Advice for future mcar pcvs
Trip Start
Nov 02, 2003
1
40
70
Trip End
Feb 14, 2006
Tamatave,
Madagascar
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
most of your questions are about packing. if you're coming in june, bring warm clothes, including sweaters, fleeces, warm socks, hats, and gloves. the training site at mantasoa is one of the coldest spots in the country, and there is no heat. if you end up getting posted to a tropical site, you can give your warm clothes to folks going to colder locations and buy tank tops later - i've gotten great used clothes in this country, mostly for under a dollar an item. if you're arriving in november, bring a variety of warm and cool clothes and rain gear.
whenever you come, don't bring anything terribly valuable, anything that needs drycleaning or delicate washing, or housewares. i let my mom talk me into loading up my bags with things she was sure i couldn*t get here, like a veggie peeler, non-stick pans, a spatula, tupperware, etc. you can get virtually anything in this country and you should (if all goes according to plan) have plenty of time to buy household goods before you go to site.
July 15, 2005:
I've gotten more requests for packing advice and decided to look over this message; then I realized that I'd never finished it. Oops! Here's the rest of what I meant to say:
Definitely bring things that make you feel "warm and fuzzy": your favorite stuffed animal, jeans, photos, tea, candy, whatever (unless you absolutely couldn't bear having that item damaged/lost.) One of the hardest parts of Peace Corps (if not the hardest) is loneliness, especially soon after installation at site, so bring whatever will make you feel less lonely/homesick.
Some things that you should bring, because you can't get good ones here: a pillow, at least one knife for cooking, a pocketknife, one fitted (or one fitted and one regular) double sheet, at least one large bath towel, a sleeping bag (not mandatory but very helpful), a diskman and cds (though you can get decent non-portable cd players here), rechargeable batteries and charger, good sturdy sneakers, good sturdy sandals, good sturdy underwear (especially women -- buying shoddy underwear and bras on the street is not a favorite experience.) Definitely heed my above advice about warm clothes -- this winter has been unbelievably cold, and I'm very grateful for my long underwear, tights, sweaters, fleece jacket, and wool hat. Again, if you're assigned a tropical site, you can trade stuff with the PCVs staying on the cold plateau. Increasing numbers of PCVs are getting cell phones for use in their banking towns; if you currently own a phone that has a band for Africa, you might want to bring it and just buy a local SIM card, as locally-available phones tend to be really expensive and break easily.
Finally, Peace Corps tells everyone to bring or not bring certain things, some of which are important and some of which aren't. Women should not fear bringing low-cut or shoulder-baring shirts or dresses, but shouldn't bring shorts or skirts that fall significantly above the knee (except for running/sports.) Do bring at least one cotton slip (I loved the shorts-slip I ordered online (until it disintegrated after a year), but don't remember the address.) PC recommends "a sturdy one-piece bathing suit," which is ridiculous: bring a bikini if you'd like. Men and women, do bring at least one fairly nice outfit and pair of shoes -- PC staff is fanatical about us dressing up for the swearing-in ceremony -- but make sure that anything you bring washes easily and is comfortable. Don't worry about a French dictionary unless you really want to practice French; most PCVs here hardly use French at all. Lastly, bring religious materials you might want if you're not Christian: for instance, my travel menorah has served me well. (New Testaments are available in French, Malagasy, and possibly English.)
Hope this is helpful, and feel free to email if you'd like!
Jessica
