Oops, I broke the zipper.

Get in there, you.

Whenever I'm preparing to leave on a trip, my mom always imparts the same words of wisdom: pack everything you think you need, then divide that in half. As a general rule of thumb, this makes sense. You probably won't end up wearing everything in your suitcase, and while having four pairs of jeans may seem absolutely necessary, chances are it absolutely is not.

With years of practice, I have become quite the efficient packer. I once spent two weeks in Chicago and brought nothing with me but a small backpack. One summer I spent nearly two months in France and had only a carry-on. Don't get me wrong – I have been known to require more than one person to help me cram everything into my small bags and have on occasion broken a few zippers, but generally speaking I feel confident in saying that I have achieved the art of packing lightly.

As I prepare to embark on a five-month study abroad program in London, however, packing lightly has become an entirely new challenge. Technically, I am moving to another country, so naturally I should be allowed to bring everything with me...right? Wrong. Most unfortunately, I have been confined to a 23-kg bag limit that seems to dictate exactly which items I can and cannot bring. But what if I can't find my favorite face wash in London? And since everyone dresses well in Europe, won't I need tons of trendy, fashionable outfits? These are the types of questions that have been bouncing around in my head for the past few weeks. I won't even arrive in London until the beginning of September and yet I have already packed, unpacked, and repacked my bag more times than I care to count. My bag is so full it's a miracle that the zipper hasn't broken. Now let's just hope I can carry it...

-Chloe