Postcrossing Blog

Anke (aka MacKittens) hails from Germany and like her username says, she loves cats! She heard about Postcrossing on one of Schöning Verlag’s paperbags and has been with us ever since! :)

Here is what she had to say to our interview questions:

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

I have always enjoyed buying and writing postcards. I like pretty pictures. Then I saw an ad for postcrossing on a paperbag for postcards, liked the idea and I immediately signed up. I then checked my e-mail account every 5 minutes for a Hurray message. I was so impatient! I am much more relaxed now. I only check my account every 10 minutes.

Writing postcards is also tradition in my family. I think my father writes about 10 postcards per week to family and friends and my mother sends greeting cards with beautiful pictures she took herself. I sometimes use her pictures on my postcards – professionally printed of course.

I work as a teacher at a vocational school – so I enjoy being around people. I like to get in contact with them. Now with Postcrossing I have the chance to get to know people from all over the world. I love it. It’s fantastic.

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

This picture shows my postwoman. She is THE BEST! My street is the very last on her trip so I get my post very late in the afternoon. But if I happen to meet her earlier that day she often tells me excitedly that I am going to receive some wonderful postcards. She likes it best when I receive postcards with cats. Just like me she is a cat-person. And if she has the time she even reads the message on the back. I like that. It is nice that even other people enjoy my postcards.

Have you met any other members in real life?

I have been to five postcrossing meetings here in Germany so far. The very first meeting was in Hamburg in August 2013 where I met frisendeern, mondkind and schlafmohn. We have been such good friends ever since and try to meet at least twice a month. I cannot imagine a life without them now!

Last year, they persuaded me to come to the International Postcrossing Meeting in Bielefeld in organized by the most wonderful nordbaer. I was so scared at first but I quickly felt welcomed by everyone. As I said: postcrossers are kind people! Now I am addicted to meetings.

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

Postcrossers are such kind people! I am often overwhelmed by the effort the sender made to please me. Just one example: In my profile I wrote that I am a huge fan of Ryan Gosling and I have received so many handmade cards with pictures of him! Thank you!!!

But to be honest: every postcard I receive is special. It is so interesting to read about the sender’s life. Rosie sent a postcard with the Prince Edward Island on it telling me that she was on holiday there – her first holiday in three years! Her job in a musical company kept her so busy. Sanna from Finland tells me that in autumn you can see many moose on the roads which can be quite dangerous; Angela from Taiwan writes about her sausage dogs who likes hugs – especially in winter; Katalonia from Finland writes that her oldest children have just moved out and she thinks it is exciting but on the other hand she also feels sad; Bonnie from China tells me that pandas are their national animals and they always look fat, and love to sleep all the time except when they eat bamboo; Maria from Russia admits that she just sat down at her desk to do some work but instead writes a postcard to me; Evy’s favorite movie is Amélie; and Judith from China is excited because it is her very first postcards she sends with Postcrossing – and these are just a few examples of the many wonderful cards I have received so far. I really liked this one from Lydia, who agreed to let me share it with you:

Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?

I inspired my mother-in-law to join postcrossing. Now, whenever I come across a postcard with camels it goes directly to her address. She is even planning to do an English course when she retires so that she can write longer messages.

I also created a school account. Now I tell my students about postcrossing and have them write postcards. First, they usually look very skeptic. Writing is not really their “thing”. But then I show them the postcards we have received so far and let my students read them out loud. They soon enjoy the idea of Postcrossing and want to write at least one postcard. I encourage them not to write in German/English but in their mother tongue which makes them so proud! We have got a lot of foreign students. The postcards we receive at school I exhibit and there are always students standing in front of the pinboard during the break and reading the messages.

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

I once received a postcard from Madagascar! The ID was MG-118. My lowest ID ever! Kate sent the postcard and told me that Madagascar is the fourth poorest country in the world and that she runs a charity there for poor children to go to school. Surprisingly the postcard took only 13 days to arrive!

