Hey M21's...heres an unofficial packing list. Little over a month to go! Previous 2 week blog entry below this one

May 2, 2010. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Today’s Quote: “The things you own…end up owning you” –Tyler Durden. But, then again, he didn’t live in Mongolia did he?

Okay, well I have been forming this list for the past few weeks. I wanted to be a helper in all capacities, especially to the M21’s who are showing up this summer. The M19 and M18’s were all a huge help to me and I wanted to do the same. Before the M21’s show up I wanted to form a packing list. There were a number of things I am glad that I brought and other things that I regret not bringing….heck there are even things I brought that I regret, and while this list is completely my own opinion and in no way endorsed by anybody but me, I would like to think that those who bring a few of the things I list will find themselves rather pleased with themselves down the road. Once again, this is NOT an official list: but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it wouldn’t be a good idea.

The List of Items to Bring to Mongolia:

Hammock
Real simple, lightweight, and nonexistent here. Go to the army store or its equivalent where you live and grab a garbage string ten buck hammock. It’s the easiest way to get a comphy place to lounge in a country that hasn’t gotten the hang of a mattress let alone cushioned chair! If you find yourself with an extra five pounds to carry and some space in your bags (you wont but still…) while your at the camping store look for one of those collapsible lounge chairs that they make these days. This country has NOT gotten the hang of comphy chairs, and if there anything like my placement the chairs in your home will likely be ones they took from the school canteen with nails sticking out of them…I plan to buy one of these from the camping stores in Mongolia, but bringing it from America would be insanely cheaper.

Vegetable Peeler
Lets go through the list of non-meat foods that Mongolia has. Potatoes, Carrots Beets and more Potatoes. In short, your gonna havta peel a whole hell of a lot of food while here. My Mongolian mother would peel these with a giant knife, and while I admire her bravery and her dexterity I neither have her skill or bravery to peel in such a way, so instead I brought a vegetable peeler. Don’t buy the cheap one either! Go to some food utensil store specifically and find one top notch design and buy it. Okay, now bring two more…heck bring 5. They make for great gifts to Mongolian families and somehow I always seem to lose them. Cheap, small, useful…all the good things in life have those characteristics…okay most anyway. While your at it get a can/wine opener as well. Cant hurt.

Adaptors/Converters
First off….THERE IS A DIFFERENCE! I am a well traveled individual, but this was the first time I was taking appliances out of country for a long period of time, and as I stood and looked at plug adaptors and converters my mind hit a blank. An adaptor does what it sounds like, it takes the plug end of something in America, and allows it the correct plugs to go into sockets in this country. This means however that unless your appliance is able to convert that power your gonna destroy the electronics of said machine. (the mac store sells a package of all adaptor standards throughout the world, and it works for laptops as well as Ipod chargers and other Apple knick knacks so I recommend that if you go Mac like I do)
Heres a good rule of thumb. If your laptop has halfway between its power cord a square or rectangular box your in the clear. That is a converter and so all you need is an adaptor to convert the power from Mongolia to American standard. (pretty much any laptop less than five years old is pretty certain to have automatic conversion) But digital camera chargers and electric razors may not have this feature, and so you will need to purchase a converter. Now to save myself worry I bought everything that automatically converts power so I would only need adaptors, and personally I recommend it, but its your call. Bring one or two more adaptars than what you need….they are small and you never know.

Electric Razor
Im still amazed how blindsided I was by this. In Mongolia, we very rarely to
never have hot water. Even more rare is having a mirror above sinks. In fact the only reason I have a mirror above my sink is because one day while walking through the countryside I came across the rearview mirror of a car on the ground. All of this suggests that to those of us with Germanic ancestry (like myself) and who grow a beard in under two days need to shave, and shave a great deal. Buy an electric razor! You wont cut yourself. Everywhere you go in Mongolia you have some form of electricity. Just be sure you also bring a converter of power for your razor. If your truly old school bring a razor you can sharpen and practice how to shave blind. I learned how to do that, but its not something I would recommend even for the most dexteritious of us!

Handsfree Flashlight
While your at REI or North Face or whatever camping/mountaineering store you head to for supplies be sure to buy a headlamp. I was amazed how cheap they are. I bought mine for $20 and your gonna need it. Especially if you live in a ger. Its great for nights of reading when your power goes out and bathroom runs at night are tricky, and a handheld flashlight can be dropped down…yea… buy this! Cheap, easy to find, doesn’t exist here, small for transport. All the qualities you look for in things to bring to Mongolia!

