It's that time of the year already? G7s you're almost here!

In a few short weeks the new incoming group of volunteers will be arriving in Tbilisi. This blog post is dedicated to helping calm their jitters!

If you're anything like I was this time last year, then there's a lot of freaking out going on. My first piece of advice--don't try and learn the language ahead of time. You'll get PLENTY of training during PST. Enjoy the last few weeks you have at home. Go out, party, gorge yourself on your favorite foods. Just indulge youself while you still can.

Packing wise. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail since so many other volunteers havedone so on their blogs. I'll just jot down a few important things.

Bring lots of underwear, undershirts and socks. The heat is intense and nobody digs the sweatstains. Remember you'll be handwashing and you're not going to want to do that every week. As far toiletries go you can find everything here. The one thing I haven't been able to find is flouride rinse. Contact lens solution is here but can be hard to find sometimes outside of major cities so I recommend bringing at least 1 bottle. Also, bring lots of hand sanitizer. Though there are wetwipes, I haven't seen any that are antibacterial. For winter, bring a winter coat (shipping is less than reliable), gloves, scarf and hat. It's hard to find good quality items here. Also bring LOTS of wool socks and at least 3 pairs of longjohns.

As far as "non-essential items" those tend to be the best comfort items. Don't bring along too many books. We've got a loungeful of them. Bring an Ipod or mp3 player. Bring a digital camera. You can find rechargeable batteries and chargers here for good prices. If you have a laptop, and I can't stress this enough, BRING IT! You will find it to be great for projects as well as zoning out. There are also a few volunteers who brought Gameboys, PSPs or DSs with them (myself included). Those are definately worth their weight in gold.

Other little comfort items that help would be a small candy bag full of your fave munchies to help you through PST. The fun-size candies also make nice gifts for kids. Any flavor packets AKA Crystal Lite is great too...for yourself. Also if you're into word searches, crossword puzzles, suduko, etc bring along a few books. Don't worry about bringing and CDs or DVDs to burn for future use. They're readily available here. For guys and girls alike I recommend bringing either a small backpack or messenger bag for small trips. Also bring a pair of comfortable sandals (good warm weather) and hiking boots (crappy winter weather). Regarding clothing, to save on space pick items that you can wear in both a relaxed and professional setting. And bring along a headlamp. Those things come in mighty handy for all sorts of situations *think midnight run to the outhouse!*

Lastly, try not to freak out too much. Whatever you need, you can find here. Breathe, take it easy and I'll be seeing you in a few weeks.