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Traveling really puts into perspective the things that are most important in your life. One of the things that you find out pretty quickly is that there are so many material things that you can do without and not really even miss. There are also things that you discover that you aren’t willing to do without and things that you miss most of all. I’ve always been fairly frugal but I have also always been able to buy the little luxuries if I really wanted them. That’s not exactly the case now that I am living in an expensive resort town and getting paid by the hour.
So here is what I have learned to live without: a hair dryer (eventually it will dry on its own anyway), a car (I have two feet and a bike and a bus pass and occasionally even the access to rental car keys from work), a clothes dryer (the sun does a good job as long as I remember to bring the clothes in before it rains again), a walk-in closet full of clothes (it would just mean more to wash, right?) and finally my coffee maker (there is always a coffee shop if I need an espresso fix and instant coffee isn’t the worst thing in the world).
The things that I miss most: friends and family (you guys know how much I love you), my Guinevere (I look at her pictures everyday and can’t wait to have her here with me but know that mom is taking great care of her), pictures on the wall (the sterile look of the beige walls of my cute little house is really starting to get to me so I finally broke down and bought some colorful candles today), and a ceiling fan (I can’t really explain that one but I love having a ceiling fan on when I am trying to sleep).
What I am not willing to live without: internet access (the ability to see what is going on in other parts of the world and to keep in touch with folks from back home is priceless), my cell phone (as much as I complain about the phone, I still feel like a piece of me is missing if by some tragic happenstance I leave it at home. I may ignore it but I want it there to ignore), and mascara ( realize how vain and silly that sounds but if you had blonde eyelashes you would understand how important mascara really is).
*FYI the title is a reference to the Jungle Book. I know that in general I can’t spell but this time it was on purpose 