Mail call

Today I am going to tell you about mail call. It was very reminiscent of my days in the Army when Sal (the mechanic/driver here on campus) knocked on our door to deliver some mail. He sorted through a whole handful of postcards, airmail envelopes and assorted other items. I felt like a little kid waiting for my first letter from the grandparents! There were items for everyone in the Guest House, which we took to pass along, plus a note for Sister Jean, but nothing for us. I was a little let down that we didn’t get anything. I didn’t realize I missed getting mail. I think most American adults would agree that we don’t really look forward to receiving mail usually, because it’s often just bills and advertising circulars. That got me to thinking about mail in the US versus mail here. At home, we kind of take our mail for granted. The carrier brings it to the door (or at least to our mailbox) every day, and then we glance through it and, if you’re like me, throw most of it in the recycle bin. Here, mail is nowhere near so routine. For one thing, we only get it when someone goes and picks it up in Coroico, which is 30 minutes away by car at best (one way). On a rainy day like today, it’s more like 45 minutes because the drivers have to go slower on the muddy, slippery road. For another thing, nobody in our whole area, even in Coroico, gets mail delivered to their home. All of the mail for our area goes to this lady’s living room, where you go and pick it up whenever you have time and space, and she has to be home for you to get it, which is not always a given either. The mail is not really much of a service here, and people don’t use the mail the way we use it at home. Most people don’t even really have an address, even in the city! This makes finding a new place interesting, to say the least. But think about the implications for communication when everything is done either by phone or in person. For example, we have to go back to La Paz in a couple of weeks to pick up our visa cards (these are permanent ID cards sort of like a green card in the US). This is a 6-8 hour round trip that costs about $10 per person. At home, these would just be mailed out to you. Heck, they even mail your passport! In Bolivia, very little seems to travel by mail. No advertisements, no party invites, no political leaflets, no bills! It is a very good example of just how different life here can be from home. And I’m not saying it is necessarily a bad thing or a good thing, just different. That’s your nugget this week – each day, when you get your mail, think about it. Just stop and be intentional about it for a few days. Think about your mail while you’re handling it. Maybe you will experience some sort of epiphany, maybe not, but it is certainly an opportunity to change how you think about the ways in which we communicate with each other. And, while we are thinking about mail, please consider sending us a note or a postcard, if you feel moved to do so. It would be very cool for there to be a few items for us the next time there’s mail call! Here’s how you address it:

     The Cornforths

     UAC-Carmen Pampa

     Coroico, Nor Yungas

     La Paz, BOLIVIA

     South America

Blessings to you all and peace,

Susan