Edits to the packing list are in red. Updated October 6 2011.
I'm almost done packing up my room and all my belongings around the house. I have enough stuff unpacked to entertain me and make sure I don't smell for a week. I also started packing my bags and I'm getting a little more organized now, I have a basket full of things I need to pack!
So far here is my packing list; I'll be editing this and once I arrive in Senegal I'll comment on the items I packed.
Clothing:
6 t-shirts (2 professional)/ 3 camis + 2 ribbed tanks/ 4 tank tops (2 professional)/ 1 long sleeve shirt - Ribbed tank tops come in handy, they stretch fast so I had more sent. Bring tank tops you'd wear when going out for the times you spend in Dakar or Thies. Long sleeve shirt comes in handy during cold season, 1 was all that I needed. I never wear the camis. Don't worry about bringing too many shirts, you can always buy some in country.
1 maxi dress/ 1 "going out" dress/ 1 maxi skirt More dresses! These are great, you get less clothing dirty. Bring pretty dresses you'd want to get copied in beautiful Senegalese fabric.
1 rain jacket Not necessary.
1 hat/ 2 bandanas The hat comes in handy, bandanas as well.
5 prs socks/ 15 prs underwear/ 6 bras/ 2 sports bras Didn't need as many socks. Bras and underwear get destroyed here, I had to get a care package of new ones sent to me.
1 short sleeve cardigan Not necessary.
1 pr pajama pants Oh man, nothing better than waking up during cold season in your comfy pajama pants! Only if there were cartoons to watch as well.
1 pr jeans/ 2 prs gauchos/ 1 pr capri/ 2 cargo pants (I think I have too many pants) Jeans got destroyed but I got an extra pair sent. Gaucho pants are worn almost every day! Love them. Cargo pants got destroyed fast. Pair of capris rarely worn.
1 pr exercise shorts/ 1 biking shirt/ 1 workout shirt Great! Work out shirt not really needed, just wore a shirt semi destroyed. I love wearing shorts while I'm in my room, can't wear them out, but they're so comfy and great to wear when biking.
2 swimsuits (1 bikini, 1 tankini) Only needed one pair.
1 scarf (i really like scarfs so this was more of a comfort item) Not necessary, you can buy some beautiful scarves for really cheap in country.
jewelry Mhm.. I'm too scared to wear my jewelry here, I don't want to lose it, and you can buy some beautiful jewelry here for cheap.
Chacos/Hiking shoes/Dress shoes Never wear my chacos. Flip flops are really cheap here. I got a pair of cheap tennis shoes sent to me too, the hiking shoes were a little excessive.
Equiptment:
Swiss Army knife Love!
Petzl headlamp Broke, but have gotten plenty of replacements sent. Headlamps are so needed!
2 carabiners Why did I bring this?!?!
bungee cords Great if you'd like to do some biking during your service
2 tsa combination locks Only really used in transit to Senegal.
battery powered alarm clock ...waste of battery power.
bike light I don't think I decided to bring this. Wish I would have, for bike journey.
crank flashlight Broke within first 3 months. Waste of money.
2 water bottles Great!
Solio solar charger & adapters (i decided against getting a solar charger strong enough to charge the netbook because the netbook's battery life is amazing) Doesn't charge via solar anymore - kind of point less, but still pretty good to use as a back up battery source to charge cell phone and mp3 player. Many volunteers leave theirs in country so I'd wait to see if you can get one from a COS'ing volunteer before you bring one.
appropriate chargers for my electronics (i had to get a car charger for my camera so I can charge it with the solar charger because the li-ion battery needs a charging dock and I'm not anticipating having frequent access to electricity) There is a place not too far away with electricity, don't worry too much about charging things at site, other than your cell phone.
adapter & converter plug (to charge my items at the regional house) Useful, even when going on vacation to other countries
light sleeping bag Used during cold season-- not too necessary.
1 full flat sheet/ 1 full fitted sheet Not necessary, you can get fabric in country to make sheets.
1 pillow Love this item!! You can get some uncomfortable ones in country too.
Electronics:
Asus eee pc 1005-pe (this netbook advertises it's 14 hour battery life) Great!
netbook fan (hopefully this will prevent problems with the battery) Rarely use. Waste of space.
Energizer usb battery charger Shouldn't have brought.
Eneloop power pack solar charger and batteries (i got this because it was an amazing deal for how many batteries are in the pack. i'll probably take this battery charger too because it got good reviews but it doesn't charge via usb port) Doesn't really work, shouldn't have brought.
Olympus digital camera/ extra battery/ car charging dock/ extra memory card Camera broke, and my new camera had a different battery and memory card reader-- not really necessary to buy so much back up stuff.
Zune I would die with my music.
Asus external optical drive (this will be perfect to back up my files from my netbook) Not necessary.
thumbdrives Helpful when switching movies and music with other volunteers.
