See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Packing Queen

WoW!!! 140 pounds of school supplies & books (including weight of suitcases) were donated in a month! I never get tired of saying it: THANK YOU!

Kamiak High School staff and Mukilteo School District SLPs have been so extremely generous with their donations of mostly brand new items!! I didn't expect that!

For the sake of packing space and the environment (because they burn their garbage in rural Kenya), I had to open all packaging that can't be reused for storage. It was like Christmas in June! ;-)

All told, there are over 130 books (Pic is of my sorting them by size into hard/soft covers), 1312 crayons, 584 pencils, 173 markers & color pencils (not counting an entire plastic box containing probably a hundred!), 22 rulers, 8 calculators (5 brand new! 1 TI brand!), 4 sturdy clip boards, and my favorite (b/c I didn't even think of it!): 11 protractors and 16 compasses with pencils! Not pictured are various educational toys, art/craft supplies, and my sanity.


How does one fit them all into 2 checked luggages and 1 carry-on?

Fragile items have to go into my carry-on for sure. Here's a glimpse of how tightly this is packed. (All those youthful years of competing with my brother in Tetris had to count for something!)

Layer 1


















Layer 2


















Layer 3


















Final layer! This little buddy is 40 lbs.













By the time I finished that one, I was too tired to tightly pack the remaining check-in cases. I put the hardcover books in my soft-cased green suitcase along with some durable toys.

Layer 1














Layer 2. This one is just about 50 lbs (thank goodness -- Anything over that there is a $50 charge)












And finally, the paperbacks are in the more structured case with fabrics, tote bags, and maybe some of my clothes when I get around to going to Goodwill for skirts and such (which I will wear and leave in Kenya as further donations).


This suitcase was generously donated from a colleague SLP! She said I can donate it along with my other suitcases later as I leave. Perfect! The tough part is, it is 15 lbs empty, and now it is just about 50 lbs without my clothes in it... Well, I have 3 days to sort it out!

I'll have to make room for 2 deflated soccer balls (and pumps?) because both Emmanuel and Patrick have requested it last minute. Hmm...





I will be updating about my personal backpack when I get around to packing it... It is also interesting to read about, I'm sure, because it includes such things as 5 rolls of handrolled toilet paper in a ziplock bag, and my all-in-one liquid shampoo/soap/laundry detergent.

Stay tuned!