Ingrid from Iran makes pottery but this hobby has been superseded by Postcrossing and new collecting activities introduced to her by Postcrossing.

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

One day when I was searching the Internet and I found Bookcrossing. I wasn't that hopeful to find any book in my second home town, Tabriz, so that I could take part in Bookcrossing. I was a bit sad but then I saw the Postcrossing label there and I was curious to see what it meant and if it would be something suitable for me!?!?

It was definitely created for me! This was the beginning of my very beloved new hobby in September 2005. I had already been collecting postcards since my childhood. From that time until my late twenties I was only collecting real vintage cards from around the year 1900 as well as cards from France (my favorite country) and later from Hannover, Hamburg, and Iran! I've still in my collection the very first card I ever bought - bought when I was only 10 years old. That first card is from Hameln. Perhaps you know the fairy tale of the famous rattenfaenger?!

Later I moved to Iran and every 3-4 years when I came back with my children for holidays to Germany, I started to buy cards from everywhere we were going for sightseeing. I did the same in Iran! And I even collected all the cards during 34 years which I got from abroad from my friends and relatives. So I already had a good collection when I started with Postcrossing!!!

Since this time I have found so many very nice friends all around the world! I have even taken part in several meetups in Germany, Austria and Finland! And, yes, we are a Postcrossing family: ipuenktchen, I_am_from_hanover, yashila_81, ANITA_2004. And, recently - BREAKING NEWS - yashila_81 got married and his wife for sure is a Postcrosser... hehehe... lili_6789!!! But this is not that Postcrossing marriage as they have known each other for a long time before Paulo had this great idea of Postcrossing. In the end, both are interested in postcards!!!

I have also gotten some of my students involved and addicted...

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I always have my camera with me and adore taking photos. I have been doing so since my last year of high school when I won my first camera in a lottery of a youth magazine. A quite new hobby is that I started a blog for traveling toys called POSSY and CROSSY, a playmo couple: ipuenktchenworld.blogger.de. The blog has nice pictures of Iran as these traveling toys are going with me everywhere! Their god aunt Egni from Switzerland came up with these great nicknames for them.

Also, since 1998 I got involved again with pottery (which I started when I still lived in Germany) but shame on me ... Postcrossing is taking up all of my time and I find less time for pottery. But I'm still trying to take part in Iranian pottery biennials and other exhibitions. Here you can have a look at a small homepage: home.feierabend.com/sofalin. I'm also a member of East-Azerbaijan's Pottery Friends Association.

And please not to be forgotten - traveling is one of my main hobbies!!!

There are other collections I've started via Postcrossing: The Little Prince books in different languages - just now I got my 37th version.

Lastly, I also I started a collection of fridge magnets!!!

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

A pic of the Iranian mailboxes which you can find everywhere; but using these is not as common as in other countries. People mostly prefer to mail their stuff at the main post office. It takes me 45 minutes to reach it!!! Here you may have a look at our new mailbox. We changed it recently.

And I finally got a pic of our mailman...

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

Oh, what a difficult question!!! Please let me think about it ...

No, it's impossible to decide as I have thousands and thousands of BEAUTIFUL and INTERESTING postcards!!! The card that touched me most was perhaps the first folded panorama card I had ever seen. It is from New Zealand and was a thank you card from nzmum2000! It was sooo impressive with a beautiful nature view in a large size!!!

Otherwise I have cork postcards, a wooden postcard, even a card with a real leaf from a tree in China! Recently I received from dear isagv the most funny card I ever had: there is a Santa Claus grabbing an Easter Bunny out of his sack and the Easter Bunny has a birthday cake in his paws and there is written "Merry Christmas, Happy Easter and Happy Birthday"! *LOL* But it's really impossible for me to decide which one is my most favorite card!

By the way, the reason I'm really happy for this hobby: it is for people of any age - I just got an official card from a 71 year old Postcrosser and her husband who is 84. I hope to be able to do the same in future as well!