Get a pen pal

“My first pen pal was a Chinese Canadian girl called Soufong. When I was 14-years-old I wanted to go on a school trip to Canada. But because it was so expensive I didn’t want to ask my parents if I could go, so I resolved to get a Canadian pen pal instead. I joined a special global pen pal club and they matched me up with Soufong, also 14 years old, with a wicked sense of humour and great taste in stationary. Soufong and I would always write to each other on pretty paper using a rainbow of coloured pens and smattering of cute stickers. I’d share things with Suzy that I couldn’t share with my friends at school – she was like a secret diary who wrote back! I love hearing about her life in Canada.”

“I used to check Teletext weekly for a pen pal and still remember my first ones with a smile. One is still my friend today as we found out we lived just a few streets away. Nothing could replace the feeling I got when a letter arrived. I’d spend my pocket money on fancy stationary and pens and while away hours telling my pen pals all over the world about my life.”

“We decided to stay in touch by writing letters, rather than Facebook messages or texts. It’s so nice. It’s still a bit of a discipline but I love receiving her letters and it seemed fitting given we met though writing. My son, Isaac sometimes includes a letter for Maya too.”