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Packing 105: To fold or to roll, that is the question

/ edebock / 14 Comments

Though some people roll their clothing to pack it in a suitcase claiming that it takes up less space and doesn’t wrinkle as much, I prefer to fold most of ours.

I learned to fold and pack from a master. When I was a child my father spent several years commuting between Powell River and Vancouver almost every week. Every week my mother did his laundry, starched and pressed his dress shirts and repacked his suitcase. I remember watching her with fascination. She could fold a shirt so that it looked like it had just come out of it’s original package.

Every summer, our family of six would pile into the big blue and white International Travelall and set off on a camping adventure that often lasted several weeks. Mom would pack everything we needed into the back of the vehicle. There was no such thing as a nylon tent in those days but she could fit the bulky canvas tent, six sleeping bags, foam sleeping mats, the Coleman stove, dishes, food, clothes, life jackets and fishing gear and a multitude of other things into the space behind the back seat.

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One summer we chartered a float plane and flew into Garibaldi Lake nestled high in the coastal mountains. Mom had to weigh every single item that went on that trip to make sure that we didn’t exceed the plane’s weight limit. Yes, she was definitely a packing wizard!

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But I digress! Though I fold the majority of our clothing, I often roll things like pyjamas to fit into small unused spaces between other items. On our upcoming trip to China, I’m also going to try a packing technique that I’ve never used before. By packing bulky items in ziploc bags and squeezing the air out before sealing them, they’ll take up much less room in a suitcase. Richard’s navy blue fleece hoodie is two sizes larger than my red one but look at how much less space it needs.

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And before I bring this packing series to an end, here’s one last tip: It’s amazing how much you can pack inside the shoes that go into your suitcase. Stuff them full of socks, underwear, pantyhose, pill bottles, anything that will fit!

Do you fold or roll?

No more mountain!

/ edebock / 4 Comments

We have our visas!

After the panic that I was thrown into three weeks ago when we learned that we had to have complete medicals done before we could apply for our work visas, our trip to the Chinese visa application centre was quite anticlimactic. We drove to Calgary on Monday, going directly to the centre when we arrived in the city. Though there were nine spaces at the counter for serving customers, we were the only ones there. After carefully checking all of our documents, the representative took our passports and told us to return on Thursday. It was that simple.

When we went back this morning, there were a few people there but we didn’t have to wait. Within minutes, we had our passports with the visas in them. We checked them carefully, paid the required fees and were on our way. The mountain had moved!

In spite of the unexpected stress involved in getting our visas, there’s also been a bit of humour involved. Carefully following the instructions provided by our employer in China, when we completed our visa application forms we entered “employment” as my main reason for going to China but “to accompany my wife” as Richard’s! His is also a work visa but apparently it was faster for them to acquire a single invitation letter and work permit for the two of us than it would have been to treat us as two entirely separate entities.

With the exception of the Mosuo tribe, a small ethnic group living in Yunnan province, China is not a matriarchal society. The only reason we can think of that I appear as the head of the family on our documents is that I’m the one who has done most of the communicating with our employer. Whatever the reason, I’ve definitely had fun calling Richard my consort and teasing him that he’s only going along as my companion!

No more mountain! Thank you for your prayers!

No more mountain! Thank you for your prayers!

Packing 104: What else will I pack?

/ edebock / 4 Comments

Packing, especially for a long stay, isn’t only about clothes. As I mentioned in my first packing post, we’ve been advised to bring a sufficient supply of medications and other essentials to last for the duration of our stay. There are also all sorts of random things that will be tucked into our luggage when we leave for China.

Depending on where you’re going, packing a towel might be a good idea. If you stay in 4 or 5 star resorts you certainly won’t need one but if you frequent $12/night guest houses like the one we stayed in in Cambodia, you’d better take one with you! Our apartment in China will be fully furnished. Dishes and bedding are provided but we’ve been told that towels are not. We can buy them there, of course, but after travelling and hanging around airports for over 24 hours, we’ll probably want to shower and fall into bed when we arrive! I think I’ll pack a couple of towels.

