In 11 days, I will be leaving the American continent for the first time in a year and will be embarking on my first transatlantic flight on my own into the mysterious, Eastern European world: Russia. These remaining 11 days used to be 11 months just yesterday. Time goes by incredibly fast, doesn't it?
Although I still have 11 days to enjoy the Christmas holidays with my friends and family, earn a little bit of extra money by serving at IHOP, go on a few hangouts and visits here and there, indulge in some Atlanta mall trips, Christmas lights, and sugar cookies, 11 days is not a lot of time to lolly-gag and have my head up in the clouds without giving reality a second thought.
So, out of pure excitement, anticipation, and just overachieverness (if this is even a word), I have started thinking about how I will magically manage to cram 10 days worth of winter clothes + toiletries inside of my tiny suitcase and my carry-on backpack. In fact, I even tried to "trial pack" today, just to get a general idea of what I could actually fit into a suitcase.
Unsurprisingly, I struggled a bit, because winter clothes in general are BULKY. At least bulkier than I'd initially expected them to be. It doesn't take many articles of winter clothing nor a lot of time to really beef up a suitcase to the point where the outside is as hard as a rock when you pick it up.
I'm really wondering how I will be able to pick enough articles of winter clothing to last 10 days, while simultaneously not having too much space taken up by the bigger items. Hmmmm. I've read online about layering, and how it's the smart way to go when it comes to packing for a winter trip. I really love this idea and will be going with it, but what exactly I'll use to adequately choose the layers of my clothes is still a mystery. I ordered some thermal leggings today off of amazon and am hoping that they will help keep my legs a bit warmer under my jeans when I'm out in 10 (or less) degree weather.
What also still remains a mystery is the type of boots and the type of coat that I will actually have to bring with me on the trip. I know that waterproof, leather snow boots and a down coat with a fur hood are what I need, but I'm hoping to cut corners a bit financially by borrowing real fur coats from my Russian friends when I'm with them and by possibly choosing from whatever leather boots I even have and just investing in some more socks. I also need to get a hat of some sort, and possibly some earmuffs and some gloves since I haven't worn those in what feels like years. As long as I'm warm and comfy in the end though, I'll be happy.
I looked at an online 14 day projection of temperatures in St. Petersburg, and they are looking legit as far as freezing goes. Woooooooo. It is supposed to feel like 9 degrees one day, 2 degrees on another day, and 0 on another. In addition, my Russian friend Stacy told me on snapchat this morning that she'd heard about the temperatures in Moscow supposedly dropping down to -20 degrees Celsius (so -5 degrees Fahrenheit)... uhmmm. Yeah. I've never been in such cold weather in my life, but getting to experience it will be an unforgettable memory for sure. Maybe I'll appreciate warm weather more when I return :)
In the meantime, it's time for me to go and eat dinner with my family downstairs, so I will draw this post to an end. 11 days to go, 10 days to experience, and one lifetime's worth of a winter trip to savor.
I think everything will turn out being just fine.
Although I still have 11 days to enjoy the Christmas holidays with my friends and family, earn a little bit of extra money by serving at IHOP, go on a few hangouts and visits here and there, indulge in some Atlanta mall trips, Christmas lights, and sugar cookies, 11 days is not a lot of time to lolly-gag and have my head up in the clouds without giving reality a second thought.
So, out of pure excitement, anticipation, and just overachieverness (if this is even a word), I have started thinking about how I will magically manage to cram 10 days worth of winter clothes + toiletries inside of my tiny suitcase and my carry-on backpack. In fact, I even tried to "trial pack" today, just to get a general idea of what I could actually fit into a suitcase.
Unsurprisingly, I struggled a bit, because winter clothes in general are BULKY. At least bulkier than I'd initially expected them to be. It doesn't take many articles of winter clothing nor a lot of time to really beef up a suitcase to the point where the outside is as hard as a rock when you pick it up.
I'm really wondering how I will be able to pick enough articles of winter clothing to last 10 days, while simultaneously not having too much space taken up by the bigger items. Hmmmm. I've read online about layering, and how it's the smart way to go when it comes to packing for a winter trip. I really love this idea and will be going with it, but what exactly I'll use to adequately choose the layers of my clothes is still a mystery. I ordered some thermal leggings today off of amazon and am hoping that they will help keep my legs a bit warmer under my jeans when I'm out in 10 (or less) degree weather.
What also still remains a mystery is the type of boots and the type of coat that I will actually have to bring with me on the trip. I know that waterproof, leather snow boots and a down coat with a fur hood are what I need, but I'm hoping to cut corners a bit financially by borrowing real fur coats from my Russian friends when I'm with them and by possibly choosing from whatever leather boots I even have and just investing in some more socks. I also need to get a hat of some sort, and possibly some earmuffs and some gloves since I haven't worn those in what feels like years. As long as I'm warm and comfy in the end though, I'll be happy.
I looked at an online 14 day projection of temperatures in St. Petersburg, and they are looking legit as far as freezing goes. Woooooooo. It is supposed to feel like 9 degrees one day, 2 degrees on another day, and 0 on another. In addition, my Russian friend Stacy told me on snapchat this morning that she'd heard about the temperatures in Moscow supposedly dropping down to -20 degrees Celsius (so -5 degrees Fahrenheit)... uhmmm. Yeah. I've never been in such cold weather in my life, but getting to experience it will be an unforgettable memory for sure. Maybe I'll appreciate warm weather more when I return :)
In the meantime, it's time for me to go and eat dinner with my family downstairs, so I will draw this post to an end. 11 days to go, 10 days to experience, and one lifetime's worth of a winter trip to savor.
I think everything will turn out being just fine.