Warning: If you have no care to hear a female babble about
clothing for an extended period of time…skip this blog.
To everyone else, prepare for an unreasonably thorough analysis
of the clothes and other items I have brought to Spain! Now that I’ve been here
for over a month, I think I have a good feel for how well I packed and,
alternatively, ways in which I did not pack so well. For simplicity’s sake, I
have divided my apparel into categories.
Work Apparel
This was the most important category for me, since the whole
reason for my coming to Spain was to work! Knowing this, I packed a good amount
of dresses, and nice skirts as well as heels. I didn’t know exactly how nicely the other professors would dress, so I wanted to keep my bases
covered. Luckily, the dress code is more casual than I had
expected. Some professors wear jeans and Converse shoes to work, while others wear dress slacks and dress shoes. I decided that I'd like to follow suit of the latter. Once in awhile I will wear jeans to work if I wear a nicer top or boots, but overall I think I've mostly kept to wearing dresses. Let me tell you, I went the whole month
of October as well as the first week of November without having worn the same
outfit to work. SCORE.
Grade: A+
Sports Apparel
This was actually the second most important category for me.
I want to keep a reasonably high level of activity while I’m in
Spain, so having comfortable work out clothes is essential! Good work out clothes also act as a motivation for working out, in my opinion. Having fun shorts or a cool GWS t-shirt always makes me feel tip-top and thus it affects my work out positively :)
Well, to my dismay, upon my arrival to Spain I realized I only brought 2 pairs of running shorts and maybe 4 running tops. Along with that it looks like I brought my entire arsenal of sports bras, about 10. That shorts to tops to bras ratio is way off. Luckily, after running my first 10K last weekend I got to add 2 more shirts to my collection!
I remembered to bring my soccer cleats (hopefully breaking them out this week!), and shin guards, but I brought no soccer socks. Luckily those shouldn't cost more than 5 euros. As it turns out the running clothes I brought have been more than sufficient, so my packing for this category turned out perfectly for the most part, although unintentionally so.
Well, to my dismay, upon my arrival to Spain I realized I only brought 2 pairs of running shorts and maybe 4 running tops. Along with that it looks like I brought my entire arsenal of sports bras, about 10. That shorts to tops to bras ratio is way off. Luckily, after running my first 10K last weekend I got to add 2 more shirts to my collection!
I remembered to bring my soccer cleats (hopefully breaking them out this week!), and shin guards, but I brought no soccer socks. Luckily those shouldn't cost more than 5 euros. As it turns out the running clothes I brought have been more than sufficient, so my packing for this category turned out perfectly for the most part, although unintentionally so.
Grade: A-
Outdoor Apparel
This category essentially includes anything used to keep me
warm. I only brought two jackets: one a nicer grey peacoat type thing, and the other
a casual brown jacket. Unfortunately, when I want to wear a black jacket, all I
have is a thin black blazer. I bought this blazer just before I got to Spain
and it has been a GODSEND, but not great for cold nights! Since I’ve been in
Spain I’ve bought a new winter scarf as well as a matching wine-colored hat, one of those pseudo beret types. We’ll see when I gather the confidence to
wear it in public.
Other than these items, the only other options I have for things to wear over my dresses are a red cardigan-type thing and a long grey sweater. I'm thinking of buying a fleece. Ourense will get no where as near cold as the Midwest does, so a fleece will definitely last me longer here than it would at home. Either way, I definitely need to give myself some more options!
Other than these items, the only other options I have for things to wear over my dresses are a red cardigan-type thing and a long grey sweater. I'm thinking of buying a fleece. Ourense will get no where as near cold as the Midwest does, so a fleece will definitely last me longer here than it would at home. Either way, I definitely need to give myself some more options!
Grade: B
Footwear
Shoes were the most difficult to pack. They take up the most
room in a suitcase, but when you need to bring some boots you need to bring
some boots!! I brought 3 pairs of heels…none of which I have yet worn (but when
I DO finally need a pair of heels, it will be worth having brought them,
right??). I brought 2 pairs of heeled boots but can only stand to wear one on a
regular basis since I have a 20 min up and downhill walk to work. I brought 2
pairs of flats as well as my Toms, but only one pair of flats gets worn, and
the Toms are slowly going into hibernation with the weather getting colder. I
have bought one pair of brown flat boots which I wear ALL the time, so they
were a good buy. Now I have my eye on some black riding boots. And some
fun-colored biker boots. And neutral flats. This isn’t looking good.
