Revised Packing List

This blog is intended for PC Invitees who are trying to figure out how to pack for their service. This is mostly relevant to Southern Africa, but I'm sure will be relevant for many countries, as long as they aren't very conservative.

Packing is one of the more stressful parts of preparing to leave for service. You read other people’s packing lists, talk with your host country PC staff and current volunteers. Peace Corps is fairly conservative when it comes to what types of clothes you wear. I think PC over-exaggerated how conservative Botswana is. We were told that we can never wear shortish shorts, tank tops or skirts above the knee. If you’ve been here, you know that people dress similar to the US. Older people of course wear more conservative clothing, but we do not need to wear conservative business casual clothes 24-7. Also, you spend so much time feeling unattractive and gross that you need clothes that make you feel good! For the first few months, you are okay not feeling like yourself, but you get tired of that. Bring things that make you feel good about yourself and make you feel like, well you. So, now that I know better, here is an updated packing list for women volunteers who will be coming to Botswana. This is a packing list for people who share my style – casual and outdoorsy. If you have a different style, bring what’s true to you. 

Clothing:

Lightweight clothing that has good shape works well. I wish I had brought more lightweight cotton clothing. Hand-washing and hang drying kills your clothes, so it’s best to bring decent to good quality items so they will last you longer. The brands that have held up the best are American Apparel, Levi’s, J Crew, Mountain Hardwear and Patagonia. The clothes in Botswana are very poor quality, so even if you do buy something here, it won’t last you long.

·         2-3 skirts (knee length and above the knee)

·         2 dresses that can be casual or dressed up

·         1 pairs of jean shorts (anything but daisy-dukes is fine)

·         1-2 pairs of good fitting jeans

·         1 pair convertible pants (Prana has a very nice pair that looks professional)

·         1 pair lightweight cotton pants

·         3-4 sleeveless shirts

·         4-6  t-shirts

·         2-3 long sleeve shirts

·         1 sweater

·         1 fleece

·         1 rain jacket

·         1 beanie

·         1 pair of gloves

·         10 pairs socks

·         Plenty of underwear and good quality bras

 

Shoes:

Shoes get beat up here, so the best is to bring good quality shoes made by outdoorsy brands like Chaco, Keen, etc. Do not bring suede. I brought a pair of suede Mary Janes and they were destroyed in less than 2 months.

·         1 pair nice flip flops (Chacos are the most durable)

·         1 pair Chacos

·         1 pair running shoes

·         1 pair shoes that can be dressy or casual (like Mary Janes)

·         1 pair hiking boots if you plan on doing lots of hiking in the region. I brought mine, but would have been fine with just a pair of running shoes.

Beauty Products:

Do not underestimate the toll this climate takes on your skin. The very dry heat, intense sun and diet change will all have an impact on your skin and hair. Bring your favorite products, but keep in mind that you might need more moisture in your products – your skin and hair will be drier here. You can find decent products here in the major towns. Common shampoo brands are Pantene, Dove, Sunsilk and Tresemme. Lotions are available everywhere; brand include Dove, Vaseline, Nivea and some local brands.

·         Your favorite cleanser

·         Your favorite moisturizer

·         Face scrub (Your skin will need it regularly.)

·         Shampoo

·         Conditioner

·         Makeup (Eye makeup and lip stuff is most important. Because your skin will get darker, your foundation back home might not be useful here. Bring waterproof mascara.)

·         Your favorite chapstick

·         Deodorant

·         Hair products you use regularly

Accessories:

I wish I had brought my favorite jewelery, including my wedding ring and gold necklace I wear everyday back home. While there is some risk of having things stolen, it’s not huge, especially where I am. The point is to bring stuff that makes you feel like yourself and what makes you happy!

·         Necklaces

·         Earrings

·         Bracelets

·         Hair accessories (headbands, clips, nice hair ties, etc.)

·         I love my Buff’s for the really hot weather – put it in cool water and then on your head and you have instant relief!

·         Good quality sunglasses. The sun is intense here, protect your eyes!

