In the process so far, I packed up (most of) my scarves. Anyone who knows me well knows I have a LOT of scarves. A ridiculous amount of scarves. It's an addiction that I can't shake.
I love my scarves, though. Almost all of them carry a neat story or memory that represent little pieces or eras of my life. I thought I'd share a few of them.
My mom made this off-white scarf for me when my grandmother was in the hospital my junior year of college. I wasn't able to be there with the rest of the family because I was taking two English classes during Jan term (which was a little bit crazy). My grandmother passed away shortly afterwards, but this scarf reminds me of her. My Ukrainian friends loved this scarf. It's really long and wraps around my neck 3 or 4 times (which is definitely Ukrainian approved). I'm guessing it will come in handy in Boston, too.
Kat brought me this scarf from her trip to London during our sophomore (?) year of college. She gave it to me for Christmas that year, but it reminds me of right after she got back from her trip (which, I think, was actually in October), and we went to lunch for several hours to talk about it. We did that several times while we were in college, but I think after her London trip was our first super long lunch chat. Kat's one of those friends who I'll be in touch with until I die, I think, and let me just say- she picks out the BEST gifts. (Not that that's why we're friends...)
Molly, one of my college roommates, brought me this scarf from Peru (I always get this part confused- she grew up in Ecuador, but I'm pretty sure that she got this one from a trip to Peru). Firstly, it's very soft. Secondly, she brought it to me after Spring Break of our senior year, which happened to be the semester of the tornado. Molly and I were sharing a bedroom in an off-campus apartment, with thrown-together furniture and completely opposite schedules. It was a rather bleak semester overall, but it was so cheery and encouraging for her to remember how much I love scarves and to bring me one (she also brought me a little crocheted lamb, but as he's not a scarf, he doesn't make an appearance right now).
My mother-in-law made me this one. She actually made it before she was my MIL, and it meant so much to me- not just that she made me a scarf, but because she made me a Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf. At that point, I had spent very little time with her, so this scarf was such a friendly and kind gesture. At this point in time, we've spent a lot more time together, and I just love her! And, it's not only because of my scarf. Bonus: anyone who loves Harry Potter is jealous of my scarf.
This scarf was a sale purchase from Ross while I was in college. I just liked it, and it was only a few dollars. I took it to Ukraine with me, and it served as one of my primary scarves for quite a while. I feel like we went through a lot together, this scarf and I, as I went through the rocky transitional period of language and culture learning.
This red scarf was my very first purchase at the "big bazaar" in Poltava. I just decided one day that I would go alone and see what I could do. I wandered around and got lost (the Poltava bazaar is a maze that eats people and won't let them leave), and before I could decide to sit down on the ice and cry, I found a lovely scarf stall run by a very kind woman. I purchased this red scarf, turned the corner, and found the exit. It was like a sign.
This blue scarf was purchased from the same lady, but I got it for about 50% off! Why? Because I took a volunteer team to the same lady, and they all bought scarves. From then on out, I always took visitors to that vendor, and she always gave me deals.
This scarf came from my visa trip to Budapest. I got to spend the whole week in Budapest, hanging out with my friend, Wendy. The trip was business-related, but I got to spend a week there, followed by a week-long conference in Germany. This ended up sort of making up for my vacation-that-never-happened to Austria. And, this scarf is my souvenir.
Mom and Amiee brought me this scarf from New York City. They went for Amiee's senior trip (without me), and brought me this souvenir. I had more than one Ukrainian friend hint that she would be happy if I left this scarf with her.
Both of these scarves came from Turkey. Brad brought me the one on the left, and my parents brought me the one on the right. I've wanted to visit Turkey since I was in 4th grade. The ironic part is that I literally lived across the Black Sea from Turkey (for two years) and never made it there. Brad and my parents lived halfway around the world and all three made it there. Sigh. At least they each bought me a scarf.
Brad bought me this scarf, too. It came from Belk, so that's not terribly exotic. I love it, though, because he bought it on his first multi-day trip as an enrollment counselor. I think it was in September, and he knew I was bummed to have to stay home alone. Isn't that sweet? It was a consolation prize.
Nastia (Ukrainian friend) bought this scarf for me and gave it to me when Brad and I were in Ukraine last November. A. I really like it and B. it meant a lot to me that she thought to get it for me.
This is a very small portion of my scarf collection, but I thought it was fun to think through why I love them (ahem, and why I can't get rid of any of them...sorry, Brad).
Back to packing. Here's hoping for progress!
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