Do you remember Pen Pals?

qualitygal · ‎10-04-2010

As a teen, I wrote to a gal in New Zealand. Now, due to t.v. I got to see what a beautiful place that is. We both grew up and lost touch with each other. But, I'll always remember the little blue paper she use to send her letters on.

Did you have Pen Pals?

I'll add it was from a Teen magazine at that time. Name of the magazine, ?????

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

Yes! My older brother has two now....one from Germany and I can't remember where the other one is from, both women, ha! He is a great letter writer.

Nataliesgramma · ‎03-28-2015

Yes.....I always wanted one....but my Parents wouldn't let me...I don't know why...

Tribesters · ‎03-10-2010

@qualitygal

Yes, I had several pen pals. The ones I corresponded with the most were from Baton Rouge, France & Singapore. It’s funny I never met the one in the US but Marie Sophie from Paris France visited here twice & I went to visit her as well. Had it not been for Marie Sophie I would have never been to Paris. Some of the attractions her family took me to visit were Normandy, Notre Dame, Versailles & Mont St. Michel. We rode a boat down the Seine River at night-beautiful! Of course I saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louve Museum, Napoleon’s Tomb and much, much more. Definitely my trip of a lifetime.

While here Marie Sophie met friends of our family whose brother was a pilot in the war. He had been shot down over Francs & buried there. They had never seen his grave or were even sure it existed. Marie Sophie went back to France & found his grave. She put flowers on it & sent photos to them. As you can imagine this meant a lot to them.

I lost track of my pen pals over the years. Marie Sophie became a scientist & I have seen papers published by her online. I attempted to reconnect with her but learned she had died from what her mother called “raging cancer.” So sad...

qualitygal · ‎10-04-2010

@Tribesters, I'm so sorry you lost this friend, but what a great story of your pen pal adventures. You have been left with some wonderful memories.

drizzellla · ‎03-14-2010

We went to the New York World's Fair in 1964. The Parker Pen Company had a pavilion. And you could sign up to get a pen pal. I received a name and address for a guy in Taiwan. We were about the same age (12) and wrote once in awhile. He wrote to me in English and I did not realize it that he had to have someone help him write the letters.

Then he started writing to me in Chinese. A friend of the family, translated the letters to me.

Since I was not reading the exact letters myself, I was just thinking the letters were just friendly chats. When I went away to college, his letters to me were in English again. But suddenly he was talking about getting married?!?!?!?!?!?!

I honestly thought maybe he found an English book and was just copying from the book. And he did not understand what he was writing. He even started sending me gifts. A string of small Chinese laterns lights - is the only thing I remember.

I wrote back and said thanks but no thanks. I had no intention of moving to Taiwan and I was not ready for marriage. I never heard from him again.

Just think I could have been a 90 Day Fiance.

Pook · ‎03-20-2010

I think it was freshman year in high school for English class we all got foreign penpals. I got a teen my age from Ceylon who was named Joy. We wrote back and forth for a couple letters then I learned Joy was a male. He said he had 7 older sisters so when a boy came along they named him Joy. At one point he said razor blades were hard to get and asked if I could send some so I did and he politely asked if maybe I could send some better ones. We wrote for over a year and then when he found out my father had a tv and appliance business and also repaired them he wanted to make arrangements to come over and apprentice with him and live with us and maybe we could eventually get married!!! Well needless to say that was my last letter to him!!!