Packing List and Jan's editorials...

For those going to the same town we did, here is what I recommend for trip 1:

1. Three (3) outfits per person max. Preferably 2 pairs of pants and 3 tops that can layer,
2. Depending on season, a jacket/light jacket/rain coat. But something that folds very small if you can get it. You might consider a small umbrella in the spring.
3. One (1) suit coat/tie for men and blazer for women for court (to be worn over one of the tops and with one of the pair of pants above). Women do not need a dress. Pants are acceptable as long as you have something dressier such as a blazer on top.
4. Undergarments for 5-7 days (you can hand wash as you need it). Hate to admit it but I basically switched between 3 pairs of socks the whole time.
5. One pair of shoes that will look decent enough for court yet comfortable enough for every day.
6. Personal grooming items in travel sizes only. If you feel you need more than one travel size item such as shampoo or deodorant, bring 2 of the travel size. Don’t bring a large bottle. I would not recommend bringing a lot of facial cleanser/moisturizer/etc. for women. One of the companies makes a very nice facial cleansing wipe that came in a travel or maybe even a trial size very reasonably priced. And head to your department store for sample size Estee Lauder or what ever your brand is. They typically have a good supply and are willing to give a few out. Good enough!
7. Several plus adapters, we brought 3. They are small and travel easy. We could have gotten away with 2.
8. Your prescription medicines plus small amounts of cold medication, allergy medication, Tylenol, band aids, etc... I took it all out of the boxes and took just the foils. They are all clearly marked on the back. I also brought a bottle of Nyquil that was my friend many nights. I am prone to sinus infections so between that and Clariton D, it did return but I managed to keep it under control. The Nyquil also helps as a sleeping aid if it’s needed. I also was able to convince my doc to give me a Z pack of antibiotics just in case. I did not need it but felt much better knowing I had it.
9. Digital camera and laptop (laptop is for blogging of course!)
10. Money belt (with money and passport)
11. Activities for you and your child to do while you visit at the orphanage. If you give it to them, you will most likely not see it again. So plan accordingly. We kept a few of V’s items until the last day when we knew we wouldn’t need them anymore.
12. Something to entertain yourself. I would recommend getting a Kindle or equivalent if you are a book reader as lugging multiple books is bulky and heavy. Both of which you are trying to avoid. You will have a lot of in-between time. Cards are good if you and your spouse are card players.
13. One or two travel size tissues and one or two travel size wet-ones were both helpful. I also brought several large and small ziploc bags and found them very useful for many things. Everything from packing clothes to minimize space to bring left over food from one city to another to packing the bottle of Nyquil that leaked, etc. Robert and I found many uses for them.
14. Snacks of some sort that are easy to nibble on and easy to carry. We liked trail mix and two kinds of Fiber One bars. We did not eat very many of the bars however. Maybe 2-3each over 19 days.
15. If only one of you is returning for trip 2, bring your apostilled Power of Attorney and the other paperwork David said was needed for trip 2. We had to get a new Power of Attorney for Robert while we were here since I did not bring it. And it was planned that we would go to the US Embassy today to file the I-600 with Robert here. Of course I didn’t bring that either. So, bring the second trip stuff on the first trip!
16. Clothes and/or toys and/or crafts for the orphanage. Don’t get carried away (really R – don’t do it!) as the cars are small and don’t have a lot of room for luggage.

 I saw other lists that said bring everything from peanut butter to empty water bottles to several rolls of toilet paper to coffee to diapers to instant oatmeal. I think this depends on your personal tastes and habits as well as where you are going. Toilet paper, tissues, oatmeal, diapers and water in small bottles to carry were all readily available. Peanut butter not so much. So if you can’t live without peanut butter for 2 weeks, then I guess bring some. But bring the smallest jar you can find. Coffee seemed to be readily available as well although we are not coffee drinkers so we didn’t buy any. The flat in V’s town has a coffee maker just like at home. I haven’t checked here in Kiev. We also brought all of the paperwork for our dossier in its 3 ring binder. Don’t. We didn’t need it, the U’s didn’t need it, the S’s didn’t need it. I don’t know anyone who actually needed anything from it. We all bring it just in case. But I know ours was bulky and heavy and we had it in a carry as we didn’t want all that personal information lost or stolen. I know it’s hard but leave it home. After all, the originals are HERE! Where you will be.  

Two other things I noticed. One, Ukraine seems to be the mayonnaise capital of the world. Two, salad dressing as we know it in the US seems to be non-existent here. So if you plan to eat lettuce salads, you had better either like your salad with mayonnaise or figure out your alternative. Maybe a packet or two of dry Ranch mix to make once you get here? The packets would travel well if you can’t stomach mayo as your only salad dressing.  

We went to the market every few days. We ate lighter than at home as we were eating for two and weren’t always hungry at the same time. And sometimes we ate at odd times. And I think we nibbled more than at home. I tended to enjoy cheese, local sausage and great local bread. An apple sliced up with it and I was good to go. Fish is prevalent in the town where V lived so we had fish a few times as well as chicken, pork, beef, eggs, pasta, etc.

And last comment, in case you missed it earlier.  My recommendation for those traveling behind us is to bring orphanage clothes in a large duffle bag that can roll up inside another suitcase for the way home. Avoid weight and bulk as much as possible.  Soft sided luggage can usually be stuffed somewhere but big luggage is really, really bulky and difficult to manage.

Safe travels!