Mail information, my address, etc.

Hola! Here is all the information I’ve gotten regarding sending and receiving mail while I’m in Niger. During the first two months when I’m in Niger I will have no access to email or phone…just mail, so write!! In two months, after I get to my post I will have more access to using phone and email, it will just be up to me when I can get into town to use it and how close I am to a bigger city that would have internet/phones. So for the first two months, I wont be able to update the blog but what I’ve seen a lot of other people do is have their friends and family post up letter’s (on their blog) that the volunteers have sent home, that way everyone can kind of be updated. If I send you a letter and you want to put it up on the blog, its really easy, just email Nikki (nikkig11@uga.edu), my mom (sprescott@pappclinic.com), my dad (marcus0056@aol.com ) or Gary and Shelly (gsergent@bellsouth.net) and they’ll tell you how to do it. Maybe that’s enough options, hehe I know you’ve got to know one of those people.

This will be my address for the first 2 months. It will change and I can put up my new address then, but I’m under the impression that if you send a letter and it takes a while to get to Niger and I’ve since moved to my post, I can still pick up mail sent later to this address (did that make sense?)

Katie Prescott, PCV

Corps de la Paix

B. P. 10537

Niamey, Niger

West Africa

Also, they recommend writing “AIRMAIL” or “PAR AVION” at the bottom to ensure faster delivery. I don’t know how long it will take for mail to arrive or get to the US from Niger, but I’ve heard everything from 3 weeks to 2 months (probably for packages it takes longer). To send a letter to Niger from the post office is only 84 cents, here’s a site Gary found for more Niger mail info: http://pe.usps.gov/text/Imm/immicl/immiclnr_009.html

If you send packages, they say it’s better to use a padded envelope vs. a box because boxes are taxed more heavily and I would have to pay more to pick them up. But trust me I wont complain if I receive a box of goodies ( : A lot of people have asked me what to send in the mail, the best thing would be just a letter because I’m sure after being in such a foreign culture for so long, I will be wanting to hear from people in the US and home as much a possible. But if you do send a package of want to stuff an envelope, here would be some good things to include (I added some things that other volunteers had made a list of in the past):

- Newspaper clippings about the Dawgs!!

- Tom and Katie’s baby pictures (ha! just kidding)

- Food!! Pretty much any dry food that will make if in the extreme heat all the way to Niger. Dried soup, pasta mix packets, dried fruit, hard candy, actually any kind of candy, drink mixes like Koolaid or Crystal Light.)

- Magazines aka tabloids or US weeklys, haha or just any old magazine that would be news to me. Also if you see newspaper clippings you think I might be interested in that would be good, because I’m a nerd like that.

- Pictures!

- Little things for the little kids, like crayons, cars, stickers, etc.

On the Customs Form only claim the contents are worth $0-10. I may have to pay taxes on the money on the amount in the customs form.

I also found out that I will be flying to Philedelphia for “staging” on Tuesday the 25^th, staying there a couple of days, taking a bus to NYC on Thursday the 27^th, flying from NYC to Niamey, Niger via Paris. I’m under the impression we’re taking the airbus, so that should be interesting. There are 40 people in my training group who will be with me for training in the first 9 weeks, their jobs are all going to be in 4 categories: English language education, Nutrition, Community Health, and Community and Youth Education.

All right well that’s all I think, and I guess I will update the blog as soon as I can when I am in Niger!! Don’t worry about me I will be fine, I promise!!

Love,

Katie