Ok, so I was originally going to post a picture of my PC packing pile as it existed a week ago, but it was definitely too disorganized for public consumption. So here is a picture of my current, slightly neater, pile. Now that all of my stuff has arrived home, I have started packing in earnest.
Even though the pile has been cleaned up a bit, there are still a couple of things wrong with it:
- It's big, and I'm pretty sure I can't fit all of that stuff into my packs.
- I haven't even thrown any clothes into the pile yet.
- My laptop also has not made it into the pile yet.
I will definitely have to pick and choose stuff to be removed. I'm not quite sure how all this random stuff made it into the pile, but I have to keep reminding myself that I can buy all of this in country (especially in Mexico, where I've heard my city has Costco, etc.). In reality, I just need enough to tide me over for a short period of time until I can go shopping.
7 comments:
Glad that I read your Dec notes before I order a hundreds-page-pictures-hard-cover cookbook for you, LOL. Thought a basic and good Mexican cookbook should be helpful for your daily life there, so I asked some of my co-workers and did some research online, it came out that they may be all too big for your pack. Then I heard you said that there is a Costco nearby!! You don't need a cookbook, you need a Costco member card! My experience is that Costco's member card is valid in the foreign countries too. Try it there and let me know whether it is true or not.
TY
Haha, no cookbook needed, but thanks very much for the thought! Anything simple I would love to get in an e-mail, and I can always just read off of my computer. I'm sure there will be lots of other American stores as well...
As a current Peace Corps Mexico Volunteer the laptop should be the FIRST thing you pack. You will from day one of training.
There is a Costco in Queretaro and they will accept your overseas card.
Thanks for the on-site, insider info! Always useful.
More thoughts from another PCV in Mexico: Dude, you're way ahead of where most volunteers are at this point. The last 3 days before departure, I was packing up not only things for Mexico, but EVERYTHING left in my house and sorting it all for a) donation, b) storage with friends, c) gifts to friends (such as my Costco card - doh!) or d) trash.
As you might have heard, the packing list that you received from PC is their standard list for all countries. So, it assumes little or no access to modern stores. For Mexico, don't worry about bringing 2-year supplies of anything, unless you use something very specialized. Any city you get assigned to will have major stores like Costco, Sams, Walmart, etc. and specialty stores too.
You're right about rolling luggage - it's not always useful. I use a leather duffel bag and a small backpack routinely. I only used my giant suitcase and dress bag while moving down here and then when changing apartments.
One tip for packing - all the stuff that you're thinking "I might need these someday, maybe" ... leave it all behind in a box. Leave the box with your most reliable friend / relative, and label it "ship to me when I ask for this box". I did that with things like work-related books, camera tripod, tax records, nalgene bottle, etc. In the end, I had some friends visit me and they hand-carried stuff from the box instead of mailing it all, but having it all in one box still made things super easy.
Hope that's useful!
Thanks for the tips, Shane! I hadn't thought about putting stuff aside into a separate box; that's something I'll definitely have to do.
Oh, and I definitely have a lot of free time on my hands right now to play these preparation games...just twiddling my thumbs, waiting for March...
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