Dear SA25: Last Minute Packing Advice for Peace Corps South Africa

by Kelsey

South Africa welcomes new Peace Corps trainees twice a year, so back in October the first members of SA25 began receiving invites and stumbling across this blog.

Since then I have been mulling over what advice to give this new group. What wisdom could I – newbie that I still am – give to help make their last weeks at home memorable and first weeks in SA easier?

I could advise them to learn to drive stick shift, or to collect their friends’ signatures in a journal yearbook-style for encouragement in tough times. I could tell them to read Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom, or to load an external hard drive with movies and music. All somewhat time-consuming projects that would pay off.

Well never mind all that, because I checked my calendar and it turns out that they are arriving next week. Whoops. My bad. So, uh, I bring you:

LAST MINUTE THINGS TO BRING TO PEACE CORPS SOUTH AFRICA

EARPLUGS. Something will conspire to keep you awake at 4am, whether it be a monstrously huge rooster outside your window or a tavern down the road.

HAND SANITIZER. Local custom is to eat with your hands, and soap/running water can be scarce. My first few weeks here I snuck off before meals to use my meager supply of purell, concerned about my host family eating with dirty hands. Turns out they had been washing with a basin of soapy water in the kitchen, and were disturbed that I apparently never washed my hands. And that day we all learned a Very Valuable Lesson about assuming.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES. Language lessons are low-tech; you will copy notes from a flipchart, so plan accordingly. For some reason I brought no notebooks, and by the end of training my language notes were a bunch of loose-leaf scribbly papers stored in the box my water filter came in. Learn from my mistakes, friends. I would recommend two sturdy notebooks, pens, sharpies, highlighters, and index cards.

NORMAL CLOTHING. Choosing which clothing to pack, for some reason, nearly drove me to the brink of insanity. I stood in department stores holding endless debates about the merits of 100% cotton versus cotton-poly blends. Crazy. When you lack control over where you will be living and working for two years, the mind fixates on weird things.

Repeat after me: except during the occasional vacation, you are not going backpacking, camping, or on safari. You do not really need waterproof pants with pockets for compasses. Rural South Africans dress conservatively, but fashionably. Pack what you’d wear to an office job back home, and some nice clothes for special occasions like swearing-in.

EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE. You will acquire a media library from other trainees that will essentially justify the opportunity cost of joining Peace Corps alone. You will also finally have the free time to watch The Wire.

FIELD GUIDE. South Africa has wildlife that looks like it belong in Avatar. I never considered myself a biology nerd, but I love my field guide. Except for the section on insects, which gives me nightmares. (“Hey, what’s that pretty beetle? Oh, it spits acid and lays eggs in your skin? Nifty!”) Bookstores here sell them, but they’re pricy.

PHOTO ALBUM. Not just for you, but to share. Your new friends and family will love it. Include pictures of your hometown, your state, animals, snow, a map, cities, etc.

EXTRA SPACE. Two facts:

1. Peace Corps will load you down with many books, handouts, a mosquito net, a medical kit, a water filter, and all kinds of fun goodies you will need to lug around the country. Do yourself a favor and make some room.

2. You do not need to stress out about packing for two years. Definitely pack everything you need for the first two months, when shopping opportunities are limited, but otherwise be assured that you can find anything in South African cities. Cute clothes, French presses, ground coffee, hot sauce, camping gear, books, board games, Blackberries, dove shampoo, camembert. Granted you won’t make enough money for big shopping sprees, but you are not going to the moon… so sit back, relax, and enjoy the wild ride!