Annie's Packing Tips Part 3: Things

Alright, so shoes and clothing are obviously the most important things you need to bring, but they're not the only things. In fact, I'd suggest that things you wear should only be about half the things you pack. What's the other stuff you might want to bring?

• Towel(s): Some people bring a quick-dry camping towel. That's pretty cool and it's awesome if you have one. I personally don't love the way they feel. I brought a beach towel, a bath towel, and a hand towel. That might be a lot for some people, but I have used them consistently throughout the entire time I've been here. You definitely want a towel you can take to the beach, and most host family bath towels are not fluffy in the slightest. I also lived with a host family during training that never kept towels around for drying your hands after you washed them, so I kept the hand towel in my room for that reason.
• Your favorite pillow: Makes sleeps much easier.
• Sheets: There's a version of the official PC Ecuador packing list that includes a set of sheets, full size, on it. This one's kinda your call. You won't really need them for the first 9 months while you're living with host families, so where they come into play is when you move out. Now, you can certainly buy sheets here, but they'll be lower quality and more expensive than what you could get back home. You also can't be certain of what size bed you'll end up getting, though most people choose a full. I don't regret giving up that space in my suitcase to bring them with me, but if you have one planned within the first 6 months at site, I'd leave them for a resupply mission.
• Coffee maker/French press: Ok, this is only for coffee addicts. If you're the type of person who needs a good cup of coffee (or 2) every morning, you might find it worth your while to bring a small french press or something to brew coffee in. In your host family's home you will probably only find instant coffee (and it's not good). Yes, Ecuador is known for its coffee, but almost the entire supply gets exported. You can get great coffee if you're willing to splurge a bit, though.
• Shaving cream: It's hella expensive here, so make room for a can in your luggage and use it sparingly.
• Deodorant: Though stick deodorant is available here, it's not the norm and it costs much more for a much smaller quantity than back home. It's not that heavy, so bring yourself a decent supply.
• Makeup: American brands are obviously very expensive here. Mascara, cover-up/foundation, and high-quality lipstick are what you want to bring extra of. There's a pretty decent liquid eyeliner you can buy here for less than $3 from a Colombian brand called Vogue. It might as well come standard issue in the med kit because I swear every single one of us has bought one. Also, if you're into particular eyeshadow palettes and primers and what not, I guess bring that, but if you're not picky about the quality of that stuff, you can find cheap versions here. If you are a pasty slice of cheesecake like me, you'll definitely want to bring various shades of foundation or any other skin-covering makeup as within 6 months, the constant exposure to the sun (we are on the equator!) will leave you looking like a well-done crème brûlée.
• Multi-tool: I really would recommend that you bring some sort of multi-tool. I brought a Swiss Army knife with a bottle opener, corkscrew, scissors, etc. and carry it with me everywhere (even though I'm not 100% sure it's legal). I'm always saving the day with it. If you can, I'd suggest getting something that has a pliers function in addition to the aforementioned alcoholic's-best-friend uses.
• Dental floss: Peace Corps does provide some in your med kit, but it's an unwaxed roll of absolute garbage that gets stuck in your teeth. I suggest bringing your own; it doesn't weigh much.
• Tiny Novelty Erasers: For TEFL specifically, little erasers make great prizes for games in class. They're a good alternative to candy, and the kids will definitely use them. Pencils and stickers are also great for this.
• Notecards: I have yet to find blank notecards or thank-you notes in Ecuador, so bring a few for writing notes to anyone who helps you out along the way, like a true American.
• Travel-size contact solution: I brought big bottles, but I didn't think of this until Staging in Miami and made my roommate (love ya!) pick some up for me while she was at Target. If you wear contacts, you're not gonna wanna take a 12-oz. bottle of solution with you on every weekend trip. Bring several in case you lose one in the chaos of a Montañita hostel room.
• Seasoning packets: You can find most standard herbs and spices here, but what you won't find are the pre-mixed seasonings that come in packets and take all the guesswork out for you. Things like: ranch powder, guacamole mix, taco/fajita/chili seasoning, brown gravy for Thanksgiving, and french onion dip.
• Special foods: This is a very vague category. What are foods that are worthy of that precious luggage space? What's the point of bringing something if you're just going to eat it and it'll be gone? I'd say that as far as foods go, only bring foods for 2 reasons: 1) comfort foods to help you deal with the culture shock and cope with stress--peanut butter, your favorite candy, etc., and 2) foods you plan to prepare for special occasions--potlucks, Thanksgiving, etc. You can read my second blog post for a story about that.
• Baking soda: While it's not completely illegal here, it is more or less illegal to sell it (in large quantities). You may be able to find it in certain tiendas in 10g packets, but it requires a lot of searching. Why? Because, drugs. This shit is more tightly controlled than Sudafed is in the U.S. Thanks, Ronald Reagan! And even if you're not one of these crunchy mofos that uses baking soda for brushing your teeth, washing your hair, washing your dishes, scrubbing your floors, washing your clothes, or any other of a million things that we already have products for, there's going to come a day when you need it for something, and you're not gonna know where to get it. So put a bit (you don't even need a whole box) in your suitcase, but make sure you hide it real good in case you get searched.

