Extra Stuff

It has been easy to forget that I traveled to San Francisco with two pieces of luggage because I left one of them at my friends house near San Jose a few days after I arrived.

at the San Jose train station

I was so anxious when I was preparing to leave for California because I felt like I had to pack up my life. I wanted to be prepared for anything life would throw at me, but I only had room to bring the essentials.

I traveled with one large suitcase, one carry-on suitcase, and my backpack. I didn't seem like a lot, and actually, it didn't seem like enough. But dragging around nearly 100 pounds of luggage plus my backpack with two laptops got old quick. When I got lost in South San Francisco trying to find the Caltrain station, I was so tired that I wanted to leave my luggage in the street.

After staying a few nights with my friend in San Jose, I asked if I could leave some of my luggage at her house so I could travel a little more easily. I didn't have an apartment at that point and I knew that I might be hopping from place to place.

I figured I would find a place quickly, so I just took my little carry-on bag and backpack with enough clothes and stuff to get me through the first week of orientation and classes. That was 6 weeks ago.

essentials for the first week...or maybe the first six weeks

Now that I've been settled in one place for the rest of the semester, I'm planning to go back to my friend's house this weekend for the rest of my stuff. But honestly, other than a few extra changes of clothes and my PC laptop, I don't know what else I have in that big suitcase. I have gotten used to having less, and am not sure that I really want all this extra stuff.