I love snail mail. There’s something fun about opening the mailbox and seeing something colorful in there. You know colorful mail is good mail. I made a post way back when about saving the postal service, and as part of that quest I’ve been messing around with a site called Postcrossing. The idea is to send a postcard, with or without a note on it, to some randomly assigned person. Once they receive your card, they register it and your name gets dropped into the hopper to receive a postcard from some other random person. Strangers connecting to strangers. One world. All that stuff. Pretty cool.
So, my first batch went out to Netherlands, Norway, Taiwan, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The postcards to Netherlands, Norway and Taiwan have been delivered so far. The Russia and Belarus bound cards have both been traveling for 27 days. Given my past in international logistics, I already know it will be a miracle if either ever arrives at their destinations. If a 2 foot by 3 foot piece of freight can get “lost” on the way to a major Russian city, there’s no hope for a tiny 3×5 piece of cardboard. Ukraine still has some hope.
Yesterday, I received my first two postcards in return. One from Poland – the lovely city of Krakow, which I insist on saying “KRA-KOW!” with an awkward karate chop every time for no other reason than I am strange. The coolest thing about this card was that the sender took it to some kind of Postcrossing meeting, and it was signed by 16-17 different people.
The other postcard I received was from Linz, Austria which I’ve decided is a good name for a dog – Linz, not Austria. The sender of this card took the time to write a nice introduction so I can tell you that she’s a school teacher, grew up on a farm, she drives by this Cathedral on her way to work and she is a member of the Cathedral Choir. Strangers meeting strangers. Pretty cool.
The best part about this site is that you aren’t obligated to send so-many within a certain period of time, so you can participate as time and money allow. It’s a fun way to connect to people all over the world, even if just for a second. And, so far, the pictures have been beautiful!