Grade: C-
Accessories
I didn’t forget all my earrings at home like I did when I went to
Granada.
Grade: A+
Weather Appropriateness
Really as long as I brought an umbrella I should pass this
category with flying colors. I also bought a rain jacket and rain boots when I got
here. Rain boots are a difficult purchase. I was hoping to buy a pair that were super cute and sassy, but in the back of my head I also knew that I had perfectly fine rain boots waiting for me in St. Charles, and whatever boots I bought here would not make it into my suitcase on my way back to the U.S. So instead of splurging on 40+ euro rainboots that look more like they're made out of leather than plastic, I settled for 15 euro boots in a nice shade of purple. As it turns out, Ourense really hasn’t rained as much as I expected it to, so these items
have only gotten used once, maybe twice.
As far as my other clothing, I packed a great deal of short sleeved shirts and shorts that I won’t be able to use until my last month here or so. I think that I was anticipating lots of exotic travel to warmer countries in Europe. Also, the long-sleeved tops that I did bring are no fun! No fun means no wear. So I will certainly have to do some shopping to change that.
Grade: C+
Toiletries
2 sticks of American deodorant? CHECK. I made the mistake of not bringing enough deodorant when I went to Granada, and thus had to settle for the strange liquid roll-on deodorant found there. It's not the most horrid product ever, but it really really pales in comparison to the American stuff. I only brought enough shampoo and conditioner to get me through the first couple weeks in Spain, so I have since bought some Spanish stuff. While they have some American name-brands here, they tend to cost twice as much, so I've settled for some local brands. I am slowly running out of Frizz Ease straightening products so I going to be out of luck there--if I'm fortunate enough to find those products here, the insurmountable cost will certainly draw me away from them. I'll be more likely to try out Spanish products and hope for the best. Ah also, I am about 3 weeks short in my supply of daily contacts. So I will have to start getting creative with those...or...I will have to start wearing my GLASSES in PUBLIC! Gasp. (...but really...)
Grade: B
As far as my other clothing, I packed a great deal of short sleeved shirts and shorts that I won’t be able to use until my last month here or so. I think that I was anticipating lots of exotic travel to warmer countries in Europe. Also, the long-sleeved tops that I did bring are no fun! No fun means no wear. So I will certainly have to do some shopping to change that.
Grade: C+
Toiletries
2 sticks of American deodorant? CHECK. I made the mistake of not bringing enough deodorant when I went to Granada, and thus had to settle for the strange liquid roll-on deodorant found there. It's not the most horrid product ever, but it really really pales in comparison to the American stuff. I only brought enough shampoo and conditioner to get me through the first couple weeks in Spain, so I have since bought some Spanish stuff. While they have some American name-brands here, they tend to cost twice as much, so I've settled for some local brands. I am slowly running out of Frizz Ease straightening products so I going to be out of luck there--if I'm fortunate enough to find those products here, the insurmountable cost will certainly draw me away from them. I'll be more likely to try out Spanish products and hope for the best. Ah also, I am about 3 weeks short in my supply of daily contacts. So I will have to start getting creative with those...or...I will have to start wearing my GLASSES in PUBLIC! Gasp. (...but really...)
Grade: B
Overall
I made use of every cubic centimeter in my suitcases, so for
that reason alone I am proud. On the other hand, I haven’t even begun to
consider how I will be getting all my stuff home, especially with future shopping trips. I have been responsible so far, buying only essential
items like the rain gear and flat brown boots. Christmas is coming up though…and since I will be far away from my family I will have to make up for it all by spoiling myself...
Final Grade: B
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| This is how organized my closet always looks. |
My .02 : One pair of black boots should be enough, so pick either riding or biker (riding). Can you wear comfortable shoes and then change into heeled ones when you get to work? That's what I used to do. Get rid of some of your "No fun" stuff. PLEASE NO FLEECE. Maybe if you only wore it to sports stuff, but I bet you would use it all the time :/ Research some Spanish straightening products! And maybe wear your glasses on days when you stay home (unless you are busy everyday then IDK)
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