My big duffel bag, filled with all of my clothes and shoes

Anyone who has ever had to pack for 2 years in just a couple of suitcases knows this is no easy feat.  I’ve been planning for packing for almost two months: making lists, getting things that were missing, figuring out what to use for luggage, and thinking about what I’ll miss and want to bring.  It’s hard stuff.  In some ways, I think it’s a bit harder to pack for the Peace Corps in Eastern European countries such as Moldova than it would be if I were going to, say, a country in Africa that is hot all year.  In Moldova, we need to bring clothes and necessities for three distinct seasons (hot summers, cold winters, and milder but rainy springs and falls).

One of the current volunteers recommended thinking of what we would need by thinking of…