Clothes for Health and Community Development
PCVs |
Comments: You can find
used clothing here in the market very cheaply (better than
Goodwill!) and also get some neat stuff made. You just need
to bring enough clothes to get you through 3 months of training,
plus those essential things you just can't live without for
two years.
Cotton Underwear (14-20)
Bras (W: 2-5, 1-2
nice ones for your own sanity, 1-2 sport bras)
Two nice outfits suitable
for conferences and/or meetings in the states (W - skirts
or dresses or nice slacks and blouse)
Jeans (W-1, M-2)
T-shirts (2-4)
Tank tops (1-2)
Casual pants (2)
Casual long dress,
women (3-4). Sleeveless is OK. Especially sun dresses. Cotton's
best.
Casual skirt (W 2-3)
Dancing dress (can
be above the knee
Sweatshirt/sweater/flannel
shirt
Short-sleeved nice
but sporty shirts (W 2, M 3)
Oxford type shirts
(M 1)
Light raincoat (shell)
or poncho
Swim suit
Decently nice shoes
-- like sandals, no dress flats
Light waterproof hiking
boots and/or sneakers.
Running shoes, if
you're a runner
Hat for the sun
Cotton socks (3-4)
Shorts (1-2), especially
long shorts
Tevas or sandals.
Birkenstocks are great, too, except they fall apart during
rainy season.
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What to pack for female teachers |
Submitted by Jenni Pearson, Siguiri, June
02
Clothing/Shoes
3 pair khakis/slacks
2 long skirts
1 pair jeans
5-8 tank tops
4 button-down shirts
Modest swimsuit
Everyday sandals, like Tevas
Hiking/athletic shoes
Raincoat
25 pairs of underwear
6-8 bras
5-8 pairs cotton socks
Cotton pajamas
Cotton slips
Several cotton bandanas
1 sweatshirt
A hat for sun
A good watch with a plastic or web band, not leather
1-2 good outfits for holidays/going out with other
PCVs
For School:
Ink pens, especially red
School bag
Accordion file
Grade books
Colored construction paper (one multicolored package
from Target is good)
Good scissors
Scotch tape
Low reading level English books for adults (magazines
with lots of pictures are good)
Miscellaneous:
Lots of hairclips and bobby pins
Halgen water bottle (available at sporting goods
stores)
Leatherman utility knife (has multiple blades and
devices)
Headlamp (halogen or LED)
Regular flashlight
Pillow
CD/cassette player and plenty of music CDs/tapes
Can opener
Rare spices (or ones you like a lot)
Crystal Light drink mix
Sauce packets (like Knor) to add variety to the
rice
US stamps (letter and $3.50 stamps for small packages)
Envelops which seal with a sticker
Girlie stuff (a little makeup, good smelling cream,
etc)
Lots of film (Guinean film sucks)
Stuff that makes you feel good and comfortable
$500 in $100 bills for traveling (traveler's checks
are hard to cash and have poor exchange rates)
Don't Bring:
A French-English dictionary (unless
it's tiny) the Peace Corps will give you a big one
Basic medications (PC will supply these)
Lots of toiletries (you won't need them or can purchase
them in Guinea)
Lots of books (there are good libraries at the Regional
houses which you will visit periodically)
Do Bring (because they're hard
or impossible to find in Guinea):
A good pillow
Music CDs
Good pens
Advice:
Don't bring anything with spandex
- it will feel like rubber in the heat!
In Guinea how you dress strongly influences how
you're treated. Skirts above the knee, skimpy tops,
or anything too tight will mark you as a child because
that's how they dress. Certainly bring a fun outfit
or two for the capital, but for day-to-day wear,
favor more conservative dress. Tank tops are fine
- don't worry!
You can get almost everything in Guinea, but it
might not be exactly how you like it.
You're really packing for the three months of training
right now. After you're more familiar with Guinea,
you'll be able to find and buy almost everything
you need in country.
What
to Bring (everybody) |
Comments:
Africa will be here, with or without your stuff. It'll
all be fine. That said, here's the compilation of
our obsession with What We Wish We Had Brought. In
general, you want to pack enough clothes to get you
comfortably through 3 months of Stage, and then use
the rest of the space to put in the things that are
most important to you. There is no perfect list, it's
a matter of priority. And bring what makes you happy
and kicks ass -- like platform shoes and that fave
pair of black jeans. Plus, anything
that doesn't fit into your luggage will be a GREAT
care package item for your family to send. Don't stress!
If
it's in this color it means we think you'd really
like to have it.
Luggage
We suggest
bringing a large bag on wheels, or one of those little
luggage carts, because you'll be in a lot of airports
in the beginning.
The dream-combo
of luggage is:
- huge
bag on wheels for heavy stuff
- a
large internal frame pack, inside a huge duffel
bag. This serves to protect all the straps on the
frame pack, plus to give you another bag to use,
and some extra space.
- Carry
on: a nice medium sized hiking
backpack -- that funny size that's larger
than a day pack and smaller than your standard overnight
pack. Kelty Redwing overnight has been recommended.
Plus, a pillow, outside
of your day pack.
High
Priority
- Nice
big fluffy bath towel
- Washcloth
and/or loofah
- Good
small flashlight
- Headlamp
- Duct
tape (attach roll to outside of luggage)
- Stationery
stuff: permanent black marker, thumbtacks, nice
paper, envelopes have a tendency to seal in the
heat, postcards, glue stick, pens, scotch tape
- U.S.
