In about one week a friend of a friend is coming to visit us here in India. I won't go into all the stored bitterness that I keep inside of me over the simple fact that none of my friends or family* have come to visit me in the past four years and the two people who have come were friends of friends. I won't go into that. It's not nice and bitterness does not suit me. Just know that it's there and I'm working through it.
Anyway, someone is coming, and soon, and she just asked me if there's any last advice I can give her or things she should pack. I've been thinking about doing a post like this for a little while and this was just the extra push I needed! Here is my list of necessary things to bring that will make your life 100 times easier if you're going on a short or long term mission trip. Also, these are good for if you're even going on a holiday out of the country. Pretty much any short-term trip out of the country. I literally judge people when I see them packing more than a small carry-on for a week-long trip.**
1. Backpack - obviously, this is necessary. If you're going on a short term missions trip it's all you need. Don't be "that" girl who cannot even carry her own bag because it's so heavy and full of clothes you won't even wear for the time you're there. Invest in a nice, large, durable backpack. You will not regret it. I personally don't have one anymore, my old one got torn to pieces from using it so much.
2. Water Bottle - It's cheaper, easier, and just plain smart to bring your own water bottle with you. Even if you're in a third world country, there are places to fill your bottle with good drinking water, so don't waste money buying throw away plastic bottles. Bring your own water bottle. This is the one I personally love. The wide-mouthed bottles make me feel like I am about to drown, so I like the narrow mouth ones. They might be harder to clean, but I like them best. Don't bring a gross/fancy camelbak to a third world country. It only furthers the stereotype in everyone's mind that Americans are rich and even their water bottles have to be fancy.
3. Shampoo - Buy the biggest bottle of shampoo you can find. Use it for your hair. Use it for your body. Use it to wash your underwear. It smells way better than laundry soap and any body wash I've ever discovered, plus you only have to carry one bottle instead of three or four.
4. Bandaids - Or better yet, a small, personal first-aid kit. Throw a little neosporin in there, some different sized bandaids, some gauze. You will not regret this. You might not use it, but chances are there is not going to be a place for you to just buy some bandaids. I have never in all my time here seen bandaids I could buy anywhere.
5. Journal and some nice pens - Even if you're not a journaling kind of guy, this is some good advice. Not only should you write down every day what you are doing and where you are going, but also include funny stories and inside jokes. These things are easily forgotten over the years and you'll want something to look back on so you can call up your friend and remind them of their embarrassing cultural mistake that one time in Africa or wherever you were. I like to save 3-4 pages in the back of my journals for inside jokes, funny quotes, or hilarious moments. Plus, this generation is way too dependent on technology. It's no fun typing up journal entries or blog posts when you can doodle and be creative with your hands for once in your life. These journals are the best ever in the entire world.
6. Clothes - You obviously need clothes to wear. Before you pack make sure you ask your leader or someone who has been there what is okay and not okay to wear in that country. You don't want to again be "that" girl who is wearing immodest clothing the entire time or "that" guy who doesn't respect the locals. We are going there to love people, not offend them and also we do not want to further the stereotype they already think of us "white people." Also, bring less clothes than you need. You will most likely always buy some clothes there. Just bring one pair of jeans and a couple t-shirts. If you're only there for a week or two you only need one pair of jeans. No one's going to care that you're wearing the same ones every day. This is not a fashion show. You do not need a whole new outfit every day. Also, bring at least one really nice outfit or buy one as soon as you get there because you'll most likely need it for church or something else that might come up.
7. Camera - another "duh" one, but easy to forget. Make sure you also bring your charger so that it doesn't run out of juice the first day of your trip. You will want to take pictures of the cute children. You will want to take pictures of the hilarious signs. You will want to take pictures of the local animals that are strange and unfamiliar to you but the local people will think you're strange to be obsessed with a lizard scrambling up the wall. It's okay to bring a nice camera, probably even best because then you will have good pictures forever instead of crappy ones. Don't just use your iPhone camera or else again, you further the stereotype that "every American has an iPhone 5." Your phone's not even going to work in a country outside of the U.S. so you don't even need to bring it unless you're staying long-term and if you are staying long-term get that phone unlocked yo! Also, Verizon sucks for international travel. You need a sim card in every other country on the planet, why does Verizon even exist?
