Send me stuff, really please do!!!!!

Guidelines for Mail

I am told that receiving mail and care packages is key to keeping up morale in a successful volunteer. Please write often and send packages as often as is practical. In a place with few comforts, a box of things from home will seem like Christmas any time of year (and no matter how hot it is!).

MY ADDRESS:

Corinna [you know my last name], PCT (PCV after February 6, 2009)
Corps de la Paix Americain
BP 1927
Conakry, GuineaWEST AFRICA

The way mail works in Guinea is that the only place that actually has a mail system is the capital, Conakry. This is where our PC headquarters is located. All mail should be delivered to PC HQ, and then they do a monthly mail run out to my site to give me everything I have received. During training (12/4/08 – 2/6/09), I may receive mail more frequently.

Something you send could take up to six weeks to actually get to me, and outgoing mail is no better. But PLEASE send letters and packages as often as possible. They will keep up my morale!Anything that will arrive after February 6, 2009 should say “PCV” (Peace Corps Volunteer) rather than “PCT” (Peace Corps Trainee) after my name.

LETTERS:

When you send letters, number them clearly at the top and put the date. Also, make a photocopy of the letter before you send it in case any get lost in the mail, so we will still have it if it never gets here.Good things to send with letters are photos, comics, and news clippings. NEWS ITEMS will be especially important, as I will have almost no access to news from the US (!!). Due to budget cuts, Peace Corps recently canceled the Newsweek subscriptions they have provided to volunteers since the beginning of the Corps. Do not send money or anything valuable as oftentimes the edges of letters will be clipped to see if there is anything of value inside.If you’re sending a postcard, put it in an envelope. The pretty pictures are likely to end up posted on some Guinean’s wall instead of mine.Be sure to write “AIR MAIL” and “PAR AVION” on the envelope.

PACKAGES:

1. Print the address label from a computer if possible to make it official-looking. I have read that packages with labels printed by hand have not made it to their destination.

2. Insure the package, even if it’s just granola bars. One volunteer kept track of his packages and received 100% of those that were insured and only 56% of uninsured packages. Write “INSURED” and “ASSURANCE” (French) on the outside. Also write “AIR MAIL” and “PAR AVION” on the box.

3. Number and date your packages so I know I am receiving them.

4. If there is something super-important you really want me to get, put it inside an empty tampon box – apparently no one will touch it.

5. Mail is less likely to be tampered with if it’s addressed in red ink.

6. It’s also less likely to be tampered with if you draw crosses and write religious phrases on it (in French) such as “Dieu regardez-vous” or “Dieu merci”. A great link of French bible versus http://www.wordproject.org/fr/index.htm just pick one and copy it on the envelope. Oh and "Dieu" means God in French.

7. Please tape the box up really, really well after you seal it so no one can easily reach in and steal stuff.

8. If sending food, please wrap and double wrap in plastic bags (ziplocs preferably, since I can reuse them) to avoid wonderful creatures from sharing in on my treats.

9. You will also be required to fill out customs declaration form PS Form 2976-A. You can complete this form at the post office or online before you ship at https://webapps.usps.com/customsforms/. Indicate all contents as “Used” on the customs form to reduce the risk of theft.

10. On the Customs form, when listing the contents make them lame. For example, tell them you are sending me pencils or education materials and not expensive chocolate or soccer balls. Just downplay everything. If you’re sending books, magazines, DVDs, things like that, you can mark it as “educational materials” (I would say you could even mark that for stuff like soccer balls and stuff for kids), as it is less likely to be tampered with.

11. If what you’re sending is relatively heavy, I suggest sending with the post office’s Priority Mail flat rate international box (same as the domestic box), as the weight restriction is 20 pounds as long as the stuff fits in the box. The rate is $38.95 for the regular box (11" x 8.5" x 5.5") and $49.95 for the larger box (12” x 12” x 6”). This rate is only good for parcels, so DO NOT include a letter inside as you may be charged the letter rate, not package rate, for the whole package. If you want to include a letter, it is suggested that you tape it underneath the address label or to the inside page of a magazine so it is unlikely to be detected (I'm sorry Aunt Anne and Uncle Glen, forget what I'm saying, you can send me things the official Post office way). If what you are sending is light, you may be able to pay less than the flat rate. Ask your local post office.