Things that really only I would find useful:

• Portable steamer: I don't like going to work in wrinkly clothes, and I don't for a second regret bringing my steamer, especially since during training my host family's iron did not work well.
• Sewing kit: If you know how to sew, you already know this is a must. If you don't know how to sew, I can't imagine you plan on learning anytime soon (I mean, what have you been doing with your life up to this point?), so I guess you'll just have holes in your clothes...
• Hot glue gun: I fix far too many things with hot glue to leave home without one. You can buy them pretty cheap here though, whenever you finally realize you need one.
• Eyeglass repair kit: I live in sunglasses and constantly need to tighten the screws on them.
• Flashlight: Duh. You'd think they'd put this in your med kit, considering it's an essential safety tool. Most people just use the flashlights on their phones, but I prefer to save my battery whenever there's a blackout.
• Painter's tape: For hanging stuff up on your wall without provoking the ire of your host mom or risking not getting your deposit back (though most people say that with landlords here, there's very little chance of you ever seeing that deposit again anyway).
• Water filter pitcher (Brita-type): Another one of the seemingly ridiculous things I brought with me. I grew up in the "Town of Perfect Water," so I've always been picky about water quality. For the last year and a half I spent back in the U.S., I lived in a city with water that sometimes smelled or tasted funny, so I got used to filtering my drinking water. Here, you obviously still need to boil your water (never put water straight from the tap in--it doesn't filter out bacteria and can in fact cause them to grow more quickly!), but the filter may improve the flavor and color of the water. Or maybe it's just a placebo effect. Idk, but my bougie ass needs the peace of mind.

Things you DON'T need to bring with you:

• Anything in your med kit: Your med kit comes with ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antacids, antihistamines, phenylephrine (decongestant), bismuth tablets (Pepto-Bismol), anti-diarrheal tablets (Immodium), bandaids, gauze, medical tape, scissors, bandages, antibacterial ointment, cough drops/throat lozenges (usually cherry flavored), anti-itch gel, antifungal cream, hydrocortisone cream, antiseptic wash, a thermometer, eye drops, latex gloves, tweezers, SPF chapstick, iodine tablets (for water purification), condoms, and oral rehydration salts (a.k.a. hangover juice). PCMOs will refill nearly everything in it as often as you ask (except for the anti-diarrheals), so long as you give them a decent window of time to get it to you (and sometimes you need to keep reminding them). Bring just enough of a first-aid kit to get you through staging and the first two days of training.
• Sunscreen: You get 4 bottles of SPF-30 per year, courtesy of PC. Anything beyond that is on you. You may think that's not enough for your pasty white ass, but after the first couple of burns, your skin starts to become more resistant to the sun, and you tend to skip the sunscreen. Worry about wrinkles and cancer when you're old and it's too late.
• Insect repellent: PCMOs provide unlimited refills of insect repellent, which is by no means as strong as Off! Deep Woods, but really, the mosquitoes only come out during rainy season.

Some people brought sleeping bags with them, and I still haven't decided if that's a Do or Don't. It's nice for them whenever they go stay at somebody's house because they have somewhere to sleep, but I've never been able to sleep on a hard floor with just a sleeping bag anyway. I ended up just buying an air mattress here, and I take it with me when I know I'll be staying at someone's house. (I also use it to entice people to come visit me in Guayaquil.) I guess if you're a super avid camper, you might want one?

That's a pretty good list for now. If I think of other stuff, maybe I'll write another post (after I've COSed, to keep with the timeline).