Penpaling

Don't need any presents, but I always want my birthday to be celebrated by someone. 

For my birthday, March 2nd, I thought it would be wonderful if people from around the world sent me birthday wishes through SlowlyApp, a pen pal application.  To make that happen, I published an Open Letter on February 27th.  As a result, I received replies from 20 people.  The letters came from people in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Russia.

I appreciate that they took the time to write me a letter, and I carefully replied to each one, sharing my positive impressions of their countries, their hobbies, and other uplifting topics.

After some time, about ten of them sent me second and third letters.

While I was happy to receive replies, writing letters in English became quite overwhelming for me, as I live my daily life in Japanese. If I continued at that pace, I wouldn’t have time for anything else.

On March 17th, I concluded that having around three pen pals who truly connect with me would be ideal.  I feel sorry for those who weren’t chosen, but I sincerely hope they find other wonderful people to enjoy letter exchanges with.

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