So you're leaving for Burkina Faso...

When I was gearing up to head to Burkina, reading packing insights from current volunteers really helped. I posted my packing list before heading over and am re-posting it here with some commentary in case any of you lucky Burkina-bound folk stumble upon my blog in the coming weeks. Probably especially lady volunteers.

You’re probably going to pack things you don’t end up using all that much, and you may find that you left behind some things that would have made life a bit more comfortable. Don’t worry! When all is said and done you’ll be here, you’ll be able to buy or find everything you really need, and you can ask a helpful friend or relative to send over things you realize you want.

I packed pretty lightly – I think I only ended up using about 50 of the 80 allotted pounds – and was grateful for the lack of hassle this allowed in terms of getting around airports, moving in and out of training sites, etc.

Clothes
Notes: in the volunteer transit house there’s a “grab box” where people donate clothes they don’t want or need any more for other volunteers to take. Also; once you get to your site you can also get Western-style clothes at big markets, where Salvation Army donations are heaped into big piles, and get clothes made pretty cheaply.

3-4 short sleeved cotton shirts

2-3 tank tops

1-2 nice shirts

1 long sleeved shirt

1 lightweight zip-up long sleeved shirt
This was a good amount of tops. I tend to prefer shirts that cover my shoulders but the tank tops are good to have too. I actually had my mom send over a few during stage. During the chilly months, layering is helpful, and I found that I was ok without a big bulky sweatshirt.

1 long skirt

1 pair jeans

2 pairs lightweight capris

1 lightweight pair of long pants
I was glad to have brought one and only one pair of jeans. This was a good amount of stuff for stage. Pagnes, which are long sheets of fabric, are really versatile and I end up wearing them lots.

3 under wire bras, 2 sports bras
Cotton is wonderful. I had my momma send over another sports bra because I decided during stage that under wire bras were the craziest things ever, but now that I’m used to the constant boob sweat I wear them again.

15ish pairs underwear, 3ish pairs socks
I don’t think it’s possible to have too many pairs of cotton underwear. Again, hero mom came to my rescue with a care package full of cotton thongs…never thought I’d be a thong fan, but then again I never thought my bum would ever sweat as much as it does. I never wear shoes so I never need socks.

1 lightweight PJ pants, 1 pair PJ shorts
Perfect.

1 belt
Necessary.

1 hat with brim, my blue hair wrap
I wear my hat sometimes when biking, but I’m not really a hat person.

1 swim suit
Yes yes.

1 rain coat
This was the one thing I couldn’t find the night before leaving, what a pain in the butt to not have a rain coat during stage.

2-3 pairs sunglasses
Yes.

Chaco's sandals -- 50% off PCV discount
Wore them during stage, but really I’ve never been into Chacos type strappy foot binding sandals. Some people are and swear by them. I’m glad I have them, I’ve worn them on hikes and stuff but I don’t wear them every day.

Chaco's sneakers -- 50% off PCV discout
I have literally never worn these and I doubt I will before my time here is up. Even I end up going on a huge hardcore adventure, I’ll just put on my sandals. One can play soccer in Chacos sandals if one wants even, or buy white strappy sandals here. Not worth the space or the money. I wear sandals ALL THE TIME, as does every other lady here. You can buy nice leather sandals and cheap flip flops and everything in between at marchés. Sneakers too. Don’t bother bringing sneakers unless you love sneakers and can’t live without them for a couple of months.

2 pairs Teva's flip flops -- 50% off PCV discount
These are my favorite things ever, if I could go back in time I would have brought more pairs, they take up almost no room and they’re so comfortable (at least for the first few months of use). I’ve pretty much worn through the two pairs I have already but I still wear them because I’m frugal and lazy and really they’re still wearable.a few pairs of simple stud earrings, rings
I was super light with the jewelry I brought, but I’m glad I brought a couple of nice bracelets and such. Coulda thrown a couple more things in the mix.

