So, this post is inspired by the great Eliza Hokanson. I thought it was a great idea to share a little bit of my knowledge with the incoming group(s).
I will now impart my knowledge on you and pretend like I have all the answers.
Packing
Packing for two years was one of the most torturous experiences of my life. I also waited until two days before. I do not recommend this route. I read all the lists from other volunteers, and though they were helpful, you really need to know yourself. Yeah, Ukrainian women wear heels every day. I really don’t understand how they do it. But, if you know you won’t wear them, don’t bring them! I was really worried about not standing out, but honestly, you’re going to stand out anyway.
I felt a lot of pressure to be a super PC volunteer and bring like a backpack and 2 shirts because I didn’t want to look ~materialistic~. But ultimately my hoarder side won out. I brought two large suitcases, which were both over the weight limit (I wasn’t charged, but your results may vary), a school size backpack, and a ‘weekender’ size duffel bag. I’m going to be honest and say it was a pain in the ass lugging everything through the airport, but I am mostly happy with everything I brought. I am also lazy and hate doing laundry, these things are probably correlated.
What I wish I hadn’t brought:
I realized that I basically own 5 shirts that look almost the same and brought them all.
A lady suit, I’ve never worn it, probably because unlike my girl Hillary I can’t pull it off.
Assorted OTC medicines like Tylenol. The medical kit you get is HUGE and contains everything you need, and you get unlimited refills. (exception-good cold medicine, non-drowsy allergy pills, an ice pack, and I’m not a huge fan of their band-aids.)
I may have brought one less flannel shirt. I brought four.
What I wish I had brought:
FOOD. This may be because I’m six months in, but I underestimated how much I would want a Reese’s. American candy like starbursts is also a really good thing to pass out to students or host families.
More ‘American’ stuff like flags, maps, puzzles, etc. for my school.
COLLEGE RULED NOTEBOOKS.
More dresses, I wear dresses pretty much every day. They always look nice and youhavetowashthemlessoften.
Dramamine/Motion sickness patches. I used to get car sick, although I think my body has adapted past this by realizing it would ruin my life. That’s an exaggeration. Kind of. The roads are realllllllly bad, and bus drivers drive really fast and aggressively. If you ever get motion sickness, I would recommend bringing some, just in case.
Cheap hangers. Hangers are somewhat difficult to find and are more expensive than in America.
One of those rechargeable phone battery things. Public transportation doesn’t have outlets, and this would be useful for overnight travel.
More make-up/skincare. I’ll touch on this later, but makeup is pretty expensive on a PC budget.
A flash drive with a lot of space (not an external hard drive)
Shoe polish/newer shoes. I’m a firm believer in “new chucks look weird,” but that is NOT the case in Ukraine. Clean shoes are a must.
GOOD QUALITY Umbrella. Again, pricy on PC budget, and there was an incident where my friend’s umbrella broke because of the wind and hit a woman in the face.
Rain boots. It rained a lot when we first got here, and I stepped in a lot of puddles while wearing flats.
What I’m happy I brought:
Ice cube trays. You can get them in some places here, but ice is not popular.
Blue tooth speaker. This is really good for listening exercises in your classes when you record your own dialogues, as well as playing videos off your computer. Not all (or even most) classrooms have projectors so you may need to show videos on your computer.
Pillow and blanket. It’s nice to have something from home, and it fit pretty small in my suitcase by using vacuum bags.
Sticky tack. You can’t get it here, and I used it in place of tape a lot. You can also use it to hang things in your room. I’d recommend bringing extra because I’ve had teachers ask to use it.
Good slippers. Everything you’ve read had told you about slipper culture, but it’s real life, and I wear them a LOT.
Tights. I wore tights or nylons pretty much every day until the middle of end of May. They can be a little pricy on the PC budget, and the sizing is a little confusing. I’d bring some good quality ones that you know fit.
Resusable water bottle. In PST, you can’t drink the tap water. I would buy huge jugs of water and refill them rather than buying a new water bottle every day.
Extra phone chargers. I tend to break them a lot.
Colored pencils/other art supplies. I have used them a lot so far in my classes.
A lot of socks/underwear. I think this is self explanatory.
A watch. I’m not a huge watch wearer in America, but it’s really useful when teaching and much more professional than checking your phone for time.
Your students will inevitably be much more stylish/way cooler than you
Advice on clothes, make-up, skincare, etc.
Admittedly, I’m kind of a diva. Which I guess isn’t really what you think of when you think of “Peace Corps,” but my best advice is to stop caring about what you think is the model volunteer. There is a huge range of people here, and everyone has their own experience as a volunteer. Just because you like certain makeup or shampoo doesn’t mean you’re less of a volunteer than someone else. If you have these things as part of your routine in America, it can help you retain a sense of normalcy when everything in your life just changed dramatically.
