Mail!!!!

There have been a number of things we've been pleasantly surprised by since we have arrived in our new home. These include, but are not limited to...

• Internet, which has worked much better than we anticipated. There are times when it simply will not work, and that's frustrating, but most of the time it works fairly well. It is pre-paid and you are charged by volume, so it is a bit expensive. However, considering there isn't much else that we're tempted to overspend on here, we're willing to spring for the plan that allows us to use it pretty frequently.
• Meat. While I'll readily admit that I like it pre-packaged in tidy American format, it's been better than I imagined here. I have actually been able to find a good variety of types and it tastes decent. In fact, if I use my handy dandy pressure cooker, we can even chew it too! The meat shop that we go to is simply a room full of chest freezers and above each one is a sign letting you know what type of meat you'll find inside. Every week, I get a little bit braver, so who knows what kind of cuts I'll be tackling by this time next year. However, I'm pretty sure I won't be migrating to the rabbit freezer any time soon. I did attempt making some breakfast sausage this week using ground pork and assorted spices and it went over really well with my crowd.
• The electricity. It's really bad compared to the US, but it's better than I thought it might be. We have outages every day and there is no way of knowing when they will happen or how long it will be off or on. Most days we don't have power more than we do have it. However, we've gotten at least a few hours every day and that means that the fridge can stay cold and the computers can get charged. We're learning to cope with it and the only time it really makes me crazy is when the laundry gets backed up and it won't come on. Another mom of 5 who has been showing me the ropes a bit told me that when hers gets really bad, she'll leave a bunch of lights on around the house so that when the city power does kick on, she can wake up and start laundry. I haven't gotten that desperate yet, but I have learned to load it up so that if the power comes on while I'm asleep I will at least have one load done before I wake up.
• Another thing that we're really happy about is the fact that we have been able to receive mail! Before we came, we were told that mail was pretty much a nightmare here and that if you received mail, it would probably not be complete and you would pay a good bit in customs. However, after talking with several folks who are fresh on the field, we've found that they have been able to get mail pretty consistently. The key seems to be padded envelopes. Apparently, boxes rarely make it without being pilfered and then they want to charge you a crazy amount in fees. But, padded envelopes are getting through and it's amazing how much can fit in one of those puppies! So, when Ryan's parents decided that they wanted to get some Valentine's treats through, we suggested the largest padded envelope they could find and...it worked!
  It came to us in only 10 days, we only paid about $3 in customs, the contents were complete, and you have never seen a more excited group of kids. I'll readily admit...it costs a small fortune and obviously the possibilities of a padded envelope are limited. But still, knowing that we can get mail somehow makes us seem so much more connected to home. We've been daydreaming about all the things that can fit in a padded envelope.

Several of you have asked about sending us letters and correspondence and it looks like we should be able to get those things pretty consistently. They sometimes take a long time, but our understanding is that they usually make it, eventually. We would welcome any sort of letter or postcard.

Many of you have asked also about sending us packages. Let me just say, we don't need anything. We can find everything that we need to do life here, it's just not everything that we're used to. But, if you're still interested in sending a package, I'll just be really frank and tell you some of that things that we don't need, but we would love to have.

Some of these things would be...

• Kool-aid mix
• Cherry Jello
• Taco seasoning
• Ranch dressing packets
• Gum
• Candy (especially holiday themed stuff)
• Granola bars
• Blue Diamond Almonds (this brand is usually peanut-free)
• Pepperoni (the Hormel can go without refrigeration)
• Real Bacon Bits
• Chocolate or cinnamon chips
• Craft supplies like stickers, pipe cleaners, pom-poms, construction paper or cardstock...anything that can be found in the Walmart craft aisle, we have found nothing like that here.
• Holiday items like plates, napkins, or novelties
• AND, if you can shove these items in several layers of ziploc type bags, those would be great too!

Please don't send:

• Money in any form (trust me, you don't want your check going through our postal service!)
• Boxes

I don't want to publish our mailing address on the blog because it is also our physical address, but I will include it in our February newsletter, which will come out soon. If you want to be added to our newsletter list OR you would like to get a private message from me with our mailing address, please e-mail us at campbellcircusinafrica@gmail.com