Dear Tyler..

Back in 2007, I went on a two week service trip to rural Fiji. I spent time living with a local family, eating local foods, and bonding with my fellow volunteers. I can confidently say that it was one of the experiences that was the strongest push for me to apply for the Peace Corps. I saw recently on my News Feed that one of my fellow volunteers in Fiji, Tyler, was recently accepted for Peace Corps. He then sent me a message asking me for a few tips on packing. Instead of simply sending a brief packing list, I spent this morning writing 7 pages of packing tips and my reflections on my service (slow day at work.. and there was no internet this morning).
This past Monday, July 08, was my one year anniversary in country. Can you believe it/1 One full year. To celebrate, I shared a beer with my site-mate Dave and watched some Seinfeld.  But this momentous day plus a few recent ETs (Early Terminations, fellow volunteers who have ended their service and gone back to America) made me really think about the past year and the next 14 months. Unfortunately for Tyler, these reflections all come pouring out of me as I was replying to his message. The result is a few brief packing lists that I hope will come in handy for any future-PCVs browsing through blogs and some insight on my experience for my family and friends. Enjoy.
(The packing list will be in blue text, so skip that if you're not interested)

Hey Tyler11

Sorry about the late reply.. the past few weeks I've been a combination of super busy and without internet. But I'll try and share some useful things with you1 And FYI my shift button is broken so 1s are exclamation points and / are question marks haha.

First of all, congrats11111 I'm so excited for you11 I know the application process is not fun, so good job sticking it out. 

I actually just celebrated my one year anniversary in country on Monday1 I kind of refuse to believe its been a year.. sometimes it feels like I've been here for a few weeks and sometimes it feels like I've never lived anywhere else, depending on the day haha.

I'm in the Education sector, teaching English in a high school. My focus at work has actually less focus on teaching English in the classroom and I'm focusing on some clubs and camps and extra curricular activities for my students.. I have a girls empowerment and education camp coming up and am starting an English Film and Conversation club. I'm also starting a remedial reading class in the next few weeks. No matter what your sector is, you will have some freedom in your work and can decide what kind of projects you want to do.

So lets talk packing first. I'll try and give you some helpful tips but packing is often job/country/gender specific. As a teacher, I had to pack a lot of professional clothes. I am expected to look nice during the day, which is harder than it sounds considering I'm constantly covered in sweat and dirt haha. But for your more formal clothes, I would recommend some light weight pants, light weight button down shirts or cotton polos. You want to make sure you clothes are breathable.. anything to try and beat the heat. In the Philippines, jeans are considered nice or formal wear. So I wear jeans at least a few times a week. I can't remember where you are going but I'm assuming its somewhere hot. When I first got in country I was kicking myself for packing any jeans at all because I thought it was so hot that I couldn't imagine ever wearing pants.. but obviously you adjust slightly to the weather. Although I have to say that I don't think I'll ever get totally used to the heat. But yeah. Pack a pair of jeans or two. Otherwise you'll probably be wearing lots of shorts and polos or cotton t-shirts.  Bring some sturdy sandals and possibly some sort of rubber shoes or shoes that are good in the rain.. assuming you'll live somewhere with a rainy season.  Outside of work you'll want to be comfortable, so bring your favorite gym shorts or t-shirts just to hang out in. One point that I can't emphasize enough is bring clothes you like to wear at home. A lot of people, including myself, make the mistake of going out and buying clothes they think will be necessary.. so I bought a bunch of polos and longs skirts and hiking sandals - I hate polos and long skirts and hiking sandals. So naturally I never wear them here. I live two hours from the capital of my area where they have a mall so my wardrobe has completely changed in the past year and now I'm buying and wearing clothes that I would wear back home, just slightly more conservative. So just bring whatever you will be comfortable in.  Packing light is definitely a good idea but it helps to have some extra clothes..if you really like a pair of shorts or a type of t-shirt, bring multiples. You'll almost definitely be hand washing your laundry and it could take a few days to dry. I know I go through periods where I feel like I have nothing to wear because everything is drying. And oh my god underwear. Bring so much underwear. Like.. when you reach that point when you say to yourself, 'this is way too much underwear'.. throw in like 5 more. They get destroyed really easily with hand washing. I've already had two care packages sent to me just full of underwear.

