allyson and bryan

And the Thing I Miss the Most Is... /

People always ask this question, so I think a lot about it: Is there one thing you didn't think you'd miss from home, but you do? Well, after just about three months overseas, I for sure have my answer: My clothes. Really, after (1) friends and family and (2) Mexican breakfast, which go without saying, I miss my clothes. Not necessarily any particular clothes -- though I would pay a large sum for my ancient, trusty jean jacket -- but just having a general selection of clothes from which to choose. I miss shoes, and I'm really not much of a shoe person, owning mostly Danskos and other oversized, clunky comfort shoes. I miss purses. I miss my 20 different t-shirts, and I miss having a bathrobe to put on after a shower. I yearn for a warm, cuddly fleece to wear on chilly nights in the house, and I dream of my purple long cordouroy coat when traveling into Melbourne for the day. Having only hiking shoes and Reef sandals to choose from each and every day, I gaze longingly at pretty summer sandals and tall black boots and comfortable slippers in store window displays.

Of course, I can't buy much to fill this craving, as everything we take from place to place still has to fit inside the same backpack -- but I have managed to slip in a few extra items here and there. And then there's the budget to contend with: Living on a very fixed amount per day per person doesn't leave much of a shopping surplus after food and shelter in places like Australia. Thus, clothing purchases have come from an array of discount sources. I thought you might find the tally interesting. Behold, what I've bought:

1. Brown beaded top, small store, Fiji: $18
2. Skirt, black and beige, gifted from Heather: Free
3. Scarf, black and white, souvenir shop, NZ: $3.50
4. Jeans (for llama training), JC Penney equivalent, NZ: $20
5. Sweatshirt and cords (for llama training), Salvation Army, NZ: $7
6. Green linen khakis, Salvation Army: $5
7. Red cardigan, cheap bin store, Sydney: $7.50
8. White tank, cheap bin store, Sydney: $4
9. Brown cordouroy skirt, cheap bin store, Sydney: $4
10. Pink tank top, cheap bin store, Sydney: $1.75
11. Brown/turquoise flats, Target, Melbourne: $9
*prices are approximate based on fluctuation in exchange rates

[My biggest splurge of the trip so far is for my "one or two interesting ideas" resin necklace, purchased in Little River, New Zealand, and costing about 48 US dollars. Totally worth it.]

So, not bad: $79.75 on basic clothing purchases over the course of 10 weeks. Of course, I've gotten rid of a few things in return to lighten my load. The new items have helped a bit, especially the red sweater when it comes to dressing a wee bit up on chilly evenings. I also want to make sure our strict budgeting doesn't preclude a few special house purchases... But I digress. So, there you have it, a tale from the road. I'm not sure there's any real lesson to be learned here, maybe just that, when you're traveling for a year out of a backpack, it's best to be sure you dearly love every single thing in your limited wardrobe.

Besides the obvious, what do you think you'd miss the most from home?

stars, they're just like allyson @ 7:13 PM  

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