Search
Pen Pals
Posted by Lotg on July 02, 2004
Does anyone have penpals any more? Or has email made it totally and completely a thing of the past. When I was a kid I had 3 penpals. One in New Guinea, one in Japan and one in the U.S. We were avid correspondents, and while I do love the instant gratification of email, there was always something exciting about looking forward to receiving a letter from overseas, and to checking out what kind of fantastic stamp would be on the envelope. Thus creating a sideline - stamp collection. Also, sometimes, there'd be little presents that came in the mail too. Corny little things supposedly indigenous to their countries (although they were probably just tourist tokens, but when you're a kid, they're exciting).
I also think, and now I'm getting all gooey I know, but there's also something really nice and personal about receiving a hand written letter. Plus - in those days, it was on that special really thin, crinkly airmail paper, so somehow that made it even more special - don't ask me why.
Do any kids experience that feeling these days, or am I just being a complete and total old fogey???
Plus, fortunately for me, I'm an excellent typist. But I write so little, that I've become hopeless at actually 'writing'. My handwriting has become lazy and sloppy, and I get exhausted and my hand gets tired if I write more than a few lines. And I find that my 11 year-old seems to somewhat inadequate when it comes to handwriting. Surely this is criminal somehow???
