Wednesday, July 14, 2010

What to bring?

Everyone has the same questions before they get to the island. The most frequently asked and unclearly answered is "What should I bring". I can tell you what I brought and what I wish I had brought, but really it comes down to what you like and where you will be living.
If you will be living in the Royal St. Kitts then I recommend these items.
something that you cook with or on:
hot plate
griddle
toaster oven
fast boiler (I am not sure what the technical term is but this is like a little pot that you can plug in and it boils rapidly. I use mine to cook pasta, oatmeal, boil eggs, etc)
If you choose to bring a hot plate or griddle you will need:
pots and pans
spatulas
stirring spoons
Even if you think that you will mostly eat out and not eat in your room I reccommend these Kitchen type items:
plates (can be plastic disposable)
utensils (also can be disposable, but I prefer real utensils)
some kind of cups/glasses
coffee cup
plastic gladware
foil and plastic wrap
ice tray (even though there is an ice machine you might prefer to not have to go out to get ice. )
Items that you might not think to bring that you will probably want and definitely might need:
toilet paper
paper towels
good smelling candles/air freshner
cleaning supplies
laundry detergent sheets
laundry bag/hamper
toilet brush
Shaving/hair removal items
Food items that can be brought for nearly nothing but will you cost you a bunch on the island:
cereal
fast prep rice/pasta sides
chips
coffee
granola bars
snack foods in general
Other items that you might want to bring a lot of b/c they are way expensive:
shampoo/conditioner
body wash
hand soap
dish liquid
deodorant
sanitary napkins/tampons
sunscreen ( I bought mine at the dollar store for a buck a bottle)
tanning lotion
towels
bed linens (as most places don't supply those even the royal)
IRON ( I cannot tell you how many ppl didn't bring an iron and have needed one)
favorite perfume/lotions
face washes/ makeup remover
extra makeup (it seems very expensive here and I am not sure where you can buy it easily)
immodium/ibuprofen
midol
Scrubs
close toed shoes/athletic shoes
My suggestions for fitting this into two suitcases!
Pack up all that you can w/o going over the weight limit into your alotted number of bags and then bring your carryon that is as large as it can be and still be in the limits. Load up your backpack as full you can get it b/c it can be a carryon too and you likely won't have to weigh it.
Make sure that you opt for the supplies over clothing for the first semester. I had five bags total and only had to pay for two. None of them were over the limit! I cannot tell you how many ppl look great, but have no supplies and really wished they had brought less clothing and more food and supplies.

If you rent a house/apt most of the cooking stuff you can leave out, and on some occassions they will also provide you with towels.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Amy!

    Do you have any suggestions for what supplies to bring as an ARP student? I know our classes are a little different than the med 1, so I was wondering if we still needed disection kits/scrubs etc.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just saw your comment so sorry, we have block exams on monday and I have been studying. You don't need anything as an ARP student. You will need to bring a pair of scrubs but other than that just whatever you need to live on.

    Good Luck, I was an ARP student and it was a wonderful start.

    ReplyDelete