Packing

When I volunteer overseas, I take 2 suitcases filled only of donations so that I can leave everything there and return with only my backpack of personal items. We haven't opened or distributed the suitcases for Manos Unidas yet, so I'll just summarize my personal packing list. Maybe it'll help you in your travels; it doesn't matter if I'm traveling for 2 weeks or 2 months. I don't take more than this. You can always wash clothes in the sink, launder them, or donate and buy. You can also purchase toiletries locally if you run out.

Here are my two things: backpack from REI and a personal bag (this time it's a slingback but the personal bag varies). I like having a backpack because I don't have to drag it over curbs and dirt roads and and it is convenient for all manner of vehicles (crowded bus, motorbike, shady taxi...).


In the carry-on (which fits under most airplane seats):


Toiletries
camp towel
<3oz>Sleeping
sleep sack (actually, sleeping bag liner. I haven't read anywhere that it prevents bedbug bites, but I prefer to think that I'm at least making it harder on them to get to me! also, it's the kind that can keep me cooler when it's hot out and warmer when it's cold out)
anti-allergenic pillow case cover (same reasons)

Clothing (I count clothes that I wear to the airport)
5-7 pairs of socks and underwear
pants for sleep
2-3 jeans/pants, including 1 outdoor pant that zips off into shorts
4-5 matching tops (mix and match all tops and pants!)
2 sweater-like layers + jacket if traveling to a chilly area
soft baseball cap
shower sandals

Electronics
universal plug
head lamp (in case I stay in a mud hut without electricity, or a hostel where others are sleeping)
SteriPen to disinfect unsanitary water for drinking or brushing teeth (in Africa it's rain or river water; in Latin America right now it's tap water)
chargers for: camera, cell phone, and netbook

Travel extras
book(s)
notepad/paperwork
snacks + multivitamins (in case the local diet is not nutritious enough)
tissue
neckrest collar for sleeping on the plane
2-3 spare ziplock and plastic bags (you'll always find a need for them)

In the personal bag:



netbook (I won't bring this to Africa)
eyedrops, chapstick, brush
wallet
ipod (rarely used)
sunglasses
tissue
hand sanitizer
passport + copies of travel health insurance and other docs in ziplock
small notebook + pen
cell phone (turned off; only used for emergencies)
camera
(gorillapod is missing in my house somewhere!)

[Note that depending on where you are, you wouldn't want to carry important items like your passport and netbook with you; OR you wouldn't want to leave them in the place you're staying unless there's a safe. You have to know your location and your activities.]

Books of cultural relevance

Thanks to the donations written directly to me (instead of Village Volunteers where they could've received a tax-break), I could afford to pick up a few more items when I arrived in Nairobi. We stopped by a book store and here are a few things I found that exemplify (exaggerate, really) the difference between our side of the world and theirs.

(Click on the images to see full size)

These are curriculum-based stories for the grades listed in the circles above the titles. They each are educational (e.g., "Doctor Tortoise" discusses common health problems related to basic care such as dental hygiene) or moral (e.g., the lesson Bogi learns in "Bogi Learns a Lesson" is to not be lazy and take advantage of others' kindness).

One of my favorite stories is "Sipoi and the Ogre", which is based on the Maasai. I've uploaded the first and last pages of this story, though I've copied the rest of the pages if any of you are curious enough to request it. :-)

The most intriguing book is the one on the bottom right for grade 4, "A for AIDS". For every letter of the alphabet, it gives readers reasons to be a part of eradicating AIDS, educating about its transmission, HIV awareness.

E for education
Listen and read all about HIV and AIDS
Learn how to avoid getting infected
Learn how to love those infected
Learn how to live with those affected

M for money
A lot of money is needed to fight HIV and AIDS
Rich nations must reach out to poor nations
And give them advice and help to fight AIDS

N for Nelson Mandela
A hero in our time
He stated that his son died of AIDS
He said stigma against people with AIDS
Was worse than the disease itself!

O for orphans
Mother went first
Father followed fast
AIDS is not a curse, we'll win at last!

X for experience
If you think AIDS is a curse you're wrong
If you ignore good advice you won't live for long
Having AIDS is not a good experience
Happiness in the future requires a lot of patience

$0.35 per minute at SeaTac

Flight to London departs at 10:20pm, but I am here and ready to go.

Shana Greene, the executive director of Village Volunteers, and I added several more items into my grey luggage, such as 5 deflated soccer balls, trial antimalarial medication, and ... well, my socks. At curbside check-in, we discovered it is 75 lbs! The gentleman suggested moving some items over to my green bag, which was exactly 50 lbs (thank you very much). He saw that they were all donations and said because of that, he would like to "help [me] out as much as possible." He would accept up to 57 lbs in the green bag for free! We shifted some things out, and in the end I ended up walking away and we both forgot to pay for the extra weight in the original! God bless that man :-) And to all the people who donated to me to help pay the would-be charge! You can consider that money having gone to my vaccinations, airplane tickets, and visa application.

Shana kept hinting that there will be a surprise "that will be obvious". I took a shot and guessed she upgraded my plane tickets some how, but that wasn't it. She is excited that I am the first volunteer back after the election riots, but she took the precaution to ensure I will be escorted at all times, especially between villages. I wonder if the surprise is some kind of news crew :-)

See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Packing Queen

WoW!!! 140 pounds of school supplies & books (including weight of suitcases) were donated in a month! I never get tired of saying it: THANK YOU!

Kamiak High School staff and Mukilteo School District SLPs have been so extremely generous with their donations of mostly brand new items!! I didn't expect that!

For the sake of packing space and the environment (because they burn their garbage in rural Kenya), I had to open all packaging that can't be reused for storage. It was like Christmas in June! ;-)

All told, there are over 130 books (Pic is of my sorting them by size into hard/soft covers), 1312 crayons, 584 pencils, 173 markers & color pencils (not counting an entire plastic box containing probably a hundred!), 22 rulers, 8 calculators (5 brand new! 1 TI brand!), 4 sturdy clip boards, and my favorite (b/c I didn't even think of it!): 11 protractors and 16 compasses with pencils! Not pictured are various educational toys, art/craft supplies, and my sanity.


How does one fit them all into 2 checked luggages and 1 carry-on?

Fragile items have to go into my carry-on for sure. Here's a glimpse of how tightly this is packed. (All those youthful years of competing with my brother in Tetris had to count for something!)

Layer 1


















Layer 2


















Layer 3


















Final layer! This little buddy is 40 lbs.













By the time I finished that one, I was too tired to tightly pack the remaining check-in cases. I put the hardcover books in my soft-cased green suitcase along with some durable toys.

Layer 1














Layer 2. This one is just about 50 lbs (thank goodness -- Anything over that there is a $50 charge)












And finally, the paperbacks are in the more structured case with fabrics, tote bags, and maybe some of my clothes when I get around to going to Goodwill for skirts and such (which I will wear and leave in Kenya as further donations).


This suitcase was generously donated from a colleague SLP! She said I can donate it along with my other suitcases later as I leave. Perfect! The tough part is, it is 15 lbs empty, and now it is just about 50 lbs without my clothes in it... Well, I have 3 days to sort it out!

I'll have to make room for 2 deflated soccer balls (and pumps?) because both Emmanuel and Patrick have requested it last minute. Hmm...





I will be updating about my personal backpack when I get around to packing it... It is also interesting to read about, I'm sure, because it includes such things as 5 rolls of handrolled toilet paper in a ziplock bag, and my all-in-one liquid shampoo/soap/laundry detergent.

Stay tuned!