Congratulations on being called to Mision Peru Iquitos, ie the best mission ever!!
Heres what you need to know:
Dont overpack. youll regret it. Everything that you could possibly need you can buy here. Yes its the jungle, but its not what you are imagining (yeah sorry, no machete fights with monkeys or anacondas)
But seriously when I said dont overpack, DONT DO IT. Transfers here anywhere outside of iquitos are by plane and you get a suitcase thats only 22 kilos (youll have to do the conversion on that one) and a carryon, everything else you have to leave in the mission offices. And they give you about twenty minutes to figure out which 20 kilkos of your stuff is completely necessary and its way stressful. So maybe pack ahead one suitcase of the absolute musthaves for up to six months under 22 kilos, and everything else in your other suitcase!
Pack 18 months of tampons, they have other sanitary products but no one really uses tampons. If you wear contacts, pack your full supply of solution. Everthing else toiletry wise, you can get here, just pack for the CCM.
dont bother with bringing music or an ipod. Ipods arent allowed and we have a specific list of music that is provided for us on cds and a player that is given to us.
As far as bags go, don't stress, the bag that you will use every day is provided by the mission and will become your best friend (yeah its not pretty but its very functional).
Shoes, just buy the classic mary jane missionary shoes. Make sure that you can walk a ton in them. I also have a pair of crocs (yeah I know) disguised as flats, and theyre good because they're water proof. Pack LOTS of dress shoe socks, they may get lost in the wash.
As far as rain boots, the brand doesnt really matter. I bought short ones that go below midcalf and I really like them and use them a lot. I worried a lot about a raincoat too, but honestly i never really use it, just bring an umbrella and a light rain jacket. If its seriously pouring, youll use an umbrella, but otherwise just bring a light jacket because it gets alittle cooler when youre wet.
But seriously, the best advice I can give you is to not overpack. I learned this the hard way. You don't need anything that isn't on the list and you can buy pillow and blanket here (it's provided in the mtc).
Lastly, Peru is a different country. Especially in the MTC and in the field make sure you wear outfits that are cute but not too trendy or nice, because you will draw attention. We're in the jungle. And let's be honest you're never going to use that hair straightener or dryer so leave it.
Any other questions, shoot me an email!
Hope this helped and good luck preparing for your mission! See you soon!
Hermana Benyo
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