Getting A Foreign Pen Pal
I know my first pen friend from an organization called International Pen Friends. This organization preserve the tradition of letter writing. Nowadays, I rarely meet new pen pals in this way but through internet. Notwithstanding the tendency of meeting new friends through internet, I do suggest that International Pen Friends is a good platform for people who have no experience to write or receive snail mail letters.
I remember that I looked forward everyday to receiving my pen pals’ letter. Sometimes they sent me little gifts. I had a pen pal from Norway, he loves reading a lot. Once he shared with me a story about a man who was the last survivor from a slaughter in the tribe. That was great.
I find that interesting to have pen pals from exotic areas like Pitairn Island, I believe many people would echo with me. As the most recent inhabitants there are the descendants of the HMAV Bounty, I am fascinated by the history and culture of the there.
People preferred to write letters as it was the best way to communicate, but nowadays people would rather choose to send emails. For example, three years ago I started to communicate online, like on Yahoo!, with people from every corner of the world who love exploring Pitcairn. That’s marvelous!
I had a few pen pals that I knew from Yahoo! Group that are from the Pitcairn, I love chatting with them about the Pitcairn areas. Yahoo! did help me make many friends from different parts of the world.
Although I did not frequently write to my pen pals, sometimes I will choose to email them. But of course emails cannot replace the power of letters writing as letters can show our passion and make our friendship more remarkable.
You can also try Interpals, a website that helps people get online pen pals. It is free. Three years ago I got a Japanese pen pal through the site. It does help a lot and you should try.
How about Myspace and Facebook? Have you considered them as a way to meet new people? Some of you may aware of the safety problems of meeting new friends in such way. But I do recommend you to try it because you should grab every single chance to meet new people. You can take precaution by looking at someone’s profile before adding them as friends.
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