What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

The first thing that I noticed about Beijing was the smog.

My flight landed at 7 p.m. and although it was dark, it was distinctly foggy. Or smoggy? HAZY. Yes, that was it.

Although I had been upgraded to business class on my flight from DC (post coming on that), I was uneasy. All of my international travel for the past few years has been with Jamie and while it’s not that I’m incapable of traveling alone, it’s more of a crutch thing.  Packing snacks and organizing dog care are my thing.  Organizing hotels and electronic devices are his.

I managed to find a hotel, book it, and get myself to Beijing, but the actual hotel transportation was considerably more difficult.  (WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED ADULTHOOD I DON’T LIKE IT.)

I had been warned by Trip Advisor that many taxis couldn’t find this particular hotel, but it had a 94% rating and was cheap, so I took my chances. I had read that giving the address of hospital across the street was much easier and worked every time. But, you know what did not work for me? THAT. The network for Google Translate was also too slow to work.

So, there I was alone, at night, at the Beijing Airport being that stupid American with my little address print out that no one could find. After being turned down by three taxi drivers and having both of the airport taxi directors look at the address and laugh (Umm..that’s comforting), I overpaid for a private tour driver. 

What actually happened was that his English-speaking friend came over to take part in the hullabaloo over this address, tried to convince me that he could take me because he knew the address, and was rejected when he said he was a bus driver (because I wanted a direct trip to my hotel).

He called his friend over, the private tour driver, and I proceeded to get in this guy’s minibus. Then I spent the 15 minutes on the way to the Holiday Inn Express contemplating how I would escape the vehicle if he was really a kidnapper or murderer and hastily updating my location services and texting Jamie my last known whereabouts. Because I realized, at age 32, that I totally just got into a minibus with a non-taxi driver stranger who spoke mediocre English, based on his word that he knew where my hotel was. See. I should not be allowed to travel alone.

Thankfully, I survived and am safe in my hotel room.  The private tour driver made mint on my fare, but I was not even arguing about it. You’re the only one who speaks English and knows where this place is? And, I made it without being robbed, kidnapped, or murdered? Take my money! I WILL PAY YOU IN US DOLLARS.

So, I’m here and everything smells of smoke. And there’s no A/C, because “it’s not summer,” which is totally reasonable, I guess, except that with the windows open, I’m breathing opaque air. I’m told that both the ubiquitous tobacco and smog are the norm in Beijing, and internally I'm screaming, “You people already have to breathe filthy air, stop smoking cigarettes too!” Oh, well. I've convinced myself that nothing I inhale tonight will do nearly as much damage as the years I shaved off my life dating a chain smoker in college. Plus, I didn’t get murdered.

What to Pack for An International Medical Rotation

Full confession: The sunroom in Jamie's condo looks like this right now.

If you're concerned that you just stumbled upon an episode of Hoarders, don't worry. That's just what it looks like when your girlfriend is about to leave for Thailand and has taken over your spacious, and more importantly--empty--sunroom for packing.

I must be such a joy to date.

Anyway, as I was entering the Hoarders room today, I remembered that a few years when I spent the summer in the Dominican Republic, I had written a post about what to pack for a month abroad. It's still pretty accurate and I'm super impressed that I only missed one or two things. Also, I was apparently very traumatized by a specific beach experience that keeps being mentioned so...enjoy that!

Original Post (Published Summer 2011):

Things to Bring:

-Travel sized shampoo and body wash:  Even though I had large sizes of both, when I was on the beach, showering outside (WITH THE BIKINI ON) at some random pump, I was really happy that I had thrown the travel sized body wash in my bag.  You never know where you might end up showering (depending on how rugged/adventurous your vacation is) and you will be grateful to have had these things.  It’s also smart to throw mini-sizes of things into your carry-on, just in case your suitcase doesn’t arrive with you.

-Bug spray & Cortisone:  Choose a mosquito repellent with a high DEET concentration, but expect to get a few bites anyway…hence, the Cortisone.

