Think back, way back, to your life before the Internet. For most of
my readership, this time falls around elementary school. (A select few
could connect to a small digital network since the 70s. But that’s an
entirely different article.) When I think of that era, I recall weekly
trips to the computer lab to work on typing, which appeared on a
monitor that displayed in black with a neon green font. I also
remember a computer or two in our classroom, some time past 4th grade,
for Oregon Trail and the like. I also remember having a penpal. More
importantly, I remember that it was a common practice; everyone had
one at some point or another, whether they come from down the hall or
across the world.
I had two penpals as a young sprout. One was a girl named Jenny, a
lovely friend I made in 1st grade. My school district redrew its
boundary lines, forcing me to leave McKinley Elementary for Roosevelt
Elementary. I was able to keep Jenny around through the US Postal
System, and on occasional weekend visits. I often wrote to find out
what kinds of games were being played on the playground, and how the
popular (and unpopular) kids were faring.
My second penpal was a cousin of mine that lived in the next
county. I really don’t recall what we talked about, but I know that it
wildly delighted our grandmother that we communicated in such a
fashion (and on special stationary and everything). It was especially
fun to get a letter from her, because she lived a whole forty-five
minutes away by car!
I was feeling pretty nostalgic for such communication recently. I’d
blogged, tweeted, checked out my bookmarks, and ran down my Facebook
home page for the day. So, rather ironically, I made the following
simple status update: "I wish I had a penpal."
My friend in NYC quickly heeded my call. We now exchange one or two
handwritten letters a month. She’s at a turning point in her career,
and likes to write-out her thoughts about the decisions ahead. I’m a
new mother, and like to de-stress and re-motivate myself by getting
everything down on paper. ("Did you know newborns eat every two hours,
around the clock?!") They’re very adult conversations, far removed
from our childhood ways, but once in awhile, we slip into banter about
our cats, or the latest wacky thing we saw in our neighborhood. I love
it when the mailman brings me a letter from my dear penpal.
If you search for penpal sites on the Internet to help you find a
real letter writer, you may face disappointment. The majority of
penpal sites cater to connecting email penpals, or "epals". The few
that offer both are generally overflowing with junior high
subscribers. I could send you to Craigslist, but you’ll probably
run across folks looking for ulterior motives -- dating, scamming,
etc. Of course, there’s always a prison penpal.
But I’ll assume you’d like, say, a penpal from another country to
learn about their local customs and interests. One way to guarantee a
serious penpal and not something shady is to pay a fee and apply for a
traditional, interested letter writer. International Pen Friends has been
around since 1967, and their experience and reputation makes it easy
to get the process underway smoothly. $35 gets you fourteen penpals to
choose from, based on matched personal interests from your
application. You can even note countries you prefer your penpal to
reside in. As a fun bonus, don’t be surprised if you get souvenirs in
addition to letters through the mail. Of all the penpal sites out
there, this is the only one I can fully endorse.
You can also ask your friends if they know anyone abroad that’d be
interested in hearing from you. Networking is usually effective.
Either way, let me know how your experience turns out!
