Packing for a Year

Packing for a Year

I have never gone somewhere so far for so long with so many unknowns. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve traveled; I’ve lived out of a backpack for a month. I studied abroad for a quarter; I went away to college for 4 years and moved from Ohio to Illinois. But this time seems different, both more and less permanent than anywhere else I’ve lived. The stakes seemed higher going to live in a place for a year than packing for any vacation. I need work clothes and play clothes. Will I be able to find the things I want abroad? What will I do for fun? What do I really need? How much can I carry? Will I want to visit somewhere cold? I didn’t bring a coat. 

 

The 2016-17 cohort kindly made us a packing list. I used it and my own prior experiences in South East Asia to guide my packing. I’ve been gone a week and I already know I’ve packed far more than I need and that I’m only going to amass more over the course of the year. Hell, I’ve already added two Lao skirts (sinhs) and a polo with the US and Lao flag to my wardrobe. 

 

  1. Computer, charger, HDMI to VGA converter, flash drives, iPad (yes, Netflix works in Laos)

  2. Phone, charger, headphones, power brick (extra power has been super nice especially when I’m navigating everywhere. Special shoutout to the app Maps.Me which navigates offline while I live the airplane mode life)

  3. blue tooth speakers (TBD on usefulness here)

  4. 3 bandanas for keeping dust out of my face while biking

  5. bike helmet, lock, and bag (hopefully I’ll soon buy a bike to make these things useful!)

  6. arm band for phone when running/biking

  7. 2 pair bike shorts

  8. Drawstring packpack

  9. camel back backpack

  10. Regular backpack (do you think I have the backpack category covered?)

  11. 8 blouses/ teaching shirts

  12. Sunscreen for a year (much of the sunscreen here has whitening agent, I brought 2 travel size and three 3 oz sized tubes)

  13. Pharmacy kit (aspirin, cough med, zyrtyc, retainer, tissues, nail polish, toothbrush, netti pot, Neosporin, medical tape for blisters, hand sanitizer, Imodium, multi vitamin, band aids, tums, makeup, fish oil, magnesium, heartburn meds, hydrocortisone, tiger balm, bug repellant, soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, lotrimin, ear plugs, lip balm, toothpaste, tooth brush perfume, matches, tweezers, nail clippers)

  14. 2 shorts and 2 pair dress pants, 1 pair comfy pants and 1 black skirt

  15. 3 dresses, two of which I could also teach in

  16. Makeup, jewelry

  17. 2 pairs of Flip flops, sneakers, velcro sport sandals, work flats

  18. Yoga clothes -tons of leggings, sports bras, yoga shorts tank tops (I may have gone overboard in this category)

  19. 8 tee shirts

  20. Compression bag to cram as much clothing as possible into my big pack

  21. 4 ziplocks to keep ants out of whatever I put in them

  22. 3 small notebooks

  23. Laos/Cambodia travel guide

  24. Small squishy globe ball

  25. Carabiners and climbing gear (harness, chalk and shoes)

  26. mask and snorkel, booties

  27. head lamp

  28. Charger converter for walls

  29. 15 pair underwear

  30. 2 bras

  31. 10 pairs socks

  32. 2 tapestry/wraps

  33. combination lock

  34. Tote bag that folds into a little zipped pouch

  35. OU poster and shirt

  36. Gloves

  37. rain coat+fleece

  38. scarf/shall

  39. bathing suits, one and two piece

  40. passport photos and business cards

  41. travel towel

  42. Sleeping bag sheet, inflatable travel pillow

  43. Cavs visor

  44. Mosquito net

  45. Checks

  46. Pedagogy books from grad school on teaching English/Literacy and yoga books

  47. Mosquito net

  48. Travel yoga mat and towel

  49. Water bottle

  50. Cross body purse

 

Honestly I could have skipped almost everything in the toiletries, bath, pharmacy department. Yesterday I was in a convenient store where brands like Dove and Pantene, Degree and Colgate are regularly available and people keep saying anything that’s hard to find in Laos is easy to find across the boarder in Thailand. So far there’s nothing I regret leaving behind, but that remains to be determined. Nearly all of the rental property comes furnishes which is amazing. The apartment I have for the next two months also has a fully stocked kitchen with appliances, dishes and pots and pans. Not knowing my teaching assignment ahead of time I opted not to bring school supplies but have a pile at the ready in Cleveland to ship over when I have a better idea of what I need. For an underdeveloped, communist country, Laos has a surprising amount of choice in the markets and stores. 

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Reflections on Before and After

Reflections on Before and After

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