-Scrubs & White Coat:  If you’re going on a medical trip, take them.  You’ll need both.

-Medical equipment:  You never know what you’re going to encounter, so take it all (within reason).  I brought a stethoscope, otoscope, large package of alcohol wipes (for disinfection), reflex hammer, and tuning fork (you can leave the tuning fork, unless you’re going to be working with a neurologist).  It was easy enough to steal gloves and gauze from the hospital here, but if you have space for a box of latex gloves, bring that too.

-Alcohol hand sanitizer:  Bathrooms may not have running water where you are and you want to be able to clean your hands.   Also, if you are working in a hospital with a cholera epidemic (ahem), you need to be prudent about keeping your hands clean.

-Pocket packs of tissues:  Public bathrooms may not have toilet paper.  Actually, most don’t.  Carry tissues in your purse/money pouch at all times.

-Medicine:  Bring your usual prescription medications, some antibiotics (just in case), Tylenol/Advil, cold medicine, an anti-diarrheal, and sleep aid (especially if you are traveling long distances by plane/train).  I know it sounds like overkill, but when I got sick my first week here, I was really grateful that I had Vicks and Breathe Right strips with me.

Edit: BEHOLD!

-Earplugs and an eye mask:  It’s hard to settle into sleeping in new surroundings and without my earplugs, those stupid Dominican produce trucks would have be waking me up every morning.

-Sunscreen:  It will be triple the cost as in the US, so bring your own.  I would recommend an 8 oz. bottle OR LESS, though.  I had way too large of a bottle and ended up ditching in St. Vincent to save weight.

-Ziploc bags:  Pack your toiletries in them, so that you have plenty to use while you’re abroad.  Don’t expect them to have them.

-Camera & Computer/Flash Drive to Upload Photos:  Your friends and blog readers will thank you!

Edit: Hahaha. Oh, pre-iPhone days. I don't miss you.

-Tons of summer dresses:  I know that some women don’t like dresses, but I have a very good rationale for this!  In addition to being cool in hot weather, they are easy to wash by hand and hang out to dry.  This will be important if you don’t have access to laundry facilities. They also double as dressy wear (wear with heels and accessories) or casual wear (wear with flip flops).  Most importantly, though, when you find yourself changing in public on a beach, dresses are easier to manage.  Have at least two that you can slip on over your head and that have a built-in bra or padding.  Then, you can pull your dress on over your wet bathing suit and pull off your bathing suit underneath.  You’ll only need to slip on a pair of underwear (or not, I don’t judge!) and you’ll be good to go!  (Trust me, I have tried the public beach changing with shorts and a t-shirt and it is so much worse.)

-A two-piece bathing suit:  I am extremely modest in public, but let me tell you, buy yourself a bikini or tankini if you are going to the Caribbean.  You will likely be wearing your suit all day and it’s a lot easier to use the bathroom if you are in a two-piece.  Also, when you are faced with public beach changing (as you WILL be), it’s much easier to pull off a bathing suit piecewise than to hold a towel while wrestling a wet one-piece off underneath.  Again, I know from experience.  Just trust me and flaunt your hot body in a two-piece.  Besides, you’re in the Caribbean and no one’s going to see your fat thighs again anyway!  (By, “your” fat thighs, of course, I mean “my” fat thighs.)

Edit: This is still truth. I bought a new tankini for Thailand and will never own a one-piece again. We can thank the Trying-to-Pee-on-a-Moving-Boat episode of 2009 for that.

-Workout clothes:  If you are crazy, like I am, this is a given.  It doesn’t matter if you’ll have access to a gym or have to hike a mountain to get your heart rate up, you should take a pair of running shoes, one pair of workout shorts, one pair of workout long pants, two sports bras, and at least one t-shirt.  Wear, wash, repeat.

-One going out shirt:  You may or may not find yourself engaging in the night life of your respective location and you should have something to wear besides a church dress (ahem).

