Packing Procrastination

So I still have just over 2 weeks left in the states before I head off to Liberia. I'm just starting a 10 day trip visiting my sister in NYC for Christmas and it's odd to think of the contrast between where I am now and where I'll be in just a matter of days. I'm a bit nervous for Liberia - but having had the Guinea experience sort of puts it all in a new perspective because the things I was worried about before I left for Guinea are so different from the things I consider now.

I remember the week or two before Guinea being odd because I really had no idea what I was getting myself into - and I was aware of this. I remember I started the packing process months before I left - making a few different pack lists and shopping around for the things I (thought I) needed to buy. I had no idea if I would be in the colder mountains, the arid desert of the tropical rain forest since those were all possibilities in Guinea according to Wikipedia. For Liberia - I have a half-assed packing list that's loosely based on my original Guinea packing list (it's funny that I made a blog post about that pack list to help other volunteers figure out what they wanted to bring for themselves - yet I ended up using it to try to remember what all I took to Guinea). My list for Liberia is also much shorter - I expect I'll be bringing only like 3 shirts and a couple pairs of pants since I know I can get clothes made there for cheaper than if I were to go to bargain stores here in the states. I think about half of the weight of what I bring will end up being food items since those were the things I missed most in Guinea - any material thing I really need will be available in the local markets - and I definitely know my way around markets well enough to be able to find them.

But yeah, so I haven't really packed anything nor have I started buying the things I expect I'll need. I can excuse this partly on the fact that I'm still half-hoping my bag from Guinea (the one I packed and left in my house and Peace Corps has shipped to me) will arrive in Arizona before I leave for Liberia - because a lot of the things I want to take with me I packed into that bag. Another excuse is that I can't pack things like clothes yet because I don't really have any that I don't need to use these last 2 weeks. But I guess it really boils down to the fact that I'm just not yet motivated to pack up my life again.

I expect that when I get back from this trip and only have like 6 days until I fly out for Liberia I will be much more motivated to get all that stuff together. I guess until then I can just sit back and enjoy my East Coast trip.