Starting to pen pal - how it all began
Pen pal: a friend made and kept through correspondence [1]
Ever since I can remember, I have always loved letters. I loved going to the mailbox everyday, even if none of the items I collected were addressed to me. Perhaps it was watching one of my big sisters receiving beautifully decorated envelopes from another country that started this interest. She kept her pen pal for some time, although not much. She had gotten them through school, as a part of learning English. And I couldn’t wait until it was my turn!
A few years later, I too got to choose who to send a letter to! I was so excited! I wrote a letter, but none came back. Of course, a lot of things could have happen, they might have not received it and might be as disappointed and sad as I was, day after day, waiting for something that never arrived. For the next years I never thought of having a pen pal again. I thought that this was something only for teenagers trying to learn a new language.
But then I discovered The Paper Letter Blog.
After finishing my PhD I had time to try to reconnect with the things that I had given up in the pursue of my studies. This included any creative outlet I once had. At the same time as this was happening, I discovered Vivian’s channel, all about stationery, paper crafts, and pen pal letters. I watched it for a while, as well as other creators within the pen pal community and the planner community (I also started to look at bullet journaling). Some months after that, I decided to give it a go. I set aside my fear of sharing my address with strangers, and answered a few “Find a pen pal” posts in Instagram. And I never looked back!
I have sent more letters than I have replied to (once again, I am not sure if they got lost, or if the other person was just simply not interested in replying). But that is ok! I have not been the perfect pen pal either! Due to circumstances, I haven’t been able to send my replies that fast (I think that the longest reply took me about 9 month after receiving the letter). In any case, I am getting faster, as I adapt my newly rediscovered hobbies with my work and responsibilities.
Starting to pen pal was one of the best things I have done in 2020. No matter how long it takes, getting one of my pen pal’s letters in the mailbox can turn any somber day into a radiant one!
