Do pen pals exist?

[Michelle jin]

I was wondering. I have a penpal. He's in prison, in Hunstville, TX and I write him all the time. I'm talking old school pen and paper, but a stamp on the envelop, put it in the mailbox, penpal. I was wondering, have any of you ever had a pen pal or would you ever consider getting one?

[Tiger]

I was wondering. I have a penpal. He's in prison, in Hunstville, TX and I write him all the time. I'm talking old school pen and paper, but a stamp on the envelop, put it in the mailbox, penpal. I was wondering, have any of you ever had a pen pal or would you ever consider getting one?

I had a pen pal once. He was in prison too actually. I would never do that again. It's usually not a good idea.

[Menzoberranzen]

Alas, the existence of pen pals, whilst appealing indeed, is naught but myth.

[Michelle jin]

I had a pen pal once. He was in prison too actually. I would never do that again. It's usually not a good idea.

 

Why do you think it's not a good idea?

[Tiger]

Why do you think it's not a good idea?

 

If it is a romantic interest, it probably is a bad idea. Why is he in prison? How long will he be in prison?

[Michelle jin]

I was just talking about writing someone? lol

[Tiger]

I was just talking about writing someone? lol

Well, as long as you don't take it any further, it should be fine.

[Jack Frost]

I still have several left over. They're from Norway, the UK, Canada (BC and Manitoba), the Czech Republic, and Austria.

 

Some of them, we moved onto Facebook or MSN because we don't have much time to do letters.

Edited July 16, 2008 by Jack Frost

[MikeL]

E-mail and IM are the new pen and paper. I doubt many new penpal relationships depend on the postal services.

[Tiger]

E-mail and IM are the new pen and paper. I doubt many new penpal relationships depend on the postal services.

That's true. I'm giving up the latter for a while out of personal choice, but I couldn't live without the former. E-mail and IM are so much more practical than using pen and paper. It's also much faster. Letters take days to deliver. An e-mail takes up to a few minutes (because sometimes servers slow down), and IMs are, as the name suggests, instant.

[AFriendlyFace]

That's true. I'm giving up the latter for a while out of personal choice, but I couldn't live without the former. E-mail and IM are so much more practical than using pen and paper. It's also much faster. Letters take days to deliver. An e-mail takes up to a few minutes (because sometimes servers slow down), and IMs are, as the name suggests, instant.

LOL, in most cases people can reach me more quickly via the traditional postal service than through email. This is because I check my mail nearly everyday (not quite but nearly), whereas I only check my email once a week at best, often quite a bit less.

 

The only way I would ever have a pen pal is if it didn't require an actual pen. I absolutely loathe the physical act of writing with every fiber of my being

 

I do the absolute bare minimum of physical writing and I still feel extremely put out and irritated when I do.

 

That said, I'd be perfectly happy to type up a letter and mail it. I just won't handwrite it. Which really is good for the other person too if they actually intend to read it

 

I've done the above, typed postal correspondence, on a few occasions and not been at all adverse to it. I also wrote (typed) my best friend a letter last month for his birthday telling him how much he meant to me. Thought it was more personal than simply getting him a card and gift, which I also did, but he was indeed thrilled with the letter.

 

Personally speaking I'm happy when I receive paper correspondences from friends and families. Actually though, I also have the preference that they type it as well unless they have a remarkably nice handwriting. My eyes are terrible and it strains them even more trying to decipher people's script.

 

Good topic, Michelle

 

-Kevin

Edited July 16, 2008 by AFriendlyFace

[FrenchCanadian]

As it has been said,, I think that now with the computerize era, they went from letter and envelope to email and IMs. Tho, I will agree that receiving actual mail gives it a more tangible touch to the whole process.

 

I use to write all the time to my best friend, and I owe the fact that him and I are still friend to that fact. This guy , my best friend from school moved when we were in grade 3. From that moment till the point we both got computer and internet, we almost only communicate, to keep in touch, by letter...

 

As for now, well, I have this friend in houston, that along with IM-ing and all, we do once in a while send each other letter/postcard.

[Jack Frost]

It's nicer to do letters sometimes because it goes on slowly and you wouldn't run out of topics. In e-mails, everything happens so fast that you could have nothing to talk about. That's why me and several penfriends decided to stick with mails because we really put "snail" on "snailmail" (we would take months to answer). Just so we can write up four pages worth of random thinkings and daily news.

Edited July 16, 2008 by Jack Frost

[RJ Santos]

Where do you find someone to be penpals with, btw? ( Yeah, I think I'm interested.)

[Krista]

I had a pen pal since the 4th grade all the way through high school, but after graduation he moved and didn't give me his new address so I couldn't write to him anymore as he didn't know exactly where he was going. He was going to college or something. I like writing letters and mailing them, I think they're better than e-mails.

[Benji]

I had a pen pal since the 4th grade all the way through high school, but after graduation he moved and didn't give me his new address so I couldn't write to him anymore as he didn't know exactly where he was going. He was going to college or something. I like writing letters and mailing them, I think they're better than e-mails.

 

 

..........A long time ago I corresponded reguarly via mail (clay tablets were hard to mail ), I played chess with this person. I thought with the 'computer age' e-mail and text messaging that this was a 'lost' art. Glad to see it is not.

[Jack Frost]

Where do you find someone to be penpals with, btw? ( Yeah, I think I'm interested.)

www.interpals.net

 

Avoid Africans.

[Benji]

www.interpals.net

 

Avoid Africans.

 

...........You are referring to the scams?

[Jack Frost]

Indeed.

[Bondwriter]

Indeed.

I thought you were your old prejudiced self...

 

(See, old AND prejudiced in the same statement. That's quite a lesson in being unpleasant to your old semi-canuck enemy, isn't it? )

[pitchan]

I used to have a penpal waay back in 7th grade. The librarian in the American school I went to gave me her email. It was kinda fun for the first few months and then we kinda stopped sending mail. Plus I forgot my password and the account got dropped so...

I still remember that penpal cause its through her that I learnt the word 'procastinate'. It kinda stuck in my mind that incident. xD

[SonoLuminus]

Pre-Internet, I was very much into letter writing. I remember when I had as many as 50 pen pals at one time. We had these chain booklets called "FB's" (Friendship Booklets) we used to sign and pass on, and if there was anyone who sounded interesting, you could write and see if you got a response. Eventually, I lost touch with everyone as I got more into emailing and chat instead. I've looked for some of my old friends, but most of them have probably since gotten married and don't have the same names anymore.

[Tiff]

I wrote a lot of letters to my best friend when I was younger. But then we exchanged them in school.

 

As for a penpal, I had one from France, but that was part of a letter exchange program for my language class at the time. We obviously didn't stay in touch, but it would have been cool if we did.

 

With the introduction of emails and chats and texts, I ditched letter writing. It takes too long, my handwriting is loopy, and it becomes tiresome. Plus, technology is faster. Why wait? I'm impatient.

 

Although, it would be cool to have a penpal again, if someone was willing. Then again, I'd probably get annoyed after awhile and ask to switch to email...