Television shows and various video/audio files
Yes…you want to assimilate to Mongolian culture. You plan on spending as many evenings as possible drinking tea and listening to the eldest woman in your town tell you her worldly wisdom and her grandson play the horse violin. I COMPLETELY understand where your going with that….but what are you going to do with the other 60% of your time? Look you could be the most extroverted person on the planet and have pestering Mongolian neighbors and I promise you that being a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia comes with a lot of lonely nights, especially in the winter when the weather will confine you to buildings and neighbors cant be as hospitable because of the economic and weather woes of the winter. Bring video files for your computer. I came here thinking I was gonna spend maybe an hour a week on my computer because I would be so busy getting to know everyone in town….yea….bring stuff to watch on your computers. I recommend tv shows because they last longer and seem to have more replayability than movies….but of course bring movies too. Not even stuff you know or even like either.
My advice: Go to Itunes and pull up some random search for comedies or some title you have never heard of. Download a bunch of random seasons. A great feature about ITunes is that you can transfer the same video file to 5 other computers for free. So when you arrive and are sitting at Nayra’s café you can swap your video files with one another. One of you buys Star Trek while the other of you gets Saw VI and you give each other them.
Last bit of advice. There is a television cartoon show called Samurai Jack. I luckily brought that with me and without realizing it I found the excellent TV show to show schoolkids. The show is action packed, but PG rated, and they speak very little and very slow English in it so the students do not get overwhelmed by all the talking…so you can buy it….or you can try your luck that ill give you my copy when you get here…your call. If Avatar is out by June someone bring that…ive been meaning to see that… Bring Star Wars too…I forgot to bring that!


Kid Movies
I don’t care what field of Peace Corps you enter, your going to be dealing with an army of children. Kid movies are the way to go, but you need to think this through. They don’t understand a whole lot of English, so your gonna need movies that don’t consistently blabber on (Gilmore Girls is obviously out!) A great kid movie without too much talking is called “Mouse Hunt” with Nathan Lane. Its what it sounds like. Couple guys trying to get rid of a mouse…trust me the kids will be laughing their asses off, and theres barely any talking. Spongebob works but they see that on their pirated television. “The Tripplets of Bellville” is a great artsy cartoon movie with no talking in it that the kids will get a blast out of (be sure to skip the two seconds where they show a womans breasts though, the rest of the movie is completely harmless, and full of music too…which Mongol kids love. These films may be designed for kids but trust me. Three months into a Zudd and these will be your own best friend as well.


The Classic Books
Go to Barnes and Noble or one of those bookstores and there should be a table with all the classics. There in paperback, cheap enough and huge amounts of reading in a small package. Get em, bring em. Great Expectations, War and Peace, Sherlock Holmes, The Republic…blah blah blah. You got lots of time to spare in the coming years, might as well get these under your belt while out here. I love our PC library but its full of the Tom Clancy spy novel knockoffs that a 10th grader (in Mongolia) could write.
If you’re a Sci-Fi geek like me bring Douglas Adams’ seminal piece the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and the L Ron. Hubbards ten book set Mission Earth as well. Better yet grab some books ironic to the Peace Corps such as “Give War a Chance” (I like that one actually) or “The Art of War” or even the book I think called the Five Rings written by that Japanese killing machine Miyamoto Musashi. Trust me….
Oh one other one, its not about Peace Corps or even Mongolia but its called “Rule Number 5: No Sex on the Bus.” Its an Australian telling his adventures as a European tour guide. Trust me youll laugh so hard no matter how many times you read it, and in Peace Corps sometimes you need a good laugh…
If you’re a true bookworm you may want to look up one of those electronic book pads that you can buy and download whole books onto a tiny electronic pad that will save on space, though I cant vouch for them as I don’t have such a device. My buddy Matthew did, and it looked pretty cool when he showed it to me. Also, if you buy books that are series based (I read Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi and of course the Dresden Files) this is a good way to remind yourself of little gifts arriving by mail as time goes on. My book series started a month before I left for Mongolia and the last book of the series will be released the month I return from service. I know how cheesy that sounds, but in a country without a whole hell of a lot of cheese you may just like it too!

