more as I collect souvenirs and experiences that I won’t soon forget.”
-Becca, New York, senior