Packing List

People keep asking me what I'm bringing with me for two years, and I know I had lots of guidance from other Peace Corps volunteer blogs, so here's the list.  For those of you that don't know, I can only bring 80 lbs of checked luggage, which seems like a lot at first.  But, those 80 lbs add up really fast.  Packing wasn't entirely easy for me because I wanted to be sure I had exactly what I wanted, so there was a lot of buying and returning.

Once I'm in country, settled and have some time under my belt, I hope to update this list to show what was useful, what wasn't, and what I wished I had taken.


Here's a photo of all my luggage:

As promised, I am going to highlight the things I am happy I brought, the things you can find here and the things I didn't need.


Happy- bold
Sad- italics
Can find here- underlined

Clothing

• 5 skirts (below the knee)- believe me, you'll want lots of skirts. Make sure they come below your knee or you'll feel really uncomfortable. Try to bring one that's pretty long because they're nice to just throw on.
• 5 button up shirts for work- exofficio and brands like that have some nice shirts that don't require ironing, which is nice.
• 8 cotton t-shirts
• 3 long sleeve t-shirts- I brought those sports performance shirts so they're really lightweight. I wear them every night at home
• 5 tank tops-mostly to sleep in and wear under my shirts
• 3 big cotton shirts, for running and sports activities
• 2 capris (one specifically for running)
• 2 gauchos - I thought I would wear these while biking.  I don't bike at all, but they are nice to throw on while I'm at home
• Leggings, for under my skirts
• 1 dress
• 1 pair of slacks
• 2 pairs of comfortable pants that also roll up into capris- In the beginning, I almost never wore them.  Now, I wear them whenever I go to town!
• 1 pair of jeans- For the moments when you want to feel American.
• 2 PJ pants- these are great to protect me from the mosquitoes at night!
• 1 pair of yoga pants
• 35 pairs of underwear- undies and bras are not the same quality as we have in the states.  Plus, you'll want to have backups if rats chew holes in them, etc.  Many volunteers will use half their supply for one year, then bust out the fresh undies after being at site for one year.
• Half slip- honestly, you'll be happy to have it.  When you're at home, try your skirts on and stand in the light.  If you can see your legs through your skirt, you need a slip!  Bring ones that won't make you hot.  You can find these here, but they're not very good quality.
• 10 bras
• 3 sportbras for running, 2 sportbras for lounging around and biking
• Rainjacket & pants- why did I think I would want rain pants? If it's raining, I stay inside...
• Northface fleece- yes, I wear a fleece
• Zip up hoodie
• One piece bathing suit and a two piece- if you're swimming, you're at a pool and it's totally ok to be wearing a bikini
• 1 cotton scarves
• 2 baseball hats and 1 big sunhat- I don't wear hats at home.  Why would I suddenly start wearing them here?  Just one baseball would have done
• Plastic flip flops- they're good to have, but they're sold everywhere here!
• Running shoes
• 2 pairs croc ballet flats- they make your feet sweat.  Just bring some cheap flats that you'd wear at home.  You won't be wearing them that much because wearing sandals at work is totally ok.
• Chacos- seriously, a great investment
• 6 pairs of black socks (they won't show dirt!)
• A beanie & gloves for the staging event in Philadelphia- it was freezing at staging

Toiletries (for 3 months)

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Body wash
• Face wash
• Astringent
• Loofa
• Razor & blades
• Lotion
• Sunscreen- Peace Corps will give you as much sunscreen as your heart can desire, but I would bring some good stuff for your face
• 4 chapsticks with SPF
• Toothbrush, toothpaste and floss
• 3 sticks of deodorant - antiperspirant deodorants (the ones that make you stop sweating) are hard to find in country
• Haircutting scissors
• Comb and brush
• Hairbands, bobby pins, head bands
• Tweezers
• 2 Divacups (for those of you that are curious- Divacup)- lifesaver.  Really look into it
• Q-Tips
• Nail clippers & file
• Multivitamins - bring enough for training.  Peace Corps will give you some
• Earplugs
• 3 pairs of glasses -no contacts in Peace Corps.  They are worried about dust and eye infections, although some people wear contacts

Girls, in case you're wondering: pads are everywhere!  Even in the villages, you can buy Always pads.  Tampons are found in bigger towns (always Kampala), and they only have OB, no applicator.  They have light, regular and super.  For training, you might want to bring a supply of tampons, but after that, you'll be able to find them in supermarkets or pharmacies in big towns.

