The Packing List, Revisited

So before I left the US I wanted to post an itemized packing list of things I brought, with every intention of going back and discussing which items have been useful and which are sitting in storage, probably never to be used. However, two things happened. First of all, packing was far more stressful than I thought, probably because, well secondly, I didn’t start packing until the week I left. Okay like three days before I left. I am a strange person, and if I don’t start something a good month or more in advance, I will wait until the very last minute because I just simply do not want to do it. This is what happened. My poor mother put up with all my stressed out screaming and brink-of-crying for that week, and she deserves the most flowers ever.

The Health/Ag group that is coming in June has been asking questions about packing for the last month or two, and the Education group coming in November has begun receiving their invites. Long story short, I am hoping my procrastination (and the sheer amount of time it has taken to compile it) makes this the perfect time to post this!

General tips for packing:

·         Put a LOT of thought into what bags you are bringing. In our country, you do satellite language training, meaning you live out of one bag for at least 4 weeks, 2/3 of your PST, if your training isn’t extended. Your other bags are taken to a secure storage space in Kampala until the week of your swearing in. Getting this bag back after so long is like Christmas. Seriously…. I highly recommend a backpack of some kind as your training bag. Mine is a backpack/duffel, but lots of volunteers bring hiking backpacks and are very, very happy with their decisions. I actually brought two bags with me to language training, the other just being a standard backpack. It worked out for me because my language training was so close to my site that I was able to leave extra things there, but if it is far, then I would recommend sending all but just the one bag to Kampala.

·         Once you have decided which bags you are taking with you, pack your language training bag first. I really wish I would have done this in order to gauge how much I could honestly put in my smaller bag. You can repack it for weight purposes after you have a good idea (and ideally an itemized list) of what you can fit. I ended up having to leave things I really wanted (definitely didn’t NEED, but) in my Kampala bag, and at the time it was really frustrating getting everything in the bag.

·         When you go to Future Site Visit (FSV), if at all possible, leave things there you know you’re not going to need during language training. I literally left half of my clothes at my site, and I was so happy about it. I was lucky enough to have language training very close to my site, so I was able to go back and switch out clothes, but even if you don’t have this option, don’t make it difficult for yourself to travel. For the education people, you go to FSV with your literacy toolkit, and you can pack whatever you want in the bin!!

·         For my education buddies, don’t bring whole bunch of office/school supplies. PC will help you out with that, and almost everything you need, you can find here. The only thing I’ve not seen is glue sticks. Bring just enough to take you through training, keeping in mind that if something breaks, you can buy more in your town. Also know, though, that Africa is the place that pens come to die, so when you buy pens in town, buy a bunch. (And if you’re weird like me and don’t like blue pens, then you might want to bring some black ones.)

·         On the subject of clothes, don’t bring too many. Honestly I’m happy I brought some of my clothes with me, and I only brought maybe two weeks’ worth of clothes with me, but I have quickly acquired another week’s worth. Clothes here are cheap, and you will honestly fit in better if you don’t have too, too many clothes. Plus handwashing/line-drying is terrible on them, so DON’T BRING ANYTHING TOO NICE. Many PCVs plan to leave a large majority of their clothes here when they go, myself included. Education volunteers should bring maybe two relaxation outfits (I brought like 4 ½), and a week’s worth of professional clothing. WOMEN NEED SKIRTS PAST THE KNEE. They will tell you “to the knee,” but here “to the knee” means covering at least half of your knee. I know finding this cut in the US is difficult, but trust me, it can be done. Hit up your local thrift stores!! Bring what makes you happy, but also keep in mind, you very well may gain or lose weight coming here. I’ve lost probably a good 20-30 pounds, meaning none of my clothes fit and I’m having to give them away so that I can get more at the secondhand market. Men are especially likely to lose weight, and one of the volunteers in the Fort Portal area is recommending to his mentee to bring pants one size smaller than his current size. I would concur.

·         Speaking of, I would highly, HIGHLY recommend joining our mentorship program when you’re given the chance! It gives you the chance to talk to an in-country PCV, and that viewpoint is invaluable…especially when packing comes. My mentor really put Uganda into perspective for me.

·         Peace Corps gives you SO MUCH STUFF. I way underestimated the amount of stuff they give you. I got at LEAST:

o   3 buckets

o   1 LARGE and HEAVY lock box, with chain and heavy lock

o   A pillow

o   A LARGE blanket

o   A solar lantern, and the solar panel is heavy

o   A Rubbermaid tub full of school supplies (not relevant for Health/Ag people, although I’m sure you get something similar?)

o   A TON of printed materials from training

And I can’t even remember what else. It nearly adds another suitcase to your load.

