Hey G73! A Better Packing List!

So now is the time tht most of the next crew, G73 is starting to seriously prepare for their arrival to Panama in June. For those of you using the welcome book to pack, here are my suggestions based on what I have experienced in my first year in country. Hope it helps!

6 days a week in training you will wear:

 

-Long pants or skirt (cargo pants, khaki pants, nice jeans, quick dry pants. Of those, I recommend really only 1 pair of jeans. It is too freaking hot!) Skirt should be about knee length, lightweight cotton or sturdy material, and not tight fitting)

-Collared shirt or blouse (could be a button up or polo, long or short sleeved. Again, not too low cut or tight fitting)

-Business casual shoes (Almost anything not a flip flop, not open toe for men. Could be tennis shoes, flats, sandals with ankle straps. In good condition.)

-Socks if aforementioned shoes require them.

-Comfy shorts to hang out at home in, sleep in, wander around the community in, play sports or do homework or play cards with other Trainees in.

-Comfy tshirts or tank tops for above mentioned activities.

-Flip flops or crocs (roll your eyes at crocs now, but everyone in Panama wears croc knock offs all the time. You can buy them for a few bucks right there in your training community)

-Lots of underwear. Panamanian underwear is terrible. Bring 2 weeks worth and make sure your US mom knows your favorite kind so she can send you some in a care package in 6 months. Also be aware that EVERYONE will see your underwear. Your fellow trainees, your host family, your host community, the PC Staff doing training, and everyone in your future community. Your host mom will ALWAYS hang it on the front gate to dry just before any of them pass by.

-5 bras. At least 1 sport bra, and one nice bra. Maybe a strapless, there might be a handful of times when you want it, but you can definitely do without it. Again, everyone will see it, fyi.

 

Your laundry will be done (by you and/or your host mom) probably 2-3 times a week, so you do not need lots of different outfits. While you wear these clothes a lot in training, you will rarely wear them in site.

 

At other times in Training you will want or need:

-1 or 2 long sleeved outdoor work shirts (I highly recommend dryfit anything and everything!!!)

-1 hoodie (you MIGHT get cold depending on your site visits, they help protect from bugs, and they double as good pillows)

-1 p. lightweight long pants (see hoodie comments. think scrub pants or yoga pants or lightweight sweatpants)

-A swimsuit to wear at the beach. (the waves in the ocean are, well, waves in the ocean. You want a swimsuit that will er, stay in place!)

-1 p. of tennis shoes (playing soccer, basketball, softball, or ultimate frisbee, travel, etc.)

-1 p. of Chacos/Tevas /Keens. An absolute necessity. Chacos and Tevas have a PC discount of about fifty percent if you buy them online. These are great for hiking, travel, when you have to use boats, when it is rainy, walking around your community, and walking around the city. I wore mine 87% of the time, until I broke them. Currently anxiously awaiting new ones!

-1 or 2 shirts for going out (to wear with aforementioned jeans or skirts)

-1 swear in outfit (dress pants, collared button up shirt, and tie for men; dress or skirt or pantsuit for ladies; dress shoes)

 

Other Stuff:

-Shampoo and conditioner and soap for at least a week. You can get more right there in your training community. (They won't have herbal essences, but they will get the job done)

-Razors and refills for at least a week

-Toothbrush and toothpaste

-2 towels (one travel sized, another beach sized)

-Sturdy waterproof watch

-Backpacker's backpack. Spend the money and get the nice one. You will use it ALL THE TIME. Rolling suitcases and duffel bags, even military canvas bags suck. Get the big backpack!

-Smaller backpack for short trips

-Sleeping hammock OR thermorest sleeping pad OR lighweight sleeping bag

-1 sheet and pillowcase from home (they won't come home, btw)

-A notebook or journal and pens.

-Pocketknife and/or multitool

-Ipod or mp3 player. extra headphones. You will die without it.

-Digital camera and extra memory card

-Laptop. Just do it. You will thank me later. If you dont bring it you will end up buying one in country. Also know it will break. Panama hates electronics. It WILL get smashed on a chiva, rained on, stolen, a virus from downloading illegal movies, or it will just randomly stop working. Bring it anyway. You will not want it, you will NEED it for your sanity and your job. Even if you live without electricity. I brought a tablet to country thinking it would be a lightweight, cheaper alternative. It has been a nightmare. Just bite the bullet and bring the laptop. No matter what Peace Corps tells you.

-Kindle. it can hold over 14,000 books and weighs like 2 lbs. You can get book files from volunteers all over the country. Seriously. We have a kindle library of over 9,000 titles. I don't know anyone in country with a Nook.

-USBs and an external hard drive for movie and music swapping

-Headlamp and LED flashlight

-Deck of cards

-Frisbee

-Tampons (No such thing as too many. They are expensive and hard to find in country. Pads are abundant.)

-Good hair clips and ties. Panama has lots of cheap ones but they break a lot.

-Good sunscreen. PCMOs will always keep you stocked with OFF! and knockoff SPF 30, but if you burn easily, bring yourself some good stuff at least to start out with. And if you are allergic or don't like DEET, you are on your own for bug repellant. Good luck.

-Limit yourself to 5 things that you are dying to take but are not on the PC or my list. You will bring too much anyway.

-Don't bring an umbrella, they are cheap and easy to get here. Don't bring a poncho. You will never use it.

-If you wear contacts, bring 2 p. of glasses. You can wear the contacts through training and whenever you are in the city. If you are in a site without good water like me, (and being EH that is almost guaranteed) you will get eye infections if you wear contacts. You might get eye infections without wearing contacts, so lets not go looking for trouble.

-If you really like hiking, you will want hiking books. If you like snorkeling, snorkel gear. If you are a big surfer, a surfboard. Better yet, get them sent to you later after you have sworn in so you do not have to haul them all over the country.

 

This will get you through training. As far as Volunteer life, you have plent of time to get things sent, buy them, or find them here in country. Remember you aren't packing for 2 years, just for 9 weeks. I wish you all the luck in the world and hope you do a better job packing than I did!