- Letters ($0.98 for overseas mail) can take anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks to reach me.
- Letters sent from Kenya can take 1-2 months to reach the US.
- Number your letters and envelopes as they might arrive out of order, or not at all.
- Number your letters and envelopes as they might arrive out of order, or not at all.
During training (May 26 - July 22 2010) my mailing address for letters will be:
HELEN McGUIRK, PCT
- Anything other than letters and postcards (send in envelopes) should be sent in bubble envelope mailers, as boxes are more likely to be opened and can take upwards of 12 weeks to reach me. For lightweight but important items (e.g. a new debit or credit card), several services, such as DHL, FedEx, TNT, and UPS operate in Kenya. These services however, are very expensive, and can cost as much as $70 for a letter. If you do choose to send items through them, you must address the package to:
- Peace Corps allows duty-free entry of packages for the first 90 days I'm in country. After that, I'll be required to pay a bribe to get my package. NEVER declare a value of $15 or more on anything you send me.
- Be sure to write "Air Mail" or "Par Avion" on the letter/package. For packages you can also write "Sister" and draw crosses, or claim fake contents like "toilet paper" or "feminine products". Most people won't care to open those to see if there's anything worth stealing. I did hear a funny story about a mother who actually sent toilet paper to her son.
After all of this if you still really want to send a package and you're wondering what Helen might like to find, I love chocolate and I have a wish list set up on Amazon.com for books, just search Helen M McGuirk.
After my three month training session I will move and get a new address which I will put on this blog as soon as possible. If all goes well we will be sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers on July 29, 2010.
TELEPHONE CALLS:
Important: Contact the Office of Special Services if a family emergency should arise and you need to contact me immediately 800.424.8580, extension 1470
- You can reach me on my US cell phone up until May 24th.
- During training (May - July), I will not be accessible by phone unless it is an emergency.
- I have the opportunity to purchase a Kenyan cell phone if I wish, which I will be able to send and receive text messages and phone calls from both the US and Kenya. I'm not sure if I will get a phone, it will mainly be for me to keep in touch with the people I'm working with.
EMAIL/BLOG/FACEBOOK/SKYPE:
During the training period May - July, I will have very limited access to internet and thus this blog will not be updated very much. Peace Corps puts us through an intensive immersion program during this period of time. I can, however, still send and receive mail, which is why I spent so much time explaining all that above.
After training, my internet access will be more frequent, but still very limited as Health volunteers live in very rural areas. I may go several weeks to a month without being able to get online. So don't panic if I can't update, if there is a true emergency my family can call the Office of Special Services, number listed above. Enter your email address on the right-hand side of my blog if you want to get emails each time I update the blog (so you don't have to keep checking).
Skype name is mcguirkhelen, and by appointment only :)
HELEN McGUIRK, PCT
P.O. Box 698-00621
Village Market
Nairobi, Kenya
Country Director
c/o Peace Corps
Grevellia Groove, Westlands
Nairobi, Kenya
- Be sure to write "Air Mail" or "Par Avion" on the letter/package. For packages you can also write "Sister" and draw crosses, or claim fake contents like "toilet paper" or "feminine products". Most people won't care to open those to see if there's anything worth stealing. I did hear a funny story about a mother who actually sent toilet paper to her son.
After all of this if you still really want to send a package and you're wondering what Helen might like to find, I love chocolate and I have a wish list set up on Amazon.com for books, just search Helen M McGuirk.
After my three month training session I will move and get a new address which I will put on this blog as soon as possible. If all goes well we will be sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers on July 29, 2010.
TELEPHONE CALLS:
Important: Contact the Office of Special Services if a family emergency should arise and you need to contact me immediately 800.424.8580, extension 1470
- You can reach me on my US cell phone up until May 24th.
- During training (May - July), I will not be accessible by phone unless it is an emergency.
- I have the opportunity to purchase a Kenyan cell phone if I wish, which I will be able to send and receive text messages and phone calls from both the US and Kenya. I'm not sure if I will get a phone, it will mainly be for me to keep in touch with the people I'm working with.
EMAIL/BLOG/FACEBOOK/SKYPE:
During the training period May - July, I will have very limited access to internet and thus this blog will not be updated very much. Peace Corps puts us through an intensive immersion program during this period of time. I can, however, still send and receive mail, which is why I spent so much time explaining all that above.
After training, my internet access will be more frequent, but still very limited as Health volunteers live in very rural areas. I may go several weeks to a month without being able to get online. So don't panic if I can't update, if there is a true emergency my family can call the Office of Special Services, number listed above. Enter your email address on the right-hand side of my blog if you want to get emails each time I update the blog (so you don't have to keep checking).
Skype name is mcguirkhelen, and by appointment only :)
4 comments:
Hey Helen, where did you get our training address info from? Was it in something that I didn't read carefully enough?
It was in the Kenya welcome book under communication...I hope it's the right one.
Good news! As a current volunteer in Kenya wanted to let you know a letter takes 1-2 weeks, and for packages the longest I've waited is two months, but the average is 1 month. While it is not cheap it will not cost you half your salary- but it is a good idea for people to say the value is less then 15 dollars! I have also have never had anything stolen from me. I am sure you'll figure all this out when you get here, but I wanted to tell you if people write you will get it! Good luck at PST!
WAHOO! thank you!
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