Postage stamps, both letter-rate and priority-rate
($3). One of the best ways to get letters
home is to send them with travellers going to the
U.S., and they can post your letters for you.
Bring about 5 books of the self-stick kind.
- Art
stuff: colored pencils, crayons, markers
- Nalgene
water bottle and/or Platypus
- Tape
Player/Walkman. You can buy boom-boxes here for
$30-100 if you want.
- Lots
of Tapes, especially mixes and dance music
- Camera
and camera batteries
- Replacement
bulbs for flashlight, esp. for mini-maglite
- Good
batteries w/ built-in tester. You cannot get C-batteries
in-country
- Film
(available here, but quality varies and it's expensive)
- Personal
pictures
- Mini
alarm clock
- Swiss
Army Knife/ Leatherman
- Books
-- a few good ones. We've got tons of pulp novels.
- Book
bag/backpack
- Sunglasses
- Day
planner and/or calendar
- Calculator
(especially for teachers)
- Spices:
curry, Italian, basil, cumin, coriander. Buy in
bulk at a health food store, real cheap.
- Zip-lock
bags
- Hair
bands, headbands, hair clips
- 2
bandannas (essential for dusty taxis in dry season)
- Some
US Dollars (bring large bills -- $50 and $100 --
you get a better exchange on them). Traveler's checks
are hard to use in-country, but are useful if you
travel.
- A
credit card.
- Short-wave
radio (digital is easier to use, analog easier to
fix). Can also be bought here but are of questionable
quality.
Very
Nice To Have
- An
extra small towel, or camp pack towel
- If
you bring a real camera (SLR) bring a point-n-shoot,
too
- Spray
bug repellent or skin-so-soft
- 7-day
pill holder
- Pillow!!!
- A
nice diary or two
- Spiral-bound
notebooks don't exist here
- Frisbee,
soccer ball
- Walkman
speakers
- A
small gift for your host family in Thies, i.e. tea,
key chains, baseball cap, T-shirt.
- Cards
and games to play with small children and villagers.
We would love a copy of According to Hoyle
here in Conakry. Or Boggle!
- Sewing
kit
- Good
blank tapes
- Ear
plugs
(PCV's are noisy, and so are roosters)
- Tough
plastic-y mailer envelopes for sending film home
- Lids
that fit on tuna cans
- Tupperware
- Kitchen
items: , garlic press,
spatula, 1-2 good knives,
good can opener, coffee press or gold filter,
- Food
items: Knorr's pasta sauce
packs and other instant sauces, mac-n-cheese
sauce packs, herbal teas, coffee,
protein drinks, Koolaid). Your family can also send
these in care packages.
- Toiletries:
deodorant (expensive in-country), facial scrubs
& masques, deep hair conditioner, nice moisturizer,
good hairbrush, haircutting scissors (we also have
little scissors in med kits), pumice stone, toothbrushes
& toothpaste (expensive here), echinacea or
garlic tablets
- If
you like camping: tent, sleeping bag, standalone
portable mosquito net (see Campmor)
- OB
tampons, if you know you like them (though your
hands aren't always clean enough for that)
- Seeds
for garden -- herbs, veggies, flowers. Good soil
here!
- Wash-n-Dri
disposable toilettes
- Video
tapes (to watch in PC Conakry house). This will
win you points with 2nd-year PCV's!
- Good
sunglasses
- Children's
books
- Picture
book of USA
- Those
few silly things that will make you feel happy or
luxurious -- i.e., mud mask, things that smell good,
massage oil, nail polish, stuffed animals, gameboy
- Bike
stuff, if you're hard core: climbing bar, headlamp,
toe clips, bike headlight
- Magazine
subscriptions (although we all get Newsweek International
for free every week)
- A
youth-hostel type sleep sack comes in handy
- Book
light
- Silica
gel for packing film and batteries in
Don't
Bring Because Peace Corps Gives You This
- Vitamins
(multi, B, C, Calcium)
- iodine
tablets
- sunscreen
(unless you have a particular preference, like PABA-free)
- mosquito
repellent (although spray-pump is very nice to have)
- Bike
stuff: bike repair book, bike gloves, All-in-One
Tool (you may need to bring a helmet if they tell
you to)
- Med
kit stuff: Neosporin, Vaseline, Peptobismol, Chapstick,
small scissors
- mosquito
net (non-travel variety)
- Basic medications (PC will supply
these)
Don't Bring
Because You Probably Won't Use It
- Solar
shower (although some people have found this handy)
- Solar
battery charger (unless it's a nice one -- the $10
variety just doesn't work)
- Water
filter (unless you already have a nice small portable
one -- handy for trips)
- Tons-n-tons
of tampons. Just bring a few months worth.
- Sheets.
Take up space and you can get them cheap here. They're
provided during training.
- Lots
of jewelry. Just bring a few nice items.
- A
year's supply of toiletries (soap, shampoo)
- Don't bring anything with spandex
- it will feel like rubber in the heat!
- A French-English dictionary (unless
it's tiny) the Peace Corps will give you a big one
- Lots of toiletries (you won't
need them or can purchase them in Guinea)
- Lots of books (there are good libraries
at the Regional houses which you will visit periodically)
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