Another important thing for clothes and absolutely anything - electronics, shoes, clothes, anything - is that it will probably not last the two years. A combination of moving around and the elements - weather, bugs, moisture, etc. - will likely destroy most of what you own haha. So don't bring anything if you can't stand the thought of it not coming back with you in 27 months.

It obviously varies by country and assignment, but I could buy most/all of my household stuff here in country. So I know sheets were on my packing list.. I didn't bring any and was fine. Then my mom sent me some in a care package just because sheets here aren't as high quality. But you'll spend your first 6 months with a host family and they should have everything you need - bedding and pillows. If you have the space, you can throw some sheets in but don't go through special effort. I also can buy my umbrella, flip flops, rain boots in country. A lot of people ask about bringing hiking boots and generally the answer is don't bother.. they are heavy, take up space, and will most likely just sit in your closet collecting mold. Just bring good tennis shoes and you'll most likely be doing any sort of hiking along side locals who are either barefoot or wearing plastic flip flops haha.

For electronics... definitely bring - laptop, camera, iPod/mp 3 player, hard drive. Those are the four I would say you can't live without. I would also strongly recommend a Kindle.. I don't have one but I wish I did. You'll do A LOT of reading in your free time and sometimes its hard to find books/a pain to lug them around.

Laptop - I had a mac book back in the states but I knew it didn't have very long to live so I went out and bought a new, kind of cheap PC. Keep in mind that there is like an 85 percent chance of your laptop being destroyed. Mine was brand new and is already starting to have some problems.. hello, no shift key. There is probably an ant family or dead cockroach living under my shift key. Who knows. I bought a larger laptop.. I think 13 or 15 inch screen, I'm not sure, and its nice for work and watching shows and movies but I hate traveling with it. I hate it so much. I have other friends who brought smaller laptops, like net books, that are super easy to travel with, but they wish they had a larger screen for watching stuff. If I could go back in time, I probably would have sacrificed the screen size for something more convenient. But its up to you, obviously.

Camera - I brought two cameras, my little point and shoot and my larger dslr. It depends how into photography you are but I would recommend only bring a good quality point and shoot. One thing to always keep in mind with electronics is that they will bring attention to you, often in negative ways. They might make you more vulnerable to robbery or mugging, which rarely happens here in the Philippines but might be more common in your site. The attention I got though was of the rich American with all her gadgets. A huge part of peace corps is integrating into your community and living on our small allowance, so it doesn't look good to walk around town with fancy gadgets. Especially when you will be constantly fighting against the stereotype of the being a rich white person. I found that my larger camera just brought way to much attention to me so now I never use it. Plus, again, its harder to travel with. But.. again... I have friends who use their larger dslr and love it and get great shots. If you're going to buy a new camera I'd look into some waterproof/dust proof types.

iPod/mp 3 - Obvious. You'll want music to listen to on endless bus rides.

Hard drive - you will have a looot of free time in the Peace Corps. During training you will feel like the energizer bunny on smack with so much to do and so much going on but then you'll go to your permanent site and get free-time whiplash because things will slow down so much. It will take a while to start projects at work and making friends/establishing a social life will also take time. In the meantime, you'll watch a lot, a lot, a lot of tv and movies. Whenever I get together with a group of PCVs we all bring our hard drives so we can swap movies, tv shows, and music. It is also essential for backing up your laptop. I brought a terabyte and that is already almost full.

You could also bring...

- a tablet.. I brought my iPad but only use it every once in a while. When I'm not traveling for work but just on short trips, I'll take my tablet so I can get internet without bringing my heavy laptop. But if I knew how little I would use it, I would probably have left it at home.

- smartphone.. some people brought their smartphones. PC gives you a phone to use in country, usually a basic little thing. People with smart phones usually just use it to get wifi when they can and take pictures, listen to music. It can be convenient but you can survive without it. 

I think that covers most gadgets.. but just remember - mo' gadgets mo' problems.

Bring your favorite book or two if you want, but don't overload your bag with books. I brought a paperback copy of two of my favorite comfort books and read them every once in a while.