Toiletries -- 3 month supply of what the PC does not provide/specific brands I like

my vitamins

heat wraps, Midol, Insteads
If you’ve got tried and true methods for fighting cramps and PMS, bring ‘em along…though I have miraculously found that my period results in less pain here than it ever has before in my entire decade plus of dealing with it, which probably has to do with numerous environmental and dietary things. But one can not count on these things.

face wash, dr. bronner's liquid soap, 1 bar soap/soap holder, deodorant

1 toothbrush, 1 tube of toothpaste

nail clippers, nail file, tweezers, small mirror

a few Burt's Bees chapstick

some makeup/hair goop, bobby pins, hair cutting scissors

Household Things
You won’t need any of this until you move into your site but it’s really good to have any kitchen-y things you can bring to aid in your food preparation processes.

can opener, plastic spatula/scraper
Yes yes.

10'' lightweight non-stick frying pan
Ridiculously worth it.

kitchen knife, knife sharpener, 3 cutting board sheets
You can get knives here but I’m so glad I have one from home because it works really well and is not scary.

small insulated lunch box, ziplock bags, plastic storage containers (various sizes)
Yeah man, storage containers and zip lock bags are really great to have, and really easy to pack since you can put stuff in them before sticking them into your bags.

taco seasoning, spices, powdered drink mixes, hot chocolate powder
Though you can get spices here it’s nice to have spices from home, I had some sent over to me. Gatorade or Emergen-C type drink mixes are really nice to have on hand to change the flavor of the water you will constantly be drinking.

1 pillow and pillow case, 1 flat full sheet
Like a wee child, I carried my pillow through airports and onto busses and I could not be happier that I did. The pillows here are mostly pieces of foam, and ever night I sink into a big, comfortable piece of heaven.

small travel sewing kit
Good.

Recreational Things

French books (Le Petit Prince, Le Petit Nicolas)

Catch-22, World War Z
Very nice to have some favorites on hand. There are tons of recreational books of various qualities circulating amongst volunteers, so don’t take up too much packing space. ALSO…don’t bother bringing 501 French verbs or a French dictionary or anything like that because you will get them. Those books are great and they are here already, so don’t waste the money or room. Also also, when you get here and you meet a volunteer named Coleman, please remind him that he still has my copy of Catch 22 and that I would like it back. Merci!

Back to the Future DVDs
Came over with not a lot of DVDs because my lil laptop doesn’t have a DVD player, but my techy Dad ended up sending me a DVD drive and a bunch of burned movies and TV shows. A blessing and a curse.

An accordion folder for storing papers
I’m glad I brought one, we get lots of handouts.

pens/pencils, colored pencils, pencil sharpenerpaper, scissors, journal
I like having construction paper and colored pencils and good pens for my own sake.

Reading material and other things to fill those solitary moments
…if you know what I mean.

world map, USA map, Africa map
I just love maps, and it’s cool to be able to point out where I am from. And daydream about future voyages.

Techy Things
I strongly advise you to steer clear of the “I’m going to Africa and therefore want to rough it” mentality because that’s just not the way things are gonna be. Really. I swear. Bring your ipod. Music is a source of sanity (and cultural exchange). Bring your laptop if you have one…Burkinabè have laptops too. And so will your friends who are sitting in the transit house when you go to Ouaga, checking their email and downloading TV shows using the free wireless internet.

ipod, headphones, ipod speakers

digital camera, funky weird mini tripod thing

Diskman
Sweet awesome thing to have because then you can ask people from home to burn you CDs and you can listen to them and you can also buy CDs of artists here….and when your ipod breaks down you have backup musical sanity. I’m glad I brought mine.

shortwave radio

rechargable batteries (AA and AAA) and charger

Outlet converter
I forgot to get one of these, but was able to acquire one through another volunteer before leaving for my site. Get one before coming over.

solar charging backpack (listed below)
Comments below.

super tiny mini laptop (Acer Aspire One)
This was a pre-departure birthday gift that I begrudgingly accepted (I’m not good at accepting new technology things right away) but that I’m really glad I brought. It’s small and portable and discreet, I can put it in my backpack easily if I want to take it anywhere. If you don’t have a laptop don’t worry…you’ll be able to use computers at the Peace Corps bureau and at internet cafés, and you’ll have Peace Corps friends who will let you use theirs when you are together. BUT…if you are in the process of deciding whether or not to being a laptop, I say bring it. You’d be hard pressed to find a volunteer who would advise otherwise.

