The Essential "Box From Home"

why box? why not a suite case?

Defeats the purpose of the exercise.

In a suitcase, you can be indiscriminate...fill the thing to bursting.  In a shoebox you have to be very particular about what you choose.

The second time I came here my employer offered to ship 400 pounds of goods.

My current employer is still on the hook for 700 pounds of goods, as I didn't ship any in with them.

But a shoebox?  These are SPECIAL choices...and interesting in how they reveal facets of your character and personality.

Good exercise.  This is gonna require some thought!

BBL.

be waiting to readem up

A shoebox? How abut a shoebox full of $100 bills? That should help soothe what ails ya!!

Sorry, I don't live there yet, so this was the best I could come up with.

^ Violates the currency laws...you'd probably be thrown in prison for suspicion of dealing drugs.

Nope...won't work.  As you aren't here...you can think about those oh-so-important things you have now.

What would you like to see in a Box From Home?

Well one thing I really love and need to have is my favorite after-shower spray from Bath & Body works ('Sweet Pea').  No matter my circumstances, if I have that on hand, I feel I have some luxury (same applies to 'Skin-So-Soft' by avon for bath water).

In addition, I would bring high quality (high thread count) bed sheets (I think these could be squeezed into a shoebox... in fact, I think with MY shoebox I'll use those new plastic bags where you can remove all the air and can fit 4X as much in a space!!  lol).

Now, these things might make me seem like a prima donna, but I'm not.  I'll eat the same bean dish for dinner every night for a week--I don't care.

But it's those little touches of 'luxury' that make me happy and able to endure all the rest!

Alliecat wrote:

In addition, I would bring high quality (high thread count) bed sheets (I think these could be squeezed into a shoebox... in fact, I think with MY shoebox I'll use those new plastic bags where you can remove all the air and can fit 4X as much in a space!!  lol).

High thread-count sheets are available here...not cheaply but are available.

The "vacuum bag" effect can be achieved by using normal, higher quality garbage bags and using your vacuum cleaner.  I've done it many times.

True re the vacuum but you know what? I've never removed the air because you have increased the room but also really increased the WEIGHT!  (although this wouldn't be a big issue with a shoebox.. I mean, unless you filled it with lead or gold, how much could it possibly weigh?)

And there's only so much I can haul around comfortably, anyway, even with wheels on my luggage lol

^Oh so true.  That weight issue when traveling.

Because I'm a BIG guy...I have to haul around several pairs of dress and sport shoes...takes up a lot of room and a lot of weight, as well (amazing how much good shoes weigh, you know?).

On top of that, my DVD collection has to go with me (buried deep in the suitcase so it's a PIA for customs to get to, even though there is nothing untoward or illicit in my collection)...all of a sudden I am at the weight limit for one person.

Sending unaccompanied luggage, having employer shipping items and using APO, when available, make it partly reasonable.

That's why my "shoebox from home" has just a few essentials that bring a smile to my face and turn a dark day a little brighter.

PS Allie...there's a BodyShop in Bahrain at the Seef Mall...I'll keep my eyes out or a Bath and Body Works, might be one in my Thai hometown, which I'm visiting next week.

interesting thought, indeed, i would certainly love to have some

1. A good helping of "Turkish Delight" (a grand sweet that only my family in all of my country has the recipe and ability to make handed down through generations)
2. A new book on history thats just been launched back home
3. A pack of factory fresh high grown black tea (what u get here is abs rubbish thats been swept off the floor in some blending factory in London) from the cool mountains of the central region
4. A copy of last Sundays English newspapers (we have been publishing English dailies and weeklies for more than 200 years even longer than the USA for sure, thanks to the Colonial Brits who ruled the island from 1815-1948)
5. Mummy (if she will fit in the box)

Thanks, Stretch!

I'll be going home (USA) for a few weeks the middle of March so plan to restock

Hmmm...my Kool Aid supply is okay, but AC...about that Hidden Valley Ranch mix....

if you really want it, I'll get it for you, Stretch.  In fact, might be able to get a case at Sam's Club!

Oooh, you temptress you...

they are all temptresses.... thats the way God planned them

lol

good comment, mm. Certainly not from a fortune cookie!

MisterStretch wrote:

Defeats the purpose of the exercise.


But a shoebox?  These are SPECIAL choices...and interesting in how they reveal facets of your character and personality.

I am not fully agree with ur point -- shoebox, essential box -reveals the personality. Because this essential box stuffs depends on time and it may vary.