Kitchen stuff:
Cookbook Not necessary, you can buy a cookbook in country from the Senegal Gender and Development group.
tupperwares: 2 flat, 2- 2 qt. square, 2 lrg. cups, 2 small cup Not needed.
coffee (starbucks via & ground coffee) yum!! get more sent to you during your service you'll miss good coffee
knife sharper don't really use, i brought a good american knife
zip-lock bags great for strange needs
tea yum!
cinnamon hard candy I should have just packed food instead of clothing.
gum yum!
water flavoring packets yes please! on hot days, no electricity, no ice, hot water to drink, some crystal light makes the water that much more enjoyable.
good kitchen knife & peeler meh. not necessary
spices nice, but not necessary
Fun stuff/Entertainment:
DVDs (i bought a cd binder and put my dvds in there and filled a lot of the slots with blank dvd-rw so I can back up my pictures) dvd-rws were nice to have, you can buy them in country as well. the movie dvds i brought weren't necessary most regional houses have a lot of movies
Books (i hear you shouldn't bring too many so I tried really hard to limit myself...which has been really hard: Mudoc, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Little Prince (in French hopefully this helps me learn), Into the Wild, Catcher in the Rye, Shadow of the Wind, Guide for the Perplexed, Everett Ruess: A Vagabond for Beauty, and When Elephants Weep. -- I also downloaded free books online and saved them onto a thumbdrive.) I didn't end up bringing all of these books, and had my mom send me later on in my service. regional houses have GIANT libraries so don't bring too many books.
The Way of Islam (my parent's have high hopes.) did not bring this book.
Daily Yoga book not necessary. downloading podcasts on your mp3 player would be more helpful
French textbook/ French dictionary didn't bring the textbook, but i should have... my french is horrible. the dictionary comes in handy.
To decorate my wall: fav. band poster/ map of the world comfort items
2 journals + 1 my "List Notebook." great!
address book not necessary
photo album nice to share with host families, show them the rest of your family
deck of cards/ phase 10 not necessary.
Office Supplies:
pen/paper i should have brought more american pens, they die so fast here. and spiral notebooks are nice
accordion style binder useful to organize all my training papers
mini sapler & staples/ various clips i've found plenty of uses for these items.
1 school style notebook/1 pocket moleskin notebook good to have, not necessary. you can buy notebooks here
folder good organization
duct tape/ super glue/ packing tape this stuff goes a long way
U.S. stamps didn't bring
Planner great item to bring!
Toiletries:
4 toothbrushes (thanks Dr. Cutler)/ 3 traveler toothpaste (thanks dr. c)/ floss you can get floss from med for free, and you can buy toothbrushes and toothpaste in country
2 pr prescription glasses necessary!
1 year supply disposable day & night contacts/ saline solution; eye drops/ contact cases very necessary for me.
2 pr sunglasses (1 cheapo pair & a nicer pair) i should have brought more cheap pairs of sunglasses, all mine broke and senegal's sunglasses hurt my eyes.
2 deodorant sticks (my mom also bought me perfume so others will be more comfortable around me.) didn't bring the perfume but oddly enough bought some in country- never use it though. deodorant is of course a good idea but you can buy some in country too... and you kind of stop caring after awhile...
small mirror you can get these in country
twizzers/ Parissa wax strips/ disposable razors necessary
1 extra large pack towel/ 1 small pack towel not so necessary. i don't use these towels at all. i have a wrap skirt i use as a towel.. more convenient
small lotion/ sunscreen you can get sunscreen from med. and buy lotion in country.
small hand sanitizer i had my mom send me more hand sanitizer but i don't use it that frequently.
hair ties, hair bands, clips, the works. necessary! it's hot!
hair scissors not necessary, someone will normally have a pair. i cut a lot of people's hair so it's convenient to have my own pair
chapstick gross, i never use this. it's way too hot to even think of putting chapstick on. and med gives you free chapstick
condoms perfect for condom water balloon fights.
antihistamine lotion med gives you some so don't buy any.
tampons/ the keeper i totally suggest purchasing the keeper or the diva cup they're the same, and amazing!
1 bottle vitamins med gives you vitamins
some makeup it's always nice to get made up every now and then
3 month supply of prescriptions
Gifts:
Crazy 8's/ Go Fish they don't really understand this. they'd rather have a deck of cards to play their games
Crayons/ coloring books fun for the kids or to give to schools
soccer ball scary gift. i have yet to give mine away because i'm scared of the added demands. you can buy some in senegal though so it wasn't necessary to bring one
frisbee didn't bring
knickknacks toy cars are always great for the boys, and bracelets for the girls, extravagent goddi jewelery is a huge hit here.
Requirements:
18 passport size photos
PC paperwork/ book/ copies of my documents, etc., etc.
What I'm carrying it all in:
REI Venus 75 backpack great backpack when going on vacation outside of country
Roller duffel bag down graded to a tiny duffel bag.
Dakine school backpack as carry on i got a nice 40 volume bag instead, its great. i use it whenever i travel within country.
*Restrictions: Carry on total= 80 pounds, combined dimensions 107"
*Title is "You! Me! Dancing!" - Los Campesinos!
How do you own six bras?
ReplyDelete