Tape worms aside care packages are my link to the outside world, allowing me a piece of Americana here in Burkina Faso. THANK YOU
December 27, 2009: The first thing I did when I was alone in my house was to open this care package from my Aunt Dee and Uncle Mike. It was my first Christmas package and I was through the roof with all of the fun things they sent me. I have watched the film Out of Africa twice since then. Man Robert Redford was a fox when he was younger, haha.
January 20,2009: Christmas did come a month later. This is me in the transit house in Ouagadougou after I picked up the three packages that were waiting for me at Peace Corps headquaters. It was a task carrying these things for over a mile.WARNING: The next 5 packages you see are the packages that were robbed from my house at the end of January. Luckily only the food was stolen!!
January 20,2009: My Best Friend Toby knows me too well. Since he now lives in Tennessee he sent me over some corn bread mixes, a little bit of the American south all the way over here in Africa. The Fig Newtons had no chance and I had to restrain myself after polishing off 15 fig newtons in one day. Toby was also worried I was becoming stinky over here hence the soap, haha. I don’t think I smell that bad and they do have soap over here in Burkina Faso, in fact many women sell soap as income generating activities. All of the tuna and salmon were wonderful. Sadly I was never able to enjoy any of the food.
January 20,2009: Jen, my sister sent over this random assortment of goodies. Yes that is an entire box of granola bars and candy. Tons of hankerchiefs, I now have enough for each day of the week. A gift from Jen is not complete without a wooden fish that is now on display in my house. I have also put up all the Christmas decorations, there is no shame in having Christmas decorations up year round here in Burkina. Love the tabloid, some light entertainment.
January 20, 2009: Jen pulled my name this year in our Family lottery and she sent me over a care package with wrapped goodies. I waited till I was back at site to open up my presents. But I can already see some yummy goodies: Homemade Beef Jerky (yes Jen it was salty but I did not mind) and Tasty Cakes. The photos of my family’s house at Christmas this year are on display in my house now.
January 20, 2009: The unveiling of Jennifer’s Christmas present for me. I of course set up my Christmas tree so all of the gifts could be laid out underneath. Jen knows me well Taco seasoning, crystal light drink mixes and Tuna/Chicken packets. But the icing on the cake was Season 3 of How I Met Your Mother. I was ecstatic and so happy it was not stolen. The dresses were a hit and since wearing them I have had 4 separate women ask me to give them the dress. I normally just laugh and say that after my two years they can have the dresses. They smile and continue to ask the next time they see me. Thanks Jen, SMILE!!!
January 26, 2009: This package had it all, thank you Mom, Dad, and Jen. The photo collages I made prior to coming to BF so I could hang them on my wall. Some fun markers which have been so much fun playing with. Dried fruit galore and yes that is some shrink wrapped meat in the bottom left. They one thing I regret not eating the most is the fun yogurt cranberry high fiber cereal from Target. Ohh I lament over the pad thai and all those lovely drink mixes. The most ingenious product is the ziplock bag of ketchup packets. They did not cost my family a cent and they are so encential to add flavor to bland dishes here in Burkina Faso. Also I dare you find some good Heinz ketchup anywhere on this continent, which is killing the Pittsburgh girl in me.
January 26, 2009: I snap a photo of my final Christmas package before I tear everything open and go wild. After opening these last two packages on the 26th I sat down and wrote a letter home for over three hours.
January 26, 2009: Complete Joy. I could not help myself so I dug right in to the Ghirardelli Peppermint chocolate. I know what you are think, Gwen you don’t like chocolate. Well I love PEPPERMINT and you would be surprised what you eat when you have no variety. I find myself eating chocolate and liking it because it is something different. Ohhh this was good. I would kill for a candy cane right now.
January 26, 2009: The previous package unfolded and beautiful on my petit bois “coffee” table. Ohh the guilt and regret wash over me as I see that real cheese, Italian bread crumbs, and fig newtons in this photo. The Burt Bee’s lotion and pumice is amazing and allow me to pamper myself every so often. I laughed at the 2 bottles of anti-diharria pills, Nice Touch!! Hopefully I will not have to use them.
February 17, 2009: Annie’s care package came just in time and look at all of the lovely protein. Yes, that is Chicken, YIPPEE. Ann also sent much needed drink mixes to make the hot water bariable to drink and a World Map to decorate my house. It has already been nailed into the wall. It is great for teaching!! There are so many Cds I do not know where to begin and tons of new artists to be introduced to. A little bit of everything even some Burt’s Bees pampering packs. I felt like a princess going to bed every night for a week as I gave myself facials and wore socks and gloves to bed to lock in the lotion, oh la la. The package was not complete with out the two bags full of sauces and restaurant/fast food condiments. Not a single Chick Fille Polynesian Sauce made it though across the pond. Over 6 containers exploded and got over everything. I spent a good 30 minutes cleaning all of the condiment packages, SOO WORTH IT!!
