Dear A,
Packing for two years is definately scary! Fortunately, you can forget almost everything, and you’ll still be okay. You can buy almost everything you need in China. That being said, there are stil some things that are nice to have. Take a close look at the things that you have around, that you use every day in the States because those are the things that you will really miss. And it can be enormously therapeutic to have your favorite scented candle or to be able to use your favorite brand of soap. That being said, these are a few other things that I think would be helpful to pack:

Nalgene bottles
A good, thick American towel
A fleece jacket
Long underwear
Good warm socks
Journal
A few good books
Post-it Notes, stickers, markers, etc.
Sturdy shoes
Gift for host family: something for your hometown like a coffee table book works.

Other than that, you can get just about everything else here in China. Of course, you can get shoes, markers and water bottles here too, but the quality isn’t very good, and it’s important to have good quality.

I’d also suggest making a package to mail to yourself after you leave. When you get here, it will be very hot outside, and you don’t want to lug your winter coat and all of that stuff over with you. Pack yourself a box of things that you might need at site: winter clothes, things to decorate your apartment, Western spices, packets of hot cocoa, whatever, and have your parents mail it to the Peace Corps office about one month after you get here. They will forward it to you at your site. Also, if you want to mail books to yourself, use an “M-bag”. You can get them at any post office. It’s a dollar or two per pound special book rate) to mail books to China this way-far cheaper than the regular way!

Did you bring a sleeping bag?

Yes. It’s a nice thing to have. I havne’t needed it for outside camping, but it’s nice for camping on
other volunteers’ floors (something that you’ll be doing a lot of!) or for using in the winter when the
apartments are cold. Also, a light fleece sleeping bag liner can be a nice thing to have.

It sounds like you get a lot of rain. What rain gear did you bring, or would you recommend?

Bring a lightweight raincoat, as the rainy season is during the summer. Umbrellas are available here.

Did you bring a shortwave radio?

No, and I don’t think that it’s necessary. We have excellent Internet access here. Some volunteers even
have ethernet in their homes! Pretty much everyone has access to computers in their towns, as Internet bars are very popular. Net access is cheap, just 1.5 or 2 yuan for an hour.

What do you wish you brought more of?

Small presents to give away to people when the need came. Stuff like keychains, American stamps, little
bottles of lotion, calendars, etc. Also, I’m kicking myself for not having subscribed to a magazine like The New Yorker or Harper’s. Not only is it better reading than Newsweek, which the Peace Corps sends out, but it’s very useful for classes, and can also be a great gift to the school library.

How easy is to develop film?

Very easy. It only costs about 20 yuan to develop a roll and they use Kodak paper.

Hope that you’re well, and are having fun preparing
for the great adventure. Keep the qusetions coming.

-M