12. If you wish to send money, the larger the bill, the better the exchange rate I will get. To send it most safely, I would put it inside something boring in the empty tampon box or tape it to the inside of a magazine page. But please note that this is risky. A better way to send money is to send to my parents ( you know the address, we've lived there for 20 years) to deposit into my bank account, which I will have limited access to. You can make the check out to me, as they will have Power of Attorney to deal with my financial matters.

13. There is no method of disposing of trash or recyclables where I will be going (other than burning or throwing on the ground), so please minimize packaging or put things in containers I can reuse, like Ziploc bags, jars or airtight plastic containers/Tupperware.

Be aware that you can do all of this stuff online at www.usps.com, including ordering free flat rate boxes, printing postage, and scheduling a pickup. In fact, you get a 5% discount on the shipping fee if you do it online.

WHAT TO SEND:

I compiled this list based on things I might enjoy and the advice of current and past volunteers.
-AA & AAA batteries
-Photos (of you, you with pets (Mika!), places/vacations, etc…)
-Magazines/Newspapers (People, Time, National Geographic, Newsweek, etc…)
-Secret or Degree Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant
-Wal*Mart brand Apricot Scrub (The Wally World version of St. Ives Apricot Scrub)
-Sudoku books/Crossword puzzles
-Movies/TV Shows on DVD
-Music on CD
-Fancy soap (even Dove works for me)
-Hair shampoo/conditioner (weak shampoo is available in-country, but conditioner is elusive – try to make it something natural/herbal, as scents can attract more mosquitoes!)
-Shaving cream
-Foot care items (my feet will get nasty)
-Hair clips/claws/ties
-Stuff kids would like: SOCCER BALLS (I will have a bike pump to inflate it), stickers, glue, tape, kids safety scissors, colored pencils/pencil sharpener, paper, picture books, inflatable beach ball world globe, etc…
-Books (good novels will be appreciated)
-Hand sanitizer
-Vegetable/tree/flower seeds (make sure it’s something that does well in Guinea’s climate)
-Macaroni & cheese (EZ Mac, Velveeta Shells & Cheese, etc…)
-Dried fruit/fruit leather
-Candy (non melty I.E. no chocolate)
-Sugar-free gum
-Trail Mix (no peanuts please! there will be lots there)
-Edible Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc…)
-Emergen-C (vitamin section), Crystal Light, or other drink mix (preferably sugar-free)
-Jiffy Pop popcorn (you know the kind you put on your stove and it pops into this big bubble)
-Granola bars
-Energy/protein bars
-Nutella
-Non-refrigerated cheese (Velveeta, Parmesan, Hickory Farms, Danielle, you better be on this!!)
-Non-perishable condiment packets (Taco Bell sauces mild is my fav, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, etc... In case you don't know this already, I do not like ketchup or mustard, so please don't send them)
-Spices (garlic salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, taco seasoning, pesto sauce, Ranch powder, etc…)
-Graham cracker / Oreos
-'Just add water' cookie mixes
-Any kind of food that will keep and is easy to prepare (i.e. add water, milk, eggs, oil)

Please think of this list as guidelines and suggestions and send anything you think will make it up to 6 weeks en route, as I’m sure whatever you send will be MUCH APPRECIATED! Also, check my blog for any special requests!

EMAIL/INTERNET:

Please send ALL email messages to merrill.9@wright.edu I will probably only have enough Internet access to check one box, so make sure whatever you send goes here. You can also read my blog at http://corinnamerrill.blogspot.com/ . Please know that I will do my best to answer personal emails, but my Internet access will be spotty and limited (most likely, I will only have access to Internet when I make it into the capital, Conakry), so my replies will likely be few and far between. Please feel free to share the blog with any other family or friends as well. I will post stories, pictures, package requests, times I will be in phone service, etc…

PHONE:

Sometime (hopefully) in December, I will be getting a cell phone. I believe it will be free for me to receive calls, but expensive to call out. In all likelihood, I will not have service all the time. Watch the blog for dates and times that I will be in a service area.You can buy phone cards to call or use Skype on your computer, which will allow you to call international cell phones. Go to www.Skype.com and sign up for a free account. You will be using your computer/internet connection to make the call (so you will need a microphone and speakers). It will cost about $.20/min. You put a certain amount of money on there and it will debit from that each time you call.

I look forward to hearing from all of you happily and often! Thanks so much for being such a supportive group of family and friends! And I would like to give a big shout out to Dorian (another PCT) for typing up this massive blog and allowing me to personalize it.