What to Pack

The market is Grenada is pretty much controlled by a few players and a few players = oligopoly.  You know what that means right?  High prices for everything since there's practically no competition at all.  Also, low quality products.  That being said, I've included a list of items luggage worthy.   


I added a few other items and details on top of a list I found on SGU's website.

school supplies for students:

• Sturdy backpack or rolling bag (textbooks are HEAVY. bring a friend or rolling bag for help upon pick up) - lockers available every other day
• Laptop-
• Notebooks, pens, paper, multi-colored highlighters, dry erase markers, 2-inch binders, colored pens, pencils (no. 2 for exams), and index cards+ index card rings (These items are available but much more expensive than at home.)
• Earplugs for studying and sleeping
• Day Planner- hard to find at nearby stores
• Personal calculator with square root function (Expensive calculators are unnecessary for undergraduate, graduate, veterinary medical, and medical students.)
• Flash drive to easily carry information to print or share and portable external hard drive to keep in your room to store a back-up of all your data. It’s one thing to get a computer stolen or to have it crash, another entirely to lose a term’s worth of notes.
• Science students will need two white lab coats.
• Medical students will need lab coats or scrubs and latex gloves (These may be purchased in the University bookstore; however, if coming from outside of Grenada, it is recommended that you purchase these before leaving home as this may be less expensive. Scrubs are more comfortable, but medical students will need a lab coat for microbiology.)Daily Health Care Items
  Students should be equipped to handle minor medical problems.
  Common student complaints:
• Digestive irregularities
• Infections
• Sunburn
• Earaches
• Cuts, sprains, bruises
• Insect bites (mosquito) 

Clothing:

• Adequate wardrobe for four months of campus life; washing machines are available on campus only for students living in the dormitories (For those coming from cold climates, remember to pack light clothing.)
• Sandals, flip-flops, sneakers
• Light raincoat/poncho, umbrella
• Sweater/sweatshirt (air-conditioned lecture halls can be cold)
• Medical students: A jacket, tie, and dress trousers or a sundress/light dress for the White Coat Ceremony; Sundress/trousers to wear in clinical skills during visits to the outlying District Health Office
• Do not bring overly formal clothing—you will live in casual summer clothing.
• bring at least one pair of jeans and a long sleeve to wear at night. hope that your clothes are thick enough to defeat the unforgiving blood-sucking ninja Mosquitos. Wearing such clothes doesn't bother me one bit as far as temperature wise. I even wear jeans in the day to prevent sunburn. At first you may not understand why one would do such a thing, but being the amazing creatures we are, we eventually adapt. ta-da. you won't be sorry. promise!

 
Daily Health Care Items
Students should be equipped to handle minor medical problems.
Common student complaints:

• Digestive irregularities
• Infections
• Sunburn
• Earaches
• Cuts, sprains, bruises
• Insect bites (mosquito)

Consider having the following:

• A well-supplied first-aid kit
• Band-aids, antiseptic, Ace bandage
• Sunscreen, insect repellant, After Bite (essential)
• Pain relievers (Tylenol, Advil, and so forth)
• Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate, Imodium (digestion and irregularity remedies)
• Contact lens supplies or extra pair of eyeglasses/prescription sunglasses (contact lens solution is expensive in grenada).
• Prescription medications. If you are on any medications, be sure to bring enough to last longer than your anticipated stay. The particular medication you require may not be available in Grenada.  Contraceptives are available through Family Planning in St. George’s, the True Blue Clinic or local pharmacies; however, particular brands and dosages of oral contraceptives are often limited. Thus, it is advisable to bring sufficient supply with you. 

Sports and recreational items:
Camera, underwater camera, film (if needed). Beaches are plentiful and in certain ones, the water is clear blue. having an underwater camera can be of great use in capturing memories (snorkeling, underwater museum, scuba diving, coral, swimming pools).

• Tennis racket (though it is not easy to find somewhere to play tennis—you usually have to negotiate with a hotel), softball glove, football, frisbee, volleyball, basketball, and so forth; if you have children, bring equipment for them as smaller sizes may not be conveniently available
  
  
• Athletic shoes, cleats, hiking shoes, and so forth (rollerblades are definitely not recommended; bikes can also be dangerous on narrow, uneven roads)
  
  
• Snorkeling or diving equipment (These can also be rented from the local hotels.)

