Trousseau For Carmel - What To Bring - Suggestions Welcome!

[faithcecelia]

I took a number of cooking and nutrition books (I had recently done a diploma in nutrition) and would actually say that a good 'sturdy' recipie book is priceless if you find yourself thrown in the deep end. By sturdy I mean things where ingredients are easily substituted - one I took actually said in the intorduction 'Use whichever units of measurements you please, and mix and match at will - I think life is too short for overly sensitive recipies' which I loved! Yes, there will be set ways of doing things, and my biggest humiliation was being told I was cooking frozen peas wrong, but if you are cooking its always nice to have something slightly different for a change.

[MissScripture]

[quote name='TIWW' timestamp='1319051895' post='2323817']
Did anyone have a "list" sent by their community of what to bring? What not to bring?
When I was very young, I had entered an active community, and we got a list from the Postulant Director of very specific items.
We had a habit. In the Spring of my Senior year of High School, after I was accepted, I got a letter, with an appointment, to come over to the convent, to be measured for my habit. ( black dress with 6 pleats front and back, kept in place with a belt, a waist length cape, and a veil. ( Think Julie Andrews)
Our list consisted of underwear, so many bras, undies, sox etc & how many, PJ's, so many pairs of black sox, white sox ( for tennies) and black cotton tights. Low, heeled, quiet shoes, and nuns' granny type heels, which were quite expensive in those days. ( I absolutely loved mine)Also winter items, rosary, personal hygiene items and other things my mind has long forgotten. In every piece of clothing we had sewn in out name tags. We also brought a trunk, in which we put all this stuff, and a small black suit case. I believe we could bring some photos of our families. Shopping over the summer before entrance day was quite an experience. I look back on it now with very fond and loving memories. I went to an all girl Catholic boarding school, with a graduating class of 120. There were 43 Postulants in my entrance class, 22 of whom were graduates of the school. A very " Trouble with Angels" experience.
[/quote]
My sister had such a list (more of a book, really) when she was preparing to enter the Nashville Dominicans. I would think such a list would be more necessary when there are more people entering regularly, because that keeps things somewhat standardized, and they don't forget to tell some poor girl to bring something! Although, I am pretty sure that there were several Sisters who did not have everything with them when they entered, because they had been accepted so close to the entrance date (one Sister just the week before!), so I'm not sure if they just brought money and shopped there, or if their families sent the rest of what they needed. I do remember my sister being very worried that she didn't have anything, because she couldn't find any long underwear in the middle of the summer, and my mother dismissed her worries, saying they'd send it when they found some. She finally asked me if I could buy her some online, and she would pay me back (she didn't have a credit card so she couldn't buy it online herself), but in the end one of her superiors told her it was okay to have things sent later, so she was more relaxed about that.

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1319126543' post='2324216']
I took a number of cooking and nutrition books (I had recently done a diploma in nutrition) and would actually say that a good 'sturdy' recipie book is priceless if you find yourself thrown in the deep end. By sturdy I mean things where ingredients are easily substituted - one I took actually said in the intorduction 'Use whichever units of measurements you please, and mix and match at will - I think life is too short for overly sensitive recipies' which I loved! Yes, there will be set ways of doing things, and my biggest humiliation was being told I was cooking frozen peas wrong, but if you are cooking its always nice to have something slightly different for a change.
[/quote]
I didn't realize there was a way to cook frozen peas wrong! What were you doing to them!?

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1319128077' post='2324218']



I didn't realize there was a way to cook frozen peas wrong! What were you doing to them!?
[/quote]


Neither did I!!! I was putting them in boiling water until they were hot, like my mother always had and like the packet said to do!

[MarieLynn]

TIWW What a blast from the past!

We too looked like Julie Andrews, - dress, elbow length cape and net veil. Our list was very specific, no jamies, but convent nightdresses - 3 white cotton long sleeved full length monstrosities, 12 mens size handkerchiefs, 3 pair 'nuns' shoes, 6 pairs black lisle stockings, black cardigan, dressing gown (robe) of a sober colour, black slippers --the list was endless. We had to have a St Andrews Missal, a black bead Rosary and a notebook and black pencil for our Spiritual items, the rest were supplied. The 'underwear ' list had to be seen to be believed - suspender belts, bloomers and bras, and two black calico petticoats. That list is indelibly printed on my mind!!! Now I look back I think that list must have been a throw-back to postulants of the 1920's, instead of girls in the mid 60's, but back then I was a 17 yr old, who did as she was told!!!!!! LOL Oh how times have changed - and thank goodness too.

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

A small, nunny wallet that you can keep in your pocket with your id card, insurance, etc. etc. for when you go to the dr, IF they have you drive yourself, sun glasses, (equally nunny), a pocket knife, a flash drive stick.

Our novices have all suggested I add those to the list. They each keep their papers, photos, or what not on their flash drive instead of on the common computer.

Pocket knives are great for cutting down boxes, a flower in the garden, when you need a screw driver, etc. etc.

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='Sr. Mary Catharine' timestamp='1319133409' post='2324264']

Pocket knives are great for cutting down boxes, a flower in the garden, when you need a screw driver, etc. etc.
[/quote]

Goodness yes! I had never thought of it before entering but was given permission to ask my parents for one for Christmas and it was amazingly useful.

[MissScripture]

Now I'm picturing a whole array of stern-looking, pocket-knife wielding nuns!

[juchu]

I do not know how it is with your specific carmelite convent, but I am definetly taking a wrist watch! (Though not to the carmelites ) The last ten years I did not wear one, because I always have my cell phone with me... And since I am not taking that one... But I actually got one for my first life in. It is really useful, if one works back in the garden and does not hear the bells or if one goes for a walk in the woods, etc. ...

