Packing List

Even though Indonesia is a third world country, there is an abundant supply of almost everything.  Some of the items are similar, but different, to products in the States.  Your taste buds and nose will need to make some adjustments.  If you come expecting things to be different and are willing to accept the differences, you shouldn’t have much trouble fitting right in.

MEDICATIONS:

Unless you have need of a specific medication, everything you need is probably available here.  However, it is advisable to come with a supply of the medicines you are used to as figuring out the replacement medication is sometimes difficult, especially allergy meds.  We have listed a few common items that are NOT available.

            Antibiotic cream with pain reliever

            Alka-Seltzer and Tums (Mylanta chewable and liquid are available)

            Children’s Tylenol (Tempra is available and children’s Ibuprofen is available)    

            Triaminic

            Fahrenheit thermometer (Celsius is available) 

            Digital Thermometer     (Celsius is available)

            Yeast Infection Creams…i.e. gynelotrimin or Mycelex

            Diaper Rash Cream in large tubes….only tiny tubes available here

            Anti Itch Creams are only available in tiny tubes

            Imodium for Diarrhea is expensive here

Most of the medicines come in very small quantities.  Advil, Tylenol and Aspirin come individually wrapped (yes, each pill!) so you might want to bring a large bottle of each with you.  Multi-Vitamins are available but very expensive. 

Antiperspirant deodorant – Deodorant without antiperspirant is available.

                                                Unscented is not available.

Tampons – pads are available.  Tampax tampons are available but very expensive. 

Sunscreen – available but very expensive

Toothpaste, soap and Shampoo – These items are readily available but if you are attached to a certain brand you may want to bring it.  Crest and Colgate are not available.  If you need to use unscented products, be aware that all local brands have fragrance added.

Hair Color – If you color your own hair you will want to bring hair color with you.  You can buy developer and color in the States at a beauty supply store and mix it here when you need it or you can bring a pre-mixed box color.  You can have your hair colored in a Salon but it is expensive.  There is not much choice of color for blonds.

Contact Lenses – You can buy certain brands of soft contact lenses here and Solution.   They have Renu and a few other brands.  Boston contact solution is expensive and hard to find here.  Bring your prescription with you for glasses and/or contacts.

Electric Toothbrush – Good to bring with you if you need it.  You can order 220 adapters on the internet for most electric toothbrushes.  Most dental work can be done here more economically than in the States.  Save your money and have your cleanings and fillings done here. 

Make-Up – If you wear makeup, bring extra.  There is a lot of makeup here but not always the colors we need or want, especially for fair skinned people.

Diapers – Disposable diapers are available here but they are expensive.  You can buy pull ups here too but swim diapers are not available.

Stain Stick – There is no stain remover here.

Q-tips, dental floss, shaving cream, razors and razor blades, nail polish and remover, hair spray, women’s facial cleanser’s, lotions are all available.

CLOTHING:

Sizes:

Clothing is fairly inexpensive and readily available in small sizes.  There are several clothing outlets in Solo and Semarang (both an hour drive from Salatiga) that have larger size clothes.  Clothing can be made inexpensively and clothes that you bring can be used as patterns. If you want to have clothing made you might want to bring cotton fabric as the fabric here is mostly polyester blends which are not cool.  Most people wear Khaki pants, Capri pants, tee shirts, short sleeves for casual wear.  Bring one sweatshirt/pants.  Bring shorts and sleeveless tops to wear at home.  Note that teachers need to dress somewhat nicely for school:  no tee shirts or jeans or shorts or casual rubber sandals.

Shirts, Shorts, Dresses and Skirts:

Bare shoulders and shorts are not culturally appropriate in the downtown Salatiga area; however, we do wear knee-length shorts on school grounds and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Sleeveless outfits can be worn in larger cities; so you may have an opportunity to wear them occasionally.  Tank tops and spaghetti straps can only be worn in your home or with a shirt over them.  (Even in your home, you’d want to put something over a tank top before answering the door.)  Long shorts (no shorter than one hand width above the knee) are appropriate for school athletic functions.  Younger children, elementary age, may wear long shorts to school.  Dresses and skirts should be no shorter than the top of the knee.

Men’s Clothing:

Men’s and boys clothing is readily available but large sizes are hard to find.

Under Clothing:

It is a good idea to come with a good supply of socks and underwear.  You cannot buy sports socks here in large quantities like in the States.  They are sold one pair at a time and are very expensive.  Boxers for guys are available for about $3.00 per pair. Women here usually do not wear pantyhose or knee highs because it is too hot.  If you want to wear them, you will need to bring them.  It’s hard to find all-cotton under clothing in any size, but especially in larger sizes.  Also, they wear out faster here; so bring lots.

