Free Stuff

Today I bought a new duffel and by bought, I mean that I basically got it for free. We had a credit to Ross and I figured that would be a good place to find a cheap bag (in case I decided to leave it there at the end of the trip). I ended up getting a smaller duffel that I can throw over my shoulder for about $20 which was all covered with the store credit. After numerous other trips to Dollar Tree, Michaels, TJ Maxx, Walmart and Target (I and the others have been stocking up on things to take to the kids), I came home with a good amount of stuff that I was worried would not fit in the new bag that I bought! However, all worked out as planned and here is the breakdown of what I am bringing:

1. Clothes- I dug through a stack of clothes that have been in the kitchen that I've been waiting to donate or do something with and I pulled out some long sleeve shirts and some t-shirts to bring. I also found two pairs of jeans that I can bring and then just leave there with the shirts at the end of the trip. I bought some scrubs (the bottom half) today and some undershirts to have for the clinic rounds during the day.
2. Kid's stuff- I think I'm bringing about 50 toothbrushes with me for starters. Then I have a ton of crayons, markers, chalk, pipe cleaners, and paper as well. I'm going to be getting a lot of stickers and that will complete what I'm bringing for the children (the Texas group is bringing a lot of stuffed animals and other toys). Surprisingly, I have room for all this in my bag(s) and I even have room to spare! When I get there, all of this will come out and get used so I will prob. be coming back with a fairly empty bag that I'll just be able to carry on with me (after I stuff my other bags in it).
   
3. Miscellaneous- I bought 5 massive things of hand sanitizer, plus a little small personal one. I think that's the heaviest thing in my bag. I also got some snacks like some Kashi granola bars, the little boxes of cereal, and I am going to get a few Clif bars to pack for bus rides and long days. I already have my Romania book and universal adapter (which was also free as a result of some bank reward points). The only thing I really have left to get is my little day bag that will be attached to my shoulders all the time and that should be coming in the next few days (another free product as a result of more reward points from another bank).

So, I think that is all for the updates for a bit. I've been posting a lot because I'm excited to go and haven't been able to focus on much else. However, since I'm going to be gone during a fairly busy time in the semester, I am going to try and focus on less blog writing and more dissertation/publication writing for the next two weeks.