Minimalistic Packing & Goodbyes

Our time in the Southern Hemisphere has come to an end. In a mere few hours Isabelle and I will be getting on a plane and heading back to Norway. I've said it before and I'll say it again; it is amazing how quickly the time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday we arrived sunny Sydney, and now it's time to leave. 

Leaving means having to pack up all your things. In an attempt to procrastinate studying for exams last semester, I started watching episodes of "Hoarders" and reading books on minimalism and hoarding. Nothing makes you want to declutter and get rid of things as much as watching people (literally and figuratively) being buried in stuff. I suddenly felt the urge to get rid of the unnecessary things I owned. 

When I found out that I would be studying abroad and would have to move all my things from Tromsø to my hometown, Drammen, I realized it would be silly to move things I didn't really need or use. After getting into the minimalist mindset, I started going through all my things, both in Tromsø and Drammen, trying to get rid of things I didn't use/need/like. When I left Norway in the middle of January, my possessions had been considerably downsized, making it relatively easy to pack for my semester abroad. 

Though I felt like I hardly brought anything with me when I left Norway, I had some difficulties when I started packing the other day. Making everything fit into my bags was quite the challenge. It's amazing how much one can accumulate within such a short period of time. Where did all these things come from?

Everything wouldn't possibly fit into my bags, so it was yet again time to downsize the things I owed. Being the sentimental hoarder that I am, it has been difficult for me to throw away random sentimental things like ticket stubs and coasters from restaurants. It's like if I throw them away, I throw away the memories (after reading all the books on hoarding, I understand this is not the case). After a few rounds of my favorite packing game,"Do I really NEED this?", sorting items into keep and donate piles, I have managed to pack everything in my 55L backpack, a small suitcase, and a purse. I'm sure there's still heaps of things in my bag that I still really don't "need". Oh well, as long as my bag isn't overweight! 

The last few few days in Sydney have been enjoyable, but also a little sad. Leaving also means saying goodbye to a marvelous city and the people who have made my time here so enjoyable. I have been blessed to meet a bunch of great people here in Australia from all over the world. Saying goodbye to friends is never fun, especially when you don't know when you will see them again. Walking along the streets of Sydney for the last time also makes me a little sentimental. I guess this is one of those times that you just have to be happy for everything we have done and people we have met rather than being sad it is over. 

After packing up all our stuff at the apartments at the Village, we headed to the city to check in to our hotel.

Isabelle also accumulated quite a bit of stuff. Her backpack is taller than she is! 

We spent our last Saturday evening (June 5th) at Anne and Charlie's apartment. We had dinner, played fun games and talking. We rediscovered the game "Camping Trip", which entails one person making up a rule for what you may or may not bring on a camping trip and the others trying to figure out the rule. One round we could only bring things that were red, another round we could only bring things that started with the letter B, etc. The best part of the game is when everyone has figured out the rule except for one person. It may sound lame, but it is heaps of fun! After a few too many rounds of this game, we headed out for a few drinks.

The following two days (June 6th and 7th) were spent walking around the city and different neighborhoods soaking In the last bit of Sydney-ness. We stopped by my favorite place, Messina, for one final gelato treat. Ahh... I will miss the Salted Caramel with White Chocolate and the Milk Chocolate with Peanut Fudge. 

I will definitely miss this beautiful city. 

Well, it's soon time for departure, so I better wrap it up for now. Our first flight to Singapore is 8 hours, our second flight from Singapore to London is 13 hours, and our last flight from London to Oslo is 2 hours. It's going to be a long day.

Love, 

Suzy