(Dove) Letter from the Peace Corps

Another ten days down, and we're knee deep in boxes packing up our apartment. Most of it we ended up "freecycling" (if you've never freecycled, you don't know what you are missing!) but we still have so much STUFF. Ugh. Almost done though! Saturday is our going away party, mostly just family and close friends (and a few crazy fire spinners, but that's to be expected).

Josh suggested I post this letter that we got from PC today; it's about communitcating with us and sending us stuff (*cough*) while we're in Cape Verde. Sort of a "they're not in Kansas anymore" reminder. Please ignore the sentence about not sending large packages ;o)

Without further adu, for your reading enjoyment:

Dear Families,

Greetings from the Cape Verde Desk in Washington, D.C. It is with great pleasure that we welcome your family member to Peace Corps. We receive many requests from Volunteers and family members alike regarding travel plans, sending money, relaying messages and mail, etc. As we are unable to involve ourselves in the personal arrangements of Volunteers, we would like to offer you advice and assistance in advance by providing answers to the most frequently asked questions.

1. Communication. As most Volunteers in Cape Verde have fixed-line phones in their residence and since international calls are expensive, email is a fairly reliable alternative for communications between the Volunteers and their loved ones back home. The service can be expensive (there is no flat monthly phone rate like in the U.S.; phone service in Cape Verde is charged per length of individual call). It is also subject to the vagaries of the local phone system. By and large, however, it is satisfactory and most Cape Verde Volunteers have email accounts.

If you decide to go the traditional “snail mail” route, “patience” is the watchword. The mail service in Cape Verde is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service. It can take three to four weeks for mail coming from Cape Verde to arrive in the United States via the Cape Verdean postal system. From a Volunteer's post, mail might take 1 month to reach the United States. Sometimes mail is hand carried to the States by a traveler and then mailed through the US postal system. This leg of the trip can take another several weeks as it is also dependent on the frequency of travelers to the U.S. We suggest that in your first letters, you ask your Volunteer family member to give an estimate of how long it takes for him/her to receive your letters and then try to establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other. We would also like to suggest that you consider the use of "aerograms," generally a blue sheet of paper which folds into an envelope. These are available in most stationary stores or at post offices. Volunteers have had good success in receiving their mail in this form. Also, try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer knows if he/she has missed one. Postcards should be sent in envelopes--otherwise they may be found on the wall of the local post office!

Volunteers often enjoy telling their "war stories” when they write home. Letters might describe recent illnesses, lack of good food, isolation, etc. While the subject matter is good reading material, it is often misinterpreted on the home front. Please do not assume that if your family member has been ill that he or she has been unattended. There is an medical doctor on duty 24 hours a day at the Peace Corps office in Praia. Through regular contact, she monitors the health of the Volunteers. In the event of a serious illness, the Volunteer is flown to Dakar, Senegal, where there is an American physician on the Peace Corps staff. If the Volunteer requires medical care that is not available in Cape Verde or Dakar, s/he will be medically evacuated to the United States. Fortunately, these are rare circumstances.

If for some reason, your communication pattern is broken and you do not hear from your family member for an unusual length of time, you should contact the Office of Special Services (OSS) at Peace Corps Washington at 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470. (Direct dial: 202-692-1470.) OSS will contact the Peace Corps office in Praia and ask that the Volunteer be checked up on. Also, in the case of an emergency at home (death in the family, sudden illness, etc.), please do not hesitate to call OSS immediately so that the Volunteer will be informed as soon as possible.

2. Telephone Calls. The telephone system in Cape Verde is relatively good. Service to the United States is reliable, and most Volunteers have fixed-line phones where they live. Still, there are also innumerable factors that can make the best-laid plans fall apart.

The Cape Verde Desk calls the Peace Corps office in Praia periodically, and is in regular, daily contact with Praia via email. However, communications are reserved for business only and we cannot relay personal messages. All communication between you and the Volunteer must be arranged between yourselves. If you have an urgent message regarding travel plans, etc., you can send a fax to the Volunteer at the Peace Corps office in Praia at 011-238-261-4119.

3. Sending packages. Parents and Volunteers like to send and receive care packages through the mail. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due to the possible theft and heavy customs taxes. You may want to try to send inexpensive items through the mail, but there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. We do not recommend, however, that costly items be sent through the mail.

