have you ever had a pen pal?

Philippines
August 27, 2008 6:57pm CST
I was I think in 5th grade when our english teacher required us to have penpals to improve our communication skills. We were still using snail mail. My penpals were from Ohio and Japan...Oh I wish I could remember their names so maybe I can look for them now. That was a long long time ago. I would use my cuty cuty Hello Kitty stationeries my grandma brought from the US. With our advanced technologies now, who would still rely on snail mails. gone are the handwritten letters and pictures with dedications. Letters were even perfumed. Have you had an experience as this?
7 people like this
25 responses
@ashar123 (2357)
• India
28 Aug 08
I didn't experienced letters being perfumed but used to be my cousin's pen pal when I was away from my country in childhood. I used to write letters to my cousin. The letters were very lengthy and also used to send her puzzles in letters. Now that was childhood, after that didn't have any pen pal. Joined a pen pal site in 1999 http://www.penpal.net but became so busy in life that lost that site.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
there are these scented ballpens,when you're done writing, the stationery smells good. Maybe they got the idea from perfumed letters. I think it was very nice of you to send puzzles. tnx
• United Kingdom
28 Aug 08
Have I ever had a penpal? I've had several penpals and I'm still in touch with them, it's been about five years now. Having penpals is a good thing especially when they are from different parts of the world. I have a wonderful friend in Tokyo and another in Missouri in the US. The most important thing that has happened to me in relation to my penpal in the US is, she came to visit me and she stayed for a short holiday! Now you're probably asking, was this a wise thing to do? Well, we discussed it, we both knew the possible implications, but we were both in agreement. Anyway, I met her for the first time and we had a great time when she came over. This wasn't a relationship or anything just a wonderful friendship that had been built up over several years. I haven't met up with my friend Stephen in Tokyo yet but that may be in the pipeline. Snail mail is still a good thing if you love to write hand-written letters otherwise I prefer email the best.
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
I understand very well what you mean, its great having to really meet penpals. I had a friend whose pen pal and the family visited her. The friendship built after exchanging letters is amazing. tnx for sharing andrew.
1 person likes this
• United Kingdom
28 Aug 08
No problem. I'm hoping to pick up a lot more penpals across the world, and it's great for learning about other cultures!!
• United Kingdom
7 Sep 08
Thanks for the best response by the way, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Andrew
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
28 Aug 08
MAybe my ex gf should be considered as my one and only penpal ^_^ I got to know her thru MIRc when i was just 16yrs old, and initially we were chatting online for most of the time, and slowly, she started to send me snail mails and we corresponded from there, even though we are in the same country.. lol AFter 3-4 yrs, we became a couple and we still write to each other.. lol =D Till the day we broke up, we are still writing till one day, i din contact her anymore and the writing also stopped at that very moment..
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
29 Aug 08
I also dunno if i will ever go back to writing again, because my interest in writing starts from her, and it ends with her too.. Plus, she's the one whom teaches me how to write and express myself too ^_^ So i cant say for sure, if i can go back to that again, but writing in mylot, i can do that.. lol
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
oh, thats so sad. I mean it was an interesting start. You were together for a long while...then it just faded away. let me know if you get back writing once again.tnx
1 person likes this
@gemini_rose (16264)
28 Aug 08
I met a girl while on holiday in Cypress with my parents, I think I was about 13 at the time. We swapped addresses and became penpals. We stayed in touch for over 5 years. I made some bad choices in my life and it was all going horribly wrong and I remember the last letter off her was so full of joy and how well her life was going that I just could not stand to tell her what a mess I had made of mine. I never wrote to her again. I kept her address though for a few years after, and I kept thinking I am going to write to her, as soon as I get something right I will, but I never did and then I had a house fire and it destroyed all my papers and everything so I lost her address.
