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Post Info TOPIC: Did you have a pen pal as a kid?


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Did you have a pen pal as a kid?
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The postcard exchange got me thinking. I was wondering how many of us had pen pals as kids. I know the younger ones that grew up with the internet probably have no idea what I am talking about.

I loved having pen pals but had terrible follow thru. They would only last a year or so before one of us would forget or whatever. I remember a girl I met at a track meet in grade school had the same bday as me so we exchanged addresses and mailed each other bday cards for years.



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I had one. The adopted daughter of my aunt's former in-laws. We met once and hit it off and wrote to each other for years. Apparently she got involved with the wrong crowd when we were about 15. Anyway, one of her letters had some profanities scribbled on the outside envelope. My mother saw it and I never heard from her again. I suspect my mother threw away her letters.

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Yes, I girl I went to summer camp with when I was 11. We wrote all the time. We finally met when we were 16 or so and are still good friends to this day.

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We did this thing where we tied our name and the school address to a balloon and then let them go. Whoever found it was supposed to write back and tell us where they found the balloon. I got a letter back from a person saying that we should not be letting a bunch of balloons up in the air because they come down as litter. There was more but that's all I remember.

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I had quite a few. One was a boy in Maine. We were pen pals for years! Then I had a bunch from Russia--they were all cool. I wish I could find some of them on FB--I've tried, but I bet I need to search with their names written in Cyrillic...

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Yes, in grade 3 we wrote letters to a class in England and my pen pal and I stayed in touch for about 15 years. She ended up becoming penpals with some of my school friends too. When I was 19 or 20 my friend and I went to London on vacation and got to meet my penpal. I was great. I wish I could find her again and see how she's doing.

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I had one and we wrote to each other for years. She was from Los Angeles - Andrea Ramirez. I want to say we would have been writing each other in the mid/late 80's early 90's.

I remember at one point my dad freaking out because her last name was Ramirez and some killer on the national news in LA also was named Ramirez. I thought my dad was silly for thinking that - but now that I think back on it, we live in an area that did not have a large Hispanic population back then and he may not have known that Ramirez is a pretty common last name.

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I have an internet pen pal. On the original MM board I started a thread called Kanadian Korner. One of the frequent posters was posting from Belfast, Ireland. When we got the notice the board was shutting down we exchanged email addresses and still "write" each other every couple of weeks. I've never been to the UK or France and plan to go next year. Definitely going to stop off at Belfast and so we can meet each other and each other's families.

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Potatochiplady wrote:



I remember at one point my dad freaking out because her last name was Ramirez and some killer on the national news in LA also was named Ramirez. I thought my dad was silly for thinking that - but now that I think back on it, we live in an area that did not have a large Hispanic population back then and he may not have known that Ramirez is a pretty common last name.


 Oh, I know who you mean--he was a big serial killer!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ramirez



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Bessie S wrote:

I have an internet pen pal. On the original MM board I started a thread called Kanadian Korner. One of the frequent posters was posting from Belfast, Ireland. When we got the notice the board was shutting down we exchanged email addresses and still "write" each other every couple of weeks. I've never been to the UK or France and plan to go next year. Definitely going to stop off at Belfast and so we can meet each other and each other's families.


 Hey now, what's an Irish Lass doing on the Canuk Korner? wink



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Mischa wrote:
Bessie S wrote:

I have an internet pen pal. On the original MM board I started a thread called Kanadian Korner. One of the frequent posters was posting from Belfast, Ireland. When we got the notice the board was shutting down we exchanged email addresses and still "write" each other every couple of weeks. I've never been to the UK or France and plan to go next year. Definitely going to stop off at Belfast and so we can meet each other and each other's families.


 Hey now, what's an Irish Lass doing on the Canuk Korner? wink


 Probably our reputation for good beer preceded us.



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I am thinking of getting my kids pen pals this summer. There is a place online that does pen pals all over the world. I think it would be a great way for them to learn about some place new. I will probably sound like a dork but I am thinking of getting a pen pal myself. I don't have many friends anymore and have been making an effort to be more social. I post more on zeta and am trying to post more here. I got involved in the post card exchange*. I know I need to get back to being more outgoing and make new friends, maybe a pen pal would help.


* About the post cards, I mailed them from Tennessee the morning we left (last Friday). Those who wanted one probably got it by now. I just wanted to say sorry about the writing. I bought the cards the second day of vacation but waited to fill them out. That was a mistake, I woke up shortly after going to bed the night before we headed for home and realized I didn't fill them out. I got up and did all of them and went back to bed. I didn't realize how bad my writing was till I was dropping them in the mailbox the next morning. Sorry, I hope you were still able to read themcry.



