I meet with Steve Rutenbar on Wednesday morning to talk through more Kenya details (money, insurance, contacts, etc).
I've been making lists in my head of things I'll need to stock up on:
shampoo
conditioner
soap
toothpaste
peanut butter
mac and cheese
It will be a lot of preparation, but I know it will be amazing!
5 comments:
Just while reading this...
I got butterflies in my stomach...
wow!
I can't believe it either. WOW! It's really gonna happen!
Don't forget lots of bandanas.
And your iPod and laptop.
Hey, Josh and Chase M.'s mom here. Please let us know specific numbers and brands of items you would like. I can get all kinds of toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant etc for next to nothing-all good brands too. I'm sure we can get you stocked for 6 months easy. Do you need tylenol/cold medicines too?? Just email Josh a list and we will get to work!
J
Hey Alli...
You can buy lots of toothpaste in Kitale...Colgate, Ultra-Brite and Crest too, I think. They also have shampoo and conditioner. Also, Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion. The thing you need to bring is Sun Screen....they don't really have that there...for obvious reasons.
My essential items also include:
Snacks from Trader Joes (almonds, dried fruit, crackers)
Beef Jerky
Rechargable Batteries and a charger (batteries are so expensive there and not good quality)
Electrical transformers (50 watt for charging batteries, ipods, camera batteries and 1600 watt for hair dryer, flat-iron, iron if you use those things)and plug adapters.
Herb tea (I get a little tired of regular Kenyan tea sometimes and like a nice cup of chamomile)
I always bring a big medical bag with stuff like Peptobismol, bandaids, neosporin, advil, tylenol, sudafed, eye drops, and cough syrup. I have become superstitious because I never actually need the stuff...but am sure that I will if I don't bring it.
Vitamins..I am convinced that the garlic pills I take keep the mosquitos away. Mother's also sells something called Intestinal Support (is has wormword and black walnut in it) that also protects from Malaria and keeps your tummy happy. Finally, I always take probiotics (you can get them at Mother's too)...trust me...you will be asked to eat some scary stuff and having some extra good bacteria in your gut will help fight off whatever you "accidentally" ingest.
Lots of those little hand wipe thingies that you can get in the dollar section at target. They are much better than that hand santizer gel because they actually remove the dirt...not just smear it around.
I left a bunch of spices at Steve's house when I stayed there back in Aug/Sept., so you should be able to season up those chickens pretty nicely.
By the way....I should be in Kitale by mid-July and hope to stay till the end of August....so, you will have to plan to come to "tea" at my house, ok? WE can even have a slumber party!!!
I'm so excited for you!
I thought of a few more things....
My good friends Daniel and Meredith who will be your neighbors and who live there all the time always want me to bring t hem Parmesan Cheese and Kool-aid packets. Soda can get expensive and water gets boring....so the kool-aid is just the trick, I guess.They say that the parmesan cheese makes any dish taste better!
August and September can be deceptively cool. I was freezing the whole time I was there last year because it rained every afternoon and I never felt dry.
Make sure to bring some long pants and some sweaters or heavy sweatshirts. Also some waterproof shoes that can be washed. As ugly as they are...crocs are great...they can be washed clean. They keep your feet warm and you don't have to wear socks (which get muddy and soggy).
But, do bring socks to wear at night...I'm telling you..it gets chilly and that surprised me.
Bring a raincoat or poncho that you can keep folded up in your bag and one of those small umbrellas...you will be glad you did because most days start out sunny at that time of year and then every day at about 3 the sky opens up with monsoon-force rains.
Also, bring a flashlight or one of those head-lights. It gets REALLY dark in the house when the electricity goes off at night (and it will, trust me) and although you can light candles...it is hard to walk around holding a candle.
I also had a little portable speaker for my ipod. The house can get really quiet and a little spooky at night and it is nice to have some familiar music to listen to out loud. For some reason, I never turn on the TV when I am there...but there is a DVD player.Geoffrey has a good movie collection...so you can "check-out" movies from him.
Kitale has wireless internet and if you can pull together an extra hundred dollars...you can get your laptop set up with wireless. It is nice to be able to spend the evening doing emails from home instead of having to hang out in the crowded and (frankly irritating) cyber during prime time daytime hours. You can also make calls home fairly cheaply with the wireless internet connection. Geoffrey can help you go to Telcom and get the internet set up on your computer. (another irritating but worth-it experience).
Lastly, if you are a reader, bring several books with you. It is hard to buy books in Kitale. You can leave them there or give them away to local "readers" .
If I think of more...I will let you know. It's amazing how having a few comfort items can make all the difference. Six months is a long time...you are going to have the most fabulous time.
Lydia
Post a Comment