Columnist Melanie Umbaugh discusses her struggle to decide what to pack for a five month stay in Buenos Aires.
How are my study abroad preparations going, you ask? Well, I’ve bought a lot of stuff, ostensibly for travel purposes, but, technically speaking, I’ve yet to put a single thing into a suitcase.
I never used to mind packing. Middle school Project Runway aspirations die hard, so putting together a mini-wardrobe for travel is interesting for me. I have been known to come up with a clothing concept when I go on vacation to ensure that I have as many cohesive options as possible. My clothing concept for this trip might be “'70s English Teacher Who Is Also A Witch,” but seeing as I haven’t exactly begun to pack, it is still too early to confirm this.
In theory, I should have no problem at all packing for this study abroad experience, but five months is a long time, and airline restrictions for international travel are tight, so I’m already restrained in that. I do not want to pay an enormous amount of money for overweight or extra bags. Add to that the fact that I am not a very big or particularly strong person. Whatever luggage I bring with me, I am responsible for getting halfway across the country and then to another continent, so I need to only bring what luggage I can muscle around three airports by myself. It’s hard to determine exactly what I’m going to need without having experienced living in Argentina before.
It would be easier once I’m abroad to not visibly stand out as a tourist, but I’m not sure how people actually dress in Buenos Aires. I have researched and scoured online, but street style blogs from 2011 are only so helpful. I’ve read plenty of conflicting opinions on the subject, so I’m thoroughly confused.
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In general, casual attire is unusual there: leggings, sweatpants and all the other comfy stuff that we, in the United States, wear on a daily basis. I am not ready to give up the comfort that is leggings-as-pants. Plus, Argentina is a more Catholic and more conservative country than what I’ve lived in before, so I’ve read a lot about how short skirts or revealing clothing aren’t common. As a girl who owns several beloved plaid miniskirts, this is not my favorite thing to hear. Buenos Aires is a stylish, cosmopolitan city, so I don’t want to be clearly identifiable as a tourist, because that would make me a target for scams and pickpockets.
Fashion has always been fun for me, and I don’t want to lose that. But I’m having a lot of trouble discerning what type of clothing will be right for me to wear, will be enough to prepare me for the whole semester, and will still fit within the maximum of three suitcases I can bring with me. I’m not going to hold off entirely on bringing any leggings or miniskirts with me, so even if it’s clear that I'm an American, because (as I was once told by a foreign exchange student) “all Americans just dress weird,” it’s still going to be an adventure, and I want to be myself and look like myself, too.
Melanie Umbaugh is a sophomore studying theater. Do you have any packing suggestions for Melanie? Email her at mu495313@ohio.edu.
