The suggested packing list for a humanitarian trip to Haiti reads like a survival guide:
Mosquito net, check. Permethrin spray for clothing, Deet spray for skin, malaria pills for the inside, check. Emergency Cipro prescription in case of traveler’s diarrhea, Imodium for same affliction, two roles of toilet paper, for, well, ditto – check, check and check. Oh but there’s more, way more.  (A snapshot of this reporter's items are at left) Each member of the St. Mary’s medical mission was given a suggested packing list that reads as follows:

Clothing -Approx. 4/5 days worth - items can be washed. T-shirts, comfortable pants/jeans/shorts, shower sandals (flip-flops), comfy sneakers/shoes, nightgown, socks, shower robe (optional), scrubs (at least four pair), underwear, light blanket for sleeping.

Toiletries - Malaria meds, personal meds, soap, razor toothbrush & toothpaste, two bath towels(will be left there), hairbrush/comb, one hand towel - will be left there, sunscreen, one wash cloth (will be left there),bug repellent. toilet paper.

Comfort items - Two medium water bottles, sunglasses, wet towelettes, kleenex, mirror, bowl for personal care, two sheets(will be left there), small travel pillow, Imodium or Pepto-Bismol, Cipro 500mg. (Optional), favorite snacks, and a mosquito net with poles.

Other Important Items, - PASSPORT, notebook/journal & pen, license, copy of doc/nursing license if appropriate, small pocket flashlight with extra batteries, passport holder or fanny pack.

Everyone on the trip has his or her own personal super-item. Sue Marchitto needs her reading glasses. Richard Garvey came up with the tent poles-duct tape-mosquito net combo that seems to be popular with the group. This reporter is bringing a ridiculous amount of power bars, organic beef jerky, trail mix and canned salmon. Oh and a headlamp, key for late-night treks to whatever “rustic” bathroom set-up we have. (It is rumored to involve a bucket.)

For the physicians, Sue also recommends the following:

Haiti Diseases handbook and Haitian/English handouts
Stethoscope and BP cuff for medical personnel
opthalmoscopes (if you have one)

As it turns out, I don’t have a opthalmoscope, so I will be without...

We are flying into Port-au-Prince and are scheduled to land Saturday afternoon. From there, we will take ground transportation over bumpy terrain to Jacmel, a southern port town that was heavily devastated in the Jan. 12 earthquake.
To give you a better idea of our first destination, check out the map below.