Packing List and Tips for Prospective Students in this Beautiful Country.

This post won't be too interesting to any of the blog's followers, but I've been meaning on putting up a packing list for any other student going through the CIEE Dakar program, in case, like me, they did a pre-departure Google search of what they should bring. The following is both what I found useful, what I found unuseful, and what I wish I would have brought:

Things I was particularly glad to have brought:

1.    Moisture wicking underwear. Most items will not be listed in order of importance, THESE being the exception. Through months of hand washing my lingerie in the shower, I can’t say enough about this magical comfy, fast-drying, durable underwear. (Mine were Isis brand.)

2.    REI quick-dry towel. Fast-drying, highly absorbent, and impressively compact.

3.    Flashlight. Infinite electricity outages made my flashlight one of the most vital items in my suitcase.

4.    Books. There was a packing debate pre-departure on whether their weight was worth their place in my suitcase. Granted, I’m a bit of a bookworm, but lots of down time in a slow culture meant lots of great lit was oft taken advantage of, and I just left the copies I had read in the school library.

5.    Travel alarm clock. These run on batteries that don’t need to be charged, unlike phones whose ability to power on and therefore wake you up on time for class necessitates reliable electricity, something not too available in Senegal.

6.    Art supplies. I didn’t get a TON of use out of these, but still appreciated having paints and colored pencils along for the moments I did use them as a form of journaling. Also, it made me very popular with kids to have bright colors and white paper – a bit of a rarity to a lot of them.

7.   Lonely Planet guidebook. Battered, worn, discolored and torn, it came with me on all of my travel excursions; and, even the days I left it behind in order to figure things out “for myself,” it seems like all of the best stops were indeed those listed in my Lonely Planet.

Things I brought but didn’t need:

1.    Steripen. At the advice of a former student, I bought a portable water sterilizer. How many times did I use it? 0. It’s still in the package.

2.    Keens/Chacos/Tevas. Granted, I didn’t bring all three of those. But while that general Peace Corps concept of heavy-duty sandals in third-world terrain may be logical for a member of the Peace Corps, I was not part of the Peace Corps and these shoes didn’t get any usage – I stuck out enough as a white American, and those would have been the clincher. I wore my nice leather sandals and my Old Navy flip-flops everywhere.

3.   Hair dryer. I used it probably twice throughout my entire trip. It’s just too hot there to justify making yourself even hotter in order to have dry hair… which frankly, doesn’t even dry, because by the time it should be you’re too sweaty yourself.

4.   Mosquito Net. I did use the one I brought, but it would have been cheaper/less hassle just to buy one at any of the pharmacies after I had arrived.

Things I didn’t bring, but wish I had:

1.   More nice clothes. Before I left, I was thinking: Senegal = Hot, sweaty, dirty, dusty = Ultimate basics in comfort and zero style. Granted, Senegalese men think American girls are beautiful no matter HOW shabby or sweaty your clothes. But those Senegalese ladies do dress up pretty classily, and I was no competition for them.

2.   A pocketknife. It would have come in handy SO many times and I’d always regret not having one. (Remember to pack it on your CHECKED baggage - don't get blacklisted like my brother who walked through security with my knife... also why I no longer have one.)

3.   Anti-perspirant. I am a fan of Tom’s of Maine Deodorant, partly because I like the lavender scent, partly because I like the all-natural, aluminum-free quality of the product. HOWEVER. I admit that in 95+˚ weather and humidity, I’ll take the non-scientifically proven cancer-inducing status of aluminum in order to maintain a slightly less powerful odor.

4.    Notebooks. I figured this is something I could just pick up when I got here; it was, and I did, but it would have been less hassle to just bring my own.

5.   A protector for my computer. A mere month into my stay, my MacBook’s logic board was corroded by the intense humidity. I was computer-less for the rest of my semester, and $280 in debt to Apple Corp on my return.

6.   A pillow. I got used to sleeping without one, and not all students were in the pillowless situation I was in, but it still would have been welcomed.

Final Efficient Packing List to add to the above-mentioned items:

CLOTHES

Tee-shirts: 3-4

Tank tops: 6-10, or as many as you can roll into your suitcase (they don’t take up much room!)

Long-sleeved tops: 1

Sweaters/cardigans: 1

Sweatshirts: 1

Comfy, every-day pants: 2-4

Sweat pants/leggings (for around the house): 1

Nice jeans: 1

Nice pants: 1

Shorts: 0

Skirts: 2-3 (so long as it's not skankily short, any length will do! If you want to be safe, though - let not thine knees be shown.)

Everyday dresses: 1-2 (recommended at least one maxi skirt or dress, in case you visit any holy sites that require more modest dress)

Going-out dresses: 1-2 (doesn’t need to be knee length here!)