Shoes:

Large size dress shoes are only available up to size 10 for men.  Small size shoes up to size 8 for women are readily available.  Narrow widths are not available.  Sandals and flip flops of all sizes are available (only up to size 10 for men).  It is advisable to come with at least two pair of tennis shoes, two pairs of sandals and a pair of dress shoes.  It is not unusual for shoes to be wet for a day or two during the rainy season.  Slippers are also a good idea since the floors here are tile.  Name brand running shoes can be bought here for $30.00 - $50.00 but the quality isn’t always great. Soccer shoes can be purchased in Salatiga.

Swim Wear:

You will want to bring a modest, one-piece swimsuit for women and girls, and a boxer-style shorts swimsuit for men and boys.  We have several nice pools within 1 hour driving distance from the school and 4 pools in Salatiga.  You might consider a swim tee-shirt for kids; it saves on sunscreen and sun exposure.

** The life span of clothing (esp. socks and underwear) is much shorter here.

ELECTRONICS:

Electricity here is 220 Volts so it is not advisable to bring 110 Volt electronics.  However, converters are available and some things can be re-wired.  You will be able to buy most items here.  Sometimes you can buy things from people that are leaving.

CD Players and Stereos – Readily available. 

CD Walkman – Sony CD walkman is available here. 

MP3 – Readily available here with a one year warranty.

USB Flash stick – Readily available here.  (256 k- $15.00)

Car Adapter Kit for CD Walkman – Can be purchased here.

Cassette Tape Players – Readily available here.

Game Boy & Game boy Advanced – Can be purchased here with games.

PS2 – Can be purchased here with games.

X-BOX – Can be purchased here

Nintendo – Not available here

Play Station – Available here for under $200.00 (games may not be compatible with US model)

Cell Phones – Here we call them “Hand Phones” or HP (ha-pay) for short.  They are sold EVERYWHERE!  Don’t bring your hand phone from the States….sell it!  The hand phones here cost about $100.00 and you pay for time before you use it.

VCR – Not readily available here unless you buy a used one.  Can be ordered from Sony.

VCD – One type of disc system we have here is VCD.  We all have VCDs to share. VCD,s can be played on your computer using Windows Media Player, or you can purchase a VCD/DVD player.  VCDs can also be purchased here much more cheaply than DVDs.

DVD – DVD players are readily available for purchase between $40.00 - $60.00.  Many of the movies for sale here are DVDs.  However, DVDs purchased in America don’t play on some of our DVD players.  You can buy a small DVD player at Best Buy for $50.00 (Cyberhome).  This DVD player plays all DVDs, Indonesian and American.  You can also purchase very reasonably priced DVD players here which play all formats.  You just need to take sample DVDs with you to the store and have them try them out to be sure.

COMPUTERS:

The school has relationships with several computer dealers here in town.  Currently, you can purchase a high end Pentium 4, 1.7 Ghz – 2.4 Ghz with modem and monitor for

$500-700.00.  We have a computer lab here and it is available for all staff to use. 

Desk Top Computers:

If you want to bring your computer you certainly can.  Most do not have problems going through Customs as long as the items you bring are not in new looking packaging.  But, you never know when they will ask, or check, and then you may have to pay in order to get your item through Customs. 

Lap Top Computers:

Can be purchased here but are generally more expensive than they are in the States. 

BABY ITEMS:

Many baby items are available here, but not all.  Airlines usually allow one free baby item such as a stroller or a portable playpen.  Bring your car seat; it is usually free as well.  Most houses don’t have bath tubs, but you can buy a big plastic tub for the kids to use once you are here.  Toys are everywhere but quality toys like, Lego’s are expensive.  You may want to bring extra and save them for gifts at your first Christmas or birthday here. 

Instant Formula for Babies:

All of the Formula here is sweetened.  It is hard to find unsweetened.

** HINT:  While everything is available here, it is difficult to go out shopping when you first arrive.  You will arrive tired, jet-lagged and culture shocked.  The traffic, heat and crowds can be overwhelming at first.  Bring whatever you can fit in, to help you feel comfortable and settled at first. Pay for extra luggage if you have to.  If you have kids, bring their favorite toys, movies, etc.  Arrange to buy a washer, TV and DVD player before you get here if possible from people that are leaving. 

TEACHING SUPPLIES:

Textbooks – The school has textbooks, but some are outdated or may not be like the textbooks you are used to.  Any textbooks you intend to use for class will need to be OK’d by the administration.  If you have some favorite textbooks it is advisable to bring a copy of each with you and the information needed to order them for students.  Textbook questions for high school should be addressed to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it and for elementary school to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .  

