I received an email cc this week, including me as part of the "New People Who Don't Know What They're Doing" group regarding shipping of goods to Togiak. Until I physically get there, I have no official address. I will have to go to the Post Office and register for a Post Office Box in a town with no door to door mail delivery. Anything sent there, I will have to shlup from the post office about 3 miles away, and hope someone is willing to give me a ride every once in while. After my first pay check, I may send myself a wheeled cart that can convert into a sled.
But I have to consider the cost of bringing everything I think I will need with me when I fly up. I just joined Club 49 with Alaska Airlines which gives me 2 checked bags free but they have to be under 50 lbs. And I need to be mindful that I am all alone in this venture (see shlupping). So I have been sending one large flat rate box per week to the school itself. Two were filled with school supplies that I have spent years collecting/gathering/hoarding and I finally feel vindicated in buying dozens of ten cent spiral notebooks every year when they go on sale at Fred Meyer each summer.
Dry goods from my kitchen filled the next two boxes. I was warned in my initial interview that last year a newbie sent a flat rate box filled with dry staples such as flour, sugar, rice but the box didn't survive the trip so well, and the postmistress is still complaining about having to clean it all up. To avoid her ire, I reinforced all my boxes with duct tape on the inside, lined each with a plastic garbage bag (to be reused later) and hella packing tape on the outside. Like, a crazy amount of tape. Enough that I am fairly certain they would bounce if dropped. Which I am sure they will be. And water logged. And urinated on by all the dogs who fly and insist that the cargo area is their own personal porta potty. Maybe I won't reuse those plastic garbage bags after all.
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