When I wanna present lovely greeting card to my wife on a special occasion like wedding day -- I make sure that my essential box fills with greatest love greetings for darling

When my daughter got birth, of course my box might be filled with best cotton dress and traditional dress which i won't find in KSA or Bahrain or Dubai.

All the time fill is -- my mom home made sweets ( it is not a just sweet, it is the LOVE coated by sweet ingredients) -- never get anywhere in the world

Great Religious book in my mother tongue ( it is always better than English and Arabic)

Technical book for my profession

So if you see above fills -- it varies on time to time --

So I think, personality might not be revealed only by essential box.

This is just my point of view -- need not be right

Somebody TOTALLY missed the point of the exercise.

is it so ?????

Alliecat wrote:

Somebody TOTALLY missed the point of the exercise.

Am I allowed to giggle ?
I'd love to participate in that thread, but since I'm not in KSA and not missing much from my homeland (though I could do the reverse questioning: what if I had to leave France ??)...

(I just love the KSA board, I feel cozy here. Is there tea ?)

why not Jo Ann --

We serve coffee, Sheesha and tea here, Jo Anne, come join us and have a cuppa

Oh wonderful, shukran jazillan. I'll be silent, just around here somewhere :-)

Welcome, Jo Ann!  Glad to have you and please, don't hesitate to join in!

Why does the KSA board make you feel cozy?  That was a rather intriguing statement!

Alliecat wrote:

Why does the KSA board make you feel cozy?  That was a rather intriguing statement!

Alliecat, maybe I didn't express as well as I thought ;-)
Being one of the moderators of the forum, sometimes I come across really annoying threads/bored as in disrespectful or totally inappropriate. I have been MIA for a few months and I'm coming back to work slowly (I'm not as efficient as I was before the hiatus - thanks G* for the team !) and the Saudi boards are a pleasure to the eyes.
Real conversations, great advice, comradery (is that the word ??)... all in all, this is a very friendly place ! Makes me want to join in ;-)

Voilà ! :-)

Jo Ann wrote:

and the Saudi boards are a pleasure to the eyes.
Real conversations, great advice, comradery (is that the word ??)... all in all, this is a very friendly place ! Makes me want to join in ;-)

Voilà ! :-)

Bonjour

U are right Jo, When you have down to earth people like Musicman, Alliecat, MisterStretch, Salman, Nonz and ofcourse my self(???) in Saudi forum, you will be rest assured for liveliness.

If you have time please post your comments now and then like julien

Alliecat wrote:

Somebody TOTALLY misses the points...

Jo Anne,

In reality one must think, feel and say that here is a great sense of fraternity, camaredrie and friendship amongst the many expats who live and work in KSA once thasy have come to know each other and this forum has certainly succeeded in achieving that. I think its the simple fact of being away from home that brings expats closer together since everyonbe is in the same boat, be they single or with families.

In many ways its a wonderful feeling of family and togetherness.

I am sure the shrinks will have lots of funny stuff to attribute this extremely pleasant phenomenon to?

sweetchoice wrote:

Bonjour

U are right Jo, When you have down to earth people like Musicman, Alliecat, MisterStretch, Salman, Nonz and ofcourse my self(???) in Saudi forum, you will be rest assured for liveliness.

If you have time please post your comments now and then like julien

Well, Sweetchoice, I still don't know you that well. Before I went on hiatus, I had already come across all the others ;-)
And if you check the number of messages I've posted in the forum, you'll see how "now and now" I used to post ;-)

Buuuuuuuuuuut, back to the essential box from home !

Ahmmmm Ahmmmm Coming back to topic

Could u plz exempt me from a Show box??

I m sure u can So i can have my Hand bag.Size accordingly,i can easily stuff into a baby rhino.

but yeah back to ..."The Topic"

i can not survive without a mobile phone[with GPRS facility]
so yes Cell phone

i am quite irresponsible towards health but still i will take my Inhaler & First Aid box


My Recent Book is Eclipse,so yes it has to be my Book.

Sandwiches, i love sandwiches and if i m not mistaken,last time i had a delicious sandwich when Elizabeth the Queen was in Kinder-garden.

An Interesting Friend of mine[Haven't found any in Riyadh but if i do find one,i will stuff her in my bag and take along.

Now, you've changed the project...but in an interesting way.

The idea was getting a box from home...now we are considering, what are your essentials for travel.

oops!!! so i m again off topic??

lol

nonz wrote:

oops!!! so i m again off topic??

But you are close to the topic, Nonz...so that counts for something.

yuppee!!! i m not off topic


and yeah i have decided to stuff aliecat's cat in my bag too....since she is not winking at me any more:P

if you look very VERY closely, you'll notice the camel is winking at you!