Best products from r/peacecorps

Peace Corps used to have a bunch of books that were collections of Peace Corps essays.

At Home in the World

Peace Corps: The Great Adventure, 1997

Peace Corps: The Great Adventure, 1999

Peace Corps: The Great Adventure, 2002

Peace Corps: To Touch the World

From the Center of the Earth: Stories Out of the Peace Corps

One Hand Does Not Catch a Buffalo: 50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories: Volume One: Africa

Gather the Fruit One by One: 50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories: Volume Two: The Americas

Even the Smallest Crab Has Teeth: 50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories: Volume Four: Asia and the Pacific

A Small Key Opens Big Doors: 50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories: Volume Three: The Heart of Eurasia

Plus there are tons of memoirs about one person's experiences, like Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle and Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village

Good reading!

My first six months at site I hand washed. One tub for washing, one for rinsing, then hang to dry. It'd take at least an hour for a week's worth of clothes.

Then I got smart, I came across this website by one of those doomsday preper/apocalypse type guys. He had this idea for washing clothes without electricity and it changed my life. Basically you need just a toliet plunger and large tall bucket, what we call a 5 gallon bucket in the USA. The plunger can be substituted with a number of instruments but I've found if you can get ahold of a plunger, it works best. You cut some holes in the plunger so water can through. Then to do laundry, put a couple handfuls of soap in the bucket, add the plunger, and put all your clothes in around the plunger. Then add water to pretty much the top. I always add about a 2 liters of hot water too as I find that is extra effective. Let soak about an hour. The to wash simply move the plunger up and down for a about 10 minutes. Then rinse in a separate tub and hang to dry. Before each piece of clothing took about 5 minutes. Now all of them take about 10. I'm able to fit a pair of pants, couple shorts, couple shirts, t-shirt, 3 underwear and 2 pair socks all in one load.

My clothes have never been cleaner and it's super easy. Maybe 20 minutes tops per week for all my clothes. This works exactly like an electrical wash machine except you provide the power. The water and clothes and soap all mix together and agitate each other and rub against each other just like they do in your mom's wash machine back in the good old USA. It's brilliant.

After I made the plunger I found out there's actually a whole line of commercial
products you can buy on Amazon to replace the plunger. Look up "magic washing wand" or something like that and read the reviews yourself. I love my little plunger washer. Highly recommended if you can find the materials.

Also side note, I always do my washing inside now whereas before I did it outside. It can get a bit messy, but hcns here would laugh at me if they saw my style (Im a guy). They generally think I have no idea how to do household chores and scrutinize basically everything I do already. But for me at least and my skill set, my clothes are 10 times cleaner than when I was hand washing.

EDIT: link to the commercial version you can buy on Amazon. Fwiw, I still use a toliet plunger and its fine

https://www.amazon.com/EasyGoProducts-Hand-Powered-Clothes-Washing/dp/B00YQCOCAM

This page is a good start.
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2371334,00.asp

I recommend something with a i3 or m3 core/CPU. I'd also recommend a larger 15 inch screen with 1080p resolution for better video experience. Anything with 1tb or 500gb storage space are using spinning drives which are slower but you cant get high capacity SSD at this price range. And I dont think you are comfortable with taking the laptop apart and installing one your self?
Looks to me like the Acer Aspire E 15 (E5-575-33BM) and Asus F556UA-AB32 are the best bet. For my money I'd say the Acer.

Now since you are a couple who can share laptops I would recommend getting a very different 2nd laptop. Previous recs are heavy beast and you'll be better off leaving it at your new home and taking a smaller light machine for the road. Your back will thank you.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 320 OR Lenovo ThinkPad 13 (2017) are both good options. Both has a smaller 128 gb SSD, Which will be a boon because they are much more shock resistant, spinning drives dont like long rides on bumpy roads much, just dont load that full of big movies. Neither have very exceptional processors, but you dont need that much for what think you'll be using it for, if you need to Photoshop or edit videos use the big one.

The second option, the Thinkpad, has a larger screen with higher resolution, but is also larger and heavier. The first option is smaller but lighter. Its actually a tablet (about the size of an iPad) that can detach from the keyboard dock, nice for reading in bed.

Overall for the second laptop the Thinkpad (2nd) is a better computer overall but the Ideapad(1st) might be better for your use case because you have a second laptop with a larger screen, processor, and storage.

You can set up separate accounts for each person on each laptop so you'll have your privacy.

Everything recommended will have unexceptional(at best) speakers, so consider grabbing a bluetooth speaker from Amazon. You can plug in the audio jack when at your desk or connect it by bluetooth to your phone or laptop to have some music around the house or at a picnic. This is what i use. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010OYASRG

Tanzania Peace Corps relationship scene was a few young volunteers clinging to long-distance relationships (many of which did not work or were worth leaving early for), some married volunteers (all going strong!), hook-up culture for the younger volunteers, a few attempts at dating expats (mainly PC ladies and expat men), and some HCN dating (mainly women dating HCN men but not all). Seven years later we have a few marriages and a few children! PCVs marrying each other and Americans and Tanzanians married.

My partner is Tanzanian and we are are still dating because I have been able to return to East Africa for work and school. Unusually, he was never eager to leave everything to come to the US so we'll see what happens. I wrote a book about it last year, take a peek if you are still curious about intercultural dating in Peace Corps or in general: Labor of Love: A Guide to Intercultural Dating. I am happy with the relationship but it would have been much easier to fall in love with the guy next door. It would also have been easier never to have done Peace Corps but hey, yolo.

Glad I brought:

Kindle

Hard drive

Chaco flip-flops

A travel pillow

Sturdy but comfortable hiking pants

Bonus: my Hydroflask water bottle. Love that thing, and love not wasting plastic bottles.