@gemini_rose (16264)
29 Aug 08
Thank u
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
I'm sorry for what happened in your life. Dont despair, just continue believing in your self. If ever you will meet a person who sounds very happy, dont think about your mess. Im sure all of us has our share of mess ups and downs...think of your happy moments...we all have this too. take care now gemini.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Aug 08
I had pen pals in Brazil, Australia, Germany, Austria, Finland, Turkey, I think that's it. I met the Austrian one in 1979 when I was in Germany. The Brazilian one found me on the internet back in the 90's. I have since lost his e-mail address unfortunately. But I remember we sent pictures, tape cassettes with our voices, money (which never got thru to Brazil lol) and lots of things. It was fun!
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
LOL-money never get through the mail. they end up in somebody else's pocket.LOL.Alas, I never got to exchange tokens with my penpals. They were both girls. I had by the way a male penpal when I was around 19. He was from washington. He got mad at me because I didnt want to be intimate or something. I never replied back ever again.LOL
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Aug 08
I think the Brazilian guy was looking for something too when he contacted me. He had just gone through a divorce!
• India
28 Aug 08
yeah i had a few some time ,some where really good & Some where a Disater :( hope i find a few more good ones !!
1 person likes this
@sarazeng (220)
• China
28 Aug 08
Well, I only have net friend. We chat online and it is much more efficent!
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
yes, communication at this time is multi dimensional. Unlike the snailmail that all you see of your pal is the hand writing...but still, I would prefer a hand written letter. tnx for sharing.
@sarazeng (220)
• China
30 Aug 08
Many people are lazy to write letter now. Maybe that's the reason why a hand writing letter is getting much more touching and valuable!! You can read it again and again and keep it for a long long time...^_^
@carolscash (9492)
• United States
29 Aug 08
I had several penpals when I was in high school and they were from other countries. I remember a friend from Australia and a friend from Egypt quite well. I also sent a Christmas card to "any serviceman" at one point and got to know a young man quite well. He would call me and even invited my daughter and I to visit him but I never went. I would like to know what ever happened to him. He was stationed in Alaska at the time with the Navy. I would still write to people like this if given the opportunity.
• Philippines
29 Aug 08
thank you carol. Me too, if given the oppurtunity, I would like to write to people. I want to write to a mother like me so we can share the beauty of life.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Aug 08
Actually I have a pen pal story. My husband's cousin, East German, saw an Austrian girl was looking for a pen pal in a newspaper that had gotten smuggled in. They got in contact and ended up getting married. He was allowed to move to Austria (Austria was neutral) without a lot of hassle actually. Sadly the marriage did not survive.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
28 Aug 08
That's funny....
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
there was time in my country that Filipinas became mail ordered brides. I think it still goes on now. Our nanny before married a guy from norway. I would really like to know if they are still together. I have a neighbor here who married a German. i think they met through e-pal. Well, snail mail have been replaced! They are doing fine but could not agree where to settle. My Filipina friend wants to settle in Germany. Her German husband wantsto settle in the Philippines.LOL!really funny. I also have an Australian, another German and korean neighbors. They are staying for good here. They all met their wives through e-pal.
1 person likes this
@lanlan011 (701)
• United States
28 Aug 08
Well sorta. I had a email penpal from Japan. I only talked to him or her for a few emails. I think it was a guy. I never had a snail mail penpal though.
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
tnx for sharing...I hope you'd get to try snail mailing, though its not practical anymore.
@Chevee (5905)
• United States
28 Aug 08
Yes I had a pen pal once he was from Africa. You remember when they used to put pen pals name and addresses in magazines. That is where I got that one from. But the story is I sent the email off to the address in the magazine, but the person that responded said he had found the letter laying in the streets, picked it up read it and responded to me. He said he didn't know nor never heard of the person it was address to. I wish I could get in touch with him now. I don't even remember his name.
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
I wish you didnt lose touch, it was like a fairy tale story. Its really frustrating when we cant remember names. Lets just hope you'd have the chance to bumped into this person again. Who knows a magazine would be laying in the streets once again. tnx for sharing. nice story.
