Bonjour mes amis!
As I say my goodbyes to all my family and friends, the one question that's on everyone's mind is "how can I keep in touch with you?" To answer this question, I have decided to dedicate a whole post to it as there are several ways to keep in touch with me and know what's going on in my life. Very recently the Togo Desk sent me and letter entitled "Letter to Family & Friends - Togo" that I am supposed to distribute to y'all; however I don't really like the format of the letter and I want to make some addendums so I have re-created my own personal version of this letter below. Enjoy...
Dear Prospective Volunteer: Please give this letter to your family/friends and ask them to hold on to it for as long as you are in Togo.
Dear Everyone,
Greetings from Atlanta. I am very excited to be a part of the Togo training program. Over the past few weeks I have recieved numerous questions regarding ways to keep in contact with me whether it be to send a letter, send a package, call me, visit me, etc. Below I have listed some easy ways to keep in touch (rester en contact) with me...
1. African Abscondinations - My blog will be the easiest way to keep in touch with me after 3rd of June. I will attempt to blog as much as I can once I get over to Togo but I can't make any promises since I don't know my exact internet situation yet. Anyways, instead of doing a group mass e-mail list, I thought it would be easier to keep a blog the way I have in college and the way Jess & I did for South America. I apologize now for any lag in posting but as I have mentioned before, my access to the internet may be sporadic. Not only are there is there a lack of infrastructure to access the internet but many of the cybercafes that I will be using contain old computers that run off generators (although I heard there is a GREAT cybercafe that has FAST internet in Kara). I will do my best to post at least once a month...
Btw, if you have any questions or if you want me to talk about some aspect of Togolese life on my blog, feel free to leave a comment. I will do my best to read the comments and respond appropriately so that you, my readers, can learn more about my country and its culture and people.
2. Cell Phone - The telephone system in Togo has fairly reliable service to the United States. In the interior of the country, where most volunteers are located though, the system is less reliable. Although I don't believe it is mandatory by Peace Corps - Togo for all volunteers to carry a cell phone, from what I understand most volunteers in country carry one anyways. I don't know when I will have the opportunity to buy one in Togo but once I know my cell number, I will post it on the blog. The cell phone will be the easiest way to get in touch with me immediately. Additionally, I have heard that cell phones are most used in country for texting purposes so if you recieve a text message from Togo, don't be alarmed.
As I say my goodbyes to all my family and friends, the one question that's on everyone's mind is "how can I keep in touch with you?" To answer this question, I have decided to dedicate a whole post to it as there are several ways to keep in touch with me and know what's going on in my life. Very recently the Togo Desk sent me and letter entitled "Letter to Family & Friends - Togo" that I am supposed to distribute to y'all; however I don't really like the format of the letter and I want to make some addendums so I have re-created my own personal version of this letter below. Enjoy...
Dear Prospective Volunteer: Please give this letter to your family/friends and ask them to hold on to it for as long as you are in Togo.
Dear Everyone,
Greetings from Atlanta. I am very excited to be a part of the Togo training program. Over the past few weeks I have recieved numerous questions regarding ways to keep in contact with me whether it be to send a letter, send a package, call me, visit me, etc. Below I have listed some easy ways to keep in touch (rester en contact) with me...
1. African Abscondinations - My blog will be the easiest way to keep in touch with me after 3rd of June. I will attempt to blog as much as I can once I get over to Togo but I can't make any promises since I don't know my exact internet situation yet. Anyways, instead of doing a group mass e-mail list, I thought it would be easier to keep a blog the way I have in college and the way Jess & I did for South America. I apologize now for any lag in posting but as I have mentioned before, my access to the internet may be sporadic. Not only are there is there a lack of infrastructure to access the internet but many of the cybercafes that I will be using contain old computers that run off generators (although I heard there is a GREAT cybercafe that has FAST internet in Kara). I will do my best to post at least once a month...
Btw, if you have any questions or if you want me to talk about some aspect of Togolese life on my blog, feel free to leave a comment. I will do my best to read the comments and respond appropriately so that you, my readers, can learn more about my country and its culture and people.
