A packing list is kind of a requirement for peace corps blogs, so here's mine! I hope someone finds it useful.
CLOTHING
Shirts - I brought about 5-7 t-shirts, and then I got here and found out they wanted our shoulders completely covered for training sessions (i.e., not even sleeveless), so I had my sister send me a few more. There will be some weekends where you can't do laundry, so I'd suggest enough t shirts for 2 weeks of training days (12 days).
Then again, that's mostly because I'm both lazy and a creature of habit, and had no desire to wash clothes on a weeknight after getting home at 5. Some people did that when necessary, but I preferred to wait until the weekend to do it in the morning.
Not sure why, but I didn't rewear shirts all that often during stage. At site, I find myself wearing the same couple shirts over and over again.
Tank Tops - I brought 3 tank tops (with straps that cover bra straps) and 3 nicer sleeveless shirts. Good move/amount for me. I mostly wear tank tops at site.
Pants - I like pants. I also figured (correctly) that it's easier to get skirts made here than pants. I brought 2 long pants and 3 that roll to just below my knees. This was a lot, but they were all linen-y and after two years, only two pairs remain un-ripped.
Jeans
Leggings - you'll want leggings to wear under shorts if you want to run, and (my favorite) you can also get longer tunics made here to wear with leggings
Skirts - I only brought 1 jersey maxi skirt and at first I thought I should have brought more (and fewer pants), but I've since changed my mind. I rarely wear it now (it's not the easiest to bike in) but it was nice to have at first.
Shorts - 2 nike shorts, 2 Patagonia. During stage, I would wear shorts under my pagne skirts and then take off the pagne skirt during the 1.5hr lunch breaks just to remember what air felt like on my legs. It was awesome.
Now I can also do that in my own courtyard! :)
Socks - I brought 3 pairs thinking I might go for runs or something. I don't, really, but it's still nice to have socks. I keep a pair in my bed in case it gets cold at night (yes, it DOES get cold sometimes!!)
Underwear - If you're into underwear, bring enough for 2 weeks. If you're not, 5ish is probably good. I would recommend bringing some just in case.
Bras - I brought 2 sports bras and 3 regular. Works for me.
MISC CLOTHING
Belt - haven't needed it, but hey why not? Some people (especially guys) lose a lot of weight.
Swim suit - I brought both a 1 piece and a 2. Oddly enough, Burkinabe modesty does not extend to the swimming pool, so besides the first time we went swimming, I always wore my normal go-to bikini.
Rain Jacket
Scarf/shawl thing - I mostly just use a pagne, but that's just me.
Sweatshirt - As I said, it DOES get cold here! Only wore it one morning during stage, but I'm pretty sure I'd freeze at night during cold season if I didn't have it.
Hat - I never wear hats in the states so I'm not really sure why I thought I'd wear one here.
Sunglasses
Chacos - only bring if you wear chacos at home!! I wore them all the time at home but don't really wear them here
Birkenstocks - My go-to shoes. At the beginning of stage, they said they wanted us to wear shoes with straps at the back and to look professional, etc., but I figured my Birks looked a whole lot more professional than my chacos, so I wore them. No one seemed to mind.
Tennis Shoes - Again, thought I might run sometimes. Nice to have just in case, and hey, not ruling out the possibility of "faire du sport."
Havaianas or other shower shoes - you can easily get these here. I didn't bring any, and within a week my host dad insisted on buying me some.
TOILETRIES
They say to bring a three month supply of toiletries. For me, the only things for which that meant "bring 2," was deodorant and body wash. Although you can easily get soap here, too.
Med unit supplies everything you need, including:
Sunscreen, bug spray, floss, diva cup, basic OTC meds
**if you have any weird prescriptions, definitely bring enough to get you through stage. The med unit will provide it, but if it's not something they normally keep in stock, they'll have to order it, which obviously takes time.
Face Wash
Moisturizer
Make up - bringing/wearing make up when you want to does not make you a diva. you're not camping for two years.
Deodorant
Toothbrush
Toothpaste (Colgate is easily found here)
Floss
Mirror
Shampoo/Conditioner - I have always believed that 2 in 1 is where it's at, and bucket baths convinced me further of this fact
Soap holder/container
Loofa
Razor
Razor blades
Fingernail clippers
Tweezers
Contacts (yeah, yeah, not supposed to wear them...I wore them all through stage and switched to glasses for site)
Contact solution
Glasses (2 pair but one is an old prescription, so if my first pair breaks, I think I'm going to let PC buy me new ones...)
