Take a Letter, Maria

Time is sneaking up on me, we're down to my last week at home. I saw lots of people this weekend in the cities (I counted last night, more than 20!! That's a lot in 3 days, but it was awesome!) and have taken over the living room with all my stuff to pack. Before I forget, here is the vaguely comprehensive guide to the communication methods I'll have open to me in Nicaragua. It's pretty much straight out of my welcome book:

• MAIL: Relative to the service in most developing countries, mail between the U.S. and Nicaragua is dependable. Airmail takes about two weeks; surface mail can take months. Packages sometimes mysteriously disappear in transit, and sometimes they are opened and the contents stolen. It is best if packages do not exceed 2 pounds. Padded-envelope-sized packages work well. It's not always worth it to send large packages since volunteers are responsible for paying customs feeds on larger items (which can exceed the value of the items).
  

• PHONE: International phone service to and from Nicaragua is good relative to other developing countries. For telephone communication to the States, most volunteers use Internet cafes or have family and friends call them at a local number. Others call home collect, using international calling cards. Many of the families who host volunteers during training have phones in their homes. If not, there is public phone access in all the training communities. Cellphone service is available in all departmental (state) capitals, however service rarely reaches the more remote areas.

• INTERNET ACCESS: Local internet providers exist in the capital, in nearly all major cities, and in some smaller towns. Most volunteers have regular (weekly or monthly) access to email.

During training I'll be receiving my mail at the Peace Corps headquarters in Managua & mail can be sent there throughout my service:

My Name, PCT
Voluntario del Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado Postal 3256
Managua, Nicaragua
Central America

I take off for staging in DC early next Monday morning and my phone will be functional until we leave for Nicaragua on Wednesday, so give me a call or better yet, send me a happy email that I can print off and take with me :)