Electronics:

·         Laptop (smaller and lighter is better)

·         i-Pod Touch (we don’t have one, but wish we did)

·         Kindle (This is a must have! I was so hesitant to get an e-book, but I am so happy I got one sent to me. I bring it everywhere!)

·         USB thumb-drives. We have ones that we leave empty except for what we need printed so we can put them into crazy infected computers without losing everything that’s important).

·         People brought external hardrives. We never thought it was necessary and still don’t. If you want to swap media, you can still use a USB drive and save some space in your luggage.

·         Point and shoot camera

Miscellaneous:

·         Craft projects – crochet or knitting needles, lots of yarn

·         Art supplies

·         Pictures from back home (bring framed photos to decorate your house with)

·         Things to decorate your house with – bring things that make it feel like home

·         Snacks for PST – you are guaranteed to be hungry during trainings

·         Travel Books

·         Packtowels – essential for visiting friends, camping, etc.

·         Stationary

·         Pens, pencils, etc.

·         Sharpies – man, I wish I had Sharpies!!!

·         Journals

·         Recipes from home

      Resources relevant to the work you plan to do. I'm so happy I brought my environmental education curriculum books.

Lastly, I would suggest packing in practical luggage. Rolling suitcases are pretty useless here. We brought everything in our backpacking packs, daypacks and a duffel bag. These are the easiest to deal with on buses and sandy roads.

Ngamiland Spay & Neuter Project

Last month, I worked with Maun Animal Welfare Society (MAWS) to spay and neuter dogs and cats in our area. I worked with a local woman to schedule, prepare and advertise the free services. I was responsible for advertising the event and getting the chiefs on board. While MAWS does outreach services occasionally, most of the vets only volunteer for a short period of time, so many do not participate in these types of events. The two vets and one nurse who came, had never done anything like this. They had chickens walking around their feet, there were no lights, and they didn’t have the types of medicines they are used to. They were so adaptable and willing to do something out of their comfort zone – go MAWS vets! 

We spayed and neutered 90 dogs and cats in Shakawe, Samochima, and Tsodilo. In Shakawe, we fixed 49 dogs! Most of the dogs were brought in by their owners, but we did round up 10 dogs from the bar area. I helped the vets with the surgery and attended to the dogs during recovery. 

This project was quite successful and we plan on doing another campaign in April. We hope to provide services to Shakarawe, Mohembo, Shakawe, Sepopa, one of the Etshas and Gumare. There are several reasons why I decided to work on this project. First, there are way too many dogs in Shakawe. The females are perpetually pregnant or lactating, the males are always getting into fights and they surround the grocery store and bar. Second, in September we had a rabies outbreak. The best way to decrease the rabies risk is to decrease the dog population. Third, it’s just the right thing to do. Dogs and cats who are fixed are healthier, happier and more loyal. The more we normalize pet sterilization, the more people will be willing to participate and place value in the service. I am looking forward to organizing more of these campaigns this year. 

To find out more about MAWS, visit their website: www.maunanimalwelfare.com

To be perfectly honest…

Warning – this is a slightly downer blog post by Bridgette.

I think it’s important to recognize that Peace Corps isn’t always fun. I had a really hard time for a few months; I call it my 7-10 month slump. Everyone goes through ups and downs while they are serving in Peace Corps. It’s just like life back home, but the added stressors make the downs really low. I hadn’t really felt fulfilled or entirely happy since we came to Botswana. While I love living in the Okavango Delta Region and understand that this is a once in a lifetime experience, I felt/feel like we are putting our lives on hold for Peace Corps. We made a serious life decision when we chose to join the Peace Corps; either settle down and have kids or postpone that and become PCVs and use our skills to help others. While I have created projects that use my skill set, we were placed in a program that focuses on HIV/AIDS. When I report the work I am doing, there is very little indication that I am doing anything that Peace Corps Botswana or the Government of Botswana wants me to do. Sure, I help out with things that fit into the project framework, but these aren’t things I seek out and they are few and far in between. I think those projects are important and admirable, but I just don’t feel enthusiastic about them. Matt has been happier than I am/was. He says he’s having the time of his life, but he also feels he is losing his work and field knowledge he had back home. Of course this has to do with the fact that he doesn’t do anything related to geology.

