Help?

How does one begin to pack for two years?
This is a move. Not a trip. Clothes, sure. But will it be as cold as they say? Or will it be like Minnesota, because let's be honest: I don't get too cold here in MN. Books, sure. But which ones? Currently, I think I'm bringing 15 with me, but I keep seeing more on my shelves that I want to bring with me. Shoes, of course. But other than my winter boots and my dress shoes, can I bring sneakers? Or chacos? Do I plan to do a lot of running while I'm there? I've got a sleeping bag and a coffee press. I've got my computer. I still need to buy some small gifts to give to my host families. Can that be it? I don't need too much and I think that I should not bring things that I can go without/can acquire in Ukraine: a towel, extra toiletries, batteries, etc.

Anyone know how to go about doing this? Should I follow the little rule about getting together everything I want to bring and then throwing out half of it? I don't know. I kind of want to bring clothes that I like and will want to wear. So, even though I will be wearing dressier clothes (shirts, ties, polo shirts) while working, I'm bringing a bunch of t-shirts.

Jeremy, John, you guys have made the move (Jeremy, your hindsight will be much more 20-20 than John's). Any suggestions? Obviously different countries are at play, but maybe you can think of packing hints?

I haven't started packing and I leave on Friday. Tick, tick, tick...

"The Traveller" by John Berryman

They pointed me out on the highway, and they said
'That man has a curious way of holding his head.'

They pointed me out on the beach; they said 'That man
Will never become as we are, try as he can.'

They pointed me out at the station, and the guard
Looked at me twice, thrice, thoughtfully & hard.

I took the same train that the others took,
To the same place. Were it not for that look
And those words, we were all of us the same.
I studied merely maps. I tried to name
The effects of motion on the travellers,
I watched the couple I could see, the curse
And blessings of that couple, their destination,
The deception practised on them at the station,
Their courage. When the train stopped and they knew
The end of their journey, I descended too.