Hello and congrats on picking and getting into the coolest program ever. You're gonna love it! But if you're like me, you probably have some packing questions. Allow me to save you form some of the struggles that we experiences this year.
I present to you my extensive
DO'S AND DON'TS OF PACKING FOR VIETNAM PLUS 3
-Don't bring a suit jacket! Guys or girls! I promise you will not wear it!
-Do bring a suit skirt with bunch of tops to wear.
-Do bring a ton of underwear and socks, or be prepared to wash them. You're gonna get so sweaty and will probably go through multiple pairs in one day.
-Do bring a million shirts for the same reason. You will soak through every one you wear.
-On beach day, bring at least one full outfit (including undergarments) to change into, and probably come than one extra shirt. We had a somewhat nicer lunch, and no one had anything decent to change into.
-Do bring something long to wear into Jesus. This is for guys and girls. They won't let you in if you don't cover your shoulders and knees. I brought a long skirt that I just though in my bag and that was great.
-For shoes, you're going to want at least one pair of nice shoes for company visits and such, a pair of sneaker for Cu Chi and the sports games, walking around shoes for just chilling in Saigon and such, and flip flops for the beach and pool.
-Do bring lots of business casual stuff. You will be changing into business casual almost every week day.
-Ladies, sundresses are fine for business casual. A cardigan is suggested because it got a bit cold in some of the companies. The theme was either a sundress or a skirt and blouse. No suits.
-Guys, khakis and button downs are your friend. Ties are pretty optional. I'd say bring one and look extra spiffy. Bow ties are cool too, we had a couple of those.
-Do not bring converters, you won't need them.
-Do bring lots of pharmacy stuff with you. Most of our people got sick in some form or another, so be prepared. Suggested things to bring: Motrin/Tylenol, imodium, pepto bismol, Day/Nyquil
-Laides, do bring spandex to put under your dresses. That boat dinner was windier than I anticipated...
-Do bring a day bag of some sort (guys too) because a lot of times you had to go somewhere right after class and then the question of where to put your books and 6 bottles of water came up. Backpacks worked fine, drawstring and cross body bags were really good. Keep in mind something to throw your clothes in for the beach too.
-Feel free to bring a nice SLR camera, but I say don't bother. Everyone ended up taking pictures on their phones (even the kids who had brought nice camera with them). I think we might have had one kid bring a digital camera, and I would suggest that over a big camera. But if you have a phone that takes nice pictures, just bring that.
-DEFNITELY bring tissue packs! Not everywhere you go will have toilet paper! This is obviously more of a concern for the ladies, but it wouldn't hurt for everyone to bring one. You will discover all the uses of tissues.
-Do bring cute clothes for the club. More than one outfit, too, because you'll probably be going out a fair amount (sorry Dr. Berman pretend you didn't read that!)
-Scissors was a random thing we wished we had brought. Just remember to check it in your bag should you chose to bring a pair. Nail clippers work for most things in a pinch, too.
-Don't bother with any heavy rain gear. If you really want, bring a light rain jacket or a small umbrella, but we never needed any of that.
-Do set up a Skype or Viper and don't bother getting a phone there. Just use your phone on the wifi when you're at the hotel.
-A blanket will be really nice to have for your stay in hotel towers and on the plane, but you won't need it once you're there. But that plane gets really cold, bring socks and comfy warm clothes.
-Don't bother bringing a lot of things to do on the plane. As long of a ride as it is, most people just slept and watched the provided movies. There are plenty to keep you busy.
-In terms of what to bring for gifts, they love everything that has Pitt on it. Tee shirts are good, lanyards, keychains, hats. They gave us a lot of key chains. Small things. I brought really cool highlighters and colored pens and that sort of thing, which was also good. You can bring as many as you want, but I'd say 1-3 is probably good.
SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR BEFORE YOU LEAVE
-make a Facebook group
-make a GroupMe. This was our primary method of communicating to make plans when in country.
OTHER PRO TIPS:
-When you have a really long bus ride (Cu Chi and the beach especially) you can either sleep, or write your blog on your phone! The later is suggested!
-If you have a bunch of suits at home, don't buy one. But otherwise, DO. It's really nice having a custom suit! I got a jacket, pants, and skirt for something like $150. Worth it. Sam almost cried of joy when he got his.
-Depending on how much you buy (and if you get a suit or not) you'll probably spend somewhere around $250-$350. It's really easy to not spend money if you don't want to (meals and cabs are really cheap), and it's simultaneously really easy to buy everything. Nothing is that expensive so much as buying food and drinks at the co-op and gifts add up quickly if you're not paying attention. (Also buying drinks at clubs gets expensive, but ignore that part Dr. Berman!)
Hopefully that covered any question you could possibly have, but if not, feel free to ask!
Enjoy the best trip ever :)
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