Bring things from your home town to share with the people you meet, specifically your host family. You'll make a really great impression if you come with little gifts for them - magnets/key chains/stickers of your hometown or america in general, some small toys, UNO1 bring at least two or three packs of uno.. its an easy game to play without language haha, jenga if you have room for it.. I recently bought jenga and my neighbor kids love coming over to play that. and American candy.. something that won't melt on the way over. Maps - bring a few maps of america. Most people here only know New York or LA when they think of America, so it helps to have something to show them that a. there is more to america and b. where exactly you are from. and most importantly, bring pictures11 the pictures i brought were the best ice breakers with my host family. pictures of family are best then some of your friends and your hometown or college. I personally don't think its a great idea to bring pictures of your house or your car or anything.. again, you will constantly be fighting the stereotype of being a rich white man so showing pictures of anything that indicates wealth is a bad idea. even modest houses in the U.S. can be much more than people you're working with can imagine. then the pictures are nice to hang on the wall throughout your service.

Um. that's kind of all I can think of right now. Let me know if you have any specific packing questions that weren't covered in the past three pages of my babbling haha. its a slow day at work, if you can't tell...

I know you'll be frenzied with packing and getting your life in order, but the best advice I can give you is to spend LOTS AND LOTS of time with your family and friends. Go to your favorite restaurants and bars. Take the time to say a personal goodbye over coffee with people who are important to you. Have a little going away party with your favorite people and foods. you. will. miss. food. so much. Are you dating someone right now/ If so, have lots of sex. Even if you aren't, have lots of sex hahah. If you're into that. Because you WILL go through dry spells here. Probably more dry spells than not. Try to prepare yourself for the reality of being away for 27 months - friends will move on with their lives, people will get married, classmates will have babies, family members may die. Give your grandparents huge hugs if they are up there in age. 

Find the people who will be the best support for you during your service and prepare them to be supportive. I'm sure now they are praising your decision to go for Peace Corps and are very encouraging, but for those closest to you it will be a huge challenge for them. One problem I deal with is going to my mom for support when I'm having hard time - whenever I try to tell her about whats going on her immediate response is, 'just come home. you don't have to be there. you can leave anytime.' and that is so true that sometimes it feels like a kick in the gut when you hear it on a bad day. There is nothing keeping you in Peace Corps other than your desire to be in Peace Corps and do the type of challenging work you'll be doing. but you have to find those people who you can call or email on a tough day and they will be there to say.. remember why you applied, remember how excited you were when you got your invitation, remember how important your work is there even if it doesn't always feel important. Tell your friends and family that this is what you'll want to hear when you're tired and sick and dirty and hungry and lonely and bored and frustrated - all regular emotions in the Peace Corps experience. (also I've informed my mom that her insistence that I should just come home doesn't help and she is trying to be more supportive, but you have to understand how hard it will be for your family). You'll miss Christmases and Easters and Birthdays and Fourth of Julys.

I'm sure you've heard this before but nothing is higher than a Peace Corps high and nothing is lower than a Peace Corps low.

At your lowest, you will feel that you are not doing anything productive or sustainable at work, that you can't communicate with the people around you, that you are missing too much from home, a constant feeling of being sweaty and dirty and uncomfortable, being stared at 24/7 to the point that you'll spend weekends in your house without leaving, the border-line violent craving for some personal space and privacy, exhaustion - just the rawest type of exhaustion - from making so much effort on a daily basis just to live in a community that can seem so strange on some days, intense cravings for anything familiar - food, places, weather, friends, family.

On the flip side, you will have days when you walk through town and everyone knows your name and you can actually physically feel the warmth of your neighbors and the kids in town who are genuinely excited to see you walk by and wave good morning or escort you back to your house after a long day at work, you have the chance to be accepted as a true member of the family with your host family. My host family from training is one of my greatest support systems here.  They genuinely care for me and think of me as a daughter. You will make unbelievable, once in a lifetime friendships with other PCVs. You'll see a part of the world that you never would have the chance to see and most people will never get close to. You'll learn the local language and feel that immense pride in realizing you spent a whole day using only the local language and didn't accidentally buy a chicken head or anything. You'll have times at work when you know - not just know in your mind, but deep, deep in your bones you'll know - that you are making a difference, that you being in your community is changing lives, even if it is just one at a time. You'll be swept up in the idea of true, grassroots education and development and, despite setbacks and arguments against the efficiency of such small efforts, you will be confident that someday the kid sitting in one of your hot, overcrowded classrooms will think of something you said or did and will make a decision that will change their life for the better. 

Peace Corps is a huge sacrifice and people will recognize that. Your local co-workers will be stunned that you are giving up two years of your life, leaving the 'promised land' of America, just to live and work with them. That will fill them with a feeling of significance they may have never felt before. People at home with see your pictures and Facebook posts and be inspired to make small changes in their lives to help others or educate themselves on different issues.

