Without You

In honor of the new year, I'm adding a Top 10 list... in the theme of things I wish I had brought to Japan.

CRISTINA'S TOP 10 ITEMS TO PACK FOR JAPAN

PEANUT BUTTER- There IS peanut butter in Japan. It's just very expensive and from what I saw, only available in the smaller type of jars, so I'm loading up on chunky before I head back. It probably goes without saying, but I'll pack some jelly to keep it company.

TORTILLAS - Clearly, this is a throwback to my Mexican heritage. Breakfast just isn't the same without tortillas... I was able to find corn tortillas in Kanazawa when I did PII, but haven't looked around Yokohama much so I'll stock up while I can.

ROLL-ON DEODORANT- A hard-to-find personal hygiene tool.

A GOOD COOKBOOK- They sell amazing cookbooks in Japan! But it's nice to have books in English. I highly recommend the Japanese Kitchen (by Kimiko Barber) which I picked up during my annual trek to Powell's. It has gorgeous photos and explains a lot about the history of traditional Japanese dishes/ingredients.

FAVE SHOWS ON DVD- I probably shouldn't include this since IUC is all about the intense studying, but really- who am I kidding? Plus, nothing wins you new friends better than having 30 Rock on dvd, hah.

FLASH DRIVE- In the IUC student handbook, they advise students to bring a tape player so that one can listen to the audio that accompanies the textbook. So passé. Everyone uses USB flash drives now... except for me, apparently. So I'm getting one since they're super cheap now (one advantage of deflation?)

OMIYAGE- I didn't bring too many souvenirs/gifts when I first came because I wasn't sure who to give them to. But now they I have an idea of how many teachers are at the school and I've been treated so well by friends/friends of friends, I'm going to bring back some prettily wrapped chocolates, pop tarts (requested), and Chicago keychains.

SHOES- Ok, I'm no bigfoot... I think. But shoe sizes in Japan run small. Shoes in general are expensive in Japan so unless you want to be running around in Converses all yearlong (which I would gladly do, but they tend to clash with dressier clothes), I would definitely suggest packing a variety of flats/pumps/sneakers/boots/sandals/etc. You know, only the essentials?

VITAMINS- When I'm bored, I tend to try and think of new ways to be healthy. Weird pastime I know, but I figure it's better than taking up smoking (really not healthy). One thing I try to be good about is taking my vitamins. I think it goes back to my Flintstone chewables days... In any case, multivitamins and the like tend to run on the expensive side and don't come with English translations on the back so I'm going to pack some of these as well.

drumroll, rum drum drummmm

REFRESHED BODY AND MIND- I know this one is lame, but I couldn't think of a 10th item. (Actually, I'm taking back toothpaste...) Going back to IUC refreshed really is key. Towards the end of term, I think just about everyone was stressing out. My chosen method of relaxing involved a lot of PBS and chasing my dog around the house. And going to a spa for a day on mom's tab- that helps a lot too.