Before this week, I never thought about the amount that I consume in a 27 month timeframe. As I have been drafting my packing list and calculating the number of shampoo bottles I will need to last me until my family visits in December, I have realized two things: (1) Business school gave me the very bad habit of looking at everything as a case study that has one highly over-analyzed solution; and (2) I take the accessibility of “everyday” products for granted (and I probably take these products far too seriously).

These two things are reason 99 and 100 that I am excited to begin my service with the Peace Corps. My life is about to change significantly. It’s intimidating, but unbelievably thrilling. I now realize that it doesn’t matter if I get my packing list perfect and it doesn’t matter if my shampoo is Pantene. What matters to me is that I am enjoying my final four weeks of home before my departure and that once I am in Peru, I am submerging myself in the Peruvian way of life. Most Peace Corps blogs that I have been stalking admiring give a nice and detailed packing list. I say, leave it. I am committed to leaving my home at home and channeling my energy into finding my new favorite Peruvian products.