What possessions
should I sell?
Which should I store?
If
you think you are only going overseas to teach English
for one year, I'd suggest keeping and storing almost
everything you own. Though even after one year, you'll
be surprised how little some things mean, that were so
important to you before you left.
Going for many years?
If
you are thinking of spending a long time overseas - sell
everything except those of the most sentimental value.
About five years into my TEFL career, I went through the
boxes I had stored at my mom's house - and got rid of
90% of the stuff. Not only did I no longer value what
was there, but before I looked in the boxes I couldn't
even recall what was in them.
So
much for all the "stuff" we value so much!
Even Now
My
wife has about 26 boxes(!) of stuff stored at her
sister's house and I have NO IDEA what all that stuff
is! She has a list - and some of the stuff is junk we
bought the first few years we were overseas - but I
don't even recall what that stuff is. And how in the
world could I fit 26 boxes of stuff into my house
here?!
You
WILL accumulate things while you are overseas too!
Upate - a couple years later: The 26 boxes mentioned
above turned into four boxes worth shipping here to
Thailand. I loved that cool leather jacket I
bought in Korea and wore while riding my motorcycle.
But, what would I do with a leather jacket here?
It's not as if we abandon our old habits of acquiring
"stuff" - you will continue. I like to buy things when
traveling to new countries - souvenirs, I guess you
would call them.
A
Tip
When you travel, if you want to acquire a memento of
your visit to a special country or place - buy just one
thing. About ten years ago I quit buying junk and
decided to just buy one thing in each country - whether
it cost a lot or a little. Usually a lot. But, now, I
do have a good collection of quality art,
fabrics, carpets, and other very special things - from
many countries. Not just a collection of trinkets and
knick knacks. Mostly I picked up things that would
furnish my house. Great art - fine carpets - tapestries
- etc.
