Heads up on the welcome packet

Skyping is a good way to communicate from here, so if you bring your laptop set up for skype and if you open an account (by using your credit card) you can use your laptop to call a phone anywhere. It's often more convenient than video skyping since you can call a cellphone. The office also has a Magic Jack which you can plug into a laptop to make free calls to the US. If you don't bring a laptop you can probably negotiate to use someone else's for Magic Jack.

Don't bring what you can buy here, which is almost everything. Here you can easily find contact lens solution, Johnson & Johnson Q-tips, ibuprofen, sunblock, and Off! You can't buy Pepto Bismol tablets, any Bach's Remedy products, or sensitive skin face lotion with sunblock.

I have acquired the local habit of carrying a rag to wipe my face after a sweaty moment. Bandanas are good, or handkerchiefs. I bought thin terrycloth washrags, a bit bigger than a face cloth and that does the trick. Good for drying your hands (no paper towels here) or for covering your head when it rains. Really. When it rains here, people will tie just about anything over their heads.