8. Pictures of your family - It might sound weird, but other people love looking at pictures of your parents and brothers and sisters. One of the first questions you will get asked is, "how many brothers do you have? How many sisters?" Seriously. What's your name? Where are you from? How many brothers and sisters do you have? It's nice to show pictures. They love looking at pictures. "They" meaning every single person in a foreign country you haven't met yet. Admittedly, people in "warm" countries like India, Latin America, Africa, Haiti, South Pacific, etc...they're way more family/community focused so they'll love it way more than you think. People in Europe, the U.S., or Canada probably won't really care. Cause we're "cold" like that. More individualistic.
9. This towel - Don't even THINK about bringing any other towel. This is the towel you need to bring with you. I bought mine five years ago and it is literally the greatest investment I ever made. It's not even $20. It dries within minutes, it's soft unlike other "quick-dry" towels which are rough and gross and don't even dry you off they just spread the water around your body. This towel is amazing and you should get a big one, the size of a normal towel and if you need (like I do) a separate towel for your hair then get a smaller one for your hair too! I think you get the picture. You will not regret this. I am going to buy so many of these for when Romel and I come back to India after our sabbatical in the U.S.
10. Snacks - Always bring snacks. The food in the country you are going to is going to make you sick. You might love it at first but it will get old. You might hate it. It might be too spicy for you or too bland. Bring some of your favorite snacks so that you can have a little taste of home. When you get tired of rice all the time you'll have your Wheat Thins or Swedish Fish to satisfy you. I remember I would make lists of food I couldn't wait to eat again when I was in Vanuatu in 2006 for one month. Hot dogs, Macaroni and Cheese, a nice salad, Apples, etc. Why not make your life a little easier and bring some of your favorite snacks with you? Goldfish, trail mix, granola bars, snickers bars, you get the idea.
Tune in next week when I talk about the things you shouldn't bring on a short or long-term missions trip/volunteer trip. Ha, just kidding, but you definitely shouldn't bring anything you're not willing to lose cause stuff gets lost or stolen sometimes. I personally have never had anything stolen while living in India.***
I totally would have added more pictures but the internet here is crazy slow and was not working very nicely. Be grateful for the pictures that made it.
* My Mother, Aunt, and littlest brother are immune from the bitterness because they came for 2 weeks for the wedding.
**I have decided very recently to be completely honest with you guys in my blog. This is my more personal side and I hope that's okay. I'm not perfect, no one is, and the monthly (semi-yearly) newsletters I send out are for all the "good" stuff. This is for the raw stuff.
*** and I'm sure now that I've written this my next blog post will be about something getting stolen.
Anyway, someone is coming, and soon, and she just asked me if there's any last advice I can give her or things she should pack. I've been thinking about doing a post like this for a little while and this was just the extra push I needed! Here is my list of necessary things to bring that will make your life 100 times easier if you're going on a short or long term mission trip. Also, these are good for if you're even going on a holiday out of the country. Pretty much any short-term trip out of the country. I literally judge people when I see them packing more than a small carry-on for a week-long trip.**
3. Shampoo - Buy the biggest bottle of shampoo you can find. Use it for your hair. Use it for your body. Use it to wash your underwear. It smells way better than laundry soap and any body wash I've ever discovered, plus you only have to carry one bottle instead of three or four.
4. Bandaids - Or better yet, a small, personal first-aid kit. Throw a little neosporin in there, some different sized bandaids, some gauze. You will not regret this. You might not use it, but chances are there is not going to be a place for you to just buy some bandaids. I have never in all my time here seen bandaids I could buy anywhere.
