Packing

It's funny. Regardless of where I'm going--remote villages or big cities or university, familiar or completely unfamiliar situations--one of the most stressful parts for me is packing. It doesn't phase me much to know I'll be entering a place where I don't speak the language or if I'm not sure what I'm going to eat when I get there...I'm always just paranoid that I'll overpack. And really, it's just because I want to be all hip and minimalist, and distance myself from the image of the notoriously overpacking/high-maintenance female. My pride gets really into this one: I'm not materialistic and vain and needy like all those other North Americans; I can live out of a single handbag for a month, just you watch.
But I am, and I can't.
Sigh.
Clothes are the most annoying part. I really would be happy with one set of clothes to wear and another to wash, but then there's the issue that I'll be hiking and museum-going and attending shows and experiencing the sweltering heat of Rome and the unpredictable downpours of Scotland all in the same trip. I have to bring three pairs of shoes on this trip, just to be culturally- and terrain-appropriate. Three. The very thought fills me with horror.
Of course, I'm finding this particular trip a bit more difficult in that it's the first time I've had to pack for international travel to a developed country. It's different. I'll be able to drink the water. And buy things there (although with the dollar as it is, that's probably not my first choice). And my emergency supply probably doesn't have to be as extensive. So maybe I'll be able to pack lighter after all...
But I still have to bring three pairs of shoes. Bah.