Tight Pants: Packing for Peace Corps Jamaica

Packing for Peace Corps is a tough job. How can you possibly decide what you will need for two years and fit it all into two bags, weighing under 80 pounds. We PCVs in Jamaica thought we would share our thoughts on what you can and can't live without. Disclaimer: The comments on this page do not express the views of Peace Corps, the US Government, or any other organizations named in these pages.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Slacks for Men

Below are my thoughts about male fashion in PC Jamaica, bracketed after the line from the actual packing to which they correspond.

"Men should bring at least five to seven outfits for work [this is because you may only do laundry once every two weeks, and then you can wear everything twice, although really, you can wear your pants up to three times or more in a pinch].

This means slacks and shirts (lightweight and wash-and-wear are best) [I wear khakis and a shirt with a collar every day to work, sometimes I wear a polo, sometimes the shirt is not tucked in, but usually it is a button down shirt tucked in],

and jeans or long shorts;[for traveling on the bus or going places on the weekends, I usually wear jeans or other pants. Shorts are mainly when walking around my neighborhood, but some volunteers wear them while traveling]
and short-sleeved shirts, T-shirts, or polo shirts for fieldwork and recreation wear[True enough].
Dark pants are preferable, as light colors show soil quicker [I should have read this one closer, but figured dark pants would get hotter. I wish I had brought more dark pants, though]

You should also have a lightweight suit or sport coat, a tie, and dress shoes to wear on special occasions such as the swearing-in ceremony, weddings, and funerals. [bring a sportscoat if you have one, if not you can usually get away with wearing just a tie and long-sleeved dress shirt; some volunteers like to bring suits and there are definitely opportunities to wear them]"

More later.

-Shane