Books to Bring

From the time I made my final decision to take an assignment overseas, I've known that I can't take every personal possession with me. I purposefully sorted and sifted. I packed things away and shipped them home to store (intending to pass them on to my sister for when she gets a place of her own). I tossed things and gave things away.

I'm still left with a lot. I have to decide what makes the cut. For the most part, most anything I need for daily living I'll be able to get there. So, unlike friends who are moving to more remote locations, I don't need to worry about packing pots, pans and such. And, it's quite possible that for some things it will be more cost-effective to buy it there than pay to ship it or pay the baggage fees.

As I look through things I find myself asking... "Do I need this? Can I get this there? Is it better to get it there or bring it with me?"

Thankfully with the invention of the iPod / iTunes I don't have to worry about lugging my CD collection. I love that I have almost all my music loaded onto iTunes!!! I've done a preliminary narrow down of movies, and I figure I can get most any other DVD in Manila. And, thanks to the age of digital photography and my cousin's gift of a digital photo frame ... I won't have to pack boxes of old-school photo albums.

Probably the most challenging part of packing will be sorting through my books. I don't even know where to start. A friend told me this weekend that there's a great bookstore in Manila where I could find pretty much any book. Good to know!! That little tidbit does help.

But, there's something about my book collection. The book that so-and-so gave me for Christmas. The books that I bought when I was going through such-and-such. The book that made me laugh when I needed it. And then there are the books that have marginalia in them. The little notes I wrote to myself remind me of certain things. The underlinings and exclamation marks that scream out to me with each reading. While I could, borrowing or buying another copy when I get there just probably won't be the same.

But, I have to face the fact that I can't lug a ton of books to the other side of the world. So, the elimination process must begin. Which books will make the cut?

What books would make your packing list????