·         I was totally afraid to buy things here because I…I really don’t know why…but don’t be. It’s difficult to do while you’re in PST, but it’s definitely doable. If you want to buy a majority of your clothes here, please just know you won’t have a chance to buy clothes for at least a couple of weeks after getting here. Buying things for your house once you get here, even if you bring money for it from the US, will save you space in your bags for things that you CAN’T find here.

·         In the end, you need to bring with you what is going to make you happy. For me, that was ten sticks of deodorant, a ton of electronics (which, trust me, adds SO MUCH weight), 150 printed pictures, and three gallon-sized bags of bathroom supplies (which I now rarely use). Could I have fit food in my bag? Sure, but honestly, I don’t even miss it that much…especially with all the packages I’m getting…! I even brought my stuffed bear, Winston, and trust me; I don’t regret that in the slightest.

 So what DID I bring with me? And what was and wasn’t worth it? When I originally did this post, I had a full itemization of what I brought with me and notes on almost everything. However, I think instead I’m going to give you the top and bottom few in each category. (The categories vary greatly in size, so I didn’t feel picking a number would fit.)

If you want my full list, please comment below or email me, and I am more than happy to send it your way!

Top Bags

·         Eagle Creek backpack/duffel which I use for long trips and plan to use for my COS trip

·         Standard school backpack which I use for short trips and for trips into town

Bottom Bags

·         Under-an-airplane-seat-sized carry-on like this

Top Electronics

·         20,000 mAH solar power bank. Although the solar part is broken, it still charges from my computer, and I use this almost every day.

·         2 1TB external hard drives FULL of media, although some brought empty hard drives and were not disappointed by those of us who brought media.

·         Bluetooth headphones for when I call home so that I can leave my phone where there is signal and still have the freedom to walk around the house.

Bottom Electronics

·         Full-sized straightener

·         Knockoff PS3 controller, or at least not this one in particular. I’m going to have to spend the extra money for another one anyways, plus the shipping to Uganda, if I want to play my games….

·         Hair dryer

Top Clothes

·         Rain coat

·         GOOD QUALITY bras

·         Footies

·         Buff for lounging around the house

Bottom Clothes

·         Good belts, which are hard to use when you don’t wear pants often

·         “Summer cardigan” that I never wear

·         The specific dress sandals I brought didn’t have straps around the ankle, and so they weren’t considered dressy.

Top Bathroom

·         Quick dry towels

·         Menstrual cups (What’s a menstrual cup?)

·         No less than ten sticks of deodorant

·         Restoration foot balm

·         Say Yes to Tomatoes acne stick

Bottom Bathroom (Peace Corps gives you almost all of this on like day three, and you have access to it beforehand. Anything they don’t have, you can probably find in town.)

·         TOO MUCH sunscreen

·         TOO MANY lotions

·         TOO MANY lip balms

·         Insect repellant is hardly used when you just stay inside at night…

·         Nose spray

·         Eye drops

·         TOO MANY hair care products, which are hardly used because Ugandans think your hair is naturally beautiful.

Top Travel

·         Hairbrush/mirror combo

·         Travel mirror

Bottom Travel

·         Organizer bag for clothes, although it may be useful for my COS trip

·         Ear plugs

Top House

·         Scrubba portable laundry system, although I DON’T recommend taking it with you to homestay. You need to learn how to wash by hand.

·         Backscratcher

·         Decorations, especially the Christmas ones and photos

·         Vegetable peeler

·         Sheet straps

·         Black out curtains

·         Ziplocs, although not nearly as many as I brought.

Bottom House

·         Resolve stain remover because the laundry soap here will pretty much get anything out

·         Mesh laundry bag

·         Bungee cords

Top School Things

·         Information scrambling stamp, although I can just burn important things

Bottom School Things (Peace Corps gives you almost all of these, and if they don’t they’re cheaper here.)

·         Approx. a bagillion pens, markers, highlighters, etc. (See above.)

·         Sticky notes

·         Tacks

·         Pipe cleaners, although I’m determined to figure out a use for them

Top Misc.

·         Games, especially good for visitors and homestay

·         Gifts for my homestay family (namely coloring books and a small, empty photo album for pictures)

·         Keychains

·         Cat collar and toys

Bottom Misc.

·         Waterproof matches

In addition to this, I had my mom send a few things over, which arrived about the same time I arrived at site. It had a bunch of food in it, but in addition, it had these SUPER USEFUL things:

·         Small tool kit (It’s insanely heavy, but…. It’s an interchangeable screwdriver/wrench set that my mom bought me for university, and it’s been useful around the house.)

·         2 Extra bras

·         Small, foldable backpack (AMAZING for the market)

So there you have it! The blog post I’ve been working on for the last month or two. I hope this helps you FPCVs to pack! If you have any questions or would like my full list (with notes!), please either comment below or email me!!!