But Peace Corps is not just a sacrifice, it is hugely selfish.  You will change and grow so much as a person in ways that only Peace Corps Volunteers can. I'm not even halfway done with my service and I already have changed so much and learned so much about myself. I was talking about this will a fellow-PCV recently and we thought of the quote, 'wherever you go, there you are.'  Meaning no matter how far you travel, how deeply you invest all of yourself in your community, you will always be you and have to face yourself in situations you never imagined. You will be pushed to your absolute edge and have to find a way to bring yourself back to center.  You will constantly be under a spotlight at your site - your appearance, your lifestyle, your actions. Everything will be examined under a microscope by those around you. They will find you absolutely fascinating. To survive in Peace Corps, you have to find a way to be happy with whatever shows up under that microscope. You will be more comfortable with yourself than you ever have been - with your strengths and your shortcomings.  

Your Peace Corps service will be an entirely unique, entirely indescribable experience that is as challenging as it is rewarding. Your main objective is to face these challenges and turn them into rewards. It takes a certain type of person to thrive, let alone survive, in Peace Corps.  Many of your fellow PCVs will drop out throughout service and the 1 year mark is a really common time to leave. People just realize that they are making a huge sacrifice for something that just isn't for them. And that's fine. My sister, who recently finished two years teaching in rural Mississippi with Teach for America, told me before I left that it is often takes a stronger person to admit that something isn't for them and bow out than it does to stick it through just for the sake of not giving up. 

But I think there are a few things that have kept me going for the past year and will hopefully carry me through the next 14 and a half months.. You have to build a strong foundation during training. You have to constantly remind yourself why you're here and soak up the energy of your fellow PCVs. Get to know each other and build strong friendships. Work hard to learn the language, it will make integration easier once you get to your permanent site. Keep expectations as low as possible. There is no, zero, absolutely noo way to predict what your service will look like. Everyone has a different experience. I live with a 5 km radius of two other volunteers and their experiences are still drastically different from mine. Take everything one day at a time. Your job will be very, very loosely defined which can be a blessing and a curse. You can have the freedom to determine what kind of projects you want to do that would work well in your community but you can also easily become lost in the shuffle of your work place and not have a clearly defined role. You need to be really assertive and determined to get work done. Celebrate your victories.  Recognize what went right and what happened on a day when you felt really, really good and always keep that in mind. I know that even during my bad days, the ingredients for a good day are always out there - I just gotta keep working to make them all mix. Your attitude is entirely on you. I have never had so much control of my attitude and outlook and have never needed to. Your attitude is what will determine most of your service. Learn how to change it in any situation. Figure out early on what you need to feel like yourself. There are some Sundays when I know that I need to just lay in bed and text a friend and watch episode after episode after episode of my favorite season of Scrubs. That is what I need to get out of bed again on Monday. Don't punish yourself for your weak moments, but learn from them. You will have breakdowns.. that is ok. Find what brings you out of those weak moments and puts you right again. Find humor in everything. Connect with people at your site any way that you can. It is these relationships that will give you the most satisfaction and will keep you going. Be open minded as hell. Learn as much as you can. Change your mind on anything and everything. When you're confronted with culture shock, always always always remind yourself  - its not better, its not worse, its just different. A hard lesson to learn is that you will not change the culture. As another PCV friend put it in his blog, 'you're in their country, you play by their rules.' In the Philippines, that means that you run on 'Filipino time', food is more important than work, if there is fiesta there is no work, if there is rain there is no work, if it is Christmas time (September - December) there is no work, if it is someones birthday there is no work. You get the idea. But I can't force them to arrive on time and I can't make them skip snack time even though I haven't finished a presentation, I can only work around these things.

So. Consider all of this but this is strictly based on my experience. Who knows what lessons you'll learn and what types of shoes will come in handy for you. All I can say for certain is that you are about to have the biggest adventure of your life and you will come out of it a completely different person. 

And for a real, true insiders look into Peace Corps, I direct you to..... http://howapcvputsitgently.tumblr.com/  PCVs could never survive if we can't laugh at ourselves. 

“Life on earth is a whole, yet it expresses itself in unique time-bound bodies, microscopic or visible, plant or animal, extinct or living. So there can be no one place to be. There can be no one way to be, no one way to practice, no one way to learn, no one way to love, no one way to grow or to heal, no one way to live, no one way to feel, no one thing to know or be known. The particulars count.” 

― Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life