And I second the pocket knife and the flash drive! (If you use computers..) We also will share one computer in the noviciate and each one has her own personal things on a flash drive.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='Antigonos' timestamp='1319034844' post='2323651']

They are really fleece-lined, not fur-lined, and the lining is removable for laundering. I would certainly think that two pair, black, one lined, and one not, would be extremely useful, indoors and out.

As to the wind-up torch, I think you would find it at any DIY or hardware store; possibly even at Boots [drugstore chain for non-Brits] that has a housewares section; I've even seen them in supermarkets.
[/quote]

If you can't find a wind-up torch (flashlight) somewhere near you, LL Bean sells them. I have managed to lose mine, so I will have to get another.

Related to a wind-up torch, I don't know if this would be needed by a individual postulant, but might be a good present for a monastery if they don't already have one. I also have a wind-up gizmo (also from LL Bean) that has several radio and TV channels (just sound), plus the official US weather report for the area. It also has an emergency flasher and siren, a plug-in that can be used to recharge your cell phone, a DC adapter, an earphone plug and what meant EVERYTHING to me last night when the power went out about 8 pm--a flashlight!!!!. (I have several flashlights, but my favorite small one with a strong light (another thing to buy from LL Bean) broke recently, and the fairies that steal the socks from my dryer, along with stealing my wonderful wind-up flashlight, have stolen my other (cheap) flashlights and have put my large strong flashlights out of service. BTW--You can also put batteries on my wind-up gizmo so that you don't have to keep winding. Best gizmo ever invented--well, last night I thought it was. (For those of you in the UK, I assume there is something similar, but adapted for the UK)

Back to the point--wind-up flashlights/torches are wonderful!!!!!! And, from a poverty standpoint, if you can have someone give it to you as a pre-convent gift (they aren't expensive, but cost more than a cheap flashlight), in the long run the wind-up flashlight should be much cheaper than a regular one. (BTW--You don't have to wind it very long to have a useful light that lasts awhile, and you can control how strong the light is if you only want/need a dim light to guide you to the bathroom at night that won't bother others.)

Also, my wind-up flashlight is quite compact, and fits easily into a pocket.

End of story--Since my power was out, really the only thing left to do was just to go to bed. My power came back on at 3 am--it woke me up when the lights came back on, but I slept much better afterwards knowing my power was back.

[marigold]

[quote name='juchu' timestamp='1319133812' post='2324271']
I do not know how it is with your specific carmelite convent, but I am definetly taking a wrist watch! (Though not to the carmelites ) The last ten years I did not wear one, because I always have my cell phone with me... And since I am not taking that one... But I actually got one for my first life in. It is really useful, if one works back in the garden and does not hear the bells or if one goes for a walk in the woods, etc. ...

And I second the pocket knife and the flash drive! (If you use computers..) We also will share one computer in the noviciate and each one has her own personal things on a flash drive.
[/quote]


Yes! A watch is unexpectedly necessary - thanks for reminding me. Digital or battery though? I've only ever had battery watches, but don't know that there is a watchmaker in driving distance to change batteries for me. What happens when a digital watch 'runs out'? Do they even run out? Can you recharge them? (Solar?)

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='marigold' timestamp='1319137227' post='2324308']


Yes! A watch is unexpectedly necessary - thanks for reminding me. Digital or battery though? I've only ever had battery watches, but don't know that there is a watchmaker in driving distance to change batteries for me. What happens when a digital watch 'runs out'? Do they even run out? Can you recharge them? (Solar?)
[/quote]


At Q if the battery went then you were leant one until yours could be sorted - I was leant one the size of a dinner plate and have teeeeny wrists!

[Aya Sophia]

Nunny wallet - we don't drive and Depostrix gives us our IDs on the rare occasion we go out to the doc so not really a need - my wallet (which is actually just a change purse) will go into storage

Nunny sunglasses - have an ab fab pare not at all nunny [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/razzle%20dazzle.png[/img] which I guess I can bring but just be prepared for them to be declared contraband!

Pocket knife - excellent idea - as w/sunglasses would just have to be prepared for it be d. c.

Flash drive - Last yr I entered with my data on a flash drive which went into storage with other non-useables. This year I'm bringing the flash drive AND (oh, dear - seem to have forgotten to add this small item to my Trusseau List) my laptop! It will go into storage and, God willing I remain, be taken out later and become a community asset. Only Sisters using the computer are Prioress and Depositrix.

Wrist watches - not worn/not permitted - used to be no personal time pieces of any kind - one just went by the bells. Now one can have some time telling thing in one's pocket, although not all the Sisters do. Last yr the Prioress gave me a watch on a sort of rubber fob that pins to your clothes with the idea that it would be good for my work in the garden. I pinned it on while out of doors and kept in my pocket while inside. She gave me this "for keeps" when I went away and I still have it so will use it again. But, to Marigold's point, what to do when the battery runs out? Perhaps will have learned the bells by then (although in the 3.5 mos I was there last yr I was still confused - same physical bell but rung to the length of various of the penitential psalms, depending on the purpose of the ringing and if you don't know the p.s. by heart you don't have sense of how long each of them is). In any case, good idea to add a fresh watch battery to the shopping list!


[i]Something wrong with my emoticon . . . sad, so sad[/i]

Edited October 20, 2011 by Aya Sophia

[Strictlyinkblot]

The Prioress of the Carmel in Malahide said she would consider letting me bring my Kindle or similar device but that she'd probably keep hold of it until after first profession. Somehow I doubt other Carmels would allow it.

[faithcecelia]

I had my ipod

[mme_hardy]

What's the right way? (We always nuke 'em nowadays.)