USB card
I guarantee you will want to have a USB card, even if you don’t have a laptop.

Other Things

camping mattress (Thermarest)
Nice to have during stage, and for bringing with you if you spend the night at someone else’s place. Craigslist all the way.

screen tent (REI bug hut 2)
I am going to echo advice that I read about this…get this tent. Do not get any other tent. Do not get the bug hut 1. Get this one.

2 Nalgenes, head lamp, 2 caribeeners

Leatherman wave
Great tool to have.

duct tape, super glue, thermometer
Duct tape is great. Thermometer is cool to have for curiosity’s sake.

durable clock with alarm
I use my phone for everything time related, no clock or watch necessary. You will definitely have a phone here. It’ll be provided, in fact.

incense/candles
Nice to have comforting smells.

bike helmet, comfortable bike seat
My bike seat is just fine. Rumor has it you incoming folks’ll be getting new bikes, so your seats’ll probably be fine too. A squishy bike seat COVER might have been a nice thing to pack, but I ended up giving my bike seat to a volunteer friend whose bike seat broke, and who didn’t want to go into Ouaga to get it fixed.

photo album (personal and public)

TBD gift for host family

I brought Connecticut post cards and playing cards (which I bought at the airport) and ended up giving these to my host fam along with coffee, sugar, chalk, nail polish and fruit, all of which I bought in Ouahigouya. They were uproariously pleased.

...And It's All Going To Fit In

Voltaic converter -- 35% off Peace Corps discount
Ok. So this little piece of technology is pretty cool, but it has also been gathering dust in my closet because I have literally never used it during this my first year. Why? Firstly, I was placed in just about as opposite a site as was described to me in the welcome packet as well as during training. I have copious amounts of electricity at my disposal (I am currently sitting in my living room with my overhead fan on, three outlets in sight) and therefore never need the use of a solar panel. But mostly, the thing is not discreet at all. People know what solar panels look like and they know that they’re pricey, so to have three of them on my back is just waaaayy more attention-grabbing than I want here.
I will be moving into an electricity-free site during June or July or August and might therefore start to get some use out of this bag but not by wearing it around…by leaving it out in my courtyard in the sun at discreet times most likely. For my purposes, a Solio charger would have been better. Solar panels are available here too by the way, and you can buy one to set up at your house if you’d like.
Since you really don’t know what your site sitch is going to be before getting here, don’t go too crazy buying things you might be able to use. .

my old EMS backpack
My old EMS backpack, which I have had for ten years now, is the best bag I have.

Durable shoulder bag/purse thing
Perfect for biking around town, I can put my wallet and water bottle in here as well as a bag of tomatoes or a can of powdered milk or whatever little things I buy.

Kelty Trekker 3900 external frame backpack
Craigslist baby. A great type of bag to get things from the States to Burkina, but you won’t really be using it except for long hauls so don’t go nuts buying anything new or fancy unless you’re already in the market for something that you want to use forever.


I think that’s about it from me for now. I am more than happy to chat with anyone who’s getting ready to come over. But trust me, the best thing to do is to expect the unexpected and to be willing to just go with the flow…everyone’s living sitch is different, everyone’s method of adapting to their circumstances is different. Take all descriptions and advice with a grain of salt and peel yourself away from Peace Corps Journals a couple of weeks before heading off so that you can clear your mind and start getting prepared for the experience that lies ahead of you, without too much solid expectations built up from the experiences you’ve been reading about. You’re heading to a great country filled with welcoming and friendly people, helpful Peace Corps staff (many of whom will know your names before you even get here), and a really great group of smart, funny, interesting volunteers who are at least a free phone call and at most a bumpy bush taxi ride (or two or three) away. So go out and soak up all the time you have left in the States, quit your job a week earlier than you planned, lay out in the sun, eat lots of ketchup with your French fries, drink really good beer on tap, and just generally enjoy life, and we’ll see you soon!