Suitcases, Passports, and Weddings

There is so much to do before we leave this Thursday for Bangladesh. That's right, this Thursday the 29th of May, 2008. We've barely begun packing. In fact, everything we need to take is in Clear Lake, strewn across our downstairs floor waiting to be stuffed into their suitcases.

My mom, who is going with me, can't really do anything to help matters because she cracked her ribs two weeks ago. I really hope you never have to experience this, because it is basically living with the constant threat of excruciating pain. She can't breath deep, she can't cough, she can't even laugh (as I found out the hard way last week) without ending up in tears. Despite all that, she managed to throw an open house and dinner for 200 people to celebrate my sister's graduation. Of course packing suitcases is where she draws the line. I can't do anything to help until Tuesday night because I'm stuck in Iowa City, taking care of business until then. Can you imagine the chaos that will reign on Wednesday? We need to pack all the gifts, all the necessary clothes, all the first aid stuff (we are going to a third world country after all), water bottles, electronics, adapters for the electronics, etc., etc. And make sure that everything is still within the weight limit. In one day.

To top that off, my passport was lost for 24 hours. For those in the know, passports are kind of crucial for any chance in hell of getting into a foreign country. PANIC. That is the only word that can describe how we were frantically tearing apart our respective abodes trying find this silly little blue book. Let me frame the gravity of the matter. My family had just spent almost 1700 dollars on each ticket, non-refundable, non-transferable. And, that is, no joke, a bargain deal. But without a passport, it would have been down the crapper. Luckily I did find it, so the trip (and all attendant packing) is still on.

And to top all of that off, today was my good friends', Andrew and Lindsay's, wedding. I had to take an entire day off from all of my errands to be present at a culture shock of a wedding. I don't mean to be negative: the couple was lovely, the ceremony was pleasant, the food was tasty, the beverages were free... But when you have so much hanging over your head in the next five days, it can be hard to forget the stress. Not to mention the stress of buying a wedding gift. Not only did I wait to the last minute, but at this time of year (the end of the school year), I invariably find myself in a financial hole. Nevertheless, I scraped together a few bucks, joined forces with friend, Mike, went to Target, got the wedding registry and bought some of the last unfulfilled gifts on the list. They were blue Rubbermaid 25 gal storage bins, five of them. Plus a fine mesh metal strainer. And a bow. Classy, right? We didn't even have the money to buy wrapping paper to hide our shame. But I'm being too hard on myself. Everything we got was on the registry, it was practical, and affordable. The happy couple can't complain (and if they do, tough shit).

Next post: Some wedding photos and anecdotal evidence of culture shock.

--The Journagraphist