Peace Corps Packing List

Royal Terns and Brown Pelicans on Little St Simons Island, GA. 

These last few weeks have flown by and I now find myself in the month of May; the month in which I will be departing!!! I've just returned from a fabulous vacation on the Georgia coast, birding with a friend from Cincinnati. I highly recommend Little St Simons Island. It is a privately owned island with a resort that accommodates 32 guests, accessible only by boat. There are only dirt roads and bicycles for you to get around. Bird walks, kayak outings, bike rides, and  fishing were planned during our stay. All meals, plus beer and wine, were included. You ate family style with the other guests which was wonderful, I really enjoyed talking with the other folks, so many different personalities from around the country.

Peace Corps Packing List 

In an attempt to keep myself organized and as a reference for any future volunteers who may stumble across this blog, here is the packing list for my adventure.   

• 2-3 skirts below the knee, not see through/with a slip (I’ve bought a few but am having a terrible time finding shirts and shoes to match)
• 4-8 tops, dressy/business casual, not spaghetti straps (I have tons of tops but nothing that really matches my skirts, I may be experiencing a mind block trying to put together proper outfits)
• 1 dressy outfit for official functions; a dress (I have a few dresses but they are casual, maybe a skirt and sweater will do)
• 2 casual T-shirts for hanging out (no problem there, all my tops fall into this category)
• Good bras/sports bras, good underwear (they say quality in-country will be hard to find)
• Culottes/shorts/leggings to go under skirts for bike riding (I’m told this is because you cannot show your thighs and your skirt my ride up while biking. Sounds like I will be seriously hot wearing all these clothes considering what I am used to riding in here in Florida.)
• Nice clothes you would wear out with your friends in the U.S. (what does this mean, exactly? outings with my friends usually involves outdoor activities in which "nice" clothes are not worn)
• Something casual you enjoy wearing; jeans, gauchos, etc. (ok, jeans, I can do)
• 1 sweater, light jacket, fleece, sweatshirt, or long sleeve shirt (I think I'll take a sweater, a jacket, and a long sleeve shirt)
• Exercise clothes (I'll pack one pair of shorts, just in case)
• Rain coat
• PJs
• Bathing suit (plus a cover-up of some sort)
• Nice comfortable shoes (I have Clark sandals and flip flops but I don’t think that qualifies as “nice”)
• Comfortable flat dress shoes for work and official events (I have a pair of slip-ons but I doubt they will last more than a month or two, I don’t think they are very sturdy)
• Running shoes (really… to wear with the skirts???)
• Toiletries to last a month, prescription medication to last three months
• Sunscreen and insect repellant to last a month (they say they will provide more but I may be asking for care packages with the strongest stuff available on the drug store shelves)
• Glasses/sunglasses
• Towel
• Headlamp/flashlight and spear batteries
• 2 flat bead sheets for home-stay
• Medium book/messenger bag for 3-4 day trips
• Power adapter (I just bought a universal one that says will convert to any country you happen to find yourself in)

The list provided by the PC goes on with a few "not necessary but useful" items. I'm sure my bags with be bursting with "not necessary" items, and if I'm lucky, a few of them may actually be useful. I'll will definitely be taking my camera and laptop. We'll see what else makes the cut.

My favorite Little St Simons Island activity was biking on the beach. I loved peddling on the hard-packed sand, scaring up the birds, and looking for sea shells.