Packing!

Only four days to go until I leave for Paris! I've pretty much finished shopping and picking up everything that I will need for my trip. Today I'm packing -- it took a lot of self-control, but I think I've pared it down to a good assortment. Here's everything I'm taking:

Three pair of pants, five shirts, long johns, a swimsuit, two pair of shorts, a skirt, walking shoes and flip flops. Assorted electronics and cables, travel towels, a stolen airline pillow (the perfect size!), a handful of 3oz bottles full of exciting things like sunscreen and handsoap, a first aid kit, a raincoat, socks and underwear, a fleece and a hat. Everything I will need for the next five months. Crazy.

And it all fits in this* bag!

*Special thank you to Carey for the bag :-)

Weighing in at just 22 pounds, it feels like my whole life is in this bag right now. Tomorrow I'll be doing a "dry run", pretending to be a tourist in Boston walking around town all day with the backpack on. Riding the T should be a lot of fun. Hopefully it will give me a good idea of how practical my backpack is, and whether I need to try to take some things out. I still need to add a few things, like a travel toothbrush and some extra socks (would it be extravagant to take a loofah glove?), but after one more small shopping trip I should be ready to go! I can't wait!