We recommend that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently. Custom fees can be quite expensive. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), DHL (an express mail service) operates in Cape Verde. If you choose to send items through DHL, address the package thus: Country Director, c/o Peace Corps, Prainha, Praia, Cape Verde. The phone number for the Peace Corps office in Praia, which express mail services require, is 011-238-261-2133. If you send the item to the Country Director, no liability can be assumed. Please call a DHL office nearest you for more information. Their toll free number is 1-800-CALL-DHL. FedEx also has service to Cape Verde.

The diplomatic pouch is available to Volunteers for work and health-related items only. Approval for its use must be authorized in advance by the Country Director. This process must be initiated by the Volunteer in-country. Family members in the States cannot call the Desk Officer and request permission to have items sent through the pouch. Use of the diplomatic pouch is a privilege granted to the Peace Corps by the Department of State. Because it is expensive and time-consuming, not every request initiated by the Volunteer can be approved. You should also be aware that the diplomatic pouch often takes more time than the international mail (4-6 weeks).

Sending airplane tickets and/or cash through regular mail is not recommended. Certain airlines will allow you to buy a pre-paid ticket in the States; they will telex their Cape Verde office to have the ticket ready. Unfortunately, this system is not always reliable. Currently, there are direct flights from the US to Cape Verde from Boston to Praia (capital island of Santiago, on TACV – Cape Verde Airlines) and from New York to Sal (main international airport location, on South African Airways). TACV also has direct service to Sal from Lisbon (TAP Air Portugal code-share), and to Praia from Lisbon (TAP Air Portugal code-share), Paris, and Amsterdam. Please call the airline of your choice for more information. You could also send tickets via DHL or FedEx as mentioned previously. However, Peace Corps will assume no liability in the event of a lost/stolen airline ticket.

Trying to send cash or checks is very risky and is discouraged. If your Volunteer family member requests money from you, it is his/her responsibility to arrange for its receipt. Volunteers will be aware of people visiting the States and can request that they call his/her family when they arrive in the States should airline tickets or cash need to be sent back to Cape Verde.

We hope this information is helpful to you during the time your family member is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cape Verde. We understand how frustrating communication difficulties can be when your family member is overseas, and we appreciate your using this information as a guide. Please feel free to contact us at the Cape Verde Desk in Washington, D.C. if you have any further questions. You can call us toll-free at 1-800-424-8580, ext. 2329 or 2307, or locally, at 202-692-2329/07.

29 days to go...

So much time has passed and so much has happened since Josh and I first received and accepted our invitation to Cape Verde. Unbelievably, we're leaving in less than a month. In between selling all our worldly possessions, buying a new wardrobe for Cape Verde (I bum around in short shorts and strappy tanks all summer, and that's not exactly appropriate), ensuring all our electronic stuff will work over seas, turning 29 (that'd be me), spending time with friends and family, learning Portuguese, starting guitar lessons (me as well), worrying about packing too much, worrying about not packing enough...blogging just wasn't high on the priority list :o) I know no one is reading this yet, but we'll try to be better once we actually get to Africa.

The more time that passes the more nervous I am getting (I can't speak for Josh). I know it's "only" two years, but it's been very difficult to start to say goodbye to friends and family. We're both very close with our families and have the best group of friends ever. With everything going on we haven't had nearly enough time to spend with them, and that has been hard. I do feel bad sometimes that we're neglecting people, but I guess our main priority now is getting everything we need ready to go, and everything else needs to come second. It sometimes feels like people don't quite get that, and that makes it worse. I wish there was more time in the day or there were two of me.

Peace Corps has kept us pretty busy too. I guess we thought after the whole application process and invitation was accepted we'd be off the hook. No such luck. We had to send in updated resumes tailored to our job titles, aspiration statements, community volunteer questionnaires, other random surveys...and we keep getting email reminders to stick with the Portuguese. Believe me, we are!

I've been trying to keep on top of my soon-to-be co-volunteers blogs as well, which has been fun; I'm so glad that I found others blogs so that I could sort get a taste for what lies ahead. It's usually the unknown that is the scariest part, and having a bit of information has been grounding. Plus it'll be cool to finally put real faces with blogs, and to hopefully continue budding friendships.

One last thing: any hoopers out there reading this, I need hoops! Preferably collapsible hoops that I can carry in my suitcase and share with folks in Cape Verde. World Hoop Day is August 8 this year and I'd love to teach folks what it's all about.

29 days to go...
Dove