(31 May 2007) Sharon's Contact Info & Fun Mailing Ideas

So, I thought I'd make this a separate message so you can flag it (if you're so inclined) to keep for easy reference.

My phone number is 258-0099

to call from the US: 011 221  258-0099

My mailing address:

PCV Sharon Suri

BP 309

Tambacounda, Senegal

West Africa

I'll probably be able to check my mail (snail and e-mail) about every 2-3 weeks.  As a note, postcards don't always make it in, so if you write one stick it in an envelope before you send it.  A bunch of people have asked me to send out a list of useful stuff to send so I'll include one below, but please don't feel obligated to send stuff.  On the other hand, if you happen to have some of these things and a bunch of stamps to send them lying around, by all means feel free...  FYI- I can get water, oil & sugar relatively easy in the village and I have a stove burner thing and a pot so I am able to heat things as well.  As there is no electricity, I can't really keep anythig in the village cold.

Food stuff:

Beef/Turkey/any kind of meat jerkey (Protein is difficult to come by)

Protein bars

Dried fruit/fruit leather/fruit jerkey

fruit snacks

instant soup mixes

Drink mixes: such as gatorade (I love the red and purple ones), crystal lite (I like all flavors except for peach or watermelon), kool-aid (I like all flavors, especially GRAPE) or anything like that

Coffee (already ground or instant. I love flavored coffee and unflavored)

seasoning mixes/boullion (ex- lemon pepper, garlic salt, curry powder, vegetable seasoning)

sauce packets or sauce mixes

'instant' foods that don't need ingredients other than oil and water (I can make these in the village) ex- easy mac,powdered soup mixes, really anything instant

'instant' foods or food mixes that don't need ingredients other than oil, water, eggs, milk, white sugar (I can make thes at the regional house in Tamba) ex- brownie/cake mixes

Trader Joe's fat free spicy black bean dip

dried/roasted/salted nut mixes (I like most nuts, espically pistachios)

seaweed (dried/roasted/salted)

Sweet n'low

any kind of snack packs

non-perishable meats and cheeses (like summer sausage and laughing cow cheese)

cream cheese/chocolate/rainbow/coconut flavored frosting (to add to creations at the regional house)

hershey's kisses/candy bars

hard candies like Werthers

gummy candies

any candy

gummy vitamins (my nutrition is so lacking, I'm sure any vitamins will be appreciated by my body)

baking powder

also, there are other non-food things that are useful here:

Vegetable seeds (DON'T worry about sending indiginous plant seeds, it's not an issue, the weather here is HOT and sunny. There's a rainy season and a dry season, but no cold season) ex- carrots, lettuce, onions, green onions, tomatoes, any vegetables really that will surive in the heat

pictures

toilet paper

instant hand sanitizer

face painting crayons (if anyone wanted to go shopping after Halloween for the clearance stuff that'd be awesome! I know they usually carry glow in the dark face painting stuff then)(for the village kids)

stationary (letters and envelopes)

notebooks

old magazines (the New Yorker, Harper's, logic problems, trashy gossip magazines, any magazines really)

shot glasses (they don't drink alcohol, but they drink a bunch of tea and use these type of glasses for it)

soap (any kind)

pictures of gardening things or composting that I can use a visual aids

books on gardening or composting

Non-battery-using/solar-powered flashlights or radios (a bigger thing to send, but I can give them to my village)

duck tape

And I might just fly home and kiss anyone who can find and send a solar-powered ice maker or refridgerator. A bit of a longshot I think, but I know some of you are rather gadget-savy...

That's all for now.  If you have any ideas, they're probably good ones, so feel free to send whatever.  Just getting mail makes all of us ecstatic, even if it's random or wierd... Thanks all!

Sharon