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Original poster

Did you ever have a foreign penpal?

111 replies

HelmutFrontbut · 01/02/2019 20:36

When I was 15 I had an Italian penpal; he was from Sicily and his name was Massimo. We used to write letters (his in English, mine in Italian) and swap photos, he was sooo gorgeous 😍 He invited me over but my parents forbade it, citing the mafia as a reason Hmm Never forgave them for getting in the way of love's young dream cockblocking me Grin

OP posts:
HumptyDoo · 02/02/2019 09:58

I did some serious Googling last night and tracked down my former pen pal despite her having moved and changed her name (marriage).

Not going to FB message her though. “Um hi, we use to write to each other 30 years ago?” Grin

Oblomov19 · 02/02/2019 10:05

Yes I had loads. Italian, french. And tonnes in Uk.

MillieMoodle · 02/02/2019 11:17

I have been sorting some stuff out this morning and have just found a photo of mine!

Hanumantelpiece · 02/02/2019 11:21

I had loads: one in France (who was an utter sleazeball), two in the US who were dating (they married each other and have since divorced), one in Canada, one in India, one in Australia and two in Germany.
I am still in contact with one of the American ones, and the Australian one.

tinatsarina · 02/02/2019 11:26

Yes a few from Japan. Nina was a friend I spoke to the most. We moved from letters to MSN then Facebook. I still have her as a friend. Haven't spoke in a while though.

goHoppity · 02/02/2019 11:28

Yes we got a french one in school. I wish Inhad kept it going

MrsMartinRohde · 02/02/2019 12:28

I had several that didn't last - a girl in Scotland that I think came through Jackie magazine, one in South Korea and one in France - and one that did last. Her name was Jennifer, she was in Rhode Island, and she was Korean. We wrote for years from 1987 when we were 13, all through school and university, and then email came in and for some reason that was when it petered out. I think the last time we corresponded was in 1999 (on the phone). We did meet up, when we were at university, she was over in London for a while with friends and I came down to visit. It was slightly odd/strained, we were (are) both introverts and I wasn't terribly comfortable. I wish I knew what she was doing now, the last I heard was when she added me on an early social media site, which I can't remember the name of, around the Friends Reunited time but pre-Facebook and MySpace. I've googled a few times but never got anywhere. She was quite unhappy/depressed the last time we spoke, which was when she was on what sounded like a really difficult school exchange (she was in Tajikistan, I think, and it sounded awful). Crikey, it's 20 years. She'd be 44 now.

It was really really important to me to have her in my life, though, I was lonely as a teenager, didn't talk to my RL friends about what was in my head, but I spilled it all out to her. I still have all her letters back to me in a box.

BettyJJ · 02/02/2019 12:32

Do penpals still exist?

Would love to get to know someone from another country and swap pictures, get them to send over some of their cuisine, and maybe even meet them.

ShahOfSplosh · 02/02/2019 12:58

I had one in China, one in Russia, one in Trinidad and one in Scotland.
I am back in touch with the Scottish one on Facebook!

Starlight90 · 02/02/2019 14:03

Yes, one on Seoul and another in Australia. it was in the late 80’s and it was through a company. No idea what it was called.

Anyone enlighten me? Id love to know.

Elmamadegatita · 02/02/2019 14:19

I still do! I've been writing since I was 12, met with a few of them and still write letters today!

Elmamadegatita · 02/02/2019 14:20

For those still wanting to write letters I can recommend Inter Pals. Though a heads up, some people (mostly men) treat it as a dating website 🙄

LeonoraFlorence · 02/02/2019 15:02

I’m still in touch with my French pen pal from primary school, Aurelia. We speak often and meet up a couple of times per year with our families. She’s one of my closest friends now.

Catsandbootsandbootsandcats · 02/02/2019 15:10

I had several, but I was crap at replying so they usually tailed off after a few months.

I had Bonnie from Australia, Sascha (male) from Germany and Jeremi (female) from America.

I'm sorry for being a crap pen friend!

RavenLG · 02/02/2019 15:28

I used to write to my cousin in south africa, before they moved back to the UK if that counts?

Rowgtfc72 · 02/02/2019 16:02

Humpty you're not from Dachau in Germany or Tarsus in Turkey are you?!
My German penpal was called Petra and my Turkish penpal Zehra. I think I've found Zehra on Facebook (well I have because one of the photos on there is the same as the one I have!). Haven't got the balls to contact her though,she's stunning!

Crinkle77 · 02/02/2019 16:06

Yes I wrote to a Korean girl that lives in America for a number of years. Fizzled out as a bit to teenage years which is a shame. My mum started writing to get New Zealand pen pal over 50 years ago and they are still in touch. In fact they met up recently when she came over for a visit to the UK.

Chocolatecoffeeaddict · 02/02/2019 16:08

I did briefly. When we were in year 6 our school connected with a French school and our class matched up with a child from their class. We wrote a few letters to each other but then it fizzled out.

notsmartenough · 02/02/2019 16:35

My first penpal was when I was 12 , this was through school and she was from Portage, Pennsylvania. She got me to write to two of her friends as well.
I loved receiving those letters and signed up to an international penpal club.
I had penpals from Northern Ireland, Sunderland, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Australia.
Never thought about looking for them on FB, I still remember some of their names.

SwedishEdith · 02/02/2019 16:36

I had loads all over the world. Mostly from a place in Finland. I think it might be this place www.ipfworld.com/onlineapplication.html. God, it was so exciting getting and sending airmail post. I stayed with two and I'm still in touch with one over 40 years later.

Wolfcub · 02/02/2019 16:38

Yes in Poland. Her name was Zdenka

ShadyLady53 · 02/02/2019 18:33

Good lord, I just joined interpal and have been inundated with weird messages! I’ve changed my mind about wanting a penpal 😂😂😂

poppym12 · 02/02/2019 18:37

Yes. A girl from Michigan. We wrote for years. A girl from Finland and one from Argentina. Sadly she had to stop writing when the Falklands war broke out (yes, I am old).

I often wonder how life turned out for my Michigan penpal.

ginghamstarfish · 02/02/2019 18:42

Yes, at junior school, a girl in New York. We wrote for a few years but it fizzled out as we became teenagers I think.

Hefzi · 02/02/2019 18:43

Is anyone else doing incowrimo this year?

It reminds me of those penpal days Grin