Things I have learned so far:
Dedza, where training is, is cold. Bring sweatshirts, and more importantly, warm things to wear to bed. They will be giving you a set (of sorts) of sheets and a mosquito net, as well as some candles, paper, notebooks, and other goodies. They gave us flip flops, but they are so important for the bafa that I’d advise you to bring a pair just in case. I hate them normally but I would have really regreted it if I didn’t have them.
OK now for dress code. You can wear sandals to weddings and funerals, so of course you can wear them to work. That said, you’re going to want a pair of nice shoes for things like swearing in, and from what I understand shoes are expensive.
Skirts: in Dedza you can wear pants (trousers), but at homestay you need a skirt at least mid-calf, and ankle is better. It’s quite possible that you will be able to get away with shorter skirts, but they should be below the knees even while sitting.
Packing: There is never going to be a point where you have to carry all your luggage very far, so airline rules are your biggest problems. Because PC will give you a ride to your site, sending yourself packages of books or whatever early is a good idea.
If you know someone who is going to PC, write to them now. If you’re going, try to convince your people to write early & often. The people who had packages & letters waiting for them were the focus of copious amounts of envy. The first 2 months we’re isolated and start to feel it pretty quickly, though even we know it’s ridiculous. As I’ve thought more, I think it would be nice if PCTs also sent packages ground mail from staging or someplace more convenient to those who are going to have the hardest time with their absence. That way parents or SOs or whoever can receive a package a week or two after the PCT leaves (plus it’s a great way to to give people something about which to write). Mail from Malawi takes about a month; mail to Malawi takes about 2 weeks, although of course it can take much longer either direction.
I haven’t gotten to service even yet, so I don’t yet know what you don’t need to pack at all. I’m sure there are many of those things, too, though.
