Kelly’s recent post about stamps got me thinking about letters. When I was younger I was really into pen palling. I had penpals from all over the world! At the peak of my pen palling I had around 30 penpals. It made getting the post exciting!!
It all started off when I joined the Boyzone fan club. At the back of the magazine there was a list of names of other Boyzone fans who wanted to find friends. I got to know a couple of girls through that and in fact I’m still friends with one of them. She saw my name in the magazine and got in touch because of where I lived. Her family had a caravan in the town near us. We’re now friends on Facebook and she’s just had a baby girl as well. She’s coming up this way in May so we’re going to meet up! It’s exciting – I’ve only met her in person once before and that to was at a Boyzone concert years ago!
Anyway back to pen palling! I miss it, I really do! I miss the excitement if receiving a letter though the post! All I get these days are bills or junk mail! I also miss the fun of writing and trotting off to the Post Office to send them. I used to love posting the letter off and thinking that someone, like me, would be just as excited to receive it.
What I also miss is the stationary! I loved pens and paper! I still have tons of stationary left over from back in the day. It’s all stored in the attic just in case I needed it – now it’s there for my little girl!
I’d love to penpal again – I just googled it and there are sites I could join but I’m not too sure about sharing personal info online. Shame!
I used to have a penfriend I got from the boyzone magazine. I wrote to her because she was from the Ukraine (my grandad was Ukrainian). We lost touch after a few years though. I wonder what happened to her? Also, when I was younger I had some penpals I got through the teen magazine on Teletext!
Until January, I was a member of a penpal site run by the German post office. YOu had to enter your address, but people had to request you as a penpal and could only actually see your address once you accepted them. Because it was the post office, it was pretty trustwrthy. Sadly tey closed down in January. I still have about 5 penfriends I found through there, but loads of others have stopped writing and now I have no way of getting more. Boooo!
Author
You’re a Boyzone fan as well? Cool! I may have had a penpal in the Ukraine as well.
Shame the site shut down but great you still have penpals through it!
I actually looked at penpal websites also but didn’t want to list out my home address. I thought about using a PO Box but wasn’t sure if it was worth it. Sad that we live in that kind of world!
Author
It is sad that we live in that kind of world. Although when I was younger I handed out my address it tons of random people through “friendship books”. I only stopped when I noticed people writing “no jail mail” in them!!
30 pen-pals!? WOW! I have a few bloggers I exchange letters with once in a while and it’s so much fun. There is nothing quite like receiving an actual letter in the mail these days. I don’t blame you for not wanting to put your info online though, totally not safe. A PO box is a good idea, I need to get one myself!
Author
Yup 30! I still have all their letters in a keepsake box in the attic. Receiving a letter is great – its exciting!