-One black skirt/dress:  If you are staying with family, be prepared to have to attend a funeral or other semi-formal event.  If your family is church-going, just make one of your church outfits a classy, black skirt and you’ll be good to go.

-One dressy dress:  Again, if you are staying with family, expect to be dragged to a wedding.  Pack a second church dress that is fancy enough to be worn to a wedding, should you get invited to one.

-Personal hygiene items:  Unless you are staying in Santo Domingo (a.k.a. the Miami of the DR), make sure you pack enough shampoo, face wash, razors, contact solution, deodorant, perfume, moisturizers/lotion, toothpaste, pads/tampons, and hair spray to last a month.  Make sure that you also bring more hair conditioner than you usually use, since Caribbean water will leave your hair looking like a hot mess.

-Lightweight cardigan/shawl:  It’s going to feel like 100 degrees outside, but unless you want to look like that dumb tourist when you go out, you should put something on over your maxi dress.

-Waterproof beach tote:  I got a large, plastic one several years ago from Wal-Mart or Target and it hasn’t left my side since.  A regular beach tote is fine too, but again, you might find yourself stuffing wet towels/bathing suits into it, and you’ll be grateful that you can contain the wetness in the car or on the beach.

-Plastic Grocery Bags:  Wrap your shoes in these and stuff a couple of extras into your bag.  When you have to tote around wet bathing suits, etc. all day, they’re handy to have around.  Again, your respective country may not have readily available plastic bags.

-Camera batteries:  You will get price-gouged if you have to buy these abroad.

Edit: Let me introduce you to the Power Bank, former self.

-Chewing gum/Decongestant:  I listed these separately from “medicine,” because even if you don’t have sinus problems, it’s good to have chewing gum to help with equalizing the pressure between elevations.  I do have sinus problems and always struggle for the first day after my flight.  If you are planning on going SCUBA diving at all, take a Claritin-D the morning before you go out, to help with pressure equalization underwater.  I also took a Claritin-D on the morning that I hiked that volcano in St. Vincent.  You don’t want to be near the summit and realize that you’re short of breath AND unable to equalize your ears.

-Sunglasses/Swim Goggles- If you’re going to be doing heavy watersports, take a “disposable” pair that you don’t mind losing in the water, or swim goggles if you plan on wearing your contacts in the water.

-Snacks/Granola bars- I'm hypoglycemic, so I always have snacks in my purse, but in case you are in an area where wrapped snacks are not easily accessible, I'd recommend taking some with you.  Especially if you happen to be shadowing a surgeon with affiliations at six different hospitals (referring to no one in particular, of course), your trusty granola bars may be the only meal that you (hastily) eat all day.

Things that I never used:

-Jeggings:  better for winter than for summer, don’t waste space.  They’ll just be clingy and uncomfortable anyway.

-Small curling iron- There was no occasion for fancy hair

-Pantyhose- Haha…this one was a fear thing.  I didn’t know if I’d be “allowed” to go to church or work without them.  I was.

-Several “beach tops”- If you plan on wearing sundresses, you don’t need a coverup.  (Unless you want one, but usually, you don’t need it.)

-Shoes:  Pack two pairs of ballet flats or work shoes for the hospital, one pair of high-heeled black sandals for church/nightlife, one pair of neutral heels for church/nightlife, two pairs of flip-flops, and one pair of sneakers.  Your mind will tell you that this isn’t enough for a month away, but IT IS ENOUGH.

Forgotten items:

-Spanish-English dictionary:  My aunt had one that I stole, but I wish that I would have brought my own!

-Small notebook to write down new words/phrases to look up at home

Edit: Enter third year of medical school when I learned to never leave the house without a notebook ever!

-Mini stapler and paper clips- Would have come in so handy to keep study materials organized!

-A travel-sized alarm clock:  I ended up using my US cell phone (I put it on airplane mode when I landed), but a small, battery-powered alarm clock would have been amazing.

Edit: Beautiful, efficient iPhone: I love you.