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about my job. I like working as a teacher! My students are 16 – 25 years old. I prefer working with older students :-) At school I organize work placements abroad. They are funded by the EU so the students don’t have to pay anything. So far we have sent students to Birmingham, Portsmouth and Malta. But I just made a contract with a lovely lady from Tampere and another lovely man from Stockholm! So soon we will also offer wonderful Finland and Sweden as work placement destinations, as well as Poland because my father works there a lot and knows a lot of companies there.

I love organizing this! I believe in the importance of a united Europe. Getting our countries closer together is so important! Learning about foreign culture and language is fundamental for a better understanding.

And I am always so impressed by the language skills in foreign countries! In Scandinavia the people speak such fantastic English. When I compare that to my students I feel rather embarrassed. A huge barrier in Germany for improving one’s English is that ALL foreign movies or TV series are in German. I hate that so much! On German TV all the TV channels are in German. I know from other countries that they only use subtitles. That is such a huge mistake we make here. I wished there would be at least one channel on TV using only German subtitles… Sometimes I am impressed by the language skills of some students and when I ask them how they have learned such good English they tell me: Online role playing games :-)

Anna-Maria (aka Nzqu) is a young mother from Finland. She studied organic gardening & horticulture, and works at a biodynamic farm – so ecology is a theme that is near to her heart!

Here is what she had to say:

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

I saw a short article about Postcrossing in a magazine many years ago. I didn’t join then, but I thought about it occasionally during a couple of years. Then my son was born, and I didn’t have that much time for my penpals anymore. I missed getting mail, though, so after seeing Postcrossing mentioned somewhere again, I decided to join. It was so great to write and receive mail, to read about the lives of different people and to see places I’ll never be able to visit myself.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I’m a handicraft addict. I knit, crochet and make macrame, among many other crafts. I have penfriends all over the world – now I have more time to write letters again! I’m an active member of the local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group, and try to take part to some activities of Finland’s Nature Conservation Association. I have always been a bookworm, and I have several full bookcases at home. After meeting other postcrossers, I have also got into Bookcrossing and Geocaching.

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

My son mailing some postcards. I use that mailbox quite often, even though it’s not the nearest one. It’s because there is a small service point of Finland’s Post, so I can buy stamps also.

And this is the world map I have over my desk. I have placed some of the beautiful cards I’ve received around it.

What is your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

Hearing the slam of my letterbox! :) I also enjoy selecting cards to the recipients, especially if I can find a card that’s on their favorites.

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

This is the first postcard I received via Postcrossing, that makes it special. I also like those ancient stone circles, they are so fascinating!

Have you met any other members in real life?

Yes I have, and meeting them makes this hobby even more fun! We have meetings quite regularly here in my hometown Järvenpää. There are only few of us, but we have a great time writing postcards at the local yarn store/café about once a month. I also like to travel to other towns and cities, if possible, to meet fellow Postcrossers.

The biggest meeting so far was the International Meet-up in Helsinki last August (2013), and there I met Katja from Germany. We kept in touch, and last January I traveled to Germany and took part to a meeting in Aachen. That was so great! I warmly recommend the Postcrossing meetings to everyone, it’s great to get to know different people – and to talk about postcards! :)

Is there anything that you are passionate about?

I try my best to be 'green’. I have studied organic gardening, and like to support organic agriculture whenever it’s possible. I am a bit of an idealistic, but I do want to believe that there are other better, possible ways to live. Buying tons of postcards doesn’t really help, but I think there are more harmful hobbies in this world. :)

Meet Lynda (aka LyndaC) from Canada! She’s a stained glass enthusiast, volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and has been organizing the Ingersoll Postcrossing meeting for the past few years! :)

Here is what she had to say:

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

I saw the name on the Bookcrossing site and then I was on a forum of people talking about Geocaching and someone mentioned it. I clicked on a link and started reading. I found it fascinating. I have always loved mail. This seemed so interesting. You write a nice message that goes to someone and before you know it someone else sends you a nice message. And it comes with pictures. I was hooked immediately!

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

I love all my cards and have many that I call favourite. Inge Look old ladies, Paris, roosters, Royals are all nice to receive. I also like cards of people that make you smile or laugh.

