Gift for someone joining the Peace Corps?

One of my very good friends that I don't see very often is joining/joined the Peace Corps. He leaves in June for Mongolia, he'll be teaching english there. Any ideas on a useful, meaningful gift I could get for him. I'm willing to pay up to $200, as he is a very dear friend and was always there for me before I even met my husband.

I would get him a world band radio that can also charge your cell phone without needing batteries, its a hand crank. LL Bean sells them, its where I got mine. A water bottle that has an automatic filter in it. A lightweight daypack/backpack. Flashlight that doesn't need batteries (you shake it to charge it). Swiss Army Knife will come in handy I am sure. (tell him to pack it in his luggage when he travels there or the airline will make him leave it behind!)

Postcards from home? So he can see familiar sights from around his area, being so far away it may be nice, he can hang them up easily and keep them in his backpack because they are lightweight.

Whats the weather like? If it is cold I would get him some thermal stuff. Its lightweight but so useful!

Originally Posted by fifi1puss

I would get him a world band radio that can also charge your cell phone without needing batteries, its a hand crank. LL Bean sells them, its where I got mine. A water bottle that has an automatic filter in it. A lightweight daypack/backpack. Flashlight that doesn't need batteries (you shake it to charge it). Swiss Army Knife will come in handy I am sure. (tell him to pack it in his luggage when he travels there or the airline will make him leave it behind!)

Postcards from home? So he can see familiar sights from around his area, being so far away it may be nice, he can hang them up easily and keep them in his backpack because they are lightweight.

Whats the weather like? If it is cold I would get him some thermal stuff. Its lightweight but so useful!

Click to expand...

Thanks so much!! I'm not sure about the weather. I'm trying to research it a bit.

a travel organizer thingie. A book about the country he is going to, if you can find one.

I'm reminded of a Christmas gift ideas list I read in a magazine a few years ago intended to give family and friends of those in the military who are deployed or deploying. Obviously, this isn't quite the same, but some of the same ideas came to mind.

(order listed is irrelevant)

1. Stay Alert Gum. This is a gum that contains caffeine and is used heavily by soldiers to stay alert and awake on the job while dealing with poor quality sleep, or sleep deprivation. http://stayalertgum.com/

2. A tritium watch. Tritium is a slightly radioactive gas (an isotope of hydrogen), that when encapsulated in tiny glass tubes with phosphors, emits a glowing light without the need for any kind of battery or other power source. They're extremely useful at night in poorly lit areas, or in any situation when knowing the time is important, but light conditions otherwise would prohibit being able to read a watch. The concept is nothing new, the same thing used to be done with radium, but unlike radium, tritium doesn't cause bone cancer. The big company for these watches is Luminox, but they aren't cheap. On the other hand, these watches are extremely popular with the mall-ninja crowd (people who seem to like pretending to be a cop, claim that they're an ex navy seal, and go far beyond typical concealed carry of firearms by carrying a primary fiream, a backup firearm, a backup for the backup, 2 folding knives, one fixed blade knife, a flashlight, etc. etc.) - think Duane Chapman AKA Dog the Bounty Hunter.... he'd be a mall ninja if it weren't for the fact that he can't own or carry most of the items mentioned because he is a convicted felon convicted of playing a part in the murder of a man in Texas.

Anyways, that said, due to the mall-ninja crowd, a large number of knock-off tritium watches have popped up, usually bearing the logo of some firearms manufacturer, but ultimately being essentially the same thing as a Luminox watch, just 1/10th the price.

3. Neither of the previous ones floating your boat? No problem. How about this - Mongolia isn't exactly known for first class healthcare. The current average there is 27.7 doctors per every 10,000 people in the country. Therefore, your friend would do best to be on top of his own health like a hawk. A quality first aid kit is a good start. A inexpensive, yet decent quality stethoscope and blood pressure cuff makes it better. A box of non-batter operated thermometers would be good too, such as 3M's TempaDOT series. A nice big tube of Bacitracin (or a large number of tiny packets) along with quality bandages and such is a good idea. Mongolia is host to a number of infectious diseases that are not yet under control. While you can't pack treatment for TB, Viral Hepatitis, Brucellosis, various parasites, Tularemia, the plague, etc. etc. (all of these are issues in Mongolia according to the CDC), you can pack items to help boost your friend's immune system such as certain vitamins, amino acids, and even benadryl (diphenhydramine) or melatonin because quality restful sleep is required for the immune system to function optimally.

I'll stop there, but you get the idea. Stuff to help keep your friend safe IMO are the best gifts. I liked the idea of a radio too, the only issue I can see is that who knows how easy it is to find batteries over there, and crank operated ones are a bit of a pita.

Keep in mind, as I've mentioned in another friend, I'm a bit eccentric about safety, so keep that in mind when trying to figure out where I'm coming from.

Solar powered chargers are awesome!

http://www.rei.com/gear/feature/sear...FQHxDAodfSLOWQ

especially this one-

http://www.rei.com/product/784487

There are all sorts of nifty things that might come in handy for your friend on rei.com. The solar chargers are just beyond handy.

snack foods ... ie granola bars , sunflower seeds...

tolietry items - camp toliet paper, moist wipes

the others got the other stuff...

his favorite foods that are dried or canned

I'll add to Sharky's snack suggetions and throw in the products from Brothers All Natural. I've recently become a big fan of their Fruit Crisps and Potato Crisps. They're freeze-dried instead of fried so you get the nutritional benefits of the fruits and/or potatoes without the needless added fat of oil used in frying. They're not fried. Being freeze dried, they have a shelf life of at least 1 year.

Also, another good snack that will last is individually packed and vacuum sealed jerky. The folks at Pacific Mountain Farms sell jars of individually packed jerky strips or sticks (your choice) in various meats. Excellent quality, unlike most of the jerky you see in the stores which has massive amounts of sugar and additives and second rate meat IMO, they use lean farm raised meat in either beef, venison, elk, or buffalo and their own recipe marinades and spices. They're an excellent source of protein.