February 19, 2009: Now this was a pleasant surprise on my 2nd month anniversary of being a PCV. A surprise package from my good friend Sami and James. As you can see I ripped open the fig newtons right away and scarfed some down. The big shock of the package was the incredibly good dried cherries from Target. I have never had dried cherries before and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you go out and try them. The easy mac has been getting me through lunches especially when some nice tuna is added for extra protein. Ohhh how I miss asian food/pad thai, which is non-exsistant here in Burkina Faso. The pumice on a robe is used every night during my bucket bath helping remove dirt and dead skin daily. Ohhh the lovely magazines, I loved the Entertainment Weekly, THANK YOU SAMI AND JAMES. So incredibly thoughtful.
February 19, 2009: What a smorgesbord of fun things to keep me busy. My family sent me out this care package of entertaining goodies. The best thing in this package though was the DVD Ann and Jen made me of our house in PA with all of the ice and snow. I laughed and laughed as I watched them take me around. It felt like I was back home and cold for a hot second. Jen was also so nice to send over one pack of gushers and a really great smelling candle that comes in handy when the electricity goes out. Yummy summer sausage and beef jerky and more condiments. The magazines (even a British magazine I bet from Gig) and book will distract me and keep me busy. The one thing that still perplexes me is the plastic sporks, haha.
February 26, 2009: As a PCV you kinda assume the only care package you will get will be from family therefore when a care package comes from a friend back in the states it makes that packages so much more special. It means that as a volunteer you are really reaching a broader audience. I also find that you can find out who your friends are because they take interest in your life and try to stay in contact while you are away either studying abroad or working abroad. This massive care package is from a former colleague and friend of mine Andrew Hardgrove. He himself a former PCV in Uzbekistan, he was one of my mentors during my application process and it was so thoughtful of him to send me a package. It was filled with wonderful imaginative goodies though the letter was my favorite part because he told me about his surprise plans to purpose to his girl friend in Taiwan. By now they should be engaged!!! YEAH. He sent things that I had never thought about before and had funny reasons for sending them i.e. he was craving the same things when we went shopping himself. I am amazed the most by the queso and tortilla chips. I cannot believe they made it over here. Chips let alone Tortilla chips are nonexistent here. Ohhhh Queso. Some other wonderful orginal things like wasabi green peas, Milano cookies, amazing granola, and some Kashmir spinach from tasty bites capped off this package. Thank you Andrew!!
January 20,2009: My Best Friend Toby knows me too well. Since he now lives in Tennessee he sent me over some corn bread mixes, a little bit of the American south all the way over here in Africa. The Fig Newtons had no chance and I had to restrain myself after polishing off 15 fig newtons in one day. Toby was also worried I was becoming stinky over here hence the soap, haha. I don’t think I smell that bad and they do have soap over here in Burkina Faso, in fact many women sell soap as income generating activities. All of the tuna and salmon were wonderful. Sadly I was never able to enjoy any of the food.
January 20,2009: Jen, my sister sent over this random assortment of goodies. Yes that is an entire box of granola bars and candy. Tons of hankerchiefs, I now have enough for each day of the week. A gift from Jen is not complete without a wooden fish that is now on display in my house. I have also put up all the Christmas decorations, there is no shame in having Christmas decorations up year round here in Burkina. Love the tabloid, some light entertainment.
January 20, 2009: Jen pulled my name this year in our Family lottery and she sent me over a care package with wrapped goodies. I waited till I was back at site to open up my presents. But I can already see some yummy goodies: Homemade Beef Jerky (yes Jen it was salty but I did not mind) and Tasty Cakes. The photos of my family’s house at Christmas this year are on display in my house now.
January 20, 2009: The unveiling of Jennifer’s Christmas present for me. I of course set up my Christmas tree so all of the gifts could be laid out underneath. Jen knows me well Taco seasoning, crystal light drink mixes and Tuna/Chicken packets. But the icing on the cake was Season 3 of How I Met Your Mother. I was ecstatic and so happy it was not stolen. The dresses were a hit and since wearing them I have had 4 separate women ask me to give them the dress. I normally just laugh and say that after my two years they can have the dresses. They smile and continue to ask the next time they see me. Thanks Jen, SMILE!!!
