A Word for the Newbies

Congratulations to the new Health and Environment Trainees!!

Not too long ago I was preparing for my departure to Malawi for Peace Corps as well. I remember all too well the late nights of blog stalking and packing, unpacking and repacking trying to make sure I was ready to leave my home for 2 years.

One thing I found that was helpful was when a few current volunteers made blog posts about their suggestions/recommendations on packing, so I thought I would do the same

A girl from the new group coming to Malawi at the end of February emailed me a while back for suggestions so I’ll just say what I told her!

First, there have been many questions regarding iPhones so here’s my take: if you want it, get it before you come AND make sure it’s unlocked before you come. That’s what I did and it’s been awesome. Many people brought them without unlocking them and are having difficulties finding a way to do it here. There is a program called black ra1n or red sn0w that you can download for free to jailbreak the iPhone. But any internet phone that can take a SIM card will also work, as long as it’s unlocked.

I recently went thru and updated my ‘Packing List’ page to reflect what I actually brought, so please first refer back to that.

After looking at my packing list, here are my changes and recommendations:
1. You probably don’t need any cold weather gear like we did, since we came during winter and Dedza was cold! Maybe a light jacket or sweater and one pair of pj pants or sweats.
2. I brought what now seems like a crap-ton of underwear, only because I usually only wear the same two pairs lol. I like to wash the pair I’m wearing when I take a bath which is everyday, so I just cycle back and forth btw two pairs. There’s like 6 pairs I haven’t even touched! So I’d say 6 or 7 pairs is good.
3. With any clothes, make sure they’re good quality. Hand-washing is hard on clothes, especially if you have a Malawian do it for you, and you want them to last a while
4. Pack things that are easy to mix and match, less clothes more outfits!
5. Girls – Try not to bring too many skirts or dresses that show any knee. Knees are scandalous here (lol) and especially in the village it is very inappropriate for women to bare their knees. Tank tops are fine, but knees? Nope. There were a few girls in my group that I guess thought it wasn’t that big of a deal and hardly brought anything below the knee and it ended up being an issue. I’m not saying you can’t bring anything, cuz who doesn’t like to look cute to go out to the clubs in town, but just be mindful
6. If you pack sunscreen, only do so if you want over 30 spf or a nice brand like Aveeno or something. PC provides it but it’s only 30 spf. I brought a couple bottles of 50 spf cuz I am white white white. lol

Things I think are a must (outside the obvious like raincoat) and why:
- The camp towel ended up being a good bring because some ppl said not to bring a towel since chitenjes can work as towels, but I wasn’t convinced and I’m glad for that. Chitenjes can work, however the ones they give you during training suck (well the material is not that great) so if you have any hair it fails miserably to soak up any water. I eventually bought a full-sized towel in Lilongwe, but during training the camp towel was awesome.
- Pumice stone is a must. This place is murderous on your feet. So bring that and anything else you use to take care of your feet.
- Advice given to me before I left that is still true: If it is important to you in the states it will probably be important to you here. Yes, your standards may change after a while, but at first the comforts of familiar and home are really nice. Same thing with the laptop, many ppl who did not bring one have regretted it and/or ended up having ppl from home bring one. The netbooks are nice cuz they’re small and have good battery life.
- External hard-drive (if you bring a laptop) Movies are like gold here amongst the PCVs and you’ll want plenty of room to put some on before and during service.
- It’s always good to have extras! Like my 2 nail clippers and tweezers, and extra toothbrushes and chapstick.
- Hand sanitizer, you will want it and PC doesn’t provide it. Bring a good sized bottle, not monstrous, but not tiny either.
-good deodorant and hair conditioner (if u use it), it’s hella expensive here.
-Ladies – Diva Cup! Bring 2, just in case. It will change your life, I swear.
- leggings are good to have when riding a bike in a skirt! I probably over did it with 6, but I don’t regret it.
- ear plugs and maybe eye mask, Malawians start their day crazy early so it helps to have them to drown out the racket, plus the lodges we all like to stay at have dorm style rooms where there are 6-10 ppl in each room, so they’re nice to have since staying in the lodges in town.
- Things that remind you of home! Little knick-knacks and pictures to hang up. It really helps to make your house a home here and those few things can make a big difference. But also keep in mind not to bring anything you’d be too devastated if something happened to it!

The Nook is not a must, but oh man have I enjoyed having it. But I’m a huge reader and with the new WiFi installed at the office here (yay!) you can download new books when in Lilongwe. So just fyi.

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Well that’s my input! Good luck packing and we’re all looking forward to meeting you when you arrive on Feb 27th! I’ll be at the airport, among others, to greet you.

See you soon!