When I was younger, I had pen pals. I got these pen pals through a pen pal service that was advertised in one of the magazines I used to read. I sent in a couple of dollars to receive the names and addresses of some people who wanted to exchange letters. I didn’t know at the time that these pen pals would provide me with some of the best education that I ever got.

I was mostly interested in getting foreign pen pals but most of the ones that I got were in the U.S. I did have one pen pal in Banff Canada though and I always looked forward to her letters since the place seemed so exotic compared to my hometown in Arizona. I learned a lot about Canada and about living in a colder climate. I learned a lot about life in different sized towns from my regional pen pals.

We wrote letters about everything. We exchanged thoughts on families and schools and friends and growing up. We said things that I probably would not have said to my friends at the time just because I was young and self-conscious. Being able to express myself in a letter was safer. What I learned most, therefore, was all that I learned about myself from trying to explain who I was in writing.

Technorati Tags: Banff Canada