By Zoey Olson
Saguaro City Reporter
#1: Shower Shoes.
This one is pretty specific to me because I forgot mine, but when showering in communal showers it definitely is best to wear shower shoes to protect your feet from all the nastiness that comes with showering in dorms. Thankfully, the shop does sell shower shoes, but it’s just best to bring your own.
#2: Energy Drinks
Girls State, despite being super fun, is exhausting. We run right up to 10:00-10:30 doing some activities, and you might not get as much sleep as you want after that due to the 6:00 wakeup time.
Especially in the summer when we’re all used to sleeping till 10:00 in the morning, having some sort of caffeine boost can really help you to stay awake during some of the less engaging meetings.
If you’re like me and don’t function well on low sleep, a couple Redbulls or Alanis can give you some more pep.
Keep in mind however that you won’t be able to refrigerate them, so consider something you’re okay with drinking at room temperature.
I would also recommend a few snacks like granola bars or chips to keep in your room, since we have very few alternative options if the prepared meal isn’t quite what you were hoping for.
#3: Pens
(and other stationery)
Almost everyone attending Girls State should bring some kind of stationery, but most importantly pens.
We’re constantly having to write things down as well as design our city book and campaign posters, so bring more art supplies than you think you need.
My pens have been repeatedly lost and stolen, so I’d consider bringing a pack of some you aren’t too attached to. For campaign posters, keep in mind that you can’t bring any elements that are premade, so make sure to limit your supplies to the posters themselves and something to write/color with.
Blue painter’s tape is super nice to have as well, especially for our door decorating contests.
#4: Undershirts
This one depends on the weather, but during the first two days of this week it poured rain on us, which almost no one was prepared for.
We aren’t allowed to wear jackets or anything that covers our shirts (regardless of weather conditions) so I’d recommend some tighter long sleeve undershirts to wear under the shirts.
While we all understand why the rule is in place (the staff need to be able to keep track of us) I do think it’s a bit unnecessary, especially when we’re forced to use our handbooks as umbrellas.
In a similar weather-related vein, I wish I had a pair of slippers or slide on shoes to throw on around the dorms or to get breakfast in.
#5: A Nickname
This one is also a little specific, but in a community of 200 girls, its likely that someone else will share your name, especially if it happens to be one of the most common in your birth year.
In my city alone, there are two Zoe(y)s, two Abigails as well as an Alex and an Alexa. In other cities there are multiple Avas and Evelyns, and I’m sure there are even more duplicates I haven’t even met yet.
Coming prepared to Girls State with a nickname can definitely make it easier for you and your city by clearly distinguishing yourself as soon as you discover a name copycat.
We do regularly write our names with the last name first, so it could be convenient if you just choose to stick with your last name for identification purposes.
In general, I would highly recommend following the packing list, which includes many of these items.
Unfortunately, I lost my packing list early in my packing process, so ideally this article will function as a cautionary tale of not utilizing that list. Happy packing!