Swimsuit: 1 (bikinis are okay!)

Beach covering: 1 (I found it handy, anyway)

PJs: 3 (1 shorts + 1 light pants + 1 warmer pants)

Large, lightweight scarves: 1

Headscarves/headbands: 1-2 (good for keeping hair out of your sweaty face)

Belts: 2-3

SHOES

“Nice”/comfy sandals: 1

Flip-flops: 1-2

Sneakers: 1

Dress shoes: 1 (heels or flats, although with all the sand I liked flats much better)

COSMETICS

Honestly, I RARELY used make-up here – I was far too sweaty for it to look good or be practical. I only ever used it for going out, although I was glad to have it then.

My flat iron I used probably three times total, my hair dryer not at all.

I would, however, recommend jewelry, as long as it’s not terribly nice. I enjoyed being able to dress up outfits, especially since I was wearing the same things every single day.

Perfume

Deoderant

Razors

Extra contacts

Contact solution/cases

And lots of hair ties and bobby pins!

Everything else – shampoo, soap, toothpaste, hygienics, etc. – can all be easily and cheaply bought in Senegal

MEDICAL

Vitamins

Tylenol/Aspirin/Ibuprofen

PeptoBismal

Anti-diarrhea

Laxatives

Antiseptic cream

Sunscreen (30-50spf: You’re on the equator, afterall!)

Bugspray: Granted, I spent almost every evening outside, but went through almost two cans of OFF

Bandaids

Your malaria meds!

OTHER
Rain gear

Souvenirs for your host family/Senegalese friends (postcards, food items [I brought candy, maple syrup and wild rice, all hits,] coloring materials for kids, photographs, jewelry, candles, tea, mugs… these all proved to be popular)

Cards

Books

Camera (and accessories – charger, USB, extra memory cards)

Backpack

Water bottle

Soap holder

Laundry bag

MP3/headphones/well-stocked iTunes repertoire for music sharing

Flash drive

Purse/wallet

Glasses

Glue stick and scissors (I always find them useful, anyway!)

French dictionary

Journal

Pencils/pens

Envelopes (Not the lick-adhesive… the humidity sealed all that I brought. Get the sticker ones.)

Extra treat: Starbucks VIA (After Nescafé and dry milk and loads of Café Touba, a little instant Starbucks at the end of a long day can't be beat=)

Or, you could of course just skip the packing and get all of your clothes made in matching fabric with everyone else.

The Arrival

On August 20^th I devoured what will probably be my last plate of blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup I’ll eat in four months (this is a meal that ranks somewhere around #3 on my favorite meals list.) Shortly thereafter my family dropped me off at the MSP airport. I said a final farewell, left all the “inexperienced travelers” in my dust as I sped through the “experienced travelers” line (which, for some reason, NO ONE ever takes,) was deemed a person of suspicion and was frisked, scanned, and hand sampled, and finally took off on Delta 2038.

An extra 4.5-hour layover at JFK and 8-hour flight to Dakar later, I arrived in Dakar. After waiting in the typically roasting, sticky weather for everyone to arrive, we were all bussed over to the hotel we are staying at for the first week. A quick breakfast and shower were first on my agenda, followed by a long nap in the luxurious air conditioning.

Glorious sleep left me feeling much more refreshed and capable of taking in my surroundings, so I’ll give you a rundown of first impressions: Dakar is a very interesting city. Simple, pastel-painted buildings and unfinished concrete apartments rise out of the hot, dusty ground. Busy highways and roads are full of dingy taxis and slick SUVs that honk relentlessly at each other and at the pedestrians, who, lacking any stoplights, identify how much time they have to run across the street without getting hit and make a mad dash for the other side of the street - unless one of the drivers takes pity, slowing down long enough that they can reduce their run to a jog.

The Senegalese are as diverse as their cars, displaying a variety of wealth and dress. Colorful boubous walk alongside designer jeans and Armani tees; goats and horses mingle with the construction workers and peddlers.  Trash is everywhere, (I’ve yet to see a single garbage can, and the recycling system consists of handing old bottles to urchin children who in turn hand them in for a few cents,) but establishments are generally well-kept. As a somewhat short, undeniably pasty white “toubab,” it’s impossible to even attempt to be discreet, and everywhere I go I draw attention and jokes. However it’s all good-natured, and so far the Senegalese people have been a very happy and welcoming bunch.

So all that’s what I’ve gleaned from the past couple of days here, between orientation classes, Wolof (Senegal’s street language) survival courses, meeting new people, eating new foods and wondering how the Senegalese manage not to sweat. This weekend I’ll move in with my host family; Monday is the beginning of classes. I am probably more excited about meeting my family than any other part of this program, and will definitely recount how that all goes.

But meanwhile, I’m going to conclude my first post. Ba beneen yoon!