2. Cell Phone - The telephone system in Togo has fairly reliable service to the United States. In the interior of the country, where most volunteers are located though, the system is less reliable. Although I don't believe it is mandatory by Peace Corps - Togo for all volunteers to carry a cell phone, from what I understand most volunteers in country carry one anyways. I don't know when I will have the opportunity to buy one in Togo but once I know my cell number, I will post it on the blog. The cell phone will be the easiest way to get in touch with me immediately. Additionally, I have heard that cell phones are most used in country for texting purposes so if you recieve a text message from Togo, don't be alarmed.
(Edit: My new cell # is 938 52 86; to call me, dial 011 (international call)+228 (the country code)+my cell number; therefore, to call me from a phone without a calling card, dial 011 228 938 52 86. Incoming calls are free and I can recieve text messages so PLEASE text me your phone numbers so I can text you which is kinda cheap. My phone will not be having the GREATEST service for the next 3 months but this will be my number for NOW on for future reference...)
In terms of calling me, it is best for you to call me as opposed to me calling you as it is very expensive for me to make international calls. One piece of advice that I read suggested that if I want to talk to you, I should text you first with the phrase "Call Me" and then have you call me on my cell. Thanks to one of the PC Mom's on the PC yahoo group, I found a calling card called PennyTalk that apparently has one of the "cheapest" rates to call Togo. Currently through PennyTalk, it costs $0.31/min so that might be a card you want to invest in if you want to talk to me. So if you want to hear my voice, call me! Don't forget that when dialing direct to Togo from the US, you need to dial 011 (the international access code) + 228 (the country code) + my number.
3) Snail Mail - Yes, I have a mailing address. At this address I can recieve letters and packages. My address is as follows:
Nikhil Patil, PCT/PCV
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 3194
Lomé, Togo
Afrique de l'Ouest
*An important note*: I will be a PCT from June 4 - August 20. If you plan to send me a letter or anything between that time period, you need to address me as Nikhil Patil, PCT. Only after I swear in as a volunteer on August 21 can you begin to address me as Nikhil Patil, PCV on my mail.
If you do plan to send me a letter or package here are some friendly tips:
In terms of calling me, it is best for you to call me as opposed to me calling you as it is very expensive for me to make international calls. One piece of advice that I read suggested that if I want to talk to you, I should text you first with the phrase "Call Me" and then have you call me on my cell. Thanks to one of the PC Mom's on the PC yahoo group, I found a calling card called PennyTalk that apparently has one of the "cheapest" rates to call Togo. Currently through PennyTalk, it costs $0.31/min so that might be a card you want to invest in if you want to talk to me. So if you want to hear my voice, call me! Don't forget that when dialing direct to Togo from the US, you need to dial 011 (the international access code) + 228 (the country code) + my number.
3) Snail Mail - Yes, I have a mailing address. At this address I can recieve letters and packages. My address is as follows:
Nikhil Patil, PCT/PCV
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 3194
Lomé, Togo
Afrique de l'Ouest
*An important note*: I will be a PCT from June 4 - August 20. If you plan to send me a letter or anything between that time period, you need to address me as Nikhil Patil, PCT. Only after I swear in as a volunteer on August 21 can you begin to address me as Nikhil Patil, PCV on my mail.
If you do plan to send me a letter or package here are some friendly tips:
- When sending postcards, place them in a regular envelope before sending as postcards can go missing and get stolen (for what reason I have no idea).
- Mail is less likely to be opened/stolen if you write my address in red ink; mail is also less likely to be opened if it appears to contain religious material. So throw a "father" in front of my name; draw a couple of crosses; and perhaps write your favorite bible verse and we should be good to go.
- I want to keep up with world events and what's going on outside Togo. Another cool idea I'm stealing from current PCVs is that when sending me letters, you should staple or write on the back of cool articles you think I might enjoy. Even if it's the latest gossip, you'd be surprised how much volunteers crave even the slightest news of anything from the outside world. One volunteer wrote in her blog how it made her day to hear news that Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt broke up. It's a great way to save space in an envelope addressed to me.