But there are two that are very special to me. I recently received a postcard of the Canadian War Cemetery at Holten, Netherlands. Four young men from Ingersoll are buried there. Around the same time I received a card from Taiwan that I had been looking forward to. A missionary dentist from the town next to mine went to Taiwan back in the 1860's and built a hospital there. Today there is a modern hospital with his name on it but the original still stands and I received a postcard of it. I love that these two cards are a symbol of my town touching somewhere else around the world.

Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?

This month, I gave a presentation about Postcrossing at the local seniors center and I hope that some interest may build from there. I have also hung up signs around town talking about Postcrossing (which Ana and I designed). The little pull off tabs are disappearing so someone must be interested!

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

Picking the right card for the person I draw when I ask for an address. I keep buying cards – even though you can see from the picture that I have a lot of cards. When I get a name, I look over their profile and try to choose a card that I believe they will really like. It might be a tourist card or an art card or a Garfield – but I want them to like it.

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

I sent a postcard to Norfolk Island and had to look it up just to make sure I was thinking of the same place. It is situated in the Pacific between Australia and New Zealand. There are only 2300 people on the island and there was only one postcrosser when I sent the card.

I was surprised when I got a card of the Bremen town musicians from Bremen, Germany. I didn’t know the statue existed outside of fairy tales.

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

This is a picture of my postlady Carla. She delivers mail to me and picks up my outgoing letters from my superbox.

Is there anything that you are passionate about?

I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. They build house for families. The houses have interest free mortgages and the people earn their down payment by helping build their house and someone else’s. I also lend money to entrepreneurs around the world through KIVA. I belong to the Postcrossing lending team.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I make stained glass windows and decorations. Lately I have been doing it with a ladies group and we donate the proceeds of sales to a shelter for women in transition.

I also collect roosters. Rooster statues, teapots, dishes, salt and pepper, boxes, eyeglass holders, candy dishes, banks, lamps, art, stickers, postcards and even t-shirts. Lately I have concentrated on miniature items. The shelf unit shows the smallest and some of the prettiest items I have collected.

Willa (aka PostcardPerfect) is an enthusiastic postcrosser from the Philippines. She does Postcrossing with her two sons, and enjoys shopping for postcards everywhere she goes! :)

Here is what she had to say to our interview questions:

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

I discovered Postcrossing through a blog called Postcards From Miss Igorota, owned by a fellow Filipino who lives in New Jersey, USA. At the time, she was offering to send a free postcard for those who wanted to received one and I was so curious and delighted when I received her postcard.

I followed the Postcrossing link there, signed up and sent my first 5 postcards. Later I found out that another blogger whose blog I frequently visited, was one of my recipients and I was so happy when I saw my postcard on her blog (you can see it here)! Since then, sending and receiving postcards became part of my daily life.

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

Since I’ve been in two countries already, I can share photos of both post offices where I’ve sent my postcards from. Here’s the one in Canada:

And my current post office in the Philippines:

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

This is a tough question and I’m sure a lot of postcrossers would agree. It is really hard to pick a favorite and even I we do, it takes a lot of thinking and convincing and sorting! :)

But ok, my most favorites are Gotochi from Japan, which I think are quite special. It says so much about the Japanese culture – and I know how hard to get these postcards is, because they can only be bought from their place of origin. I’m so thankful that I have a friend in Japan, Clarissa, who sends Gotochi cards to me from time to time whenever she’s on a family vacation.

Another favorite is the Royal Couple, Will & Kate. I wasn’t a fan of royalty at all, until I saw how beautiful they are! When I was in Canada, I followed everything about their engagement and wedding and everything else. Not to mention their wedding date falls on the same date as my birthday :D. I just thought that they are the most beautiful couple in the world, and maybe someday, I might be able to meet or just to see them in person! (wishful thinking! :D)

Then there’s Mickey Mouse, just to satisfy the kid in me. :)

Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?

