From Brahma to Buddha, Fall 2009

Namaste!

By this point, all of us at Global LAB hope that you are all putting the final touches on your preparation for the upcoming program. As you are packing, we continue to encourage you to PACK LIGHT!

In particular, we would like to point out the enormous variety of name brand toiletries available in most of India. Almost every toiletry that you can imagine - shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, face wash, combs/brushes, hair care products, moisturizer, body lotion, razors, shaving cream, deodorant, Q-tips, chapstick, make up, ibuprofen, antacids, etc - is WIDELY AVAILABLE at a FRACTION of what it will cost to purchase in the US or Europe.

Many familiar brand names are available, as well as quality Indian brands. Take advantage of this, and please only bring TRAVEL-SIZED toiletries to India! There will be ample opportunity to replenish our personal supplies. We would like to discourage our students from bringing industrial-sized toiletries on the trip! We will be moving around a lot during the program, and lighter packs = happy campers.

This being said, I have found that the following four items are very difficult to locate on a regular basis. If you require any of these products, we suggest you bring enough to last for the duration of the trip:

- sunscreen above 15 SPF
- feminine hygiene products
- contact lens solution
- dental floss

If you have more specific questions about packing, please address them to the Global LAB staff, or comment on them below in this blog posting.

Kai and I will be contacting each of you this week to touch base and answer any final questions you may have. Until then, good luck tying up the loose ends - away we go!

Jackie Dennis
Program Director