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Mom of half a dozen wrote:

I am thinking of getting my kids pen pals this summer. There is a place online that does pen pals all over the world. I think it would be a great way for them to learn about some place new. I will probably sound like a dork but I am thinking of getting a pen pal myself. I don't have many friends anymore and have been making an effort to be more social. I post more on zeta and am trying to post more here. I got involved in the post card exchange*. I know I need to get back to being more outgoing and make new friends, maybe a pen pal would help.


* About the post cards, I mailed them from Tennessee the morning we left (last Friday). Those who wanted one probably got it by now. I just wanted to say sorry about the writing. I bought the cards the second day of vacation but waited to fill them out. That was a mistake, I woke up shortly after going to bed the night before we headed for home and realized I didn't fill them out. I got up and did all of them and went back to bed. I didn't realize how bad my writing was till I was dropping them in the mailbox the next morning. Sorry, I hope you were still able to read themcry.


 I got mine Mom. Thanks for sending. It's a reminder to get mine done.



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Mischa wrote:
Potatochiplady wrote:



I remember at one point my dad freaking out because her last name was Ramirez and some killer on the national news in LA also was named Ramirez. I thought my dad was silly for thinking that - but now that I think back on it, we live in an area that did not have a large Hispanic population back then and he may not have known that Ramirez is a pretty common last name.


 Oh, I know who you mean--he was a big serial killer!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ramirez


 That's the one!



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waving frantically
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Mom of half a dozen wrote:

Hi Mom o'! I got ur msg through Windy. Been checking back here hoping to wave at you. Being social can be tough when you have kids. I had no lack of friends when mine were coming up but it seemed that the relationships wern't based on mutual interest. They were based on circumstance. But I'm glad those circumstances put us together because the friendships really did turn out great.



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RE: Did you have a pen pal as a kid?
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Mom of half a dozen wrote:

I am thinking of getting my kids pen pals this summer. There is a place online that does pen pals all over the world. I think it would be a great way for them to learn about some place new. I will probably sound like a dork but I am thinking of getting a pen pal myself. I don't have many friends anymore and have been making an effort to be more social. I post more on zeta and am trying to post more here. I got involved in the post card exchange*. I know I need to get back to being more outgoing and make new friends, maybe a pen pal would help.


* About the post cards, I mailed them from Tennessee the morning we left (last Friday). Those who wanted one probably got it by now. I just wanted to say sorry about the writing. I bought the cards the second day of vacation but waited to fill them out. That was a mistake, I woke up shortly after going to bed the night before we headed for home and realized I didn't fill them out. I got up and did all of them and went back to bed. I didn't realize how bad my writing was till I was dropping them in the mailbox the next morning. Sorry, I hope you were still able to read themcry.


 I loved that postcard, my DH and I did that same trip a few years ago, went to Clingman's Dome, Cades Cove, and everything. It was the first time I had ever seen mountains and is still one of my favorite places we have been.



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dqm either wrote:

We did this thing where we tied our name and the school address to a balloon and then let them go. Whoever found it was supposed to write back and tell us where they found the balloon. I got a letter back from a person saying that we should not be letting a bunch of balloons up in the air because they come down as litter. There was more but that's all I remember.


 I think we did this as my elementary school too. I never heard back from anyone but the person who wrote to you had a good point-this really shouldn't be encouraged.

We also had a penpal program in my third grade class but it was just with a nearby school district, not overseas or anything.

I also had some penpals in other countries-a few were relatives and one or two I don't even know how it happened.

I have to say, I was not a good correspondent. My letters were boring and infrequent.



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I had a few when I was in elementary. I'm only 26, so take that FWIW. :P

I also wrote letters with my elementary school BFF for years after we moved in 4th grade. Then myspace came around.

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I never had a pen pal, but when my friends or I would be out of town for extended periods back in grade school or junior high we'd write to each other. This was way before email though.

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I had one from, uh, Australia I think as part of our classes culture program.

I was a rotten penpal, if I recall correctly. We fizzled out and I don't even remember her name.

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Nope. No pen pals for me.

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I had one who lived in Malaysia. Penny. We wrote for a couple of years and then it just go to weird when she said her parents were letting a 58 year old guy late her out and touch her. She was 14. I told her that he would go to jail if that happened here. Apparently this guy had money and was basically paying her parents to let him molest her. It was so sad. I was so worried that I actually called her to make sure she was alright. She didn't sound alright and all correspondence stopped after that.

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That is a very tragic story Sky. Not knowing what happened to her must really suck.

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