The trials of packing for two years....

So I figured it might be a good idea to start wrap my head around things that I will need for the next two years. While I am by no means packing for an entire 2 years (I will get the majority of my stuff in The Gambia), I need to pack enough to get me through 8 weeks of training when I have not a cent to my name. All of my stuff has to be less than 80lbs. So, I am trying to be as practical as possible - which can be hard when you start to think of all the little stupid stuff that Americans take for granted that I am going to miss like crazy. A cold beverage for example. I have been told that electricity is notoriously unreliable and in most cases non-existent. That eliminates a whole host of things right there.

As I am making my list I have realized that I own absolutely no practical shoes. I have also learned that practical shoes are expensive so it looks like in addition to shelling out for a internal frame backpack I will also need to buy some Chacos and some respectable work shoes that won't look too terribly dorky.

Also found an interesting tidbit about Gambian's attitudes towards a woman's knees. Apparently having your knees visible is the equivalent of flashing someone. I definitely don't want to send the message that I am some kind of Gambian hussy so I am trying to find clothes that will definitely cover my knees at all times. This is actually kind of hard in the American clothing market, unless of course I want to look like a total dork.

I think I am going to look pretty dorky the entire time I away - they just don't make fashion forward travel clothes. I will be a prime candidate for a makeover tv special when I get back.

Lesson of the Day: Obsolete Technology is terribly expensive. Case in point - Short Wave AM/FM radio = $149!!!