MSC archived stories - September 27, 2019
Usually the first half of the year is my birthday season with Mairani being the last one in the family to celebrate it at July end. However, this year was different leading up to her special day.. because in the wake of Estephanie's untimely departure from the program, I was so broken yet breathing until one Saturday afternoon she spiritually connected with me to say she was OK.
I was lifted up and the following Sunday morning thought doing something I've never done before.. send a direct package (DP) from my home to Mexico! I prefer to send DP directly from merchants in-country or overseas to avoid double shipment via me.
With the new DP guidelines in place, it was no easy task of deciding inventories to your/child desire and keeping shipment around 50% of the total value of the goods. I also wanted to take advantage of (sending from home) items derived from more than one source.
Challenging myself even further, the project took me to the Britain’s High Street searching for some clothes, and in particular for a girl.. prepared for the whole day, but to my surprise it was cut short by how easy to find it using "age" labels, so I only had to spend choosing the right design for our taste!
The next adventure was looking for stationery, not just any type but creative/artisanal with one displaying "Never lose your sparkle". When I'm with the children the word "poverty" does sound very remote in my vocabulary, and to me Mairani is no short of an A+ student!
Onto the final step is the packaging. I have kept in my storage good quality boxes of stuff bought for myself in the past, so this was a great opportunity to recycle! My Nutri Ninja box (15"x13"x8") was not only sturdy but also displayed nutritional info on the outer side, so she could learn the benefits of fruits and vegetables (added to My Media). I had this box for years and finally made its way to Mairani. And while I was packing each item, wished I could be hidden inside to surprise her 
I used the fabric/clothing items (7) as cushioning material for the others – Glass art paperweight, Princess doll kit, Scrapbook kit, 42 piece stationery set, Beautiful flowers coloring book, Scratch & scribble creativity book, and Sticker and activity book. Also, I included 2 carrier bags to ease the transport.
The box was fully packed, wrapped and weighed exactly 8lbs (3.63kg)! All including customs declaration completed online and printed/inserted, hand delivered the box at local dropping point of Landmark Global, and (with shipment tracking) 7 days later it arrived safely in Jalisco, Mexico.
Finally, my favorite part is that Mairani's wearing the Unicorn frock I shopped for her, which seems a perfect fit to her unfamiliar dressing up!
Total cost of the project = $92
Time taken for the follow-up = 10wks
Aww she looks so sweet and it seems like an amazing DP. It's truly impressive that you can always procure such great items and I can't believe the total cost was under $100 :)
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2019
Your meticulous care in planning every detail of this gift communicated in a way not possible with a monetary gift! It spoke to her feelings/spirit.
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2019
I love it, chelaka. So well planned with lots of thought and love. The unicorn dress looks great on her! You’re braver than me: I’d never send everyday clothes worrying they don’t fit haha. What did her note say?
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2019
Thanks Karen. Yes, that’s true! It was the height of British summer sales with new school term starting + when I told one shop manager that it's for my sponsored child, we started a conversation which led to a further 15% discount! The shipping was 65% of the total items cost with more room for doubling the weight, but DP restriction only allowed up to 8lbs.
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2019
Thanks Nancy. Mairani is an energetic, interesting and exciting girl to whom this would be a very special treat on her 9th birthday!
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2019
Thanks Ben/Jun. My confidence is getting higher and higher with their approval of the choices I’ve made. Interesting you asked.. I just received the digital photos only (required for the children’s albums) and the full report is in the mail (may take 3-4wks before I know what she has said, sorry)
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2019
@chelaka: We also receive digital version of photos for DPs? I only received hard copies along with report and a letter from my kids. That’s why my uploaded photos are so grainy since I took a picture with my phone from the photos I received lol. I’m curious what she said for the DP as well 😊I’m going to follow suit and try sending 1 DP shipment for all 3 of my kids since they are all shipped to the bicol region office. That way I can shop and hand pick their xmas gift and also sending EG for them and their families to celebrate Xmas/New Year 😊 My Delhi child will just have to be EG. Haven’t found a courier service with decent price to ship there or be able to find a local shop in Delhi that will help me deliver there 😊
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2019
I requested that my follow-up reports be mailed, though currently it takes 3-4wks for me to get, due to original writings of the children. I'll post her letter when I have it. You can become an e-sponsor, if you want everything to be emailed over. Delhi – Rukhsar's DP follow-up photos just came in too, so will let you know how that project went when I get around to do my next post.
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2019
As always I enjoyed your story and photos. You are such a generous and loving sponsor to your children. Thank you for sharing this here.
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2019
What a great gift! I once thought about a DP, but worried myself into a frenzy that my sponsor kids wouldn't like what I chose or wouldn't fit into any clothes I sent and just ended up sending an EG.
ReplyDeleteSeptember 30, 2019