Peace Corps does a lot of things right – the program is in over 70 countries with almost 10,000 volunteers serving. They have to ensure the safety, security and health of all of these volunteers. I think they do a pretty good job. I believe strongly in the mission of Peace Corps – to promote world peace and friendship. I also work hard to meet the three goals of Peace Corps – to train host country nationals, to teach Batswana about the US and American culture, and to teach Americans about Batswana culture. 

Peace Corps does a good job in placing people who are just out of university. However, for those who are mid-career or have some sort of expertise, Peace Corps leaves something to be desired. As a fellow PCV stated, Peace Corps is in the midst of an identity crisis. While it wants to create more professional level opportunities (PC Response is a great example), it still caters to recent graduates, who are admittedly the vast majority of volunteers. Those of us who have some level of expertise are often placed in programs that don’t require any of our education or work experience. Matt and I are great examples of this – he’s a geologist, I’m an environmental scientist and we are assigned to health work. As I stated before I have sought out opportunities to use my skills, but because it’s not part of the wider PC Botswana program, I feel like we could have been better placed in a different PC program. 

In our group, we’ve had 4 people leave early so far – about a 10% early termination (ET) rate, which isn’t too bad. There are many reasons people leave early, some have issues back home they need to deal with, while others are simply unhappy as a PCV. Other Botswana PC groups have had a much higher ET rate – one group is almost at 50%.  Some of the people who have left or talk about leaving have struggled with the same things I struggled with. They are mid-career or have some expertise they aren’t using. Peace Corps said to not have expectations of your service, but that is impossible. I don’t blame people for leaving if they feel like they aren’t having an impact or using their skills at all. Two years is a long time to be unhappy and feel like you aren’t doing anything. 

Below are some suggestions I have for how PC could keep PCVs happier and more fulfilled in their service.

1) Provide options during the invitation process. If Peace Corps provided three options to applicants that they could choose from – maybe they are in different sectors or in the same sector but different regions – PCVs would feel like PC is partnering with them to make the best choice. As it stands, you usually get one option and you have to either accept it or decline without a guarantee that you will get another invitation. This makes applicants feel like they have to accept it, even if they know it’s not a good fit (again, we are a perfect example of this). Of course your project description isn’t everything, but it sets you up with some sense of what you will be doing in your service.

 2) When you are in country, either assign PCVs as true community volunteers where they can pick and choose who they work with or provide options for different types of organizations they can work with. The NGO program in Botswana just assigns PCVs to an organization, regardless of whether or not the PCV would ever want to work with them. I know that placement is difficult and the staff try really hard to match interests, but most PCVs feel like it was a poor fit and that their skills aren’t wanted or needed. 

3) Make PC service one year, not two years. Twenty-seven months is a long time. People would feel like they can stick it out and try to get as much done as possible if they had a one year time line. If it was set up that you could extend for an additional year if things were going well, you would have happier volunteers and there would still be quite a few who would choose to continue serving (remember the majority of volunteers do not leave early). As it stands, the benefits of staying a full two years aren’t that great. True, the non-competitive employment and potential graduate school fellowships are nice, but not deal breakers for most volunteers. I also think having a shorter service time would attract more volunteers (again, I think PC Response is great for this reason).

I will continue doing the work that I enjoy and not doing the work I don’t enjoy. We will take lots of vacations and enjoy the region. We live in the Okavango Delta and that’s pretty cool. Also, despite the fact that I’m not nearly as happy here as I was back in the States, I know that I will look back at our experience and be glad we did it.Things are much better now and I'm glad I'm over my 7-10 month slump :)

Sorry!

Yes, we know, we are terrible about updating our blog. We just got internet in our house, so I promise, we'll be better. Lots to catch you up on. Hopefully we will have some posts up this week!