Preparing For Germany, Sort Of
I of course don’t mean “preparing” as in doing German language tapes or scouting out museums and transportation. Instead, I’m just thinking about clothes. Well, clothes and meds. I was able to get 3-month supplies of all my meds- even Klonopin, a controlled substance. I can’t imagine this would fly in most states, so a little advice: if you run into a situation where you need more than a month’s worth of a controlled substance, just ask your doctor to overprescribe for one month. Doctors usually prefer that you have your meds rather than not, so they tend to be amenable to this. Since I’m traveling for just about a month, my 3-month supplies are more than sufficient, so I didn’t have to go this route, though I have in the past. When traveling, I pack all my prescriptions together in a packing cube in my carry-on bag. If anything gets lost, it will not be my meds. My name is on all the prescription bottles in case of inspection, but I’ve flown internationally with quite a pharmacy, controlled substances included, and never been questioned.
My real concern is of course, my wardrobe. Here on the homefront, we had our first really hot day of the season. It was 84 degrees to be exact, and I was absolutely sweltering in my joggers. I scrambled to the closet to change into shorts, and we left for the cafe as per usual. Walking through the front door of the cafe, I suddenly became frantic from concern that my belly (and my underwear) were exposed. They weren’t, but I was quite aware that my shorts were in fact on the verge of falling down. I hadn’t been planning on wearing shorts this early in the season, not even planning to bring them to Germany for the month of June. But this little heat wave suddenly brings to light a bit of a wardrobe crisis. The shorts in question are Old Navy, size XL, elastic-waist, drawstring utility shorts (similar here). I bought them when my Old Navy, size L, elastic-waist, (no-drawstring) utility shorts got too small. This should have been a no-brainer: Find the same or a similar style, buy one size up, and you’re good to go. But the size difference between these two pairs is far more than a L to XL. These XL are at least a size or two bigger than the tag says. You’d think, same store, (almost) the same style, that the sizing might be consistent. But apparently this is not the case. As women, we are used to these sizing discrepancies between brands, between styles, and - no joke- even between colors of the identical item. So this isn’t a huge shock to me. But it does put me in a bit of a pickle. If shorts are in the cards for the upcoming trip, does this mean I have to buy new shorts for this in-between weight? My obvious solution is to thrift when I need something temporarily, but finding the right thing is difficult, and it’s also the principle of the thing. I thought I was prepared for summer at this weight, and now I’m not. So I’ve been obsessively checking the weather both here and in Berlin to try to get a handle on what I’ll need to pack. I’ve been making little lists in my bullet journal, potential packing lists, but the size issue is popping up in other areas, too. My navy blue men’s pants that are such a staple worn with my black leather men’s belt might be on the verge of being too big to cinch in any more. I think in this case I’ve made peace with the fact that if I bring them to Berlin, I’ll probably have to replace them while I’m there. Besides, it will give me a chance to go thrifting in Berlin. But the cashmere sweaters, the puffer jacket I was thinking of bringing- is that just wasted space I should be using for shorts and camis?
At least I have a firm handle on the shoe situation. My decluttering has proved quite helpful in this aspect of decision-making, since there are fewer pairs to choose from. I’ll wear the boots on the plane since they’re the heaviest, then pack the Adidas and New Balance running shoes. The Supergas aren’t great for lots of city walking, so they’ll stay home regardless. There are no fancy occasions to worry about, so no heels will be in tow. As far as other wardrobe areas, gym gear is always complicated, so I’ll definitely have to resort to handwashing my things between workouts. Other than that, it’s just lots of T-shirts and a couple pairs of pants. Oh, and lots of socks. I’m not one to go sockless in sneakers. I’ll keep my eye on temperatures and end up making a lot of decisions last-minute, like I usually do, which tends to lead to overpacking. This time my husband and I are sharing a checked bag, however, so I’ll have to reel it in. At least I’m not lugging parkas and sweaters and snow boots like last time- thank god it’s spring.