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'Pen pal' culture is alive and well: looking for friends the conventional way
Despite the easy accessibility of social media, physical mail is still popular among romantics.
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Old ways: These days, it is easier to get international pen pals as there are various webs and apps to search for one. (Courtesy of @penpaling.id) (Personal collection/Courtesy of @penpaling.id)
D
espite the quick accessibility of social media, the conventional way of communicating still finds its place in the modern era. But the hobby is not as easy as licking the back of the stamp.
Even after the internet has seeped into every aspect of people's lives, some still choose to write and exchange letters with strangers miles away. Kompas Gramedia's Bobo magazine first introduced Tiara Kirana Prameswari and Lianty Putri to the world of handwritten correspondence.
"The first time I met and searched for pen pals was when I was still in elementary school, around fifth grade. At that time, the internet was not so easily accessible, and I happened to like reading Bobo magazine," said Tiara.
Meanwhile, Lianty, who lives in Tebingtinggi, North Sumatera, only seriously started looking for pen pals when she was in high school. "Even then, [I was still looking for pen pals from] Bobo. I sent a letter, put my address on it, and said I wanted to find some pen pals, and then some letters came."
For Rifina Dwiseptia Hanafi in Depok, West Java, her mother was the first to introduce her to the hobby. "My mother used to write letters with her pen pals and collect used stamps," said the librarian, who started exchanging letters in 2018.
The 24-year-old rediscovered the charm of exchanging letters because of the tedium she experienced from instant communication. "Although the message [arrives instantly], the unpleasant side effect is that we are kind of required to respond quickly too — and it's tiring," she said.
