Bringing envelopes with you is a great idea in theory, however there are a few things to consider. You can get envelopes in country (possibly cheaper) and during your first few months you will be lugging a monstrous bag around with you so you don't want to over pack. Also, if you do want to bring some amount of envelopes to get you by until you can say "May I please have an envelope?" (In Burkina we say "You must give me that envelope") then you might want to bring the kind that have a film over the seal that you peal off before it adheres to the envelope. Why? Because humidity is a reality. Humidity is a reality that sealed hundreds of envelopes that I foolishly brought to Burkina during the rainy season.
Caution: You will have very little spending money but equally little free time during training. Bring a few envelopes in case you can't sleep one night or there is a family birthday.
Note: Most volunteers actually just write e-mails. Letters are romantic and great for that older generation that just never logged in (or for those hippie friends of yours that live off the grid in a log cabin). Otherwise you may find that people respond quicker to e-mail. Still, as a volunteer it is great to receive a letter and sending them means a higher likelihood of receiving them..
Tip: Envelopes in Burkina that have African themed scenes or details can be purchased and may actually be more interesting to the person who receives them than a generic American envelope. You (if you are ambitious, have a lot of time or are extra sentimental) can also bring or buy larger envelopes and send letters in bulk to the states to be sent on arrival by a loved one. This can be cheaper and works great for holidays. Volunteers often also send envelopes with American postage with other volunteers who are heading to the U.S. This system isn't always reliable, but more and more volunteers vacation in the U.S. making this an option. (Another incentive to be nice to other volunteers.)
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from Airtel Burkina Faso.
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