You might just need a good, old-fashioned pen pal

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

I lived in Pago Pago, American Samoa, for two years and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, for eight, worked with 16 nationalities, and traveled to 18 countries. These were life-changing experiences.

Learning about other cultures fascinates me, and in pursuit of learning, I searched the Internet and found two pen pal sites. I wanted to write to someone who could speak and read English.

I’ve always enjoyed British people, and my favorite country is Spain. So when I found a British lady who lives in Spain, I saw that I had the best of both worlds. She’s a retired opera singer and voice teacher. Now that we’re pen pals, we’re caught up in each other’s lives and similarities. Photos fly back and forth. I felt honored to receive stunning pictures of her daughter’s wedding in the Maldives.

Another pen pal of mine is a 26 year-old Buddhist, married lady from Bhutan (between India and China). She is a receptionist at a beautiful hotel, and her husband is a tour guide. She comes from a family of seven.

She saw my picture and profile on one of the sites, and now we have a wonderful correspondence, in which we learn much from each other, especially the differences between our countries and cultures. We’ve developed a strong spiritual bond. I’ve learned about her traditions, foods, religion (one brother is a monk, a sister a nun). The photos she sends are wonderful, and I reciprocate. Her English is very good, as she was educated in India.

A new, recent pen pal is a married lady from Cento, Italy. Something I am thinking of doing is to write to her in English and then find a site online that can translate to Italian.

In a pen pal site, you choose settings for sex, age, country and language. Those who you wish not to hear from are automatically eliminated.

Seniors and younger people can enrich their lives with a pen pal, or two, or three — all you need is time. We all need something to look forward to, so join me, have fun and enrich your life.

BOX: TRY IT OUT

To get started, Felice Tanenbaum recommends these two sites for becoming a pen pal:

www.interpals.net
www.penpalworld.com