Art Supplies – There are many things here, but if you have a specific art project you enjoy doing with your students, you should either bring supplies or check on the availability of the supplies you will need.  Art supply questions for high school

should be addressed to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it and for elementary school to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .  Tempra paint is not available here.

Sharpies – We don’t have sharpies here; so you might want to bring your own.  We do have permanent markers, but they only come in black, blue and red.

Educational Posters and Visuals:  Bring Some!!

3 Ring Binders – We don’t have 3 ring binders in Indonesia.  There are many styles of folders and binders available here but they are all different than the States.  Don’t bring notebook paper thinking you will find a binder for it.  You won’t.  Notebook paper and copy paper are all different sizes here.  So be prepared to make the switch.  You might want to bring a single hole punch.

Folders – The paper folders with the pocket that you can buy in the States in all colors are not available here.  You might want to bring some….and maybe some to shareJ!  But note that the paper here will be a little too long for the letter-size folders, and you’ll have to punch your own holes.  Most of us just prefer to adjust to what’s available locally. Manila file folders are not available, but there are many different types of folders here so you won’t want for variety!

Books – We have a high school and elementary library, but they are limited as to what they carry.  If you have special books for your classes or just for reading you will want to bring them.  If you have workbooks that you want to bring for teaching or Bible Study make sure they don’t have writing in them in case you might want to copy it at some point.  We follow copyright laws; so get permission in advance to photocopy.

            Elementary:  You can email the principal specific titles that you like to use,

                                   and she can verify if we have them or not.

Stickers – You can get stickers here, but if you want different types of stickers to give your students you might want to bring them.

Index Cards – 3 x 5 index cards are hard to find here.  The library has heavy paper and they make index cards for us.  If you want new ones you might want to bring some.  They sell them in large quantities at the dollar stores.

Dustless Chalk – Very difficult to find here, bring some.

Elmer’s Glue – Not available here.

FOODS:

Spices – Many spices are available here; however, they are only available in small quantities.  If you have some favorites, you might want to buy them in large quantities and bring them in Ziploc bags.  Nature Seasonings and Lawry’s are not available.  Bring Vanilla in a large bottle.  Bring guacamole packets if you are into Mexican food.

       Spices NOT Available here:  Sage, Lemon pepper, Taco Seasoning. 

Seasoning Mixes:  They are easy to pack and useful here.  ie…Taco, Burrito, Spaghetti  sauce.

Flavoring – There is maple syrup available, but most prefer to have theirs made. However, maple flavoring is not available, so it is suggested you bring some. There are many basic flavorings (mostly fruit and rum), but if you have some favorites you may want to bring them.

Brown sugar – Available here sometimes.

Flour – Flour with bran is available and Whole Wheat flour can be ordered.

Corn Meal – Available here.

Grits – Not available here.

Powdered Buttermilk – vinegar mixed with milk can be used in most recipes that call for buttermilk, but if you have something like a dressing mix which calls for buttermilk the powdered would greatly improve the flavor.

Salad Dressing – Bottled Thousand Island, French & Italian dressings are available.  Bring mixes and/or recipes for others.  Ranch dressing is available in packets.

Jell-O – Available here.

Instant Pudding: Not available here.

Kool-aid – There are very good fruit flavored drink mixes here, but they do taste slightly different than Kool-aid.  Most have sugar, if you like sugar free you might want to bring some Crystal Light.

Marshmallows – If you’re overly attached to Rice Krispy Treats (or fudge at Christmas) you will need marshmallows.  The moisture and heat cause them to become a sticky glob but they are still marshmallows.  They are available occasionally in Salatiga.

Macaroni & Cheese – Kraft Macaroni & Cheese can be purchased in Salatiga.

Pecans, Walnuts & Almonds – Not available here but can be ordered.  Bring some.

Coffee – Most of us adjust to instant Nescafe.  The coffee here is ground too fine for drip coffee makers.  You might want to bring a small supply of ground coffee to use until you adjust.  Have friends send Starbucks as gifts!!  Actually, the local coffee is very good if you adjust to using it, but there are no special flavors available.

Decaf Coffee – Only instant is available.  We have Starbucks in some of the bigger cities on Java so when we travel we usually buy our decaf coffee fresh from them.  Expensive!!

Instant Coffee – Nescafe is available in both regular and decaf. 

Tea:  Lots of varieties but no decaf.  

Chocolate:  If you like chocolate, bring some of your own.  We have chocolate chips and baking chocolate, but they are not Nestles!  Real Nestle chocolate chips are a real treat!  We can get cake mixes, brownie mixes and frosting.

