Package Wish-List

Receiving packages is probably one of the most exciting things that happens to us PCVs, so I thought I’d make a pretty extensive list of things that one could include in a package if one wanted to send a package to me. I’m also posting this on the side of my blog so that you can access the list easily once I’ve posted other things above this post.

- Quinoa (complete protein and very versatile)
- Flax seed (ground or unground)
- Dried fruit and nuts (except peanuts - I live in the Peanut Basin of Senegal afterall)
- Granola
- Energy bars (ex. PowerBars, Cliff bars, SoyJoy bars, Luna bars, Quaker Oat bars, Chex bars)
- S’mores stuff (kids - well everyone - in the village loves making s'mores!)
- Hard candy (ex. Jolly Ranchers, Life Savers)
- Candy (ex. chocolate bars, Twix, Reese’s, M&M’s, Swedish Fish, Mike & Ike’s, Skittles, current/past holiday candy)
- Gum
- Drink mixes with vitamins (ex. Propel)
- Tea (ex. green tea, chamomile tea, sore throat tea, calming tea, peach tea, etc.)
- Random American food such as pop-tarts, rice crispie treats, boxes of macaroni and cheese, chocolate pudding, salsa and chips, tortillas, syrup, chocolate chips, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and anything you can add hot water to
- Cake and brownie mixes
- Frosting
- Seeds for planting
- Pictures (with or without me) – everyone here loves looking at pictures of my family and friends doing anything
- Magazines for me, for students (to learn English, about America and the world, about black culture in America, etc.), and for kids – ex. National Geographic, Time, Ebony, Essence, Zoo Books, Highlights
- Pens (the ones here are not very good)
- Nail polish, simple make-up, sample-sized bottles of lotion (not hair products - they use different stuff here for that), etc. for the young girls and teenage girls in my girls group
- Toys or games for the kids – ex. crayons, coloring books, big sidewalk chalk, metallic Sharpies, used tennis balls, toy cars, beanie babies, animal figurines, etc.
- Anything and everything you send will be eaten, used, or loved in some fashion! :)


NOTE: My boxes have never (yet) been opened by customs or anyone else; however, MICE can get in and eat things in the packages, so it’s best to line the whole box with tin foil or wrap the food in tin foil (since mice really don’t like chewing on that stuff) or put things in tin boxes (and then I can use the tins for storing seeds or other things!)