The Packing List

A few people have asked me how one packs for a two-year stint in Africa. My shorthand answer would be: very carefully. Peace Corps provided me with some general guidelines as to what I ought to bring; however, I will not find out which region of Namibia my permanent site will be located in until a few weeks into training. Therefore, I do not know if I will be sweating it out in the 120 degree Southern Kalahari desert or if I will be a bit cooler up in the Northern elevated regions. I also do not know if I will have electricity or running water, if I will be living independently or with another volunteer or a host family, or if I will be located in a village or in a larger town. Since I know nothing about my permanent site, I’ve had to be a bit flexible with packing and I’ve tried to accommodate for as many scenarios as possible. Most likely, I have over-packed but in this particular instance I believe it is better to over-pack than to arrive without the necessities. Of course, I may regret this later when I have to lug over 100 pounds through the desert! My packing list was developed through extensive research into what former and current PCVs brought to Namibia. I would like to thank them for posting their packing lists on their blogs and for answering my group’s questions on our Yahoo support group. They have all been extremely helpful. I would also like to thank those individuals who helped me pack, went shopping with me, listened to me moan about my lack of concrete knowledge, or provided me with gift certificates or items to help me defray the costs of this expedition. Their assistance is more appreciated than they even know. So thank you to my mother, father, co-workers in San Diego, Stella and Joe, and bosses from Boston for their contributions; without them I would have spent a small fortune acquiring all this stuff! Clothing 2 pairs of pants 1 pair of jeans 2 skirts 4 long-sleeved shirts 10 shirts 2 undershirts 2 pairs of pajamas ~20 pairs of socks ~20 pairs of underwear 4 bras sweatshirt sweater fleece jacket scarf (handmade by Agnes!) gloves winter hat B.U. baseball cap belt swimsuit 3 bandanas (one is insect-repelling!) Tilley hat (early b-day gift from Mom) Shoes tennis shoes Chaco sandals hiking boots casual shoes flip flops extra shoe laces Toiletries feminine hygiene products camp towel (its like a shammy) toilet paper bath sponge Q-tips deodorant 4 toothbrushes 3 toothpastes 10 razors foot cream hand cream body lotion facial lotion sunscreen foot brush bar of soap pumice stone wash cloth shampoo conditioner body spray ‘Medical’ Supplies latex gloves 2 instant cold packs ~200 disinfecting handwipes aloe vera gel insect repellent Pepto Bismal Immodium Tums Airborne Nyquil gel caps Neosporin lip balm Icy Hot cream aspirin vitamins 7-day pill dispenser (for my malaria meds) mosquito headnet snake bite kit small first aid kit Electronics & Equipment SLR camera lots of film digital camera 2 memory cards extra camera batteries disposable cameras travel tripod laptop 2 zip drives a few blank CDs recorder and tapes batteries, batteries and more batteries Books Bible (a gift from Jess) Shakespeare’s sonnets (I can’t be completely deprived of the Bard!) The Little Prince Pride and Prejudice as many novels as my carry-on can hold! Personal Items stationary cushioned mailing envelopes regular envelopes 2 journals 3 wrapped Christmas presents from my mom! U.S. stamps (to send letters back w/ visitors) Everything Else 2 unfitted full sheets 1 pillowcase 4 decks of cards dice calculator gifts for local children (Hot Wheels, stickers, rings, etc.) gift for homestay family (San Diego calendar) mesh bag Ziploc bags Ziploc storage containers 2 rain ponchos Oxy Clean wipes stain-remover sticks world map atlases - US and world Peace Corps map (shows the countries where PCVs serve) scotch tape duct tape various sizes of spiral notebooks post-it notes 2 handkerchiefs 2 Nalgene bottles 3 carabineers extra pair of glasses 1 pair prescription sunglasses glasses cleaning solution glasses cleaning cloths lemonade, fruit punch, and iced tea mixes dried ice cream sewing kit emergency candles