Cereal:  Corn flakes and Rice Krispies are available and reasonably priced;  no Cheerios, however.    Kids cereals are available.  Cocoa puffs, Trix and other assorted brands.

Cookies and Crackers:  Readily available but Saltines are rare.

Peanut Butter and Jelly: Readily available

MISC KITCHEN ITEMS:

Utensils - Most kitchen utensils are furnished or available for purchase.

Can Opener: Can openers are very low quality here.  Bring a heavy duty one. 

Spatulas:  Bring spatulas from home.  The spatulas here are very hard.

Tupperware –We have a Tupperware lady in Salatiga, although, plastic containers are everywhere in this country and very inexpensive.  Real Tupperware here is more expensive than in the States.  If you already have Tupperware, you should bring some.  You can pack things in it in your trunks.  The Indonesian brands are not very good quality, and the heat and the bugs are a problem.

Oven Thermometer – Ovens do not have temperature settings.  A good idea to bring.

Recipes – You will appreciate having your favorite recipes.  You might not be able to get all the ingredients but those that have been here a while can help find substitutes.  Bring your favorite cook book.

Aluminum Foil and Plastic Wrap – Available here.

Waxed Paper -  Not available here.

Ziploc bags – Available here….large and small but expensive.  Easy to buy bulk in the States and bring along.  It is good to pack the stuff in your trunks in large Ziploc bags, also, in case your bags come open during the trip.  Then you can re-use those Ziploc bags after you arrive.

Cake Decorating -  Bring cake decorating items if you like to do this.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Hobby items – Please feel free to bring any hobby items with you. 

Other Holiday / Party Items – Bring your own plastic Easter eggs if you need them.

Sewing Machine – Sewing machines can be bought for very low prices here.

Christmas Decorations – It is good to bring a few special ornaments.  Christmas trees are available for purchase here but they are expensive.  Christmas decorations are available but the quality is not very good.

Shower Curtain -  Bring the clear plastic ones.  They don’t have them here.  We usually have a cloth one made to go over the plastic one.  Some other types are available here.

Helmets -  Bring your own bicycle helmets and if you plan to ride motorcycles, bring those too.  The quality of helmets here is very low.

Film – We have a Fuji Photo center here, and you can buy cameras, film and have developing done but it is expensive.  You can buy good digital cameras also and have your digital pictures printed. 

Lonely Planet Indonesian Phrase Book – Good basic Indonesian Language starter.

Camping Equipment – You can buy camping equipment here.  If you have hiking water bottles, bring them.  If you plan to camp and hike, bring what you need.  Rappelling equipment is not good quality here. 

HOME DECORATIONS:

Pictures and Framing – We recommend you bring one photo album with all your special family photos.  If you have family pictures framed on your walls you can take those pictures to Walmart and make copies of them to bring with you and store your originals. When you get ready to move back to the States you can just throw the copied pictures away and sell the frames.  Pictures can be framed here inexpensively and frames can be purchased.  If you bring your original photos, they risk being ruined by mold or just by sticking to the glass (glossy prints, especially).

Knick-Knacks – Bring those that hold special memories for you and your family.  Knick-Knacky items can be purchased here rather inexpensively.

MAILING HINTS:

Here are a few helpful hints in regard to mailing packages to Indonesia.  Keep the package small and write the contents of the package on the outside of the envelope or box.  Large packages take much longer.  Surface mail usually takes a minimum of 10 weeks; 3 months is usual.  First class or airmail usually takes 2-6 weeks.  When asked for the value put $0.  In Indonesia that means, “How much do you plan to sell this item for?”  Items brought in for resale are usually heavily taxed.  Also, it helps to write “gift” and/or “not for resale.”

There is a Bulk Bag Sea Mail (M-bag) offered through the US Post Office for mailing books.  Place your books securely in smaller boxes, preferably in plastic, and then get the bulk bag from the Post Office.  The cost is about US $1.00 per pound with a 70-pound limit per bag.  Using this system it takes 4-6 months to get your books.  This is usually reliable, but one couple lost all their books, including textbooks.

**HINT:  Put all books and papers that are mailed in Ziploc bags and keep good inventory.  The post office has flooded on one occasion.  Boxes will be thrown around and dropped so pack things tight and in two layers of cardboard or in an Action packer type container.

MORE QUESTIONS??

If you have questions on a specific item, please do not hesitate to ask.  This list is put together by those of us that have forged this road and intended to help you decide what to bring.  We all have different things that are important to us.  We update this list every year.  Please feel free to bring the things that are important to you.  Additional questions can be directed to Lisa Goins at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it