Rubber bands
Bobby pins
Hair clips
Nail polish - my host sisters (and mom!) loved painting our toe nails, and so do my neighbors! :)
Q-tips - you can buy more here
Towel - I didn't bring one and I don't miss it. Got a cheap pagne the first day in Ouaga to use as a towel
GENERAL
Cards, phase 10
Water bottle - I brought a Tulane nalgene, hoping it might foster a bit of heretofore absent school spirit. I think it's worked!
Flashlight - I had a mini mag light (the one that's like 6 inches long), and I used it around village all the time but when the batteries died and I found that the battery compartment was stuck shut w battery acid, I wasn't too concerned. The cheap phones you use here all have flash lights on them.
Black Diamond Apollo Lantern
Headlamp - I have the Petzl Tikka something and it's pretty awesome
Leatherman Wave - I don't use it that often but when I do, I'm very glad that I have it
Leatherman field knife - highly recommend. Makes things like avocado sandwiches and mangoes on the go a reality.
Thermarest - I used mine during site visit (when I was sleeping on the ground in an empty house), but I did appreciate it then. Now I roll it out when I have more than one guest. A lot of people bring them whenever they visit other volunteers, but by now I don't really mind just sleeping on a concrete floor.
Bug hut - I sleep in mine every night. Recommend, although you can easily buy one when you get here from someone who's COSing.
Duct tape
Watch
Pillow - It's true, the pillows here are awful. I brought a little travel pillow but some people brought their normal pillows from home. I'm happy with my choice but that may be because I'm not really a pillow person. Completely up to you.
REI Flex Lite Chair - I didn't think to bring this, but my sister and brother-in-law gave it to me as a going-away gift and IT IS AWESOME. I think it might be my most highly prized possession in this country. I sit in it for hours every day. (I'm sitting in it right now!)
Is it required? Of course not.
Do most volunteers have one? Not sure but I don't think so.
I didn't use it during stage, but I have a new site (i.e., I'm not replacing a volunteer) and moved into an empty house. When I had no furniture, it was literally my only chair. Even though I have furniture now, I still use this chair during the day, because it's so light and easy to move around to follow the shade in my courtyard.
Hammock - I brought one but have no posts in my courtyard yet to put it up. I've tried other people's though, and it's awesome. Nice to have but certainly not strictly necessary
Scissors
Pens, pencils, highlighters
Spiral notebooks - Most notepads here are graph paper, so these aren't really necessary unless you despise graph paper. I love graph paper, but I also do like having separate, sturdy notebooks for lesson plans.
KITCHEN/FOOD
Ziplocs - I brought one box each of quart and gallon size, and I don't think I'll ever need more, but I appreciate having them
Tupperware - Highly recommend. I brought one pack each of a small/medium and a bit bigger. Definitely recommend, might even recommend one more pack. Maybe that's just because so I use the smaller size as bowls...
Spatula
Can opener - heard you can't find them here but to be honest, I didn't even look bc I brought this one
Veg Peeler - same as can opener
Good non-stick pan - I'm almost positive that I could have gotten a comparable one in Ouaga, so probably not really necessary
Kitchen knives - knives here, not so good. I brought two Kuhn Rikon knives (one serrated) that I already had, and I'm glad I did. I appreciated the little covers that come with KR's. Also they're so pretty! :)
Knife sharpener - I didn't bring one and I've never felt like I needed one. Both of my knives are still doing just fine.
Spices - Tony Chachere's, Taco Seasoning (old El Paso makes a shaker container!), and Zoe's Kitchen "Spice of Life" << a very much appreciated gift :)
You can get most spices in Ouaga, but mixes certainly make things easier
Barbecue sauce - holy moly do I love having BBQ sauce or WHAT. It's also really fun to make the Burkinabe try it. At first they're very suspicious but then they taste it and they're like OMG THATS SO GOOD hahahah
If you're picky about food, go ahead and bring a box or two of granola/power bars.
Tô is not great, but your host family will make it for you. If you're the kind of person who will only be able to eat a bit to be polite, bring some bars to supplement dinner on tô nights.
