What’s in my bag?

Here’s a peek into my bag, which is usually some kind of tote (right now it’s my UBC one). What I carry around says a lot about my day-to-day. I’ve got the basics: wallet, keys, lip balm… the things that keep me moving. My headphones are probably my most-used item because I’m always listening to music at work. The pen is there for those times when I actually need to jot something down and usually this always comes in handy. I have a snack like Nerds, because sometimes you just need a quick sugar boost.

The smaller things tell more about me than the big ones: the bee keychain and other charms are tied to to things I like lego, crocheting and anime. The grip socks for Pilates are a reminder that I try to make space for movement and wellness in my routine, even when life gets busy. Altogether, these items show I’m someone who balances being on-the-go with keeping small comforts and reminders of home close by. If I think about these items as “texts,” they highlight the different roles I carry: student, teacher, and just a person who likes a bit of fun inthe middle of all that. The UBC tote ties me directly to my grad school life, while the mix of practical and playful objects reminds me I’m never just one thing at a time.

For “text technologies,” my phone (not in the picture, because I used it to take the picture) is obviously the biggest one. It’s how I read, write, and communicate daily. My headphones let me take in information differently, and my pen is a nod to more traditional ways of working with text.

I think, if you compared this bag to 15 or 25 years ago, it would’ve been full of crayons, Pokémon cards, or maybe a Discman instead of wireless headphones. I think that says a lot about how literacies shift over time. If an archeologist found this bag in the future, they’d probably see it as a snapshot of a busy, tech-connected person trying to juggle work, study, and lifewith some playfulness and self-care mixed in.