Former missioner Madeleine Richey is returning to Nkokonjeru, Uganda, where she served for a semester in 2014. While there for ten days she is building a protected spring well with the help of her community in Fort Wayne, and her Ugandan family. Madeleine is no longer working for CARITAS For Children, but is working in partnership with them to share stories from Uganda.
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The first time I went anywhere alone I was days past my seventeenth birthday on a two week hiking trip in the Appalachians. It was a school-run trip with a bunch of college students, most of them on the verge of graduation. I had no idea what to pack, but managed to survive with the help of my professors. The second time was for a working semester in East Africa, and I was just as clueless, except this time I needed things like an antimalarial prescription and emergency antibiotics just in case. By the time I left, my suitcase held enough to carry me through the apocalypse.
Packing is a challenge. I'm always trying to strike the right balance between packing light and being prepared. Not every trip is the same. What do I need for three weeks verses three months, summer or winter? Packing for a backpacking trip in Europe where almost everything is easily within reach is far different than packing for a working holiday in East Africa where-depending on the region-certain items might be hard to find. So, my top seven items vary for each trip. These aren't necessarily the top seven things I MUST have, because I'm assuming I'll packing the necessities: anti-malarial, sunscreen, clean clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste, etc. These are the seven items that you might not think to bring, but will find you definitely want to have.
Head scarf. Lots of people are divided on whether or not you should wear a headscarf, but in Uganda, it's less about a religious or political statement and more about practicality. When it rains, it keeps my hair dry. Taxis and dirt roads kick up an enormous amount of dust. It can save your hair, and you can use it to cover your mouth and nose in a dust cloud or ward off unpleasant smells. Bad sunburn? Better cover up with something soft that won't chafe much, or better yet, cover up and avoid it altogether. And lastly, sometimes I want to draw as little attention to myself as possible and in a crowd, covering my head and face will occasionally let me slip by with as little notice as possible.A water filter. Sure, you can buy bottled water and the tap water has a 50/50 chance of being potable, but 50/50 isn't really a risk you want to take, buying bottled water empties out your wallet in a hurry, and puts harmful plastic in landfills. The GRAYL Ultralight travel filter is patent-pending technology equipped to filter and purify water wherever you are. Suspicious tap water in an unknown place? Small stream outside a rural village? Drink up. Flashlight. Africa is dark. Dark as in there are thousands more stars than you ever imagined. Whether you're walking down a dirt road at night or trying to find a bathroom, a flashlight is invaluable. Plus, the power has a tendency to go out, sometimes for days. A long-lasting LED flashlight, preferably not made of easy to break plastic, is a life-saver. Flashlights also attract a crowd of new "friends" when walking down a dirt road at night because many locals just walk along in the dark not knowing what is in front of them. They'll happily tag along to share in the light.Peanut Butter. Yep. I love peanut butter, and there is nothing quite like the taste of home. Someone might have told you that you can buy peanut butter in Uganda, but they lied-sort of. Its nut butter, which to me tastes nothing like the peanut butter I know (that's because it's made of ground nuts, not peanuts). I'll eat it, but it doesn't satisfy a craving, so it might be worth packing your own. Plus, peanut butter is a good source of protein. A multi-tool. Leatherman makes high quality tools, and you never know when you might need a knife. Banana leaves don't cut themselves, and food prep is pretty hard without something to cut with. Access to screwdrivers and pliers is useful for improvising, and you never know when you might need (or want) a corkscrew or bottle opener.Some kind of hiding place for spare cash. It never hurts to have a bit of cash and spare credit card tucked away in case you lose your wallet or have it taken from you. Mine is from Eagle Creek, and I bring it everywhere. It also comes in handy for trips to the bank. If you're making a large withdrawal/deposit, you don't want to keep all your money in the same place. Zip-lock bags. There are so many uses for these things. Keep food, toiletries, small items of jewelry, first-aid supplies, a see-through lid when secured with a rubber band. Pack at least a dozen.
Packing isn't easy, but you get better each time you do it. I promised seven items, but I'll throw in a bonus. If you're a souvenir kind of traveler, you might want to bring a small travel luggage scale. Airlines charge exorbitant fees, even if your baggage is just 1 or 2 lbs. overweight. If you don't want to pay for it, or leave anything behind, a small luggage scale can save you a lot of hassle. For trips to Uganda and other places I know I'll bring back lots of oddly shaped (and weighted) items, it's worth the space. When I spent three weeks in Europe and my baggage was only 25 lbs. at the start, I left it home, knowing there was no way my luggage would double in weight.
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