things I wish someone had told me: packing

As I unpack from my regional field excursion and re-pack to go home, I find myself tempted to slap myself in the forehead so many times you'd think I were filming a V8 commercial. Why did I pack all of these unnecessary things? Why did I fail to pack all of those necessary things? …and occasionally I give myself a pat on the back instead of a smack on the head, because I accidentally did something right. Hurrah! But anyway, retrospective packing tips… 

1. If you have a smartphone or iPod touch, there is no reason to bring a dictionary. The app is more convenient when walking around, and if for some reason you need a paper one, chances are good your host family will already have one. Also, books are relatively heavy, and you don't want to bring that dictionary home.
2. Check with past students of your host family to see if you need a towel. Because buying a towel you don't really need just so you can use it for one semester is not the most fun thing.
3. You don't need your whole medicine cabinet. Vitamins, ibuprofen, prescriptions? Great, bring those. But honestly, everything else you might need you can easily find in a pharmacy here. And they don't ask for prescriptions usually, even with antibiotics.
4. If you only want to bring one purse, make sure it matches both of your coats. So that you don't end up spending all spring with a khaki coat and khaki purse.
5. Bring your own pillowcase. If you do any train travelling, it will save you the worry of lice/skin irritations/strange smells transferred to your hair.
6. If your duffle bag has a shoulder strap, bring it. If your duffle bag doesn't have a shoulder strap, get one that does. Don't be a hero. You'll thank me when you're lugging your semester's life through Europe's largest airports and the streets of St. Petersburg.
7. Bring heavy, expendable stuff like shampoo, contact solution, and lined paper. That way your suitcase will be unexpectedly light and roomy on the return trip (so as to accommodate all of the chocolate you will want to bring home).
8. Don't bring heavy, unexpendable stuff that isn't necessary. Namely, lots of books. My host family has a bookshelf full of English books (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Tolstoy…) which, I'm guessing, past students have brought, not had room/weight allowance for on the return, and left behind.
9. Russian washing machines do really eat clothes. …But not all of them. Button-downs handle it well. Jeans are okay too. But anything that has natural stretch to it… will stretch. So those nice poly-cotton shirts that fit you really well right now might end up full of pulls and a few sizes larger than you bought them.
10. If you like tea without caffeine or good coffee that doesn't cost your arm, leg, and firstborn child… bring it with you. That can also act as a nice placeholder in your bag for when you return home.

PS- Chances are good this is the last post from me till I'm back to the States! yay!