Home

• Sheets (2 full flat sheets because bed size can vary)
• A pillow (travel that can be compressed) - it's nice to snuggle with
• Sports towel & washcloth (the kind that dry fast)- you'll need these for traveling and saving space.
• 3 good kitchen knives
• Ziplok bags
• Leatherman knife

Other

• Headlamp & maglite + extra rechargeable batteries- use rechargeable batteries.  You don't want to be killing the environment now do you?
• iPod & iPod Shuffle -I had the shuffle anyway, so I figure if my classic breaks, at least I'll be able to listen to something
• 3 sets of headphones -2 earbuds, 1 big pair for when I really need to block out the noise.  My earbuds got damaged from water, dust or sweat.  So definitely bring backups.
• Portable speakers -make sure they can run off batteries
• MacBook
• Olympus Tough digital camera (shock proof and water proof) & 4 SD cards
• 2 Flash drives (8 Gb each)
• External hard drive (650 Gb)- bring one with lots of space to steal movies and TV shows from people here
• Flip video camera- haven't really used this
• Shortwave radio- I never listen to this.  But, if I didn't have power, maybe I would more?  And you can totally buy radios here because everyone listens to them!
• Solio charger- if you bring one of these, bring one that has a battery attached to store the energy
• Sleeping bag (45+)- If you bring a sleeping bag, be sure your sleeping bag is pretty light.  I never used mine, so when my dad visited, he took it back!  I would suggest a light travel blanket, unless you plan to do serious camping.
• Sleeping pad & patch kit- haven't used this yet
• 2 Nalgenes
• Camelback- I never use this.
• Sewing kit
• Duct tape
• 3 photo albums
• Passport photos, for visas
• Cards
• Embroidery floss- for making friendship bracelets
• Watch
• Travel alarm clock- once you get a phone, you'll have an alarm clock.
• Sunglasses, prescription
• Kindle & charger- Peace Corps volunteers have tons of ebooks on external hard drives.  Many volunteers have an e-reader.  It makes traveling so much easier.  And you actually read books you want to, not the ones you found lying around in the Peace Corps office.  Bring one.
• Pens & Sharpies
• Planner of only months for 2011-2013
• Journals
• Notebook
• Host family gift: California coffee table book, candy, gifts for the children

Luggage

• Northface 30 L backpack (carry on)- BRING a backpack.  You'll use it all the time, especially when carrying stuff from big cities back home to your site.
• 45 L duffel (carry on) - having a bigger, but not huge option is nice for longer vacations or trainings.
• Osprey 85 L pack (checked)- I already had this big backpacking backpack, but I would recommend something of about 50 L so you can actually travel with it.
• 60 L rolling bag (checked)- it's nice to have a rolling bag with some structure to protect your stuff and all use it as storage under your bed

Now that I can see the whole list written out, it looks like a lot of stuff!

My final word of wisdom: Stop worrying about packing.  Honestly.  Just bring clothes that you like and feel good in.  You're NOT camping for two years.  You're going to be living here, and you'll want to feel good when you get dressed in the morning.  Bring things that comfort you, no matter how strange they may be.  I had my mom mail me a fuzzy blanket to snuggle with, and it makes me so happy when I fall asleep at night.  Make sure you bring lots of photos too.  Finally, everyone packs differently, just as everyone will have a different Peace Corps experience.  We had a volunteer with us that only packed a 30 L backpack, which he carried on.  Just be sure you can deal with your baggage on your own in the airport.  If you forget anything, it can always be sent to you!  Enjoy your last few months, weeks or days at home with your friends and family.  Seriously stop worrying about packing (this is me speaking to my past self!)  

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!