Packing Conversation (Part I)

Good mornin' everybody! In case you were wondering, yes, I've started packing, or at least I've started to think about what I need to pack. In the volunteer welcome CD-rom, the Peace Corps provides a very general packing list comprised of suggestions from former volunteers. At first, I thought I was going to wait to buy all of my supplies until I had the cash I would make from parting ways with my beloved car Candy, but my mom encouraged me to stretch the process out over a longer period of time. Oh, I think I'll take the (hopefully) easy route and sell my car to Carmax. I hope I get a decent enough price on her...we've shared so many memories (trips to Tallahassee, Orlando, S. Carolina, Savannah, Chicago, all around the city of Atlanta). I'll always love and miss you Candy Girl, you've seen me through good and bad times! Before we part, I'll be posting a picture of my dearest friend!

Toiletries

On Thursday, May 18th, while I was trying to kill time until my friend Chris' delayed flight landed at Chicago O'Hare, I went over to the local friendly Target, in order to by new socks, undies, and toiletries items. After connecting with a few current and former South Africa PCV, I was told that bringing lots of quality undies is best. I'll be making a trip out to a jockey outlet soon! Here's what I've bought thus far (remember this is only a preliminary list. I will be providing a link to the complete list later):

Palmer's Cocoa butter (2 bottles)
Tooth brush (2)
Tooth paste (2)
Dental floss (2)
Suave roll-on (2)
Women's once-a-day vitamins (1)
Q-tips and cotton balls (1 box each)
Pumice stone (1)

Packing/Camping Gear

On Sunday, May 21st, my dad and I went down to our local Erehwon (No Where spelled backwards) and bought a few other items. I already have a small tent (for the occasional camping trip and visiting other volunteers), and sleeping bag:

Compass (to guide me to the nearest Nando's)
Osprey Arial 65
Water proof backpack cover
Nalgene water bottle (2- one wide mouth and one small mouth)
Solio solar charger for phones and iPod

Clothes

Contrary to what many of you may believe, South Africa can be a very trendy and fashionably conscious place. Yes, I need to bring sturdy clothes because I'll probably be doing a lot of hand washing, but the cuteness factor is very important. As much as I love Urban Outfitters, Paper Denim& Cloth jeans, etc., I'll need to get cute clothes that can stand a beating. Any suggestions on where to go? Also, I won't be packing clothes for two whole years, I'm going to be able to buy plenty of things there.

During staging and while working at my new job, I'll need to dress professionally (more so at my job), so I need to find a few pieces that can serve as multiple outfits.

From experience, I know that it can get pretty chilly (30's F and 40's F in some places), so I will need to bring a jacket or two. I already have a black North Face fleece, but I guess I've grown a little bit since 10th grade (or it shrunk a little), so the sleeves ride up 1/3 of my arms when I lift them. To fix that little problem, I bought a new North Face Denali (polkadot pink) fleece. I have a water resistant North Face shell that will go over the fleece when I need it. I also need to get a good pair of walking/running shoes (although I can't jog to save my life, I figure I have plenty of time and opportunity to start), flip flops, and hiking boots.

Well, that's all I have for now. Like I said, I'll be posting a more complete list later that can be found on the side toolbar. Check ya later!