What to pack

I figure that in the spirit of the conference I just had on training the incoming volunteers, I will write about what people should bring here. Because upon receiving all the PC stuff regarding our impending departure for this country, including the packing list, it was overwhelming to figure out what to bring and what to leave behind. And to be honest I was absolutely clueless about things, like if there was paper in Benin! I know, it's pretty stupid. Anyway, this will be a post for incoming volunteers and in a few days I'll write a normal post.

Ok here's the list- it's long but I suggest reading it all, especially the last part about med supplies.

What I (Sheena) brought:
2 linen skirts
2 cotton t-shirts
1 sweatshirt
1 long sleeved button-down shirt
2 linen short-sleeved button-down shirts
1 pair of boxer shorts
1 fancy skirt
1 cardigan
1 bathing suit
1 pair linen pants
socks
underwear
bras
1 pair hiking boots
1 pair running shoes
1 pair fancy shoes
1 pair chacos
1 sun hat
1 travel towel
toothbrush/toothpaste
wooden comb
earplugs
sunblock, body cream, soap
face wash, hair ties, q-tips
bar shampoo
jewelry
knitting supplies
banjo
short-wave radio
solar charger
rechargeable batteries
many books
pens/pencils
camera
ipod
game of SET
duct tape
ziploc bags, 2 sizes
glasses, sunglasses
head lamp
sleep sack (cotton)
2 Nalgene bottles
Air France blanket



What Eric brought:
1 pair nice pants
2 pair shorts
undershirts
2 button down shirts
1 nice white shirt
tennis shoes
hiking boots
chacos
fancy shoes
underwear, socks
similar stuff to above like water bottles, sleep sack, head lamp, hat, etc. etc.



Good things to bring:
Earplugs- people are loud and play music at all hours in the day and night with no regard for sleepers, so these are so helpful
jump-rope- a really easy, portable way to get exercise
face sunscreen- the sunscreen here, despite being "sweatproof" and "non-eye-stinging", does sting, so I suggest sunscreen that is made specifically for faces
good pens- the pens here are fine but I prefer the ones from home as they are higher quality
good floss - the med unit will give you floss but it doesn't work for me because it's not waxed enough, so bring floss if you care about having good floss
hand water pump- they say on the packing list you don't need it but when you travel it's really, really usefuly
dark, light, easily washable clothing- dark hides stains!
breatheable rain coat and pants- rainy season is intense
duct tape- very useful
zip-loc bags- again, very useful
sweatshirt- it does get cold sometimes, especially in the north
athletic shorts- I stupidly forgot these. You can buy them here but in your first few weeks before you know how and where to buy stuff you will want to have something you can exercise and lounge around in
photos of everyday life in the US- meaning stuff like your house, snow and different landscapes and weather, different foods, lots of people and buildings, and this will sound weird but maybe pictures of less fortunate areas/people in America because people here don't believe that we have poor people (obviously it's a different type of poverty but it's still poverty!). But yeah people absolutely love seeing pictures and people and things that are new to them and pictures are a good conversation starter
something to keep you busy for hours, like a music intsrument
if you want to start a garden, bring seeds meant for tropical climates (look online) because what you want to grow from home probably won't grow here. You can get some seeds here but by looking on the internet you'll probably be able to get a variety of tasty things that will actually grow

a random selection of things you'll easily be able to get here, though not necessarily cheap or the brands you care about (these are things I didn't know you could get easily here so I thought you'd might want to know):

q-tips
paper/pens
toothpaste and shampoo
clothes- both used western clothes and newly made Beninese clothes
books- there is a huge PC library so bring very few

NOW here pay attention: the medical unit will supply a great deal of medical supplies for you so you DO NOT NEED TO BRING a huge supply of these things:

bandaids and antibiotic ointment
sunscreen (except face sunscreen)
vitamins (unless you have a particular kind you take)
prescription medications (bring 3 month supply for the first months but afterword they'll order it for you)
antacid, pepto bismol
aspirin/ibuprofen/Tylenol, sudafed, coughdrops
hydrocortisone, bug repellent
antibiotics
floss (not high quality though)
condoms
they don't supply tampons and such though

SO the list is long but actually compared to other people Eric and I didn't bring a lot. We were especially skimpy on clothes and have no regrets, because we both prefer beninese clothes anyway (cooler, more culturally appropriate etc). So good luck packing and don't hesitate to ask questions