The Wonderful World of Snail Mail!

I first got into snail mail back in 1997, when my college pal Eilyn gave me an application form from the IYS (International Youth Service), a penpal organization based in Turku, Finland.  I sent in my penpal requests and a small fee and a few weeks later, I got a couple of addresses from them.  My very first regular penpals were Melanie from Germany and Ana from Venezuela.  I got so addicted that I was sending in applications almost every month and my circle of penpals started to get bigger.  Well, years passed and I lost contact with most of my IYS penpals, except for Ana.  But thanks to the wonderful world of FB (friendship book) swapping, I was able to get in contact with more people and now, I have about 30-40 penpals all over the world!! ^_^

Why snail mail?

It's slow, things often get lost in transit and postage costs you a lot these days.  In this modern age, email is much more reliable; it's more convenient, faster and cheaper.  Why snail mail?!  Well, for starters, it's more personal and much more special.  There is nothing more personal and special than a handwritten and decorated letter.  Your pal actually took the time to sit down and write news and stories by hand, and decorate the letter with colored pens, stickers, glitter, etc.  In a handwritten letter, you can actually see and feel your friend's personality and moods and it just isn't possible with boring email. ^_^

What on earth is an FB?

I will let Lizzy answer that for you!! Kidding, Liz!  FB stands for "friendship book".  It's a booklet with several pages.  You put in your details like name, address, age, hobbies, what sort of penpals are you looking for, etc.  Then you pass it on to another penpal and he/she does the same.  The FB is passed around to the different people until it is full and the last signer returns it to whoever is the owner.  (Did I explain it correctly, Lizzy? Hehe ^_~) 

There are other types, like FS (friendship sheet), deco, slams, crams, etc. and I met most of my pals through FB swapping.  Check out this site for more info!  

Want more penpals and swappers?  Place your details in my Guestmap.  Feel free to browse through the entries and pick a new penpal or swapper.  Have fun!  

 

Snail mail is my passion!

And I wouldn't give it up for the world!  Nothing beats coming home to find my mailbox overflowing, not with bills but real nice, long letters from my penpals. ^_^  Someday, I hope to visit each and everyone of my penpals.  I want to be able to speak all their languages too, if that is humanly possible. ^_^ I want the world to know who my wonderful penpals are. So I plan to put here a Penpal profile every month. I will randomly select one friend and I will post her/his profile and pic right here on this page. But before I do that, i want to ask permission from them first. ^_^ In the meantime, here are my penpals by continents:

Asia

• Akiko - Kumamoto, Japan
• Fen Ling - Surabaya, Indonesia
• Hwee Hoon - Singapore
• Ikumi - Tochigi, Japan
• Ji-Hye - Jeonbuk, Korea
• Machiko - Hiroshima, Japan
• Makiko - Sapporo, Japan
• Miho - Aichi, Japan
• Nami - Kanagawa, Japan
• Nozomi - Hiroshima, Japan
• Rie - Hiroshima, Japan
• Saoko - Hiroshima, Japan
• Yuko - Gifu, Japan
• Yumiko - Sapporo, Japan

Australia and Oceania 

• Lizzy - Melbourne, Australia

Europe

• Astrid - Odenthal, Germany
• Babs - Milano, Italy
• Carolina - Lund, Sweden
• Christine - Germany
• Christine "Tine" - Goslar, Germany
• Debora - Desana, Italy
• Diana - Numasdorp, The Netherlands
• Faye - West Midlands, England
• Gosia - Torun, Poland
• Jan - Bucks, England
• Jessica - Niederzier, Germany
• Katya - Sarov, Russia
• Kirsi - Oksakoski, Finland
• Krissie - Germany
• Kristel - Belgium
• Magi - Thessaloniki, Greece
• Marina - Trieste, Italy
• Michela - Italy
• Mira - Turku, Finland
• Nancita - Athens, Greece
• Nelli - Denmark
• Nevena - Bulgaria
• Ninchy - Jesenice, Slovenia
• Rianne - Drachten, The Netherlands
• Rosa - Tampere, Finland
• Sabine - Stralsund, Germany
• Sara - Arezzo, Italy
• Sarah - England
• Sarah - Belgium
• Valentina - Italy
• Virginie - Caen, France

North America

• Amber - California, USA
• Megg - New York, USA
• Nathalie - USA

South and Central America and the Carribean

• Ana - Caracas, Venezuela
• Cris - Porto Alegre, Brasil
• Shala - Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago

Great Penpal Links!

• Michelle's Penpals
• Penpal and Swapper Site
• Penpal.net (With Japanese and English versions)
• Penpals from All Over the World

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Contact Me!
Email: lahijadelsol@mugglenet.com
ICQ#: 221106062
Web Log: http://junsui.blogspot.com