What to write in your first letter to a penpal

Your new friend just gave you his / her name and address and you are supposed to write the first, introductory letter to them.

You want to write an interesting letter and give your friend a good impression of who you are and the world you live in, but, how will you know whether you wrote too less or too much? 

So, here are some tips that might help you (remember that if you are a kid, talk to your parents about what of the below you should write or skip):

Write your name and greet your friend

Mention your age and birthday 

Many people woud like to have these details in their friend's first letter.

Write a few lines about the members of your family (parents, wife / husband, kids, grandchildren, siblings), their ages, jobs and where they live. If you you have pets, write about them too!

Write about the place you come from / you live in: 

Talk about your place, how big or small it is and where it's situated on the map. Write what you like or dislike most about it. 

Talk about your job / school 

Write exactly what your job is about, and, if you are a pupil / student, talk about your dreams and future goals. 
 

Write about your hobbies and interests. If you collect anything, mention that too

Some extra tips:

Ask your friend some questions (about them / their family / country / hobbies), but don't "bomb" them with thousand of them in the first letter. 

Your letter doesn't need to have big, boring paragraphs about one topic, perhaps it's better to keep your paragraphs short.

When you finish your letter, do not forget to mention your address or put a return address label, in case your details on your envelope get ruined or lost.

Remember to pay attention to your handwriting, if your letters are not typed. A neat, readable writing makes your letter more interesting and a pleasure to read!

Thanks for reading, feel free to leave your commets below!

50 things to send to your penpals

You are into penpalling and like to send things to your friends, but you sometimes find it hard to think of what you could enclose along with your letter, as you do not want to always send the same stuff.

 

I thought I'd share some ideas of little, inexpensive things you can send to your penpals. 

Here we go :

• Photos
• Washi tape
• Writing paper 
• Stationary
• Stickers
• Ink Stamps
• Postage stamps
• View cards 
• Envelopes
• Souvenirs from your country
• Recipes
• Fliers of places you have visited, museums etc
• Maps 
• Sticky notes
• Chewing gums
• Tea bags
• Snacks
• Pens, pencils, markers
• Erasers
• Scented bags
• Fridge magnets
• Cosmetic samples
• Scented papers with your favorite perfume
• Handmade cards, paintings & crafts
• Cd's
• Books
• Bookmarks
• Note pads
• Wishing cards
• Calendars
• Notebooks
• Origami paper
• Tissues
• Seeds' packs
• Magazines and interesting magazines' articles and pictures
• Articles of your local newspaper
• Friendship books
• Funny cards
• Lists with your favorite books, film or music
• Bandaids
• Posters
• Tickets
• Commercial cards of places you visited (restaurants etc)
• Colorful napkins
• Coins of your country 
• Comics
• Memo sheets
• Coupons
• Stuff for your friend's hair
• Buttons, ribbons, sequins, fabric etc (if your penpal is a crafter) 

Feel free to complete the list and give me more ideas!

Thanks for reading!

IYS (International Youth Service)

 

IYS (International Youth Service) was an organization based in Turku, Finland, that arranged penfriends in other lands for 10-20 year old pupils and students.

I first heard about it in 1987, from our English High School teacher. She came into class keeping an application form in her hands, asking whether any of us would like to gain a foreign friend, by letter exchanging.

I was among many other pupils who raised their hand and said "me!", without knowing what exactly to expect, as I never had a penfriend before.

A few weeks later, our teacher gave us the slips with our potential friends' names, address, hobbies and languages they spoke. My match was a girl from Finland, similar age and interests as me. She had received the slip with my info earlier and wrote me first! A new world was waiting for me to explore! 

Over the years, I got in touch with nice penpals from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Malta, Portugal, Switzerland and other countries, and I'm still in touch with some of them.
I remember how excited I was to find a letter (or more than one) waiting for me, as soon as I got back home from school. 

Getting to know my long distance friends, learning about their countries and lives and hearing about their different point of view was amazing!

Thanks to IYS, I was introduced to the world of snail mailing, the art of letter writing and became a huge fan of postage stamps and postcards!

The stamp on the first letter I received from Finland.
Still one of my favorites

Sadly, IYS closed down in 
2008, when the Internet "invaded" into people's lives and there wasn't a reason for them to exist anymore.

International Youth Service is a part of my past, a part of my carefree childhood and teenage years, that I will always remember and feel nostalgic about!

Your comments are welcome!