Losing Luggage

Nearly all my thoughts about my ensuing trip are optimistic. The year’s possibilities excite me, and I’m inspired to work more planning and researching for this adventure than I was for any scholastic pursuit. Amid the dreams about virgin coastlines and trekking through the Himalayas, however, a potential problem break through my dreamy naïveness. My picturesque year is muddied with negativity, not about anything happening to my health or safety, but about losing important paperwork or having my money stolen. Will my luggage get lost between Australia and Malaysia? This thought plagues me more frequently than I’d like. Premonition…let’s hope not. I’m an average sized American girl, which equates to not fitting into anything in Southeast Asia. My size 9 feet don’t have a prayer of slipping comfortably into SE Asian footwear. The nightmare of losing my luggage isn’t specific to the Aussi flight to SE Asia. Losing everything I have – all 35 lbs of it – anywhere would be bad news, because even if I could afford to replace my gear (which I can’t) I don’t know if I will be anywhere where I could find replacement items. The good news is Katie is the most unselfish person I know, and she would share her stuff with me. Maybe not her toothbrush, but my hygienic practices will probably be seriously lacking anyway so what’s a week without fresh breath. Also, we are flying into major cities and capitals and with America’s pervasiveness throughout the world, I would be hard-pressed to not find western accommodations.

I suppose it’s a good that I’m thinking about these things now. It gives me time to plan ahead. For example I plan to keep my toothbrush and a bar of soap in my carry-on bag.