Mosquito Net
We don’t have a whole lot of Mosquitos except near the lakes in Mongolia, but in the warm months we sure as hell have a metric ton of flies (fly: yatlah …probably the first word I ever truly learned how to say in Mongolian) Some of you will be doing your training in a Ger, and yes the flies and a few spiders will come, but also even living in houses without air conditioning or even doors that block off access to all the bugs that will intrude a meat infested hot home can be annoying. Some families may even have a net all ready for you, but seeing as they are incredibly cheap and small I would err on the side of caution and bring one. Cant hurt right?

Yo-Yo’s and Rubix Cubes
They cost a dollar, weigh less than half a pound, and will make you a million friends in Mongolia. I gave two of em to my cousins and kept a few for myself and still play with them to this date. You are about to withdraw from a great deal of stimulation, might as well bring some basic toys.
For the Rubix Cube, you can attempt to learn how to complete a rubix cube alone but there is an algorithm to solving it that you can watch on youtube. (punch in something like rubix cube solve or something like it) That way you can give them a rubix cube for them to try and solve and when they get frustrated you can demonstrate how to solve one yourself. Youll make yourself look awesome and if you still want a challenge with them you can always time yourself.

Maps
Go to a book store and ask them where they keep their maps. The big ones, that encompass whole countries or regions like all of America, Europe or China (with Mongolia covered as well) They make for good room decorations and fun lesson plans. Small cheap and light….see the pattern?

Inflatable Mattress and pillows
Didn’t bring this myself, but now that I think about this it would be ideal. I sleep on the floor of my apartment right now because my “bed” is made of solid wood without padding and has nails jutting out of it. BTW: Beds here are almost all single bed sized too! As a mildly stoic individual I have grown to love sleeping on such hard surfaces, but I can imagine that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I imagine there are blow up mattresses that will make your sleeping arrangement far more comfortable than mine is, and it will be light and not take up a lot of space in your bags. Same with pillows. Now a pillow I was able to buy at the black market, but still…bringing one from the start would have been wise now that I think about it. Wow…I really do wish an M19 had made a list like this one before I showed up!

Duct Tape
Yup…the good stuff isint here, and I can think and have performed a million and one uses of the thing during my service in Mongolia. Bring a couple rolls along. Cheap not in Mongolia in good quality, and small for transport too!

Jump Rope
You may be the yoga king/queen but if you’re a cardio man like myself a jump rope is your only form of indoor exercise. As my previous winter entries proved there are some days where mother nature decides to ground you for weeks on end, and a jump rope is the best source of indoor exercise. Small, cheap, easy to transport…. Go ahead and grab a yoga DVD for some more winter exercise while your at it.

Good Big Set of Coloring Markers
Buy a BIG set of various colors, shapes and sizes. Cheap in America, small…and non existant in Mongolia except for the crummy Chinese knockoffs that break and dry in seconds. Anyone teaching needs these with a passion!

Frisbees, Foxtails and Hackysacks
Common…were Peace Corps. I don’t care if you’re a registered Republican who plans to vote for the Palin/Huckabee ticket in 2012, were all a little bit hippy at heart around here. So bring hippy toys. Though to give you some depth on it I add this. Frisbees are a little tricky to play with in Mongolia, because the wind is strong here and it comes on sudden and fast. Light discus can suddenly change course midflight. My Frisbee is the best one you can bring. It’s the orange ones without a middle. Literally just a ring of rubbery orange. The wind cant manipulate it as much. As for foxtails, I don’t know if you know what that is and you may have to google it or Amazon to buy one but in essence it’s a long sock with a ball at the end. You twirl it and throw, and the person tries to catch it further down the sock (harder) to win more points…Or you just throw it back and forth at one another with no points involved at all. This is especially useful in Mongolia because the wind doesn’t effect it as much and you can still throw it around like you do a Frisbee. Hackysacks aren’t completely necessary because when bored we even just hack with rocks, but you may as well go buy one and throw it in your bag. Small light and cheap….bring em. Fun note: A while back in some Aimag center a PCV made a Frisbee golf course. Wouldn’t work where I live because we don’t have trees but I think that makes my point.