January 26, 2009: This package had it all, thank you Mom, Dad, and Jen. The photo collages I made prior to coming to BF so I could hang them on my wall. Some fun markers which have been so much fun playing with. Dried fruit galore and yes that is some shrink wrapped meat in the bottom left. They one thing I regret not eating the most is the fun yogurt cranberry high fiber cereal from Target. Ohh I lament over the pad thai and all those lovely drink mixes. The most ingenious product is the ziplock bag of ketchup packets. They did not cost my family a cent and they are so encential to add flavor to bland dishes here in Burkina Faso. Also I dare you find some good Heinz ketchup anywhere on this continent, which is killing the Pittsburgh girl in me.
January 26, 2009: I snap a photo of my final Christmas package before I tear everything open and go wild. After opening these last two packages on the 26th I sat down and wrote a letter home for over three hours.
January 26, 2009: Complete Joy. I could not help myself so I dug right in to the Ghirardelli Peppermint chocolate. I know what you are think, Gwen you don’t like chocolate. Well I love PEPPERMINT and you would be surprised what you eat when you have no variety. I find myself eating chocolate and liking it because it is something different. Ohhh this was good. I would kill for a candy cane right now.
January 26, 2009: The previous package unfolded and beautiful on my petit bois “coffee” table. Ohh the guilt and regret wash over me as I see that real cheese, Italian bread crumbs, and fig newtons in this photo. The Burt Bee’s lotion and pumice is amazing and allow me to pamper myself every so often. I laughed at the 2 bottles of anti-diharria pills, Nice Touch!! Hopefully I will not have to use them.
February 17, 2009: Annie’s care package came just in time and look at all of the lovely protein. Yes, that is Chicken, YIPPEE. Ann also sent much needed drink mixes to make the hot water bariable to drink and a World Map to decorate my house. It has already been nailed into the wall. It is great for teaching!! There are so many Cds I do not know where to begin and tons of new artists to be introduced to. A little bit of everything even some Burt’s Bees pampering packs. I felt like a princess going to bed every night for a week as I gave myself facials and wore socks and gloves to bed to lock in the lotion, oh la la. The package was not complete with out the two bags full of sauces and restaurant/fast food condiments. Not a single Chick Fille Polynesian Sauce made it though across the pond. Over 6 containers exploded and got over everything. I spent a good 30 minutes cleaning all of the condiment packages, SOO WORTH IT!!
February 19, 2009: Now this was a pleasant surprise on my 2nd month anniversary of being a PCV. A surprise package from my good friend Sami and James. As you can see I ripped open the fig newtons right away and scarfed some down. The big shock of the package was the incredibly good dried cherries from Target. I have never had dried cherries before and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you go out and try them. The easy mac has been getting me through lunches especially when some nice tuna is added for extra protein. Ohhh how I miss asian food/pad thai, which is non-exsistant here in Burkina Faso. The pumice on a robe is used every night during my bucket bath helping remove dirt and dead skin daily. Ohhh the lovely magazines, I loved the Entertainment Weekly, THANK YOU SAMI AND JAMES. So incredibly thoughtful.
February 19, 2009: What a smorgesbord of fun things to keep me busy. My family sent me out this care package of entertaining goodies. The best thing in this package though was the DVD Ann and Jen made me of our house in PA with all of the ice and snow. I laughed and laughed as I watched them take me around. It felt like I was back home and cold for a hot second. Jen was also so nice to send over one pack of gushers and a really great smelling candle that comes in handy when the electricity goes out. Yummy summer sausage and beef jerky and more condiments. The magazines (even a British magazine I bet from Gig) and book will distract me and keep me busy. The one thing that still perplexes me is the plastic sporks, haha.
February 26, 2009: As a PCV you kinda assume the only care package you will get will be from family therefore when a care package comes from a friend back in the states it makes that packages so much more special. It means that as a volunteer you are really reaching a broader audience. I also find that you can find out who your friends are because they take interest in your life and try to stay in contact while you are away either studying abroad or working abroad. This massive care package is from a former colleague and friend of mine Andrew Hardgrove. He himself a former PCV in Uzbekistan, he was one of my mentors during my application process and it was so thoughtful of him to send me a package. It was filled with wonderful imaginative goodies though the letter was my favorite part because he told me about his surprise plans to purpose to his girl friend in Taiwan. By now they should be engaged!!! YEAH. He sent things that I had never thought about before and had funny reasons for sending them i.e. he was craving the same things when we went shopping himself. I am amazed the most by the queso and tortilla chips. I cannot believe they made it over here. Chips let alone Tortilla chips are nonexistent here. Ohhhh Queso. Some other wonderful orginal things like wasabi green peas, Milano cookies, amazing granola, and some Kashmir spinach from tasty bites capped off this package. Thank you Andrew!!
1 comment:
less pictures of care packages. more of me
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