I also brought peanut m&ms, goldfish, and a box of Oreos, and I very much enjoyed the taste of American junk food every once in a while. :)
ELECTRONIC
Kindle
Computer - I have not met someone who brought a computer who regrets it. I have met people who didn't, who regret THAT. Be aware that PC will give you a flash drive with lots of valuable documents on it. Also, the cell phone companies make these cool things called internet keys, which plug into a USB port and give you phone-ternet on your computer. Do with that information what you will.
Smartphone - I brought my iPhone 5c, and I'm very glad that I did. Even before I got phone-ternet, I liked being able to check my email at wifi spots without carrying my computer around all day.
Flash drives - I brought an 8 gb and a 16 gb, and haven't really needed them, but I like knowing I have them in case I do need them. There are computers in Ouaga that we can use, so I leave my computer at site and bring work back and forth via flash drive.
External Hard Drive - I brought a 1TB, loaded with a bunch of movies and shows and music that I had. Between that, media trades with other volunteers, and more downloads, it was full after a year. I'm a media hoarder, so instead of deleting anything, I bought a 2TB and sold the 1TB to another volunteer. At 5 months left, my 2TB is about 2/3 - 3/4 full.
Anker battery - this thing is the only way I survived 5 weeks at site with no solar panel.
Rechargeable batteries (eneloop) - I have never once used these but I hear they're the only rechargeables that hold their charge.
Converter/adapter (FR)
Shortwave radio - not necessary
Camera
Memory cards
Speakers - not strictly necessary, but I like being able to play music when I'm cooking or doing laundry. I splurged on a small Braven speaker. It's a bit water resistant, feels really sturdy, and can be really loud if I want. They're Bluetooth but also come with a cord, and you can get them half off through the pro deals website.
BAGS
I like being able to manage my bags by myself. If you do too, here's what I would recommend:
1 rolling duffel
1 big backpack
1 small/medium duffel (used as my carry on)
1 small day-to-day bag/backpack (used as my "personal item")
-- I didn't bring any kind of purse, but got a little bag made here out of pagne. Didn't miss having a purse in the meantime.
Eagle Creek offers a 50% discount for peace corps volunteers, so I took the opportunity to stock up on good luggage. I was a walking eagle creek advertisement in the airport, and that was just fine by me. Here were my choices, in case they help you at all:
- Gear Warrior Wheeled Duffel 32
- Rincon Vita 75L
- Medium classic duffel (I think I should have gotten the small)
If I were doing it again, I would choose a different big backpack. The one I got was great, but even empty, it feels big. I think the padded waist straps contribute a lot to that impression. A couple people in my stage had Ospreys, and they seemed lighter.
Note: I did appreciate the waist straps while waiting in line at the airport for an hour to check bags with it on my back.
My big eagle creek backpack came with a small backpack, but I got a Timbuk2 bag (Medium, Classic Messenger, in case you were wondering) my first Christmas here and I love it.
Looking back, I would have preferred the lighter big backpack + Timbuk2 bag combination from the start.
OTHER
Gifts for host family:
If possible, I would recommend waiting until you actually know them (also knowing how many host siblings you have and how old they are), and then having your kind family include a few things for them in a package before you finish stage.
Phone:
As I said, I'm glad I brought my smartphone, but it's completely optional. For calls/texts in country, I use a little brick phone that I got the first day here.
If you do bring a smartphone, make sure it's unlocked and can take a SIM card!
Money:
PC will give you some money at stage for dinner that night before you leave, and airport snacks and such. I also brought a couple hundred USD, which I was glad to have for the following things:
- the symbolic last Bud Light in America ($10 at JFK. Insane, but it was fun.)
- pagne and tailoring - could have saved up for this, but it was nice not to have to
- general extra cushion for food/swimming during stage
- extra money for affectation (i.e., moving to site). PC does give you a "settling-in allowance," but big purchases (like solar panels and furniture) add up quickly, so I was glad to have a bit extra
The first day in Ouaga, PC will have a guy there to exchange money, and you can put credit/debit cards into the PC safe. Once you remove your items though (say, before you travel internationally), you can't put them back.
Packing:
We had about 5 days in Ouaga before going to our host families in Leo. Luggage was stored in a separate (locked) room, so make things easier on yourself and make your toiletries and clothes easily accessible in your bags.
Keep in mind that you won't need cooking things until site, so if you're running out of room in your bags, you can get that stuff sent to you.
And on that note - don't freak out! Anything you forget that you NEED, you can get here.
Anything you forget that you WANT, you can ask friends/family at home and if they like you enough, they'll send it. :)
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