Board Games
Didn’t see this coming. If you have sitemates this is especially important but also just all around use for close English knowledgeable Mongolian friends as well. Go to a place that sells board games and buy 4 (yes FOUR!!!) games that you may not know of. Monopoly Clue and Life can be a part of those five while your at it too. Take the games out of the box and ziplock all the pieces and cards and monies for the games and bring them along. Without the boxes the games take up very little space, and weigh very little. Especially given the usability of games. Youd be amazed how much fun game night with fellow volunteers is. In particular one game I can vouch for is called “Settlers” and that game is a minute to learn and a lifetime to master type. Its popular both here in Ondortolge and Avarikeer to my knowledge… probably other sites too. Mongolia has chess/checkers sets but you cant go wrong with board games.
Decks of cards are also of course useful. Playing stip poker in Mongolia can take around five or six hours as we all wear 20 layers. (and yes I am kidding I have never actually played this!!) But I will say the game of “Uno” is a blast and easy to teach Mongolians…especially kids

External Hard Drives
Flash drives and large terabyte sized external hard drives are useful. Almost everyone brings a laptop to service, and the transport of info from one computer to another is a lot harder when you don’t have the assurity of T1 connections everywhere you go. If your weighing options about buying/bringing a laptop may I suggest a Mac. Not to be cool, but Mac’s don’t get computer viruses and I can assure you that EVERY single computer in Mongolia that’s a PC is teeming with viruses and you don’t always have the internet to update your antivirus software…and yes macs are cooler too.

&*$#
Okay, my ancestry prudishness and knowledge that certain members of my family read this blog will mean that this one im not even gonna write what it is down, but I will describe it and most of you will get the jist. There is something that all men (and to my knowledge women) have in some form or another. When I arrived I did not bring this thing with me in Peace Corps service…and that was one thing I wish I had brought. Your going away for two years of service to a country that has VERY long winters.
Now I got lucky and about halfway through last winter a few fellow volunteers who thought a little bit farther forward than I did loaned me some of theirs, but yea…bring some of the thing im not writing down! Got it?
Final fun side note: I am even aware of a few female volunteers who brought the other thing that women sometimes use for the same circumstances that aren’t on computers as well….im gonna take it based on everyones snickering that they understand what im talking about. Good…moving on…

Clothing
The long and the short of it folks…clothes that don’t involve warmth should be the ABSOLUTE VERY LAST THING that you pack. You need good thermal underwear and shirts, and about four sets of really good wool socks. The type of stuff your gonna buy from REI or some type of camping store. After that…every other piece of clothing you bring with you to Mongolia more likely than not is not going to survive. We clean our clothes by hand and its hard water out here. My clothes are already showing the signs of decay, and I got a year to go! You need to worry about stuff you CANT get in Mongolia, like some of the items ive listed above. Bring ONLY ONE OR TWO of your most comfortable (not favorite but comfortable because these clothes will not survive, and that will likely bum you out to wear out your favorite) shirt, long sleve shirt, business shirt, business pants, jeans, and shorts (one of which doubles as a bathing suit!) Then bring a sweater and sweatpant. Then a handful of NEW boxers (NOT WHITE! Hehe…) and a handful of regular socks (both will wear out within a year but youll buy new ones here) A summer coat too that can take some rain (buy your winter coat when you get to Mongolia) THAT’S IT!!!! Stop putting clothes in your bags and go get some more unique American stuff to include instead!

Wine
Actually you obviously cant bring this, but I just miss the good stuff so damn much ill think up any excuse to get someone to bring some along. If you want buy some wine yeast and yeast strengthener and make some yourself with the grape juice you can find in the bigger towns.


Heres something I would argue against. I brought this but now that I think about it its been rather unnessecary. A solar shower. To begin with, this thing is bulky as hell and costs a LOT of money for in essence a garbage bag with a hose attached. Now, I grasp that we all have different living arrangements, but even in distant soum’s and gers without plumbing each town does have something of a “shower house” usually near a water station and for a thousand tugriks you will get a hot shower. Ive gone months without a thorough wash, and while I get you may not be all on board with this you cant use a solar shower in the winter anyway, and in the summer you will have either an apartment with plumbing or a yard to splash water on yourself without that device. So I would argue against bringing this, and if your truly annoyed when you get here that you don’t have one you can buy mine from me for twenty bucks. Its been used twice.