Gettin' ready / Packing List

12 days left till I leave this wonderful country of ours for, what I am sure I will find to be, an equally wonderful country! Have been getting in last minute activities, visiting PVD, sitting on the beach, drinking iced pumpkin coffee from DD (go try it...seriously.... do it) and most importantly packing!

This morning I was also lucky enough to speak with Rev. Charles Stith, former US Ambassador to Tanzania from 1998-2001. He was very friendly and excited to hear about my up coming service in a country he clearly has a strong connection to. Hopefully I will meet him in person in November when he visits the country again. (Special thanks to Gayle Fee)

Okay, so back to the packing. Here is a list of what I plan on bringing with me. (This will be a live list for the next few days):

TNF Sleeping Bag
Travel Towel
Fleece Blanket
Pillow
Head lamp
Helmet (can't ride a bike without one!)
Sunglasses
Hats
Socks
Tech Shirts
Cargo Pants
Leggings
Blouses
Skirts
Closed toed multi purpose shoes
Rainbow flipflops ( :-) Can't leave without these guys)
Toms
Running Shoes
Underwear (etc.)
Running Capris
Shorts (maybe I will find somewhere I can wear these)
Computer
iPod
Camera
2 Solar Chargers (thanks Tina!!!)
Gerber Multitool
Kitchen Knife
Fleece Jacket(s)
Rain jacket
Water bottles
Biology Textbook (might ship this guys)
School supplies: pens, pencils, chalk, markers (might ship these too)
Spork (very cool)
Toiletries (2 in 1 works miracles / saves space)
Headbands (very important!!)
Mole Skin Journals
Keen sandals (as promised...Ashley, I did not buy Tevas)
Crocs
Swahili Phrase Book
Presents for my host family
Silly Bandz for the kids! (Thanks, Aunt Leanne!)


I will also be bringing lots of music with me. After I accepted my invitation, I asked people to make me CDs of music they enjoyed. I figured this would be a nice way to take pieces of home with me while I am away. So, a big THANK YOU to everyone who made me a CD! They are all wonderful and will be even more appreciated when I start my service.

All of this will hopefully fit into a 75L pack, a LLBean Duffel and a Timbuk2 messenger bag!