If necessary, laundry can be done almost anywhere. I always pack a small container of powdered laundry soap for those occasions when something needs to be washed out by hand. I learned a valuable lesson on our last international trip, however. ALWAYS pack that container in a ziploc bag! Airline baggage handlers are not kind to luggage and it’s amazing where powdered soap can end up when it’s released from it’s container and allowed to wander freely. Fortunately, the container was in an outside pocket of our suitcase but I was brushing soap from between the pages of my Bible for a long time afterward and I just recently found some hiding inside the case that holds my spare pair of glasses!

If you have eyesight like ours, an extra pair of glasses should always travel with you and it’s a good idea to take a copy of your current prescription as well. Add a pair of sunglasses and you’re ready to go.

Believe it or not, when I shop for clothes, I almost always think about how well an item will pack. How much space will it take up in a suitcase? How badly will it wrinkle? The second question is less important this time as I’ll also be packing our dual voltage travel iron which usually resides in our travel trailer. It’s not something that I’d bother packing for a shorter vacation trip but there won’t be an iron in our apartment in China so it will be essential. We’ll also take an adapter plug that will allow us to plug it in as outlets in China are different from those in Canada.

Voltage also varies from country to country. Here in Canada, we use 120 volts but China uses 220. Fortunately, our laptop computer, which will travel as a carry-on, has its own power converter. A camera is absolutely essential, of course, and at least a couple of memory cards. That, too, will travel in our carry-on luggage.

Wherever we go, we love to walk and hike. Since I’m always curious to know how far I’ve gone, I’ll be sure to pack my pedometer. A compass doesn’t take up much space and can be very handy so we’ll take one of those too. If we planned on geocaching, we’d also take our handheld GPS unit but caching hasn’t really caught on in China yet and I’ve also read that it’s illegal to use a GPS there without a permit! I’m not sure if that’s true or not but since there will be so many other things to see and do, we’ll leave that pastime until we get home again.

A travel alarm clock and a tiny flashlight will also be tucked into our suitcases. Though July and August are Dalian’s rainiest months, it’s on the coast and we’ll definitely need umbrellas. I’m sure we could buy them there but we have several folding ones so we’ll pack a couple of them including a tiny one that fits into my purse.

China is officially an atheist country but we are allowed to take a Bible with us for our personal use. We don’t travel anywhere without one so our compact ultra thin edition will go with us. Our Lonely Planet guidebook is bigger but it will definitely go too. I’m also hoping to fit a few paperback books into our baggage that we can leave behind when we finish reading. We probably should have invested in an e-reader by now as we’re both avid readers but I still like the feel of a book in my hands. It would be handy when we travel though, especially when we spend lengthy periods of time in countries where English is difficult to find.

Reminders of home are important if you’re away for an extended amount of time. A few family photos will definitely go to China with us. Our orientation handbook also suggests that we bring items that show the culture and history of our country to share with our students but I haven’t figured out what those ought to be. Any suggestions?

Maybe I should also pack a few twist ties. That’s the one thing we had a hard time finding in Japan!

Packing 103: Carry-on

/ edebock / 3 Comments

My sister flew from Edmonton to Vancouver a couple of weeks ago but her suitcase went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! If you’ve ever had a suitcase go astray, you know how important the contents of your carry-on can be.

I once carried a kabocha in my carry-on but I’m usually a little more sensible than that! Our suitcases have failed to keep up with us three times over the years but each time, we’ve been fortunate to be on our way home. Last year, however, we were stranded overnight in Houston with only our carry-on baggage but fortunately we were prepared.

So what are the essentials that should go into your carry-on luggage?

  • Passports and travel documents, of course. These should be stowed in a safe but easy to access location. 
  • A change of clothes or at least fresh undergarments. You can probably get away with wearing the same pair of jeans for several days but underwear, no!
  • Something that you can sleep in comfortably (unless you prefer to sleep in the nude).
  • If you’re on your way to a tropical destination, I’d suggest a swimsuit. It doesn’t take up much space and who wants to hang out on the beach in their travel clothes while they wait for a suitcase to be delivered? Of course, this could be just the excuse you need to buy a new one!
  • Medications; at least enough to last for a few days.
  • Basic toiletry items. Don’t forget that airline safety regulations restrict liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on baggage to a maximum of 100 mL each and that all such items must be carried in a clear, resealable plastic bag that is no larger than one litre. There’s also limit of one bag per person. I always add my toothbrush to this bag.
  • Something to keep you occupied during a long flight or lengthy airport layover. This might be a book, magazine or e-reader or if there are two of you, a deck of cards.
  • Any valuables that couldn’t easily be replaced if your suitcase went missing permanently.