Didn't really need to bring:

Casual clothes like t-shirts (my country has plenty)

Water bottle with a travel filter (my Peace Corps filter is adequate)

School supplies like pens and markers. There's a shop in my village that has plenty.

My nice-ish closed toe sandals that I was required to wear for PST, but never wear at site. PST is annoying like that.

My rechargeable flashlight. My house has electricity most of the time and I use my headlamp when it doesn't.

Wish I brought:

More snack items

More cotton collared shirts (I have to wear them for work, but clothes wear out fast here, and I don't like the ones I can buy in country.)

A Bluetooth speaker for playing music in my classroom

One of those phone cases that gives your battery an extra charge

Chocolate protein powder

I don't know how common it is to have electricity/hot plates or stoves in Ghana, but if there is a good chance you won't have any then I would really recommend a spirit stove. A volunteer recommended I bring one (I had a jet boil but propane is impossible to find here where as methylated spirits are pretty common), and I LOVE it! I use it almost daily. It's so nice to have a quick and easy option that doesn't require starting a whole blazing fire if I just want some coffee or tea or top ramen, or even to cook my whole meal on if I'm just feeling lazy haha.

This is the one I brought and it's served me well, but there are lots to choose from.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B019XBR03Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1511845288&sr=8-10&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=spirit+stove&dpPl=1&dpID=51HpBWxtAAL&ref=plSrch

Definitely bring a powerbank and universal surge protector. I have the ones below.

I also brought a solar panel (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012YZXMZS), but I have reliable enough electricity at my site that I gave it to another volunteer who doesn't. It is a life saver for her.

As for language, don't worry about it. Luganda is the largest language group, but you could very easily be placed in a region that speaks another language. Swahili would be good to learn, but again that depends on where you get placed in Uganda.

The language program here is pretty good. Everyone in my cohort passed the requirement. I'm sure that you will too :)

If you have any other questions feel free to DM me.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RVUIXOC (surge protector)
https://www.amazon.com/MAXOAK-50000mAh-Portable-Charger-External/dp/B00YP823NA (powerbank)

1. Load up on ebooks, movies and tv shows that you'll want to watch/read during downtimes
   
2. Take lots of pictures of mundane things in your life - your family, your friends, your dog, your house, your car/bike/subway/bus ride. You'll be surprised how much people you meet will want to talk about these things.
   
3. Don't know what the electronics market is like in Indonesia, but you might want to buy a cheap but good quality unlocked android phone or old iphone to use as a local smartphone on a local SIM card. I'm a big fan of the Motorola G series https://www.amazon.com/Moto-G6-Play-Unlocked-Exclusive/dp/B079YTK8XV/ref=sr_1_5?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1537197732&sr=1-5&keywords=moto+g6
   
4. For that matter, buy anything you want from Amazon right now. There's probably not going to be prime 2nd day delivery where you're going. (although there might be soon)
   
5. You're going to do great. PST is a lot like a summer camp/boarding school experience. Someone will tell you where to go and what to do the whole time. It's a very psychologically intense but physically secure time.

Hey-O! Liberia RPCV 2010-2012. Congratulations! Liberia is a great country to serve in, and has AMAZING staff. The last time I went to do a short response service half of my luggage was coffee and food stuff. I think most of us brought a bunch of stuff we never used the first time. You can find most things in country.

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https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-BZ103050-TVL-Surge-Protector-Charger/dp/B0015DYMVO/ref=asc_df_B0015DYMVO/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167140365824&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11117789773407407661&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9025395&hvtargid=aud-467077737785:pla-308916274448&psc=1

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I cant recommend that thing enough. I used it every time I was near electricity to power everything at once. I still use it in my house today. I also strongly encourage a kindle and try and pirate a bunch of books that you can share.

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Computer is definitely nice to have for entertainment, but I never really used mine for work or project related things.

Linen clothes for work. Stuff that looks professional, but breathes.

Reach out if you have any other questions!

A portable speaker is a great idea. He will spend countless hours watching movies and television shows on his computer, and a portable speaker is an ideal thing to have for that. And he can use it to listen to music while he's sweeping dirt out of his hut.

I have this one and I love it. Also, it's got a rechargeable battery (via USB) that lasts a long time, so no need for batteries.

https://www.amazon.com/ZTARX-Bluetooth-Waterproof-Smartphone-Compatible/dp/B07HPCGRDZ/

This wasn't the exact model I got but it looks just like it. I ended up giving mine to my host family at the end of PST although I wish I bought another one as my site is often without power. I bought mine about a year ago for around $12 (might have been on sale).

I just finished Living Poor by Mortiz Thomsen. It's content leans more toward the agricultural side of PC, but there are great stories about navigating cultural barriers. Check it out here.

i currently have a 2010 macbook pro with a 2tb external hard drive for movies photos and music. i'm in the process of purchasing this Kingston device so i can travel and transfer photos to my external hard drive without the need of my laptop. it also serves for other purposes too. i use this [Anker battery](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X5RV14Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KU2E9IW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00) so i can charge my iphone and gopro while traveling or when the power goes out. a camera would also be awesome to bring.

https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Ukrainian-Interactive-Online-Workbook/dp/0781813247 This was the book we used in my Ukrainian course at university. It has online audio and answer keys so it's very easy to teach yourself.

https://speakukraine.net/ This is Ukraine's online language website (although I haven't used it yet).

https://sites.ualberta.ca/~ivashkiv/Ukrainian/Ukrainian%20Textbook.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2vAfmoYfBLe0z4kdU3GVja3jhm5PR2WegUEg_4McgnB4B4CVLiTc4Qj1I Another pdf textbook.

My SO gave me a little iHome speaker to take. I really like it because I can recharge it via USB, and it's really portable. Also it doesn't break the bank.