Monday, 10 April 2006

the heart remains a child

Things you don’t need to bring to PNG
  • a saki set (if you drink wine it’s from cordial glasses. Those little saki cups remain virginal)
  • stapler – staples – glue – pens – sticky tape – stickers – markers – scissors – pencils (but the pencil sharpener has been useful) (and you love stationery so don’t care)
  • a smooth, egg-like stone you found on an island beach holiday when you were a child
  • a piece of fake fruit (I still am not sure why I have a bright orange, plastic mandarin)
  • a princess di teatowel (I love it so I don’t use it. It sits in the dark of a cupboard)
  • mugs
  • good books (you have to either leave them when you leave again, or pay for the heavy buggers to leave with you)
  • Berocca (never used it before, and still don’t)
  • a shoot-out, pop-up umbrella (all the umbrellas here are golf-sized, and with reason: the down-pours are massive and little granny-umbrellas are pathetic)
  • picture-hanging hooks
  • so many clothes (the second-hand stores here are huge, insanely cheap and fun – whole eras of fashion history before your very eyes! Also, you don’t know what’s hot and what’s not until you have lived in your new home for a while; bring some basics and buy your real wardrobe here. And then buy another one because it’s all so cheap it’ll never be this good again)


Things surprisingly useful
  • sewing kit from nana (packed out of politeness, but it has been used many times)
  • bottle-opener (the kind with arms)
  • sari fabric from india (hides ugly tables and plain walls)
  • blu tak (useful for a thousand things)

Essentials that keep your wheels running smoothly
  • the laptop
  • the camera
  • the books (read or unread, left or lugged again)
  • the little swiss army knife keyring (only had the basics but used weekly. Much missed since swiped by Australian airport security)

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