Trip Packing & Tips

What to Bring ‘09
Work clothes you can get dirty
Tennis shoes & sandals
One or two shirts and a pair of shorts or pants to wear for dinner out or at night
Towel, washrags, shampoo, and soap
Sanitary wipes or gel for hands
Mosquito wipes or spray
Sun screen
Hat
Sunglasses
Personal fan (small transportable kind)
Imodium, aspirin, etc.
Personal snack foods (peanut butter, crackers, popcorn, granola bars, etc. are good choices.) There is also a local store where items are available.
Spending money (cash--to be exchanged at the airport into Lempiras) for souvenirs, snack food if desired, one evening out, and food at the airport/travel days ($45 should be more than adequate for food needs)
CASH for tax upon departure from airport $35 (they accept USD or lempiras)

Leah’s suggestions:
Ziploc bags for clothes (nice to have somewhat clean clothes on the last couple of days)
A clean sheet & pillow case (just feels nice to have your own, especially if you are sensitive to dust—it is dry this time of year.)
Bring your own water bottle

Other Items to Note
Luggage is limited to 2 bags per person not to exceed 50 lbs. (AA will charge an excess baggage fee)
You are entitled to have 2 bags (weighing less than 50 pounds), plus a carry-on. We need each team member to have one of those 2 bags be filled with VBS supplies and stuff for the kids. Please bring your second bag to our final meeting. They will be packed and ready for you to take on Sunday morning.

Tips
Don’t be wasteful: Because they have so little, the CLF people and their neighbors are sensitive about waste. Please save water or Gatorade bottles as they can be reused. If you will not reuse it yourself, give it to the ladies in the kitchen. Plastic plates, cups, and silverware will be washed and reused.
Be flexible: schedules and plans change, sometimes often, just be relaxed and be ready to pitch in or change plans when necessary
Food Stuff: because schedules can be flexible and taste buds vary, you will probably want to bring some granola bars, trail mix, or other snack food. Be sensitive to the fact that children at the Foundation don’t have those things and please consume them either in your room or out of sight of the kids.
Clean your plate if you can: The food is different for most of us, but use the little kid principle and “try it, you might like it.” Be ready to say “no thank you” if you don’t think you can eat something and makes friends with the person next to you…she might like yuka!
Money: The SAP airport has ATMs so you can take money out there or utilize one of the money changers to change some money (amount needed will vary). Be sure to plan for $5-6 for dinner out on Friday, snacks at the Mercado (has lots of snack food and drinks), and any souvenirs you might want.
The Kids: They will love you and hug you like crazy! It’s wonderful. The younger children attend school in the morning and the older kids go in the afternoon…so there are always children around.
Treats/Gifts: Please be mindful about handing out candy or other little items. It’s best to do for everyone, instead of giving a treat to one or two children. Also, please check with the CLF staff (Mama Doris) first if you have any question.
Bathroom: showers are cold, but you won’t care much when its hot. Don’t flush anything except the ultra-thin toilet paper that is in the bathrooms. Please use the garbage can instead.

Your carry-on: Pack some clean underwear just in case. Trust me. :)