ITS A BIT OF A MINE FIELD – BUT LET US WALK YOU THROUGH IT – NO HARD HAT NEEDED
Family Updates
This has to be the easiest thing to write about and for sure its always something your Pen Pal will be interested in. Think about telling them of your family and its dynamics and then asking them about theirs. People always are keen to write about their family news. Let’s face it – there is a lot of it! Maybe you can write to them with a small family tree so that when you mention someone by name – they can look and see where they are in the structure. It also helps them form a connection and when you speak of someone, they can stay connected. Same for them. Write and ask them all about their family history and ask for a small Family Tree as well. Its a nice touch. Being interested!
Work
No matter whether you love it or hate it. Have a high powered job or just working to make a little extra, its an interesting topic. Your Pen Pal may live in a completely different country where your own job would not be relevant. Maybe they work part time and look after kids and you are thrashing it out and about building Empires. It doesn’t matter. Its all about connecting with them and finding some common ground.
It wont matter if you are just running off to work in trainers and jeans and they go off in a power suit each day – you are both there to make some money and sharing experiences are good for us. We feel empathetic and when we start to feel engaged with that person it makes writing lessons so much easier.
Pets
Pets are such wonderful creatures at forming bonds and sharing and exchanging a few pictures of your pets is another sure fire winner. Maybe you are writing to someone who doesn’t have any pets at all and by sending them a picture of your lovely cat, they will think about getting one also. it could be that you both have an interest in penguins and can swop stories about where you have been to visit them. perhaps you know your animal is not well and you write to them about it. They come up with a solution. It doesn’t have to be complicated – just write and tell them about your love of animals.
Films
Everyone likes a good film, whether its visiting the local Cinema or watching something on Netflix, its a relaxing change. A change of escapism. So share the experience and let them know your tastes. Discuss a film you both like or listen to something they recommend and you never know, you may like it also.
Films are shown right across the world now that you can be sure you will both have seen the same films, somewhere along the line. We really like the idea of watching an unusual film and then suggesting it to your Pen Pal, or maybe you are both wanting to watch the same film.
Suggest watching it ( maybe even at the same time) and the next time you write to each other you can discuss it. there will be things you love and they hated. There will be things you missed and they will tell you to go back and watch it again and there will be things that you both enjoyed or laughed over. Films always bring people together, so use that as one of your tactics to write about
Books
Make sure you tell everyone about your favourite read
Likewise with books. Who has not read a book that they loved and kept reading again and again. Well, why not share the love and tell your Pen Pal all about it. Maybe they will tell you about some of their favourite books and you can do an exchange of views afterwards. The optimum thing, of course, would be for you and some of your Pen Pals to start a virtual Book Club and each month read a book and then you all write and discuss it. You would never get short of things to write about and half the fun the following month is for everyone to agree on what the Book of the Month would be, especially as when you are writing letters about it – it is never instant.
We like to think outside the box and we think this Book Club does likewise… Click here
Find out more by visiting their website
Holidays
Who doesn’t like a good holiday and who doesn’t like finding out as much about it as you can, before you travel? A lot of us have a Bucket List of places we want to travel to. A lot of us also rely on people’s recommendations to places to see and places to avoid. So this is always a brilliant way to start a conversation with your Pen Pal. Ask them where they have gone to and ask them if they enjoyed it. Tell them about the places you are off to visit and see if they have been. Better still, if you have both been to the same location. You can discuss the good and bad. Bring back the art of sending a postcard to people when you are away or just taking photos and popping them in the letter. Such a nice thing to do and receive
Food and recipes
Where ever you are in the world, food is always something to enjoy. You go to new countries and try new foods. You can even try new restaurants in your area and enjoy something different. Maybe your Pen Pal comes from a completely different continent and their idea of cuisine is totally the opposite of yours. It would be great to exchange ideas and recipes. Better still, if allowed, to send some herbs or spices in the post, but failing that do send some recipes. We can all click on the internet and find a recipe that way, but how special it is to send or receive a recipe from your Pen Pal of something that is really enjoyed. As always, when sending a recipe make sure it is something you have cooked and maybe send a picture of you eating your favourite meal and ask them to send one back
Traditions
We all think our traditions are special to us. We all think we do them better than anyone else in the World and if someone raises an eyebrow about them, we are never sure why. Its us. Its our traditions. And we love them! People really enjoy sharing traditions and telling people about them. They are fun and often a few lines about a special tradition coming up soon with some photographs or links to it helps explain more about why you love it. In return you are hoping that they will reciprocate and tell you more about their own country’s special traditions and send some images back to you. So if you are short of things to write about, this is a great opening question!
Your own Location
It’s easy to write and be generic about the country you live in, but how about being very specific about your own location. Writing about the things which are popular in your area. Places you visit. Things you do. This is very similar to writing about traditions, of course, but this is also more about informing them of the reasons why you live where you do. Perhaps you have always lived here. Perhaps you relocated here because of your job. Or your partner. Perhaps you just woke up and thought it was the best place in the world to live and moved here. So many reasons so tell them all about it. And, as always, ask the question back!
The Environment
Well I am starting this off thinking it may or may not be a good subject. Everyone has an opinion on it but is it an opinion we should share. What happens if your Pen Pal does not share your enthusiasm or beliefs, would this mean it would cause conflict? So in a good way, different opinion are helpful and enable you to find out more about your Pen Pal. having something that drives people into a downward spiral would not be ideal and you could find yourself with one Pal less.
Who wants that? So we recommend maybe asking the question first. Ask them for their ideals and what they think should happen.. If its not too far from yours then that would be a good situation to be in to continue with the dialogue. If however they are not in the same Department as you and you dont feel that you can continue without one of you being severely annoyed – then stop! Just stop! Talk about kittens instead .
To conclude…
We really like the idea of having interesting and engaging dialogue in letters to our Pen Pals. In fact we heartily recommend it. Who wants to have bland and banal letters dropping through your door? Our Pen Pals are a hearty lot. Interesting. Feisty. Well travelled. Well read and just all jolly good eggs. So if you fancy finding a Pen Pal more suited to your way of thinking, then follow the link and sign up now. You will be so glad you did!
