my closet, lately

Monday, June 24


when you literally decide to move your life in a matter of months to a foreign country you've never been to, 
it can be a little confusing figuring out what to pack.

"it will be hot when you arrive,
and then the monsoon rains will start pouring,
and there may be cool nights" I was told.
rrriiiggghhhttt....ok.
so pretty much that means I need to pack clothes for hot weather, cold weather and rainy weather.
dang it, so much for consolidating.
{like I EVER do that anyway!}

and then, on top of weather, I wanted to make sure I was dressing culturally appropriate.
I fully believe that to be a faithful ambassador to my country and to Christ, I needed to dive in to the nepali dress code, written and unwritten.
bye bye tank tops, dresses, and shorter skirts!

so that's what I was up against in my packing endeavors!
and i'm a horrible packer as it is.
like i literally think of EVERY situation that I might need clothes for...
"so what if it's Sunday and I need to look nice, but it's cold and rainy, but then it gets sunny..."
so yeah.

what I ended up with was solid colors and layers.
lots of 'em.
some pops of color to stay up with all the gorgeous nepali hues,
and some basic accessories like scarves, rings and earings without overdoing it.
simplicity was key. 
and to be honest, I love it that way.

so far...it's working out pretty well.
however, if you've traveled, you know what i'm saying when at the end of your trip you pretty much NEVER want to see those clothes again.
i'm hovering close to that point with these clothes people!
however I need to remain friends with said clothes until late August, they're all I have!
stay strong Katie, stay strong!

below are a few pictures of a typical outfit I wear around KTM!
However, when I'm in the village, at nepali church here in ktm, or at the girls house, i'll wear my gorgeous sari's or sarwal kurta's! Hopefully i'll be able to share those pretty fabrics sometime soon:)

what do you pack when you travel?
happy Monday,


love Katie
ps- promise...pictures and stories from Chitwan are a'comin!! 



22 comments :

  1. You are just gorgeous Katie!! I love what you said about dressing culturally appropriate, that is such a big one! So often I see girls in third world countries that are wearing short shorts and revealing tank tops and it just bothers me that they don't have any respect for the culture.

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  2. Hahahaha... I'm so sick of all the clothes I had while in Scotland!

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  3. You're adorable! I feel your pain, I packed like 2 suitcases for 2 years, bahaha, and the weather here is crazy too. I love how you have just jumped right into their culture! Love ya, girlfriend!

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  4. Oh it's so true. You just sweat through them and wear them all the time. We had to hand wash ours and so they all got stretched out like crazy. I didn't take hardly anything I brought with me to Cambodia back to the US. You can do it! Those clothes can last ya.

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  5. so so cute! i love that blue ring too. :)

    i hope you have a happy week, friend.

    xo
    purposelyathome.blogspot.com

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  6. love that headband! simplicity is the best :)

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  7. I know exactly what you mean about packing--I'll be home for a full month--where my family lived it's hot, but we're going to be traveling to cool-weather places....shorts and tank tops are out of the question, and I've been ordered to bring over so much stuff for my family that I have very minimal packing room. My plan is to wear my little sisters' clothes (I've heard they've gotten bigger in the last three years, so that should work to some extent) and to just buy clothes there and bring them back to the US. I prefer Malaysian clothes to American clothes anyways!

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  8. Oh girl, I know the feeling. That's probably the worst part about travelling. :-)

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  9. you are so beautiful, friend! i think you packed well :) that scarf looks like the softest thing ever, where did you get it?! i tend to do the same when i pack--stick with solids, scarves, and cardis. all the basics haha. happy monday!

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  10. Great job blending in to the culture! That really shows a humble heart, something we all need to develop.

    Curious: are dresses taboo because...?

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  11. I love the headband! When I travel, I try to pack simple clothes that make it easy to mix and match.

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  12. Love all the color combos! And that headband is amazing :) My sis was in Pakistan for a couple of years and she brought back some sari's she had - I still can't get over how gorgeous those fabrics are.

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  13. I can't imagine trying to pack like this. I think you did an amazing job. All your outfits are always so adorable and colorful. Love your headband too!!

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  14. Katie, I love your style. The colors and accessories are SO fun!

    My big thing about packing is things that don't need ironing. I gave away some dresses I LOVE before moving to East Asia simply because I knew it would be more trouble that it was worth to get wrinkles out.

    If you ARE sick of your clothes by the end of your trip, I bet if you left some stuff behind for someone staying there long term, you'd make someone's year! I just got tons of "hand-me-downs" from a STINTer :)

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  15. I hear you about never wanting to see those clothes again! It's one of the downsides of traveling. BUT, I think that outfit is super cute, especially that headband! :)

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  16. You are SO beautiful Katie - inside and out. Wow. So inspired by your faith and courage and complete trust. Praying my hubby and I can do this one day soon; it will always be a desire of my heart to go overseas for missions. xoxo

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  17. Gosh you're so adorable! Looks like you did a fabulous job of packing because you ALWAYS look amazing :)

    After years of traveling, we have FINALLY learned how to pack. We USED to STUFF our bags full on our way back to the states, only to find we were always overweight, since we needed to buy things to bring back while we were there. Now we hardly pack AnYTHING and can bring back whatever we need :) I've learned it's OK to wear the same thing more than once in a week. haha!

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  18. you are the cuuuuutest! but you always dress cute (: miss you love!

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  19. I think you look lovely!
    Can't wait to see pictures of the saris :)

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  20. You look lovely!
    I can't wait to see pictures of the saris :)

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  21. P.S. How do you handle scarves and long pants in Nepal in the summer??? I'm further from the equator than you but cannot imagine it!

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