The packing is reaching a fever pitch, as classes have ended so there are only two more weeks of work at my current school, and I will be out of my apartment soon. My apartment is a horrible place to spend time right now. Half the furniture is gone, there are piles of stuff in various states of disorganization everywhere, there are boxes. The feng shui is terrible in here. I am sitting on the floor of my empty, dirty back porch writing this so I could escape from the chaos for a minute. There are rogue items with no home yet whose fate is uncertain. There are things I have never used that I can't bear to part with because they evoke some image of myself that I have yet to realize. There is the feeling that if this were the Game of Life I am moving five spaces back. It's terrifying. But also pretty liberating. It's just stuff.
Delta will let me check ten items, one of them will be a bicycle (already re-packaged in a box, check), so I get nine bags for everything I want/need. You might think that sounds like plenty of room. You would be wrong. Just try packing one even very large suitcase and see how little goes in it when compared to all the items in your dwelling. So the culling, it is ruthless. I am trying to dedicate just one bag for school-related items. These are things I'm planning to put in it, so far, until the next round of culling:
- Books: Key Press Discovering Geometry, CME Algebra 2, CME Geometry
- The better posters from my classroom, to make the new one feel more like home
- A folder of keepsakes : thank you cards, senior portraits, etc
- Approximately three dozen freezer bags containing sets of index cards, blocks, etc made specially for different lessons.
- A bag of counting chips in four different colors
- A small set of connect-to-class hubs and cables for the Nspire
- Three calculators with assorted accessories
- An economy pack of AAA batteries
- A full, new set of: sharpie markers, sharpie pens, and mechanical pencils
- Three packs of these divider pocket things
- A good three-hole punch and stapler (a Swingline, natch. Not red.)
- As many packs of index cards as will fit in the remaining space. Blank, lined, white, colored, grid.
See how that list devolves from "Sure, those things would be very hard to replace. Totally reasonable." to "Don't they have office supply stores in Argentina?" and yet I will feel unready to plan a lesson without index cards and Sharpies! They are like my teacher safety blanket. I needs them. Don't judge.
18 comments:
You're doing well, Kate. One.box.at.a.time. I'm laughing at the index cards, I relate. I must find out when my next local OSHA meeting is. But I won't.
Can you get electronic copies of the textbooks?
I'm trying! I'm also considering breaking the bindings and scanning them.
I assume you've looked into the possibility of having things shipped? It's likely cheaper, but how long would it take to arrive, and in what condition?
Actually it is wicked expensive and requires interacting with tariff authorities. I'm avoiding it.
Kate! We might need an intervention! I think from your list, only the N-Spire, freezer bags, and textbooks are absolutely necessary for the first time move. Everything else, you can have people bring them down for you later if you find that you REALLY need them... Your new school might even already have posters you can put up.
Good luck!!
Mimi
Thanks Mimi -- I really need to get a grip about the office supplies and not take things I can get there. The posters, though... new colleagues have suggested I bring them. The school doesn't really provide them. Also, I want ones I'm used to seeing. I think it will make me feel more like "this is my room" right off the bat. It's not that many. 6, I think.
I can't imagine what you are going through.... but I can empathize with your school supply hoarding :) I <3 my sharpies! :)
Are all packages subject to the tariffs? If not, give your friends a small box to send you as a care package :) Heck, I'd volunteer to send you a office supply goodie box :)
Thank you, that's very sweet. The deal is, they want to prevent people from using a household goods shipment to import things to sell. So they are subjected to onerous inspections and weight restrictions and fees.
I hear the mail is very unreliable. So I'm just trying to take everything I need. However my parents are already planning a visit, so, they will be able to bring stuff.
Love this:
"There are things I have never used that I can't bear to part with because they evoke some image of myself that I have yet to realize."
Best of luck with your move!
I was going to make a comment saying scan what you can and leave the rest. Then I took a hard look at the list and realized I would be moving this into my next classroom...http://woodshopcowboy.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/photo02061659_1-e1328588276342
and decided you are hosed.
no judging on the office supplies part - i bring some back every time i come back to Jordan. it's just hard to find the brands i like (and imported stuff is like literally twice the price). i always bring back expo makers.
also, this is random, but hole punching has been the bane of my existence here. the school store only sells *4* ring binders and only *2* hole punches, and that seems to be the deal at a lot of local stores too. i tried to require binders my first year, but i realized how confused i was myself so gave up on that.
SHIT! BINDERS! I don't want to bring them but don't know how to organize anything without them.
Kate, I'm about to start my 3rd year teaching in the rain forest in Costa Rica and 10 checked items!? That's crazy! How long will you be living abroad? I've seen so many teachers come and go here and I promise you, you don't need to take everything you own. My advice is to store or sell, unless you really need it. I understand feeling like you need to pack everything, but I promise, they'll have stuff where you're going. People live there just fine with what they can purchase there. In terms of school supplies, I understand needing what you need for your classroom, and I think that's great, but what else goes in the other 8 bags?! Unless you're moving permanently and you're 100% sure about it, leave a lot at home. You don't want to be packing up 10+ bags (because you'll acquire a lot there too) in a year or two, doing it all over again.
I'll get off my soapbox now. Good luck with your move! Try not to become too overwhelmed, I know I did. Moving to another country is all about deep breaths and baby steps. Good luck!
Did you know that there's a Staples Argentina? I didn't, but Google does. You could check out online what you can buy there so you don't have to ship it!
http://www.staples.com.ar/
I have a pdf version of Discovering Geometry if you are interested. I can share it with you on dropbox.
Interested! Link me please.
I'd be interested in the PDF version of Discovering Geometry as well.
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