Postal Systems, How do They Work?

A PCV I don't know named Julie has a package en route.  It started in the US, her mother mailed it to the mother of George, who then came visit George at his site in Tanzania.  She stopped by my site and left the package in my spare room for several weeks.  I took it down to the bus stand and passed it in through the bus window to a PCV I don't actually know who was traveling to somewhere closer to Julie's site.  Presumably, the package will eventually get to it's destination after some more hand-offs between PCVs.

This seems drawn out and overly complicated, but at the same point, everyone passing the package along has some connection to Julie through Peace Corps, and all of us know how important it is for volunteers to get their packages.  We love our packages.  What seems more complicated is how one can overnight packages from one end of the US to the other via people you will never meet or care to meet.