August 1st, 2015 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | No Comments »
While this blog post primarily targets new soon-to-be Peace Corps Volunteers who are getting ready to head to their country of service, this can also apply to any travelers, especially family members and friends who are visiting Peace Corps Volunteers. Packing for Peace Corps service was a daunting task. I read through a couple packing lists on various blogs by Peace Corps Volunteers, and they all tremendously helped me know what I should bring. Now that I have been in Cameroon for almost a year, I have learned which items I brought with me that have become the most essential to have during my service. Therefore, I would like to share them because you may have never thought to bring any of the items!
Duct Tape – I often travel with duct tape to primarily use it for sealing shampoo and any kind of liquid bottles to prevent the spills in the suitcase. However, I have been finding that the duct tape has been my best friend. I used it to seal off holes in the windows to keep bugs out, fix holes in my backpack, hang paintings on my wall, and fix my broken razor. It’s a great item to have as it can fix so many things.
Multi-Function Hammer Tool – While swiss army knife can always come in handy, the multi-function hammer tool is also super handy. While it comes with many functions that the swiss army knife includes such as screw driver, scissor and knife, this one obviously comes with a hammer and also a wrench. I use the hammer frequently to open the gas tank or put nails on the wall. I’ve used the wrench to fix a sink.
Bed Bug Spray – There is a very good chance you could stay in a hotel that is badly infested with bed bugs. I would have never thought of bringing a bed bug spray but when I was at a travel store in the US, I saw one and decided to buy one. I was so grateful to have one when I stayed in a hotel that was badly infested with bed bugs a couple months ago.
Wipes – Our hands do get dirty often and access to a sink and soap is often limited. Wipes have been saving my life. It’s also useful for wiping the table and counter before cooking and eating.
Towel – We may think that there will be a towel available everywhere we go, but that is not the case. We could be staying with a host family who may not have a towel for us to use. We could be visiting a Peace Corps Volunteer for a night who may not have an extra towel to use. More importantly, hotels sometimes give only one towel for two people. So, bringing a towel and traveling with it everywhere we go in the country is very important.
Ziploc Bags – I initially never thought about bringing Ziploc bags but prior to leaving the US for Peace Corps service, another soon-to-be Peace Corps Volunteer advised me to bring them and told me that I would appreciate having them. I brought them, and I most definitely have been very thankful to have them. I use them to store dirty clothes, food to keep insects out, and medicines to keep them organized. I also use them as trash bags and to store shampoos and any liquids when traveling.
Measuring Cup – Yes, you will find yourself cooking frequently. Sorry, but there are no frozen dinners where you can just buy a box of a prepared dish and place it in the microwave. Because the United States is one of the only countries in the world that uses the English measuring system, we are bound to use recipes that presents the English measurements as we would bring our recipients and also get recipes from our family and friends in the US. So, it’s always a good idea to have a measuring cup with the English system so that we don’t have to worry about calculating the differences. I brought my favorite blue mason jar which is also a measuring cup.
Undercover Wallet – Crime does happen. People will snatch purses. I was a victim of this crime. So, it’s best not to carry a purse or any bags in big cities and instead, we should wear a pouch under our clothing to protect ourselves from robbery.