Family Packing:
As a rule, pack light clothing; however, for health reasons, children should always wear shoes or sandals when outdoors. For those traveling to Grenada, be sure to bring plenty of diapers. Although disposable diapers are available, they are expensive. Cloth diapers are problematic because so few apartments have clothes dryers, but some families seem to cope.

Personal items: 

• feminine products
• razor/shaving cream
• tweezers
• nail clippers
• toothpaste
• toothbrushes
• floss
• shampoo and conditioner
• bar soap
• face sunscreen
• mini sewing kit
• vitamins
• make up
• bath towels
• rubber flip flops or bath mat for shower (i prefer flip flops over the mat because mold tends to build up on mats)

General:

• swiss army knife (screw driver)
• laptop for significant other
• pocket calculator
• decorations for house
• transformers, converters
• mini pocket calculator for conversions
• water bottle
• Water filter (such as Brita jug) and replacement filters--Very important! you will save a lot of money if you invest in one of these.  Filtered water is available on campus, but I don't favor it since it has a weird aftertaste.  Other than that, bottled water is ridiculously expensive. It costs more than beer!  
• external hard drive loaded with movies and TV shows (more for significant others) 
• sunglasses
• can opener

Other Conveniences:

• Kindle™ 3G (Electronic reading devices permit easy download of books and magazines in Grenada. This is more for the significant others—most students don’t have time for pleasure reading.)
• Duct tape, scotch tape, packing tape
• Stapler
• zip lock bags
• Desk lamp with replacement bulbs
• Stationery, greeting cards, self-adhesive envelopes
• Headset with microphone for making phone calls over the internet with Skype or Netphone
• Radio/MP3 player
• Electric coffee pot, teapot
• Pots and pans (if you plan to cook)- if you don't come early enough, you won't be able to catch outgoing students sales of their pots and pans. these are expensive on the island and low in quality.
• one straight edged knife and one serrated knife of good quality
• Collapsible cardboard boxes
• Food storage containers and zip-lock bags for cereal and other items
• Flashlight
• Travel Clock
• Hangers and a laundry bag (many students use a duffel bag as both luggage and a laundry bag). I use a collapsible laundry bag. it's light and easy to pack.  Each dorm complex has its own laundry facilities. 
• Large drinking cup, mug, bowl, silverware
• Blankets, sheets, and pillow for twin-sized beds 

Things to Leave at Home (from Significant other's website)

*There are a number of things we recommend you leave at home. Some of these are just items that are relatively inexpensive here, or just inconvenient to bring.

*Unfortunately, most of us travel by bringing more of what we don't need and not enough of what we do. Here are a few things to think about...

*Don't bring any spices unless you must have something very specific and rare. Spices are one of the few things that are cheaper in Grenada than in the States.

*Don't bring a microwave or TV unless you want to pay a fortune in duty (usually more than what the item was originally worth). Other students and SO's are constantly selling their items and although these things may be very expensive, they will probably be cheaper than bringing them. Not only that, but your apartment may come with these amenities.

Remember... students are coming and going every term, so you can get most things from students leaving.  Somethings may be more expensive than you are used to, but the cost of bringing or shipping them may be more.  Be sure to check out the Beginning of the Term sale, SGU Post, SO Facebook page, and SGU Market for items that you need.

• SGU Post - You'll need your student's SGU login information to use the Post.  First, go to www.sgu.edu.  Click "My SGU" and login.  Then click on "Post".  You'll see "For Sale", "Textbooks for Sale", "Vehicles" and more. 
• SO's of SGU Facebook Page - The "Discussion" tab on our Facebook page is a place where SO's post various things for sale.

• SGUMarket.com - Another place where students and SOs post items for sale.  This one can be used be people all over Grenada, so you have a large audience to choose from.  

 *Tip: If you plan on living off campus, be sure to contact your landlord prior to moving in to ask what is already included in your apartment.

the mosquitos here are unforgiving!