My mailing address is:
Corps de la Paix
Kimberly Sultz, PCV
BP 23
Bougouni, Mali
Do you love me? Do you miss me? Do you want to make a poor Peace Corps Volunteer’s day, week, or even month? Consider a care package!
I’ll help you out regardless, and give you some suggestions for things I want, and things I don’t need here.
-Any American snacks (goldfish, starbursts, oreos, gummy bears, gushers, oatmeal cream pies, and any other non-chocolately things. Chocolate will melt, before it even gets to me, although chocolate flavored things, like oreos, are highly encouraged)
-Bath and Body works body spray and lotion (I’m not picky about what kind, everything here just smells less than good)
-Beef Jerky (there’s probably enough protein here, I’m just not good at cooking meat)
-Micro SD cards full of fun things (podcasts, photos of you, movies, TV shows, weird news articles, videos of your sonograms, etc.)
-Letters (these are really valuable: tell me what you did in a day, write down a quote from a weird TV show, write me a poem, plan a trip for my return, etc. your words will help me through tough times)
-AAA batteries (they’re next to impossible to find here, and really expensive regardless, and I use my headlamps all the time)
-Spices (anything and everything)
-Seeds (I brought a bunch, but I’ll probably kill a lot of them on accident. Basil and squashes grow well here, but broccoli and oregano do not)
-Tea (not lipton black tea, or green tea, those are super prevalent here. I’m missing cinnamon, mint and the like)
-Kraft Macaroni and cheese (I can find margarine and powdered milk, and I miss all things cheese)
-Cheese-flavored things (goldfish, cheeze-its, velveeta, etc.)
If you’re looking to send me a special birthday package or really want me to think you’re the coolest, consider the following, more expensive items:
-Quick-dry T-shirts (If you ran a marathon, and have a synthetic shirt you don’t want, let me rock it, and then destroy it through the aggressive process of hand-washing, in less than two years. Alternatively, if you’re looking for birthday/Christmas gifts, things like: http://www.columbia.com/womens-pfg-innisfree-short-sleeve-shirt-FL6146.html?cgid=women-tops-tshirts&dwvar_FL6146_variationColor=604 or http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/womens-capilene-daily-t-shirt?p=45275-0 I am not picky about colors or fits really, so chose silly sale colors! I’m generally a size Medium.)
-Jersey maxi skirts (target usually has a good collection. Any colors are fine, although it’s nice to have solid colors. They do need to be full length, and not have slits up the sides, please. Also generally a size Medium, but if its really stretchy, size Small.)
-An external USB-chargeable battery. (Sometimes I have access to electricity, and it would be nice to have a battery to charge and use for days. It can be a small, inexpensive one.)
Please do not send me the following things:
-Laughing cow cheese (it’s here! And probably cheaper than in the states, since the factory is in Morocco, fun fact!)
-Nutella/Other chocolately spreads (I can get things similar to nutella here, luckily!)
-Things that will perish within 3 weeks (it’ll take at least that long for things to get here, and stuff gets lost sometimes too)
-Books (unless they just came out, the PCV community here has a collection of some 13,000 ebooks, so I think I’ll be set for a while)
-Most toiletries (I can find almost everything I need here, or I’ll stop using it!)
-Expensive electronic things (my packages will likely be looked through, and it’s not worth the risk)
My address will be updated in a few days, or you can check with my mom at sultz@sbcglobal,net, as she usually has the most up-to-date information (she also might be willing to put some small things from you in her next box). Please also let me know if you’re sending a box, so I can know to look for it (I have to take a 30 minute bus ride into the biggest town near by to get it, so it would be good to know ahead of time).
I know that the USPS flat rate boxes are good for heavy things (since it’s a flat rate), and include insurance and the tracking actually works, all the way to Mali! But depending on what you’re sending, there might be a cheaper option. You can also add “Sister” before my name, or “Reverend” before yours, and draw crosses on the box to help ensure safer delivery (even corrupt people fear God in this country).
I also want to stress how valuable letters are. Even just a card in the top of the box will probably get hung up on my wall for inspiration. Plus, I’m not the only one doing exciting things right now, tell me about you!