I got accepted to the Peace Corps and am leaving to North Africa soon, what do I bring with?

Question

How many bags of luggage and at this point what are the essentials I should bring with me?

Answer 1

The Peace Corps should give you a list of clothing, personal items, etc.

Soft-bristled toothbrushes may be hard to find there, so take some of them. I ruined a spot on my gum by using a hard-bristled brush for a year. I second the lady who said Swiss army knife. The model named "Sportsman" has a fingernail file instead of a small cutting blade.

One thing I wish I had taken - a roll of slides of ordinary things in my town: A supermarket (outside, meat counter, produce section), hardware store, the clothing section at a Wal*Mart. Ask the manager first and explain why you want to take the pictures.

Get your house, room, family, the street your house is on, view of your town from the tallest building in town, a farm nearby (unless you live in Chicago). If you are working until you leave, have someone take a picture of yourself "in action".

Your hosts will be interested, and it will show them that we don't all live on a beach, like the actors in "Bay Watch".

These days you might make it a powerpoint presentation, but in my day 35 mm slides were the medium of choice. You might ask your training group leader which media would be easiest.

Answer 2

It just depends where in North Africa you are going! Generally, take the bare essentials like soap, deo, shampoo because you do not want to worry about those things. Check the customs of the place to see how modest your dress code should be and take it from there! Good luck!

Answer 3

I don't know what the luggage limits are, but make sure you take a few good pocket knives (swiss army type) with you.

You never know what you might need them for, but they are great tools to have handy. And I believe they still barter very well.

Also, make sure your passport is updated and your shots!