Care Package!

Today I received the most awesome care package ever! Looking through its contents, I realized my excitement was intensified by the exact pertinence of its contents for life in Mae Sot. I thought sharing its contents might give you a little insight.

1) Lemon eucalyptus oil - my favorite natural mosquito repellent (which was shown in a 2002 study to outperform all other repellents tested except DEET 20% and 100% - see Fraden MS and Day JF. Comparative Efficacy of Insect Repellents Against Mosquito Bites. N Engl J Med, July 2002,347(1):13-18). There are very few options available here, but it is a daily must, both because constant itchy bites are annoying, and more, because there is dengue here.

2) Index cards - though there are _many_ stationary stores in town, none of them sell these! (and I know, because I have checked every one). The paper here is so darn thin, and even the humidity in the air threatens its integrity. Notes on index cards are so much more durable (and I just love them....)

3) A backpack raincoat - REI rocks my world. So the goal here is always to find a poncho that can fit over your backpack, but if I do that, it doesn't keep my legs as dry, and now, no compromise need be made! And yes, it does rain enough that this is something that I think about a lot... Its not fun showing up everywhere wet.

4) My headlamp (which I forgot) - I am soon traveling to the China/Burma border where electricity is not exactly very regular.

5) 3 music CDs from my sis - no English radio here, and my favorite pandora.com can't be accessed by a Thai IP address! boo.

6) BW3 Spicy Garlic sauce - because forget the chicken, _everything_ is better with spicy garlic sauce!

Well, there were several other lovely things as well, won't ramble on. At any rate, it was the envy of the office. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Steph!! (And thanks to Mark, who sent me my first package!)