Answer: $950. The Question?

12:08pm
$950.  The question: How much does it cost to mail enough clothing, books, and video equipment to France and China to survive for a year, finish your PhD in psychology, and shoot two music videos?  6 boxes to China; 2 boxes to France.  Enough for me to survive and thrive for over a year. 

I purchased insurance for each of the packages too.  I asked how likely the packages are to arrive in China.  She told me that as long as the packages are not to Mexico, Brazil, or Italy, they probably will not get lost and will arrive.  How interesting!  I always knew Italian trains were often late, but packages too?!  And she told me I needed to worry about ITALY, and NOT China?!  That is CRAZY!  But I’m happy to have paid a little extra for the insurance to make sure I have money for clothing, a new video camera, new books, etc should they not arrive.

Off to the airport now.  Phone is scheduled to be deactivated on Jan 7th.  And then, it’s just email, FB, and Skype: unless I happen to buy a disposable French phone.  I will look into that once I get over there.

I’m a bit chagrined with how much it cost to send everything.  I didn’t even plan for ‘shipping costs’ when I planned my budget.  And so, I had to charge it all to my credit card, so as not to subtract from my liquid assets.  Not a huge deal, but I wish I had considered this all when doing my initial planning…   I did get a book royalty check for about $180 today though, and that’s helpful.  Every penny counts, right?!

I got a phone call from Lori today!  Her voice and her effervescence just makes me smile from ear to ear whenever I hear it.   She is one of my bestest of friends and... the first girl I ever kissed.  And it was on stage.  In underwear.  Me in boxers.  She in a silk teddy.  Junior year of high school at the Eastern Slope Playhouse in North Conway, NY.  The play: Equus. I played Alan; she played Jill, my girlfriend.  We've been really great friends ever since.  And she is the BEST modern dancer.  Just incredible.  It was so nice of her to think of me.  I miss her.  Always!  She was all ready to come visit me in China until I told her the cost of airfare.  Yeah, I know, Lori!  I so wish I were a millionaire and could just buy plane tickets and cars and stuff for my friends.  That is GOING to be so cool when it happens one day!  One day soon, I'm sure of it!

Okay, I have a 12:20pm German lesson, and then off to the airport at 1pm.  Au revoir, Etats Unis!  A la prochaine!