What
possessions should I sell or store when heading
overseas?
If you think
you are only going overseas for one year, I'd suggest
keeping and storing almost everything you own. Though
even after one year, you'll be surprised how little some
things mean that were so important to you before you
left.
Going for
many years?
If you are
thinking of spending a long time overseas - sell
everything except those of the most sentimental value.
About five years into my TEFL career, I went through the
boxes I had stored at my mom's house - and got rid of
90% of the stuff. Not only did I no longer value what
was there, but before I looked in the boxes I couldn't
even recall what was in them.
So much for
all the "stuff" we value so much!
Even after
many years overseas
At one time
the author's wife had about 26 boxes(!) of stuff
stored at her sister's house and I had NO IDEA what all
that stuff was! She had a list and some of the stuff
is junk we bought the first few years we were overseas,
but I didn't even recall what that stuff was. And how in
the world could we fit 26 boxes of stuff into our
house here?!
You WILL
accumulate things while you are overseas too!
Upate - a
couple years later: The 26 boxes mentioned above turned
into four boxes worth shipping here to Thailand. I
loved that cool leather jacket I bought in Korea and
wore while riding my motorcycle there. But, what would I do
with a leather jacket here in Thailand?
It's not as
if we abandon our old habits of acquiring "stuff" -
it is a habit you
will continue. I still like to buy things when traveling to
new countries - souvenirs, I guess you would call them.
A valuable
tip while traveling and living overseas
When you
travel, if you want to acquire a memento of your visit
to a special country or place, buy just one thing.
About twelve years ago I quit buying junk and decided to
just buy one thing in each country, whether it cost a
lot or a little. Usually a lot. But now, I have a
good collection of quality art, fabrics, carpets,
and other very special things, from many countries.
Not just a collection of trinkets, knick knacks and dust
collectors. Mostly I picked up things that would
furnish my house. Great art - fine carpets - tapestries
- etc.
It's always
fun to give a tour of the house - this carpet from
Nepal, this tapestry from Rajasthan, that painting from
Beijing, this beadwork from Tanzania and on and on.
