I received a postcard from my old British pen-pal. So sweet that he still remembers me, even though he is now married with a son (incidentally with the name Thomas when I just got to know a Thomas last year).
Coincidentally he started off as my secondary school classmate's pen-pal. He is a very interesting person, so when my friend showed me his letter, I asked for his particulars and started writing to him. At that point in time, I did consider going to England to study, so I thought having a friend there would be useful.
Anyway he came down here a few years back and met up with both of us. We brought him to the zoo, Chinese Garden, Japanese Garden, Little India, Chinatown, eat spicy sea food and had drinks at Brewerkz, where I got so drunk that my friend had to call her boyfriend in the middle of watching a soccer game to come down in a cab to pick me up and bring me home. I felt so bad and kept apologising after that. Luckily she stayed just down the street from me so it was along the way for her anyway.
My own boyfriend at that time threw a tantrum and refused to come down after I called him on the basis that I went drinking and stayed out late without his permission, so he felt it served me right for getting myself into that state, thus just left me in the lurch.
But it was not as if I drank hard liquor like my friend and pen-pal. I only had a glass of Singapore Sling and yet I still got so drunk! I really must do something about being a heavier drinker.
But he was not the only pen-pal I had. In my teenage years when I was restricted from doing a lot of things by my very strict parents, I started making pen-friends. I am still doing that now, only thing is they are now "online" friends where we chat and e-mail each other instead of snail-mailing anymore.
Besides the one in England, I had pen-pals from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia (two in fact), America (two as well, plus I also wrote to a former teacher who left to study in the US), Sweden, Greece, Scotland, New Zealand and my cousin in Australia.
Of course, through the years, most of us stopped corresponding. I have lost touch with most of them after just a couple of years. After a while, people just stop writing or replying to your letters. The only ones I still hear from are the ones from England and Japan, which I received a letter from her some weeks ago and just sent out a reply.
I actually became very close to one of the Malaysian pen-pals, as we are of the same age, she also studied in a convent, she is also the eldest with two younger brothers, her parents are also strict and conservative Chinese people, thus we have lots of things in common and often wrote each other letters of five pages or so.
She went to study in the United States, and still sent me a postcard once in a while, but I have not heard from her for about five years now ever since she started working. She stayed on in the States to work, which I feel is a good choice, as at least she is earning US dollars and probably about five times what she will earn if she went back to work in Malaysia. I will so love to find out how she is doing and whether she is already married as the last I heard she was attached.
Those were good and fun days, for someone sheltered and perpetually grounded like me. Writing letters was a break from the monotony of school life and the humongous load of school work I had to do.
My only regret is that I did not manage to stay in touch with most of them. These people can become very valuable friends through the years, and for someone who plans to travel to almost all the countries in the world in her lifetime, it is good to have people you know in some of the countries.
Coincidentally he started off as my secondary school classmate's pen-pal. He is a very interesting person, so when my friend showed me his letter, I asked for his particulars and started writing to him. At that point in time, I did consider going to England to study, so I thought having a friend there would be useful.
Anyway he came down here a few years back and met up with both of us. We brought him to the zoo, Chinese Garden, Japanese Garden, Little India, Chinatown, eat spicy sea food and had drinks at Brewerkz, where I got so drunk that my friend had to call her boyfriend in the middle of watching a soccer game to come down in a cab to pick me up and bring me home. I felt so bad and kept apologising after that. Luckily she stayed just down the street from me so it was along the way for her anyway.
My own boyfriend at that time threw a tantrum and refused to come down after I called him on the basis that I went drinking and stayed out late without his permission, so he felt it served me right for getting myself into that state, thus just left me in the lurch.
But it was not as if I drank hard liquor like my friend and pen-pal. I only had a glass of Singapore Sling and yet I still got so drunk! I really must do something about being a heavier drinker.
But he was not the only pen-pal I had. In my teenage years when I was restricted from doing a lot of things by my very strict parents, I started making pen-friends. I am still doing that now, only thing is they are now "online" friends where we chat and e-mail each other instead of snail-mailing anymore.
Besides the one in England, I had pen-pals from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia (two in fact), America (two as well, plus I also wrote to a former teacher who left to study in the US), Sweden, Greece, Scotland, New Zealand and my cousin in Australia.
Of course, through the years, most of us stopped corresponding. I have lost touch with most of them after just a couple of years. After a while, people just stop writing or replying to your letters. The only ones I still hear from are the ones from England and Japan, which I received a letter from her some weeks ago and just sent out a reply.
I actually became very close to one of the Malaysian pen-pals, as we are of the same age, she also studied in a convent, she is also the eldest with two younger brothers, her parents are also strict and conservative Chinese people, thus we have lots of things in common and often wrote each other letters of five pages or so.
She went to study in the United States, and still sent me a postcard once in a while, but I have not heard from her for about five years now ever since she started working. She stayed on in the States to work, which I feel is a good choice, as at least she is earning US dollars and probably about five times what she will earn if she went back to work in Malaysia. I will so love to find out how she is doing and whether she is already married as the last I heard she was attached.
Those were good and fun days, for someone sheltered and perpetually grounded like me. Writing letters was a break from the monotony of school life and the humongous load of school work I had to do.
My only regret is that I did not manage to stay in touch with most of them. These people can become very valuable friends through the years, and for someone who plans to travel to almost all the countries in the world in her lifetime, it is good to have people you know in some of the countries.
2 comments:
I had a Japanese e-mail pal before I went there, but lost contact too...
That's so sad. What a pity.
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