What else do you pack in your carry-on?

Most airlines allow two pieces of carry-on baggage per person; one larger than the other. A small purse can be carried on-board as well but a larger one will usually count as one of the allotted carry-ons. Mine is neither small nor overly large but I’m not interested in trying to keep track of three items anyway.

Our most interesting and innovative piece of luggage is the two piece Mountain Equipment Coop backpack that Richard received from his school staff as a retirement gift. Attached together, the two multi-pocketed bags are big enough that they have to fly as checked baggage but when separated, the larger wheeled pack and the smaller detachable day pack can travel as carry-ons. The wheels are great for traversing airports like the ones in Vancouver and Shanghai where we’ll change planes on the way to Dalian and the combo will be perfect for weekend or overnight trips while we’re living there.

this + this

this + this

= this

= this

Packing 102: Mix, match and layer

/ edebock / 9 Comments

How many outfits do you really need to take on any trip? After all, you can only wear one at a time!

Since we’ll be teaching during our upcoming stay in China, I’ll need a working wardrobe as well as casual clothes but I won’t pack a top that can’t be dressed up with dress pants or a skirt or down with jeans or capris. In addition, nothing will go into the suitcase unless it can coordinate with several other items so that just a few pieces produce many different looks.

Unlike in Japan where Richard was required to wear a dress shirt and tie to school every day, we’ve been told to dress for the classroom the same as we did in Canada. Our orientation booklet does say that we should dress conservatively, however, so I’ll stick with neutral colours for dress pants and skirts. A pop of colour can always be added with a brighter top or a scarf.

Layering is also key to travelling light. Whether you’re packing for a destination with warm days and cooler nights or expecting a seasonal change such as we’ll experience in China, layers are the way to go. A sleeveless top over a cami and worn with a cardigan will keep me warm in late February when Dalian’s average temperature is around 0°C (32° F). I’ll wear the same top on its own when daytime highs reach the mid twenties in May and June.

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Without question, the most versatile piece in my suitcase will be my Jockey Person to Person black modal cardigan.I have yet to figure out all the different ways that it can be worn! Click here to watch a short video that shows just a few of them. And here are a couple of my favourite looks.

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So, what will I pack for approximately 4 and a half months in China? The list will probably be refined a bit between now and packing day but here’s what it looks like right now:

  • 3 pairs of dress pants
  • 2 pairs of jeans
  • 2 pairs of capris
  • 2 or 3 skirts
  • 2 camis
  • 2 button up shirts
  • 1 long sleeved tunic top
  • 3 long sleeved tees
  • 2 short sleeved tees
  • 3 or 4 sleeveless tops
  • 2 cardigans
  • 1 fleece hoodie
  • 1 pashmina

Throw in socks, underwear, pjs, and a couple of belts and scarves, as well as assorted accessories and I’m almost ready to go. I never travel anywhere without a swimsuit and, of course, I’ll need shoes! I’m seriously thinking about only taking three pairs; a good pair of walking/hiking shoes that I’ll wear on the plane, a pair of black flats and a fairly dressy pair of sandals that are also comfortable to walk in. I’d love to take more and I will if there’s space but I survived childhood with only one pair of shoes at a time so really, anything more than that is luxury, isn’t it?

I’ll also be packing a light spring jacket; one that works well in wind or rain since we’ll be living on the coast. I’ll wear a wool coat on the flight over but when we return in July, I’ll have to try to squash that into one of our suitcases. I’d look a little funny wearing it in the height of summer!

