There are worse places to be confined for a year than Costa Rica. Besides being so beautiful as to stun most visitors, it is only ten degrees North of the equator. That means pleasant 75-85 degree year round weather. Not to mention great surfing![If you see anything I've forgotten, please feel free to add it in a comment!]
Proposed Packing List for Costa Rica
- Raincoat or slicker (and/or umbrella)
- Lightweight water-resistant jacket
- Jeans you don't mind getting dirty
- Sundresses
- T-shirts and tank tops
- One or two long-sleeved shirts for bushwhacking
- Shorts and skirts
- Night outfit
- Sweater or light sweatshirt
- Quick dry /camping towel
- Quick dry socks
- Underclothes and pajamas (wearable in a living room)
- Bathing suit(s) and cover-up/sarong
- Wetsuit or rash guard (probably the latter... warm waters)
- Jewelry (But not a lot. CR has a slight theft problem. No paradise is perfect.)
FOOTWEAR
- Teva water sandals or Keen's (Fab Sneaker/Sandal combo)
- Flip flops
- Waterproof hiking boots (heavy to carry)
- High heels or light-weight dress shoes
- Surfing sneakers
- Airplane shoes
HEALTH
- Mosquito net (?)
- Mosquito repellent coils
- Bug repellent (...Is there a strong herbal version of DEET?...)
- Antihistamines (for bug bites)
- Sunscreen (expensive in CR)
- Malaria medication
- Birth control
- Antibiotics
- Band-aids
- Vitamins and Green powder
- Passport and Driver's License
- Travel Insurance Card
- Saddlebags and holster for $$$
- Solar light and waterbottle
- Umbrella
- Rechargable batteries (?)
- Digital camera
- Sunglasses
- Journal
- Map(s)
- Woolite and "scrubby gloves" for hand-washing
- Plastic Ziplock bags
- Clothesline
- Gift for host family
- Travel suitcase mesh and lock (for security purposes)
- Mac laptop
- Flash drive and/or External Harddrive
- Day backpack
- Spanish/English phrasebook
UNPACKING LIST
Things to leave at home.
Things to leave at home.
- Copies of documents. Minimally a Xerox of your passport, drivers license, credit cards, airline tickets. Having someone fax these things in a emergency could save days of hassles. Also keep copies on laptop.
- No point in carrying all of your keys.
- Wallet contents- If you're going to carry a wallet, remove ¾ths of contents.
- Leave the electric converters and plug adapters at home. The current and plugs are the same and appliances should work just fine.
- Sheets/Sleep sack-great for hostels in Europe, but not necessary in Central America.
Another great list HERE.
Posts
Hi Maya. Like I posted on the UPEACE FB site, don't forget something you can backup your whole hardrive into... flashdrive is okay for daily use, but I recommend an external hardrive, and some software that will FORCE YOU to backup (or make it a no brainer). This part of my anal-retentiveness paid off (I can tell you the full story sometime).
ReplyDeleteCards for your digital camera are definitely cheaper in LA than here, and rechargeable batteries too.
The mosquito repellent coils you can get here -Autan or Baygon- at any supermarket (in case you don't want to carry something toxic in your suitcase).
Also, the country has been sold out for months of N95 masks (the type recommended against the swine flu). I'm not saying you'll need them, but if you can get some at home, it maybe will help you feel more at ease... particularly when traveling on planes or air conditioned buses).
Looking over your list, the one I'm not too sure about is the wetsuit... you wouldn't need it for the water temperature... but if you want it for surfing and such, then okay.
Academic wise... I'd also recommend finding a few documentaries or films that you think may be good for illustrating certain themes in the ESP curriculum. We do a lot of our learning by presenting to each other, and it gets kind of tedious once you've sat through 6 powerpoints in one day. Small clips of films, or documentaries are a good way of spicing things up... and many are hard to get in CR or even in youtube.
You might also be in time to get used copies of a few of the core books: like Homer Dixon's Environment, Scarcity and Violence. UC Irvine has a group that's pretty relevant in the Environmental Security field, you may want to check out their publications http://www.cusa.uci.edu/publications.htm
I hope some of this advice is helpful. Gimme a holler if you like when you're here so we can check in. You can also visit my blog deliberativegreen.blogspot.com It rambles mostly about my dealings with my ESP Thesis.