one week to go

Some of my friends and family have asked more specifically about how to send mail and packages. Below is some information on just that (provided by the PC). I know it's a bit long, but at least you'll all have it!

...and an aside...let's all reach out to the people we love on this day of bitter remembrance!


1. Mail should be sent directly to the Yaoundé address, OR directly to your Volunteer's post address once training is finished.

2. Both Volunteers and family members should number letters sent so that the receiver can determine whether any letters do not arrive.

3. Packages should be sent via air, not surface mail (surface mail has been known to take longer than two years to arrive.)

4. Sending packages to your Volunteer in Cameroon is a risky proposition. Theft of packages is not only a problem in the Cameroonian postal system, it also occurs on the U.S. side. Although occasionally a package arrives quickly and without problems, it may take months or it may get "lost" along the way. Therefore, it is not advisable to send valuables this way. (It is often helpful to use red ink and address the package to "Sister Erica Williams." It may also be a good idea to write bible verses or draw crosses on the packages to deter people from opening the package before it reaches the volunteer.)

5. If you do send packages, bubble envelopes seem to work better than large boxes. They are less tempting to would-be thieves. The sender should clearly and honestly mark the contents on the outside of the package, but a general description of the contents is sufficient: "clothing and candy" rather than "Nike high top sneakers and 2 lbs. Godiva chocolate."

6. Express mail is an expensive option that may take just as long to get to Cameroon. Perhaps a more secure option than regular airmail for documents, checks, etc., it is subject to more scrutiny by Cameroonian customs than regular mail. For items other than documents, Peace Corps staff has to submit import licenses to customs, and clearance can take up to 10 days. Thus, you may not necessarily save any time by using Express mail. DHL and UPS operate in Cameroon for those important documents. Note that current prices for these services run around $100.00 for one pound or less.


7. Packages sent to the Yaoundé office are sent regularly to Volunteer posts. This may delay delivery to the Volunteer by up to several weeks.

8. If Volunteers wish to send a package from Yaoundé to the States, Cameroon postal rates are high and insurance is not available. For this reason, many Volunteers wait to send packages with returning PCVs (whom they ask first, in country) or wait until their Completion of Service (COS) date to send home gifts and souvenirs. Letters going to the States through the Cameroon post have been quite dependable.

9. US postage-stamped letters can be put in the "next traveler" box at the Peace Corps office in Yaoundé, to be hand carried by the next person going Stateside. Note that this is a courtesy, not an obligation, and Volunteers shouldn't expect any traveler to carry more than letter mail, unless special arrangements are made with the individual. Air travelers may be required to open letters and packages and/or submit them to X-rays, especially when they don't belong to the traveler.

10. The Cameroon Desk in Peace Corps Headquarters, Washington, is available to answer Volunteer & families' questions about mail. Due to staff and budget constraints, they cannot, however, facilitate the sending of personal mail for Trainees and Voluneers.

12 days before departure

Hi everyone,

Welcome to my blog! For those who know about my tech capabilities, aren't you proud?!

I have less than two weeks before I leave for Cameroon. On the 19th I will register, along with 41 other PC trainees, for our first stage of training in Philadelphia. From the 19th to the 22nd my schedule will be pretty full as my fellow trainees and I begin preparing for two years of service in Cameroon. We check out of the hotel in Philadelphia on the 22nd, head to a clinic for multiple shots, and board the plane to start this journey. Thank you to everyone who has supported my decision to join the Peace Corps and encouraged me through the long months of waiting to receive my placement. The waiting period has actually proved to be a life lesson in itself!

I will not receive my post in Cameroon until october, but I do know that I will be a community health educator. I may or may not have access to electricity at my post, but I expect to be able to check in via internet from time to time. In the case of snail mail, my preliminary address for my first 10 weeks of training in Cameroon is:

Erica Williams
Peace Corps Trainee
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 215
Yaoundé, Cameroon

I am off to finish packing!