Quite a few actually! I’ve helped my two sons, aged 8 and 12, sign up on the website, because they decided they wanted to received postcards of their own. And then lots of my fellow bloggers got curious when I shared my sent and received Postcrossing cards on Facebook, so they ended up signing up as well.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

First thing that comes to mind is… shopping! I mean, who doesn’t love shopping? Really! :D Whenever I go, I always look for a bookstore, hoping to find some good postcards.

There’s also the friendship of course – who would’ve thought that good and kind people still outnumbered the not-so-nice ones!

And lastly, seeing different places, discovering cultures and history, learning about other people who live on the other part of the globe, and to find out that all of us have one thing in common… that we love postcards! :D

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

Definitely!!! Like Norfolk Island for example, I did not know they were a country! :D And Dracula’s Castles from Romania never failed to amazed me! Oh… how about Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova or Croatia? There are so many of them I want to see. My bucket list of the places to visit just keep growing each day I received a postcard from a “new” country!

Have you met any other members in real life?

Yes! When I moved back here to the Philippines in October 2011, I help organized the first meet up and we’ve been doing them ever since. Our last meet up was on April 05, 2014, and just like on all the previous meetings, none of us wanted to go home early because there are so many postcard and stamp related stories to tell. And every after meet up, we all realize we need more time! :D

Danny (aka wildernesscat) was born in Estonia, but moved to Israel when he was just 10 years old. After discovering Postcrossing in late 2008, Danny has sent over 3000 postcards… and risen to be the top postcrosser in Israel! :)

Here is what he had to say to our interview questions:

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

I had always been fond of writing letters and postcards, but never knew that people exchanged cards on a regular basis. Then one time, as I was corresponding with my friend Aet (aka jalutaja) in Estonia, and she suggested I tried Postcrossing. At first I didn’t believe that the idea actually worked, but after I got my first card from a total stranger, I just couldn’t stop going. The idea fascinated me, and I became an avid participant, up to this day.

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

I am enclosing a picture of the only post office we have in our town. Kfar Yona is a small place, and we don’t have mail distribution to residential addresses. Every family has its own post office box (similar to the ones you see on the wall), and you have to collect your mail there.

I am also enclosing a picture of a regular Israeli mailbox. Next to the box you can see my electric bicycle. I use it as a main means of transportation on weekdays.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

What I like most is the selection of a new address, and choosing the right card for that person. I do quite a bit of research before I settle on a postcard. I check their favorites, their received cards (to avoid duplicates), and some other links that may be present in the profile. Then of course, comes the preparation of the card itself. I have different stamps of different sizes, and stickers to decorate the card. Everything has to match perfectly, so the card’s surface is used in the most elegant way. I like to write down the date and the weather, and sometimes I add some sort of doodle in the corner. It has to look just right :)

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

Well, actually I have two such cards. What makes them special is the fact that they were sent from countries that have no postal ties with Israel. There aren’t many countries like that, and when someone living there makes an effort to send me a card (via 3rd party), it makes me appreciate it even more because I know that the sender has invested time and thought into getting it to me. One is from Wadih in Lebanon, and the other is from Bilal in Pakistan. So close by, yet so far away.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

My kids and I like spending time outdoors, particularly mountain biking. Every other weekend we load our bikes on the car, and set out to one of Israel’s nature reserves. The reserves are located mainly in the North of the country, were the climate is cooler, and there are several marked biking trails. On other days we go on day-hikes, and look for Geocaching treasure. We picked up this hobby on a recent trip to Australia, and now continue doing it back home. We were surprised at how many caches are hidden all over the country!

Is there anything that you are passionate about?

Yes, as corny as it may sound, I like the idea of promoting peace and understanding between people. There are many different religions and different walks of life in our country, and sometimes hatred stems from pure ignorance. People portray the other side in negative light, and fights are started over nothing. There are lots of common denominators between people, and when they open up to ideas different than their own, great friendships can form. I am happy to say that I have friends and acquaintances that speak different languages and hold opposing political views. It is okay to disagree on some things, but it’s also important to respect each other, and treat each other in a civilized manner. I think that Postcrossing can promote these ideals in a friendly, relaxed manner.