In the meantime, before I start the big packing job, there’s one more trip we must make. Our mountain has moved! Richard picked up our completed medical forms this morning and on Monday we’ll be heading for Calgary to apply for our visas. When we drive, all my careful packing tips go out the window and we usually end up taking way more than we need. This time, I must remember to pack our skates as we’ve promised to take our grandchildren, Drew and Jami-Lee, skating in Bowness Park if the weather cooperates.

Packing 101

/ edebock / 7 Comments

A friend of mine is packing for a three month stay on the BC coast.

“Not my idea of fun,” she says. “Especially when there will be a season change and we don’t dare leave home without heavy winter gear.”

She posted on my Facebook page this morning, “How on earth do you pack to fly to places like Japan and China!!?? A province away is overwhelming me!!”

Yes, packing can definitely be overwhelming but I think it’s something I’m pretty good at. In fact, my sister recently suggested that I could write a book about it. I don’t think I’ll do that but over the next little while, as we continue to prepare for our stay in China, I’m going to share a few of my finer packing tips here.

Rule #1, of course, is travel light! My parents always taught me never to pack more than I could carry without assistance. Of course, the introduction of wheeled luggage made that a lot easier but less is still definitely better.

Packing is also all about using space effectively. China is a developing country. Many of the products that we are accustomed to using may not be available there. We have been advised to bring a sufficient supply of medications and other essentials to last for the duration of our stay. We did the same for our year in Japan. When crossing international borders, prescription and over-the-counter medications must travel in their original labelled containers but have you ever noticed how much empty space there is in most of the bottles on the drugstore shelf? And how much extra packaging is used?

By simply removing bottles and tubes from their boxes and filling pill bottles to the top, I was able to reduce this

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to this

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Of course, most of this will be used up before our return trip leaving a bit of extra suitcase space for purchases we might want to make while we’re there or for some of the bulky winter clothing that we’ll be wearing on our way to China. We, too, will have a seasonal change to deal with.

Perhaps my husband’s packing tip is the one most people would like to adhere to though: just let your wife do it! Yes, I do all the packing for both of us! Lucky man!

Tangled knots of tension

/ edebock / 2 Comments

This has been an eventful week.

On Monday, I learned that my Dad had finally made the decision to seek permanent care for my Mom. She’s 90 years old and suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, she’s virtually blind, incontinent and confined to a wheelchair. Dad has been burning himself out trying to be her primary caregiver and most of the time she doesn’t even know who he is.

I was relieved! I would be able to leave the country knowing that Mom was being well cared for and that Dad could finally relax and possibly regain his flagging health and strength. Then came Wednesday and a phone call from my sister. Dad was suffering from chest pains and she was catching a plane that afternoon to fly out to Vancouver to be with them!

I was already feeling stressed over the delay in getting our visas. This news was almost more than I could handle! Questions and doubts flooded my mind. What was I thinking of? Was going to China at this point sheer insanity? We’d already signed our contracts! What choice did I have now?

I don’t handle stress well. Apparently, neither does my father! His chest pains were not an indication of an impending heart attack as we feared but, as far as we can tell, the result of stressing about the decision he’d made and all its implications. He had lain awake for long hours Tuesday night worrying about where Mom would end up, how he’d get her there, what he should pack for her, whether or not she’d adjust well to her new surroundings and so on and so on until the pain began.

We knew that initially, at least, Mom would go into the first appropriate long term care bed in their area. We prayed that it would be easily accessible by bus so that Dad, who no longer drives due to failing eyesight, could visit her regularly. God did even better than that! Tomorrow morning she’s moving into a care facility just down the street from the apartment building where my parents have lived for over 20 years! It’s literally about 500 metres away, close enough for Dad to walk over anytime he wants!

After more than 64 years of marriage, tonight will be the last night that my parents will spend together. It’s sad, but Alzheimer’s is sadder. In a sense, Mom has already been gone for quite a long time. I’m just glad that Dad will still be able to spend time with her each day and that my sister is there to help them with the transition.

Now, if only the results of our blood tests come back soon so that we can head to Calgary to apply for our visas. Then maybe the knots in my stomach will begin to untangle!

Our mountain is moving!