If you’re like me, you’re also in luck because Ukrainian women care a lot about their appearance. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but Ukrainian women always look flawless (and leaves me feeling like a potato.) It’s true that women will wear dresses and heels just to go to the grocery store. I also haven’t met any or very many Ukrainian women who don’t wear makeup every day. So, if you’re feeling like a diva when you’re packing, don’t. Here are some beauty related things I can say regarding my experiences:
Skin
I have super sensitive skin, and I can’t use a lot of scented lotions or many makeup products. Because of this, I didn’t want to take chances (or spend the money) by trying all these new products. I brought many things from home, which I know work for me and would last a while. My skin is pretty acne prone, especially in new environments/water. It has been difficult for me to find a variety of products that have salicylic acid in them, although they have some Clean n Clear products here. Again, this stuff is expensive. If you have something that really works for you, I encourage you to bring extra, if you have the room. As for body lotion, I use Johnson & Johnson baby lotion, which you can get here, but they have a big variety.
Hair
My hair tends to be pretty oily, and when I did my study abroad I struggled a lot to find something that worked. After six months, my hair is just now adjusting to being able to use conditioner again. Some brands you can get here are Herbal Essences, Garnier, and Head and Shoulders. What I use, and am obsessed with, are Lush shampoo bars. They last me about two or three months, and are easy to pack when travelling. They have Lush locations in Kyiv and Lviv, so you’ll likely be able to go there during your service if you find something you like. I’d be careful of bringing any dryers/curlers/straighteners, because you might blow them up, and they aren’t too expensive here. Leaving the house with wet hair is a no-no here, so I’m very happy I bought a hair dryer.
Make-Up
Makeup here is really expensive! I definitely wish I had brought more concealer or foundation that matched my skin. They have Maybelline and Covergirl here, but I have found the products are different. Foundation and mascara are two I wish I would’ve brought more of, because the price makes it difficult to experiment with different products. Ukrainian women’s makeup always looks flawless, but don’t feel pressure to become a makeup artist. I will say that people will probably comment if you don’t wear makeup, or what someone else deems as ‘enough.’ They aren’t trying to be rude, they just want you to look your best all the time.
Clothes
Here’s an example of an outfit that I wear a lot
I felt like I brought a lot of clothes, but as I mentioned before, I would have either brought more variety or simply less clothes. Ukrainians tend to invest in clothes rather than have a lot of them, and repeating outfits often isn’t taboo. So, rather than bringing three similar black shirts, I would’ve either brought more colors or just the one. Ukrainian women are super trendy and fashionable, so I would say pack things that look nice rather than what Americans think of traditionally business casual. This is just my experience. The teachers at my school during training and at site wore a lot of skirts and dresses.
However, I think the most important thing to consider when packing is if you’ll actually wear it. I will probably never be a heel wearer, so I didn’t bring any, but women here usually wear heels or wedges. You only have so much space, so don’t change your style just because you think that’s what people do here. People at your school are going to know you’re the American anyway, so as long as you look nice, don’t overthink it. I’d also consider bringing a nice bag that is big enough to bring your notebooks and materials in. People here don’t really use backpacks, except for students, and wearing one on a crowded marshrutka can be a pain.
(I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you have over Facebook or email!)
Your Last Few Weeks
For me, the thought that I was leaving didn’t really seem real until I got o
When you first arrive, your face will probably look something like this.
n the plane. Staging is a blur and saying goodbye to all your family and friends is sad and stressful. I felt like I had to fit everyone in and still had to do all this packing and preparing.
The only advice I can give is to relax and just go with it. If you’re freaking out, that’s totally normal. Before I arrived, I felt like no one was as nervous as me. It’s normal to have second thoughts and question your decisions – you’re leaving everything for two years!It’s normal to feel guilty about leaving people or about things you know you’re going to miss back home. For me, that immense fear subsided as soon as I got on the plane and there was no turning back. Maybe that’s not the most helpful advice, but it’s all I’ve got. Also, no one is going to judge you if you cry.
PST is a hell of a ride. It’s crazy busy, but by the end I felt ready to go to site. I felt I had learned enough language to survive and I learned how to be a teacher (I had never taught before.) I’ll be honest and say I didn’t study any Ukrainian before I arrived, not even the alphabet. That was probably a mistake, but it worked out fine. I was really embarrassed when I first got to the arrival retreat around all these people that seemingly knew all these words, but I now realize they just learned basic phrases. If you can learn thank you, please, good day, excuse me, it’ll get you far. But, don’t stress out about language learning before getting here. You’ll be in class four hours a day for three months and you will learn A LOT.
One of our weekly schedules from PST
Well, this has turned into a novel, so I’ll stop there. Again, feel free to contact me with any questions, and good luck! You’re going to love it.
sasha (not so) fierce 