I like to think of myself as an easygoing person, though if you ask my roommates or my younger sister they’d tell you something different. They might even laugh at the thought of me being easy going. I like the dishes to be done, the toilet clean, and my laundry folded nicely in my dresser. I’m madly in love with to-do lists. My planner has become almost as important as my iphone, which has alarms for nearly everything.
So as I started preparing for this trip I made list after list. I made packing lists, lists of Bhutanese recipes to try before I left, lists of Dzongka (the language spoken in Bhutan) words and phrases to know, lists of books about Bhutan to read before traveling... and now I’m sitting on my bed with all these lists and laundry and dirty dishes and 8 days before my departure. It seems that the Bhutanese might already be trying to teach me a lesson in surrendering to the unknown. I’m starting to think that packing is kind of like my favorite food, mac’n’cheese. You can complicate it all you want but all you really need is cheese and noodles. I’m trying to think of everything I could possibly need for the next five months but its impossible. I was provided with a packing list through Naropas orientation and then I added another page of things I thought of. Now i’m realizing there is no way I am going to fit all of this in my bag and still meet the 44 pound weight restriction. Noodles and cheese. Noodles and cheese. Noodles and cheese.
I think that will be my mantra until I leave. Maybe even after I arrive in Bhutan I will have to remind myself that all I really need is noodles and cheese. That is one of the tricky aspects of living in the United States. We believe we need all this stuff to make us happy. We are constantly being bombarded with messages from the media and from each other that we don’t have everything we need. It is a hard habit to break. It is a matrix that has been hardwired into our brains and it takes serious dedication to break out of it and realize that everything we could ever want and need we already have. Especially for those of us who are more privileged.
I’m looking forward to being out of the United States to help me break some of the habits this country has instilled in me but also to find some gratitude in the land I call home. There is nothing like a trip away to help one become more grateful for home.
So off I go to the land of happiness! I might not be prepared but I will do my best to welcome every experience with open arms and smile on my face. Cheers!