5. Journal and some nice pens - Even if you're not a journaling kind of guy, this is some good advice. Not only should you write down every day what you are doing and where you are going, but also include funny stories and inside jokes. These things are easily forgotten over the years and you'll want something to look back on so you can call up your friend and remind them of their embarrassing cultural mistake that one time in Africa or wherever you were. I like to save 3-4 pages in the back of my journals for inside jokes, funny quotes, or hilarious moments. Plus, this generation is way too dependent on technology. It's no fun typing up journal entries or blog posts when you can doodle and be creative with your hands for once in your life. These journals are the best ever in the entire world.
6. Clothes - You obviously need clothes to wear. Before you pack make sure you ask your leader or someone who has been there what is okay and not okay to wear in that country. You don't want to again be "that" girl who is wearing immodest clothing the entire time or "that" guy who doesn't respect the locals. We are going there to love people, not offend them and also we do not want to further the stereotype they already think of us "white people." Also, bring less clothes than you need. You will most likely always buy some clothes there. Just bring one pair of jeans and a couple t-shirts. If you're only there for a week or two you only need one pair of jeans. No one's going to care that you're wearing the same ones every day. This is not a fashion show. You do not need a whole new outfit every day. Also, bring at least one really nice outfit or buy one as soon as you get there because you'll most likely need it for church or something else that might come up.
7. Camera - another "duh" one, but easy to forget. Make sure you also bring your charger so that it doesn't run out of juice the first day of your trip. You will want to take pictures of the cute children. You will want to take pictures of the hilarious signs. You will want to take pictures of the local animals that are strange and unfamiliar to you but the local people will think you're strange to be obsessed with a lizard scrambling up the wall. It's okay to bring a nice camera, probably even best because then you will have good pictures forever instead of crappy ones. Don't just use your iPhone camera or else again, you further the stereotype that "every American has an iPhone 5." Your phone's not even going to work in a country outside of the U.S. so you don't even need to bring it unless you're staying long-term and if you are staying long-term get that phone unlocked yo! Also, Verizon sucks for international travel. You need a sim card in every other country on the planet, why does Verizon even exist?
8. Pictures of your family - It might sound weird, but other people love looking at pictures of your parents and brothers and sisters. One of the first questions you will get asked is, "how many brothers do you have? How many sisters?" Seriously. What's your name? Where are you from? How many brothers and sisters do you have? It's nice to show pictures. They love looking at pictures. "They" meaning every single person in a foreign country you haven't met yet. Admittedly, people in "warm" countries like India, Latin America, Africa, Haiti, South Pacific, etc...they're way more family/community focused so they'll love it way more than you think. People in Europe, the U.S., or Canada probably won't really care. Cause we're "cold" like that. More individualistic.
9. This towel - Don't even THINK about bringing any other towel. This is the towel you need to bring with you. I bought mine five years ago and it is literally the greatest investment I ever made. It's not even $20. It dries within minutes, it's soft unlike other "quick-dry" towels which are rough and gross and don't even dry you off they just spread the water around your body. This towel is amazing and you should get a big one, the size of a normal towel and if you need (like I do) a separate towel for your hair then get a smaller one for your hair too! I think you get the picture. You will not regret this. I am going to buy so many of these for when Romel and I come back to India after our sabbatical in the U.S.
Tune in next week when I talk about the things you shouldn't bring on a short or long-term missions trip/volunteer trip. Ha, just kidding, but you definitely shouldn't bring anything you're not willing to lose cause stuff gets lost or stolen sometimes. I personally have never had anything stolen while living in India.***
I totally would have added more pictures but the internet here is crazy slow and was not working very nicely. Be grateful for the pictures that made it.
* My Mother, Aunt, and littlest brother are immune from the bitterness because they came for 2 weeks for the wedding.
**I have decided very recently to be completely honest with you guys in my blog. This is my more personal side and I hope that's okay. I'm not perfect, no one is, and the monthly (semi-yearly) newsletters I send out are for all the "good" stuff. This is for the raw stuff.
*** and I'm sure now that I've written this my next blog post will be about something getting stolen.
