Time to Pack My Life Away

It is time: I will now attempt to pack my entire life into tubs and then ship it off into the unknown. I'm sending it the very cheapest way possible (parcel post/media mail), so it will all take a good while to get to Gambell. The next two months will be interesting, as most of my stuff will be touring the country without me.

Here is what the process looks like, for those of you that are as of yet unawares. I have to mail all my belongings to the school in Gambell (the only semi-real address in town), where it will be kept until I arrive. When I get there, someone from the village will haul my tubs on an ATV trailer across the village to my apartment.

Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. There are specific things I must do in order to give my stuff a fighting chance in the mail system/Alaskan weather. First, everything must be packed into Rubbermaid totes. This is non-negotiable as the cheaper Sterilite brand that Wal-Mart carries will shatter in the wintertime. I plan to reuse these totes in the future so I had to search all over OKC to find Rubbermaid. Luckily, Target carries them and a potential dilemma was avoided.

Before I actually put anything in the tubs, I reinforced the corners with duct tape. This is not a must, but it gives me piece of mind. After everything is packed away nice and snug, I have to snap the lid on and drill six holes around the top of the tub. Then, I'll loop a zip-tie through each of these holes. Hopefully, this will keep the top from flying off during transit. I've been told by many to NOT cut off the extra length on each zip-tie, or else something bad will happen. Cut zip-ties either signify that I am a drug-runner, I am mailing counterfeit merchandise, or that I am just generally a suspicious person. Bottom line is that my stuff won't make it to Gambell if I decide to suddenly become obsessive compulsive about the long zip-tie mess.

After my tubs are closed and zipped, I will give a few more wrap-arounds with duct tape and pray that the post office doesn't ask to see inside. I have not decided how I'll attach the address; I'll have to see how that shapes up.

In the end, it will cost about a dollar per pound that I ship from Mustang, Oklahoma to Gambell, Alaska. Media Mail is considerably cheaper, so all of my books and binders will of course be sent in that way.

To be honest, it's all a real hassle . . . but I keep reminding myself that it is completely worth it. Look for a few more updates in the near future as new information is solidified.

-Megan