• United States
29 Aug 08
i still have one, at twenty years old. it beats getting bills in the mail, all the time. and its someone you could be 100% honest with.
• Philippines
29 Aug 08
congratulations! I think it would be nice if you continue until you grow older and older. It would be the best friendship ever...honest and true. tnx
• United States
28 Aug 08
...had a bunch of 'em when I was in high school...Germany, England, New Zealand, India, Sweden, France, Canada, United States, South Korea. One is still a good friend after 30 years...
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
oh good for you, you are still in touch with your penpals...I wished I continued communications with mine, but Im not sure if it was me who stopped writting.
• United States
28 Aug 08
...well, I'm only in contact with one. Was with another but that lapsed a few years back...
@GemmaR (8517)
29 Aug 08
I have had about 5 pen pals in my life. All of them I met at camp sites when I was younger, and we would swap addresses and write to each other for a couple of months. Mine never lasted long though, and I am proud to say that I was always the one who wrote the last letter!
• Philippines
29 Aug 08
yes-you should be proud. they did'nt know then what they were to miss when they decided not to write anymore.tnx Gemmar
• Guam
29 Aug 08
Nope, I don't like that.
• Philippines
29 Aug 08
tnx for sharing.
@laydee (12798)
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
I have always envied people who experienced this. I have always wanted one but I just simply didn't know how to start. Anyhow, I have had friends who had pen pals and it was really cool, they'd send pictures and small token with each other and it seemed really fun. Maybe one thing that turned me off with having penpals is the fact that everything should be written! I was not really fond of writing too much. Plus, there was an added turn-off when I saw that my friends' penpals handwriting weren't very pretty and most grammars were not very clear. Anyhow, I still envied them, and I regretted not experiencing these. =)
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
I'm sure its not too late for you to experience this laydee. I'm sure somebody out there will still be willing to write letters. I can say I really had a wonderful time writing then...tnx for sharing
@joliefille (3690)
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
Oh yes. I very well remember those days. I've had three pen pals - from Luzon in the Philippines (I'm from Mindanao), Canada, and Maryland, USA. The only pen pal that lasted onto the internet is the one from Canada. We've met a couple of times already during her visits to the Philippines. We're still communicating and still very close online friends. It's been a good 14 years of friendship. I would always want to write or respond using a perfumed stationery.
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
wonderful friendship you've built there, treasure it. Tnx for sharing.
@nutanjain (898)
• India
28 Aug 08
hi how are you well even mine teachers also said to make pen friends because it fluences your writting and also it deepens your relationship with the person that you are writting to so it just deepen your relationship with that person also it deepens your fluency in that particular language so that you can write some interesting articles blogs and so - on
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
hello-Im very fine. thank you for sharing. My teachers were into penpals too. I want to thank them for introducing pen pals to me.
• China
28 Aug 08
I have an American penpal who is from Mississippi.We exchange our emails once a week.That is fun, I think. Even though I cannot see her face or hear her voice, knowing that we share a lot of hobbies makes me feel less lonely.^_^
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
thats what made writing wonderful, you wont see nor hear anything. the mystery lies in the hand writing. tnx
• United States
28 Aug 08
I had a pen pal way way back in elementary school. I think they were from Florida but I am not sure. And in high school we had pen pals from Mexico, which was pretty fun, for my Spanish class. I always thought it would be cool to make another pen pal from a foreign country, and I think there are websites out there you can use to find some. Maybe I'll try it out again pretty soon.
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
yes,try it again. having time to make friends with foreigners is never a waste of time and energy...it will be a very fulfilling experience to make new friends.tnx
@TheGiant (81)
• United States
28 Aug 08
I've had several penpals, one lived in California and later moved to Florida, and became one of my closest friends for 10 years, then my girlfriend, then she cheated on me with her ex, and now I have avoided her for 2 years because she really hurt me. I've had Internet penpals to, those aren't as much fun though. I don't write letters much at all these days.
• Philippines
28 Aug 08
she wasnt so nice...stay happy giant!