Just a quick post to explain what will be happening next in my journey. Recap: Homestay is finished, training is finished, Swear-In is finished, and I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer! I’ve left Bamako and brought all of my things to San, and in about half an hour I will be moving to my new village to begin my 2 years of service.
For the first 2 months of service I am required by Peace Corps to spend as much time as possible with my community. I’m not allowed to travel, other than limited trips to my banking town or perhaps a market town if needed. Which means my communication will be severely limited. I’ll be in San a few times over the next two months, and I’ll post a few blogs when I do come. After those first 2 months I’ll probably be moving around more, but I’ll still be living in a village without internet access, so in theory, my posts will be much fewer from here on out. Please continue to ask questions when you have them, and I will continue to answer as I am able.
For those of you who are wondering how I’m feeling about all of this…I’m super nervous! My mom asked me today, “How are you going to know what to do? When to go to work, what to be doing when?” And the answer is: I don’t know. I have no idea what to do and when. I’m on my own now, with very little structure or direction. This is going to be a huge challenge for me. I like having structure and goals, and right now my only goal is to learn to speak Bambara and to get to know my community. How to do those things is up to me. So I ask you all to wish me lots of luck! If you are of the praying persuasion, that’s something I appreciate immensely. And if you aren’t, sending positive thoughts out my way is just as good.
And in response to people who ask me what I need, there are a few different answers to that question.
Regarding my service here and the Malian people, right now I don’t need anything. It will be quite awhile before I start to set up projects, and the time may come when I will be asking for donations from back home. But that time is still way in the distance, once I have a better idea of what my community needs and how I can help.
Regarding myself, there isn’t anything I actually need. However, want is a whole other concept! I have a great list of things that are always good to send, and as it turns out, missing packages/contents don’t appear to be a problem here, and customs fees are pretty reasonable.
Some ideas:
1. Letters/Cards/Postcards. These are easy to send and so very well received! It’s so comforting to hear news from home, even if it doesn’t seem like interesting news to you. Keep in mind that letters tend to take longer to arrive than packages, but they nearly all show up in the end.
2. FOOD!!! PCVs LOVE getting American food. Including, but in no way limited to: tuna packets, protein-enhanced granola bars (I get very, very little protein here), electrolyte/protein drink mixes (anything but fruit punch or cherry), cookies, pudding/jello mix (our stage house in San has a refrigerator and stove but no microwave), candy (Jolly Ranchers send well and are delicious), chips, pretzels, cashews, crackers, flavored oatmeal, anything blueberry or strawberry flavored (those fruits don’t exist here), Eclipse spearmint gum, powdered cheese, dried fruit, etc. You get my point. Anything and everything. A word of warning: since it is now hot season, chocolate may (*will*) melt. No biggie, we have no reservations toward licking a candy wrapper clean; however, it’s best to pack chocolate in a Ziploc baggie in case it does melt.
3. Other things: pictures, baby wipes, face wipes, cleaning wipes, hand sanitizer, stationery, journals, magazines (especially People magazine), glow sticks, books (we have TONS of books here but if there’s a special one in mind we do read A LOT!), small games, art supplies, travel size toiletries for traveling purposes, fun home décor (no Bed Bath and Beyond here!), pens, BATTERIES BATTERIES BATTERIES (both AAA and AA; the ones here are really cheaply made and don't last long, and even good-quality ones don't last as long as they would in the States because of the heat) masking tape, duct tape (fun colors are obviously appreciated), surprises…
Get creative! We will find use for it. My mom sent me a microwave brownie mix, not knowing there wasn’t a microwave at the training center, and I stopped opening my package to add the water and eat the batter with my finger. And then I drooled a lot.
Once again…thank you thank you thank you!!
LOL! I can imagine you sitting on the floor in a stupor with chocolate all over your face and hands, drooling on yourself. HAHAHA oh man. That's funny. :)
ReplyDeleteBut now the question is, how do we know what to send? If everyone decides to send the January issue of People, you'll have 10 copies, and nothing that tastes like a strawberry. lol
Also, it kinda blows packages get there quicker than letters. An idea would be to stuff letters inside the packages (which I'll end up doing) but I'd almost want to send packages all the time so they get there comparatively quick. But then you have to pay fees to get them, whereas you wouldn't have to with a letter.
How long does stuff take to get there?
Hey Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI don't know when you'll see this, but I love you! Sometimes I worry because I feel like you're overwhelmed, but we both know you're confident at taking this challenge down easy. I'd like to analogize with how I feel about law school...
It's a big mountain, and you have to dig through it with a spoon. A plastic one. Not going to be easy, but it's not impossible. I'm almost done with my first year of law school, and I have 2 more years! Just like you, and I'm sure we'll learn from those years.
I am praying hard for you about learning the language, don't get discouraged! You got this, and I have faith in you. :)
Aside from the sappy stuff, I agree with Chris -- how do we know what to send? Maybe if we have the same copies of People, you can send to your family and see how the "odd American life" is...as in the people who are celebrities and have $$$.
I have a lot in store for you, so I hope to get this package ready for you! :)
For those of us who maybe want to share something with Michelle, perhaps a google spreadsheet might be nice to ensure multiple same-type items are not sent.
ReplyDeleteBelow is a link to a google document I shared. Anyone can access this and make changes to it. I ask that you do not delete the first two rows, but feel free to add additional columns as you see fit.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Amkem7HTrAOLdHdQdnZPTks1NUZSc212ZFJpWW9pYWc&hl=en&authkey=CLXe1csJ
Michelle, you may wish to share this in a blog post and/or on facebook so those of us who do not frequent this page (i.e. use an RSS reader, or other) have access to it too.
Ps. You may have posted this earlier, but now that you're moving, where do we sent items (i.e. what's your new address)?
@ Alex
ReplyDeletehttp://michelle-in-mali.blogspot.com/2011/03/address-update.html
Alex, you crack me up! You're so methodical about stuff. :) For everyone, don't stress. "People" comes out once a week and even if I do get 8 copies, there are plenty of PCVs here who would love to read it as well! And 8 boxes of the same granola bars is soooo not a problem. :D
ReplyDeleteMy new address is posted on the left-hand side of this page under "Contact Me" for future easy access.
Corps de la Paix
Michelle Surdyk
BP 75
San, Mali
Packages are pretty reliable and tend to take 2-3 weeks. Letters can take 2 weeks to indefinitely. I'm currently waiting for 4 letters my dad sent between Feb and March, but last week received one he sent 2 weeks ago. As with most things in Mali/Peace Corps, you never know what might happen!
Jennie: I heart you mucho, even if you can't spell certain names. ;)
After looking at the spreadsheet, just an fyi, I can tell you when I receive something but it won't be the exact date of arrival. Malian postal system only extends to the larger cities, so I have to physically come into San to pick things up, which, in theory I'll only be doing every few weeks. But I'll do my best to help inform you!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I will send ice cubes. love, Aunt Mel
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are very creative honey. Bet you are building up those muscles carrying all your packages. lol. Miss you. Love and lots of hugs, Aunt Dawney xoxoxoxo
ReplyDelete