- Some notes from PC:
"The mail service in Togo is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service. Thus, it is important to be patient. It can take from three to four weeks for mail coming from Togo to arrive in the United States via the Togolese mail system. From a Volunteer’s post, mail might take up to one to two months to reach the United States depending upon how far the Volunteer is from the capital city, Lomé. Sometimes mail is hand carried to the States by a traveler and mailed through the U.S. postal system. This leg of the trip can take another several weeks as it is also dependent on the frequency of travelers to the U.S. We suggest that in your first letters, you ask your Volunteer family member to give an estimate of how long it takes for him or her to receive your letters and then try to establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other. Also try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer knows if he or she missed one. Peace Corps Togo has established “The Lomé Limo” which runs up and down the country monthly, delivers mail, medical supplies, and sometimes volunteers or staff to central sites along the national road.
It is recommended that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently. Packages can be sent via surface mail (2-3 weeks arrival time) or by ship (4-6 months). The difference in cost can be a factor in deciding which method to utilize. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), DHL (an express mail service) does operate in Lomé, but costs are very expensive. If you choose to send items through DHL, you must address the package to the Country Director, s/c Corps de la Paix, 48 Rue de Rossignols, Quartier Kodjoviakopé, Lomé, Togo. The telephone number for the Peace Corps office in Togo is (228) 221-0614, should DHL need this information. If you send the item to the Country Director, no liability can be assumed. For more information about DHL, please call their toll free number, 1-800-CALL-DHL, or visit their web site at www.dhl.com. Please be aware that there is a customs fee for all DHL packages sent to Volunteers. For each DHL package, the Volunteer will be taxed 10,000 CFA (roughly US$20)."
- PLEASE REMEMBER: NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS! I will do my best to respond to each of your letters in a timely manner; however, stamps are expensive and my schedule can get hectic at times. I promise I will respond so don't worry...
4) E-mail - Yes, there is the internet in Togo so I can recieve e-mails. As I mentioned in my contact information, please send me e-mails either to npatil55@gmail.com or UniverseRunr5585@yahoo.com. I'm not sure which e-mail address will be easier to access so for now, send to both and once I have a better idea, I'll change the e-mail address choices to one. I don't know how often I will have internet access so that will obviously affect how often I can check and respond to e-mails. I will do my best to respond to all your e-mail but honestly, I think you will have better luck communicating with me via snail mail. If you don't enjoy "writing" letters, you can always type your letters and then print and stuff them in envelopes. It's more important for me to read your letters than to see your handwriting. And let's face it, some of you have bad handwriting. Additionally, internet cafes can often be slow and expensive and are not the easiest places to access. Depending on where I am in country, I might have an internet cafe 1 km away or I might be 30 km from the closest internet cafe. Therefore e-mailing can be a slow and expensive means of communication...As I mentioned above, I will do my best to access the internet at least once a month.
4) E-mail - Yes, there is the internet in Togo so I can recieve e-mails. As I mentioned in my contact information, please send me e-mails either to npatil55@gmail.com or UniverseRunr5585@yahoo.com. I'm not sure which e-mail address will be easier to access so for now, send to both and once I have a better idea, I'll change the e-mail address choices to one. I don't know how often I will have internet access so that will obviously affect how often I can check and respond to e-mails. I will do my best to respond to all your e-mail but honestly, I think you will have better luck communicating with me via snail mail. If you don't enjoy "writing" letters, you can always type your letters and then print and stuff them in envelopes. It's more important for me to read your letters than to see your handwriting. And let's face it, some of you have bad handwriting. Additionally, internet cafes can often be slow and expensive and are not the easiest places to access. Depending on where I am in country, I might have an internet cafe 1 km away or I might be 30 km from the closest internet cafe. Therefore e-mailing can be a slow and expensive means of communication...As I mentioned above, I will do my best to access the internet at least once a month.
Anyways, I hope this information is useful. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me, especially if you have questions regarding mailing things to me. A lot of you asked me what to send me while I am over there in Togo and I promise to post of items you should send me once I start having cravings for certain items. Thanks for your concern and I look forward to communicating with you from Togo.
Sincerely,
- Nikhil
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