Clothing, Equipment & Resource List

Transcription

1 Clothing, Equipment & Resource List GUYANA Climate Guyana has a tropical climate: hot, humid, and monsoon like. You will become acclimatised though and will need some warm clothes. People will judge you on the way you dress, clothes must be smart, business like and conventional for work, however, you can be more casual out of work. The list below is only a guide. Items to take and not to take will be discussed more fully on training.

2 Females Essential Clothing Amount* Remarks Skirts 4 Smart for teaching knee length or longer. Dresses 2 Not a necessity, but an option. Jeans/Trousers 3 Leisure only. Jeans are very hot but everyone wears them. Shorts 1 Leisure only and not revealing. Shirts-long sleeved 1 Shirts-short sleeved T-shirts or sleeveless shirts 4 Smart for teaching, but not too tight. 4 Leisure only. T-shirts can be bought cheaply in Georgetown. Sweaters/Cardigan 2 or lightweight sweatshirt/fleece. Raincoat or similar 1 Cheap & lightweight. Pants 12 Take lots in dark colours, they wear out and look grubby very quickly. Waist slips may be needed if skirts can be seen through - IMPORTANT Bras 6 Dark colours are best. Cotton where possible. Socks 6 pairs Including Socks for travelling, these wear out fast. Nightclothes 1/2 Optional Swimsuit and towel 1/2 In many projects you can swim regularly, but must wear a swim suit most volunteers swim in shorts and t-shirts. Sandals strong 1 Trekking ones are most useful. Respectable Shoes 2 For teaching you can t teach in sandals, open toes or trainers. Use nice, heeled shoes (UK styles). Other useful footwear Sports Equipment 2 Trainers. Optional. * Guide only

3 Males Essential Clothing Amount* Remarks Smart Trousers 3 Lightweight, smart for teaching. NB Dark trousers show chalk marks very easily and should be avoided. Jeans 2 Jeans are very hot but everyone wears them. Shorts 4 Leisure only, ie after school. Shirts/long sleeved 2 Shirts, short sleeved 5 Smart ones for teaching one for each weekday T-Shirts 4 Leisure only. T-shirts can be bought cheaply in Georgetown. Jacket & tie 1 tie A jacket may be unnecessary. Male teachers wear a shirt for teaching and a tie may be needed for formal occasions. Sweaters 2 or lightweight sweatshirt/fleece. Pants/boxers 10+ They wear out very quickly. Socks 8+ Including socks for travelling. Waterproof jacket 1 Lightweight. Pyjamas 1/2 Optional Swimming Trunks & towel 2 Shorts can double up. Sandals, strong 1 Hiking ones are most useful. Respectable Shoes 2 For teaching you can t teach in sandals or trainers. Other useful footwear Sports Equipment 1 Trainers. Optional. * Guide only

4 Essential Equipment Amount* Remarks Large rucksack 1 (between litres). This is much more appropriate than a suitcase. Small rucksack 1 (approx 15 litres). For day trips/general use. Money belt 1 This should fit under your clothes as a safety precaution. Sleeping bag and/or liner Toiletries 1 No more than a 3 season is necessary. Basic toiletries are available, good brands are expensive on your wage. Passport Photos 8 Bedding A pillow case or two & a flat bed sheet (double size fits all). Mosquito Net 1 A double bed, box shaped one is best, don t buy until training and we ll explain why. Other points Flip-flops and sun hats can be bought overseas but it s a good idea to take a baseball cap. A good pair of training shoes can be used for walking during the holidays. Clothes dry quickly from wet but constant hand-washing will wear clothes out. Patterned shirts for teaching look smart and it s not so obvious how well ironed they are. White clothes get easily and permanently stained and should be avoided; however volunteers have in the past found white a good colour due to bleach being heavily used in the hand washing process. Brightly coloured and patterned clothes look nicer in hot climates. Strong, hard-wearing material is recommended as hand washing is hard on clothes. Turn coloured clothing inside out if drying outside - it helps to prevent fading. Hand washing jeans is a nightmare so take a nail brush or vegetable scrubbing brush to give you a fighting chance. Synthetic materials are not suitable for hot climates. As much as possible should be cotton or cotton/polyester mix - the latter means you may not need to iron your clothes. Clothes for teaching and similar work must be clean and respectable. Revealing or semi-transparent clothes are most unsuitable and way-out, trendy fashion should be avoided. Important Note Airline baggage allowances may be as little as 20 kilos only. Confirmation of this will be given to you on your training course.

5 Useful Equipment Airmail writing paper Remarks And envelopes, especially useful in the interior. Alarm Clock Pen knife Camera Entertainment MP3 Player Sewing Kit Torch Swiss Army knives are particularly good. And spare memory card (better two small ones than one large one in case you lose it or it becomes corrupted). Remember a download lead if necessary. Books, playing cards, games- increasingly kindles or ebook readers have proved invaluable. They are better than tablets as they can be read in the sunlight and have long-lasting batteries. And are cheaper! And lots of music (in most projects you will not be able to download any new music so take plenty!), spare batteries/battery charger. Including good scissors, string, a few clothes pegs and coat hangers. Wind up torches are useful to avoid buying batteries. Towel Cookbook Stuff to put on your walls If you are going to cook for yourself. Blu tac, posters and postcards of where you come from are really useful as are photos of family and home-you can also use these for lessons. Equipment that may be useful This depends on each project and should only be obtained after consultation with Desk Officer on training; General texts on your subjects for teachers An English grammar book and dictionary Books of instruction on games, arts and crafts, scouting and guiding (if you are keen) and music. Supplies of glue, drawing pins, Sellotape, blutak, scissors, rulers, pens (some coloured).

6 Suggested Guyana Resource List It s certainly not essential to purchase every book that you can find about Guyana however it is recommended that you do some research on the country before coming up to Training. It certainly will make Training more interesting. Remember, if you do purchase anything please help Project Trust out by buying through the Amazon section on your Project Profile page as that way a percentage of the value of the order will be donated to us. A good guide book is useful: The Bradt Travel Guide has good comprehensive information about the country. There are several novels about Guyana or set in Guyana that you may find useful: The Ventriloquist s Tale Pauline Melville The Sly Company of People Who Care Rahul Bhattacharya Non-fiction that is worth reading: Wild Coast John Gimlette 90 Days Evelyn Waugh Three Singles To Adventure Gerald Durrell All The Cowboys Were Indians Stan Brock (The latter three are all older books, but still hold weight, especially for the Rupununi) Film There is a good 9 part documentary on YouTube called Guyana yours to discover, this will give you a flavour of the country and the landscape.