A world full of penpals
By Denise
@petatonicsca (7070)
Japan
October 9, 2016 7:45pm CST
I just commented to a comment on my post about us being an international lot that I had visited Germany and stayed with my penpal.
Who remembers penpals? It was so exciting to have ONE friend from overseas, and we would exchange LETTERS and send flat things (stickers, photographs etc.) I had a penpal in Germany for years. Then we lost track of each other. A couple of years ago I got an email from her niece, who was living in the States. My penpal remembered that I had moved to Japan and where I taught, and so the penpal's niece who could do Internet got in touch with me! That was fun. Apparently my penpal was not "up" with the times and had not adapted to the online world, so asked her niece to search for me!
Now it seems to me that with all the social media sites, we no longer need penpals, or rather that we are one huge community of computerpals. (I just made up that word.)
Did you have a penpal? Do you still have contact with that person?
4 people like this
6 responses
@JudyEv (382056)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Oct 16
I had several American penpals but they all eventually dropped off the radar. I don't think my myLot friends are much different to penpals. Certainly social media has a lot of benefits if used in the right way. How lovely that you're now in touch with your penpal again.
1 person likes this
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
10 Oct 16
I think our childhood penpals tend to lose interest when we get older. Also, we have different interest. I really enjoy myLot because it's a lot like a huge community of penpals.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (382056)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 Nov 16
@petatonicsca I couldn't agree more. And we're able to communicate here every day if we wish rather than waiting for letters to arrive from overseas.
@XinfulThotz (4136)
• Singapore, Singapore
10 Oct 16
i had a penpal when i was a kid. i can't remember how we lost contact...
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
13 Oct 16
no I didn't ... but in some ways think some of these sites are like having lots of penpals... but.... while I love being a part of this huge, on line, world wide community... , it's still very nice to receive an actual physical letter in the post... 