/ edebock / 10 Comments

If you read yesterday’s post, you know that we were thrown into a sudden panic when we learned that we can’t apply for our work visas until we can present physical examination records with the myriad of other forms and documents that are required. It often takes three weeks or more to get in to see our family doctor and we’re supposed to leave for China a month from tomorrow! What were we going to do?

The problem seemed insurmountable but nothing is impossible with God! (Luke 1:37) After temporarily freaking out, I calmed down and realized that if God wants us in China nothing will stop us from getting there.

We don’t climb our mountains alone. Within hours, people around the world, including a blogging friend I’ve never met, were praying for us and the mountain began to move.

Last night I learned that there’s a new doctor in the area. So new, in fact, that his clinic isn’t even ready for use yet and he’s only seeing walk ins at the hospital outpatients department. We spent two hours there this morning. Dr. O was efficient and personable; definitely a positive addition to our medical community. By lunch time, all of the required procedures had been done. We’d undergone everything from eye examinations to chest x-rays and ECGs and blood had been taken. My blood pressure was a little high but that came as no surprise after the stress of the past 24 hours!

The only hitch now is that the results of the required AIDS test usually take about two weeks to come back. As long as they don’t take any longer than that, we’ll still have enough time to make our trip to Calgary to get our visas but I’m praying that they come back sooner. After all, our God can move mountains!

Mount Robson                      photo: Nate DeBock

Lord, move this mountain!

/ edebock / 9 Comments

Yesterday the paperwork that we’d been waiting for arrived; the invitation letter and working permit that would allow us to go to China to teach. Today we filled out our visa application forms and the supplementary forms required for a Z (working) visa. I gathered together the mountain of paperwork that we’d need then decided that I should phone the Visa Application Service Center in Calgary to make sure that we had everything we needed before we made the four hour trip to Calgary on Monday. Thank goodness I did!

When you phone the service center, you get a recording telling you that all the information you need is on their website. I knew that but I’m anal. I wanted to talk to a real person just to be sure. After pressing one for English then listening to a lengthy menu, I finally pressed 0 and was connected to Peter. That’s when I learned that the website is actually out of date!

According to the website, which I first checked several weeks ago, people who are going to China to work for less than 6 months do not need to present a physical examination record with their visa application. Wrong! Peter told me that that requirement changed a couple of months ago and yes, we would need to present completed medical forms!

Yikes! We live in rural Alberta where there’s a doctor shortage. It can take weeks just to get an appointment! We’re supposed to have a complete check-up, a chest x-ray, an ECG and even an AIDS test, for goodness sake!

Panic immediately set in. I’m sure my blood pressure went through the roof! How in the world are we supposed to climb this mountain in the limited amount of time we have to get our visas?

That’s when Matthew 17:20 came to mind. “I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

For a moment, my eye was only on the mountain; the problem. When we focus on the problem, everything else including God seems small but when we focus on God, the problem seems small. Right now, I’m trying very hard to focus on God and not to worry. As our friend Ilef likes to say, I’m waiting to see how God’s going to get us out of this mess. I believe that if God wants us in China, we’ll be on the plane with visas in hand!

Lord, move this mountain, I pray! 

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I’d rather be adorkable

/ edebock / 9 Comments

In my last post I suggested that I might be weird and my readers kindly failed to respond! Thank you, dear ones! Now I’ve decided that I’d rather be considered adorkable! Isn’t that a precious word?

In an earlier post I mentioned that from time to time I would probably be sharing tidbits from the video course, The Secret Life of Words: English Words and Their Origins, which I’m watching while treadmilling.

Okay, you caught me! Treadmilling isn’t actually a word but it might be someday and if it was, it would be an example of functional shift, a shift in part of speech without change of form. In this case, a noun becoming a verb.

Today’s lecture was all about how new words are created which brings us back to adorkable, a great example of blending two words to form a new one. We use blends all the time. Smoke + fog = smog. Motor + hotel = motel. So why not, adorable + dork or dorky = adorkable?  I love it!

Do you know anyone who’s adorkable?

In case I’ve bored you completely by this point, I’ll also add a piece of real news. Today I purchased our plane tickets! We leave for China on February 20!