Contact
Peace Corps service can get lonely sometimes. Receiving a letter from home is quite a treat! Please note that it will take 3-4 weeks for me to receive any letters or packages you send. That means that it could take as long as 2 months for you to get a hand-written reply!
My current mailing address is:
Harmony Hartbauer, PCV
PO Box 15
Msambweni
KENYA
Letters and packages can still be sent to me at the Peace Corps address in Nairobi. However, the Peace Corps does not forward mail to me at the Coast, so it may be months before I pick it up. Nevertheless, here’s the address:
Harmony Hartbauer, PCV
c/o Peace Corps Kenya
PO Box 698-00621
Nairobi
KENYA
By the way, there’s no pressure to send me a care package. Letters are awesome! However, if you have the burning desire to send me a package, I will be very happy to accept it. While I don’t *need* anything here, sometimes having a little something from back home can be a great remedy for homesickness. See my Wish List for gift ideas!
Mailing Tips, Information, and Guidelines
- Important: Be sure to write “AIR MAIL” on all letters and parcels, or else it will ship via surface mail and take up to 3 months to arrive!
- Sequentially number all letters and packages you send, on the outside of the envelope or box. Loss and theft of mail do happen, and this will help me discover if I’ve run into a problem with my mail.
- If you want to send me a postcard, put it inside of an envelope…otherwise, it’s likely to end up on the wall at the post office!
- If possible, use a padded envelope instead of a box. I’ll have to pay taxes and customs fees on anything you send me, and boxes tend to be taxed more frequently. To save space and reduce waste, please take items out of their original packaging before shipping them. And use lots of tape - that package will take quite a beating as it travels halfway around the world!
- Feel free to “compartmentalize” items for shipping into ziplock bags. Baggies are handy and I can use them over and over again for many different purposes.
- For valuable items, you can send items to me via DHL, FedEx, TNT, or UPS - all operate in Kenya. This can be very expensive, though, so please use the postal system whenever you can. If you do decide to send me something via courier, you must address the package to the Country Director, c/o Peace Corps, Grivellia Groove, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya. Disclaimer: If you send mail to the Country Director, no liability can be assumed.
E-Mailing Me
I am lucky enough to have regular access to internet, thanks to the wonders of 3G broadband cellular! You can use this e-mail to reach me:
For my friends and family, I’ll also be checking my Hotmail and Gmail accounts, so feel free to drop me an e-mail there, as well!
Reaching Me By Phone
Most Kenyans have cell phones, even in rural areas. I have a cell phone to help me communicate with the Peace Corps, fellow PCVs, and family, if necessary. If you need or want my number, please drop me an e-mail. I am reserving it for friends and family only - so if I don’t know you personally, please don’t ask for it!
Emergencies (family only): In case of an emergency, such as a serious illness or death in the family, please call the Office of Special Services at (800) 424-8580, ext. 1470. After business hours (Eastern Time), the Special Services duty officer can be reached at (202) 638-2504.
Non-Emergencies: You can reach the Kenya Desk at the Peace Corps office by calling (800) 424-8520 for non-emergency questions.