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An abundance of canning jars, an update on Italian farms, and a plea for reading material

I write to you on day 4 of packing up my apartment- in the midst of this controlled chaos, or as my roommates would call it, chaos.

I am most surprised by the number of canning jars I have accrued over the last year or so. It's as though they've multiplied, each born with a genetic disorder: a handful of raisins there, a cup of rolled oats there, and flaxseed. Oh, so much flaxseed. I don't know where it all came from, but I hope someone finds a good use for it. I preemptively dumped every nut I owned into the food processor on Sunday, and have been living off this "mixed nut butter"- mostly cashews and walnuts, but also six macadamia nuts, a tablespoon of almonds, a couple of pecans, and pinches of cinnamon and salt. It's ridiculously creamy, and I've been stirring spoonfuls of it into oatmeal and smoothies (practically all I've been eating at home).

Hopefully by the end of the day everything will be packed up and stacked nicely in a corner ("in your room!!" I'm sure my roommates are thinking right now.)

Padre and moi, circa 2008
Tomorrow morning I'm headed to Kansas to visit the fam for a week. My dad retired last weekend (congrats Dad!), so we're throwing him a big ol' party. Beyond that, I imagine lots of food, lots of relaxation, and lots of packing- I'm slowly accumulating everything I need to be a summer camp counselor, a farm worker, and a winter tourist. Hoping to fit it all in the backpack I'm borrowing from my mom's coworker (thanks Tricia!) I have a feeling I'll be purging and purchasing things along the way, as well.

A couple of days ago I created a Google Doc for people to share travel advice and tips. If you want to contribute, please do so! I imagine it will be helpful to other travelers too.

I'm still working on nailing down my farm for September. I'm Skyping with someone soon, so hopefully will have news on that in a few days. I originally thought I would be in the Piedmont region, but now it's looking like I might be on the border of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Judging by how many people have told me Florence is a must-see, I'm okay with this.

And lastly, several of you have asked me how you can support my trip abroad. While I'd love another pair of quick-dry pants or bag with magical powers like Hermione's (think how easy it would be to fly on Ryanair with a tiny bag!) the thing that I'm really lacking right now is reading material. My mother is lending me her Kindle so I don't have to lug around a ton of books. If you feel so inclined, take a look at the eBooks I'd like to bring with me. And if there's something I should  be reading that isn't on there, I'll take suggestions!

Thanks for your support. Hopefully the next time I write, I'll have a farm!

10 more days,

Sophie

Comments

  1. rachelnotrachJune 18, 2015 at 9:01 AM

    I recently read The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost. It's a fantastic travel memoir

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emmanuelle vdBJune 18, 2015 at 2:10 PM

    So proud to be your first european stop ;-)

    ReplyDelete

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