My life in a suitcase

My graduation is a week from tomorrow. Less than 24 hours after walking across the stage, I’ll be on a plane headed back to Texas with everything I own packed into just a few suitcases (hopefully it fits). I’ve started packing already and the goal is to get rid of everything that I won’t be eventually taking with me to Peru. The first big purge was my wardrobe, which is about half of what it used to be. Then all my school stuff, which I mostly donated or trashed. The strangest part so far is deciding what to do with old souvenirs – bracelets and coin purses and keychains and all kinds of other things that I will probably never use or look at again, but still feel bad throwing away. It’s something I’ll try to remember in the future and maybe not make that last purchase in the airport giftshop.

My move still seems far away, but it’s definitely getting closer so I’ve started looking a little more seriously for jobs. I’m still not sure if I’ll try to start working as soon as I get there or wait until January so I can make a trip back home for Christmas. I found a couple of English schools, one which lists average wages between 8-12 soles/hr (about $3-5/hr). It doesn’t seem like much but with expenses around $350/month (don’t forget to add my $300 student loan payment!), it would be more than enough to get by. I’m starting the process of sending some emails and figuring out who requires what certification. Aside from that, all I can do is count down the days.

DC weather that almost makes me want to stay