Do kids still have penpals?

Pighead · 18-03-2008 11:15AM #1

When Pighead was a kid he had an Italian penpal called Anna Valentino. She was from Florence and she meant everything to Pighead for at least 7 months in 1988.

We wrote to each other once a month and by the 3rd letter we knew everything about each other (She loved Zucchero, Bon Jovi and Aswad and her favourite food was Spaghetti Bolognese). We'd arranged to meet in England but not until we were 12 because we thought our parents wouldn't let us travel alone til then.

As with all relationships with 11 year old Italian girls this one fizzled out and Pighead was alone once more. Pighead sent his 7th letter to Anna in October and waited and waited and waited but she never sent one back.

Some say she simply got sick of writing letters to a faceless young Irish lad, some say she didn't take kindly to Pighead telling her that Bon Jovi were shite but Pighead has always liked to think that Anna and her whole family were killed in a horrific knife attack whilst they slept in the dead of night.

Anyway whats the story with kid these days? With the advent of all things Internet Pigheads guessing the kids aren't writing to each other using pen and paper these days but do they have internet penpals? Or has Bebo, Facebook etc destroyed this noble tradition?

6th · 18-03-2008 11:18AM

Has Pighead not tried to find her? Maybe her parents stopped her from writing because they wanted her to married a nice Italian boy?

Lets find Anna Valentino!

6th · 18-03-2008 11:19AM

Well its not this one, she's only 17 and from Glasgow .. not a Bon Jovi fan either:

http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=15495904

Ponster · 18-03-2008 11:22AM

Dead and buried I'd say.

Waiting for weeks to get a letter describing their home/family/life has been surpassed by an e-mail/blog update/myspace post.

I think only death row inmates use it now.

Pighead · 18-03-2008 11:22AM

6th wrote: »

Has Pighead not tried to find her? Maybe her parents stopped her from writing because they wanted her to married a nice Italian boy?

Lets find Anna Valentino!

Looked her up a few years back but only got as far as finding some Italian actress who starred in erotic movies. Got distracted after that and went away to do other stuff.

Tigger · 18-03-2008 11:23AM

pighead you have all the luck but i used to write to

6th · 18-03-2008 11:24AM

I bet monkeyfudge has some good penpal stories, lets conjure him up!

monkey, monkey, monkey!

5starpool · 18-03-2008 11:25AM

Ya, I used to have a couple of penpals as well. An italian firl and an american girl.

All seemed so exotic yet innocent then didn't it? Ah the old days.

6th · 18-03-2008 11:28AM

Anna Valentino is a member of a band in Rome. She looks the right age?

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=150962515

Pighead · 18-03-2008 11:32AM

Ponster wrote: »

Dead and buried I'd say.

Waiting for weeks to get a letter describing their home/family/life has been surpassed by an e-mail/blog update/myspace post.

I think only death row inmates use it now.

Speaking of Death Row inmates Pighead has just wrote to a pretty Native Indian called Diamond Yellowrobe in the hope of reigniting the wonderful world of Penpalling.

http://www.cellpals.com/yellowrobediamond1206.htm

Some may say that Pighead only chose Diamond because shes easy on the eye but to be honest it was this sentence that made me realise we were meant for each other.
"I am looking for a gentleman who is attentive, honest, reliable, sweet and very generous with his love and money."

Ponster · 18-03-2008 11:39AM

Naaaa, she's clearly trying to con you. This one sounds much better...

http://www.cellpals.com/franklinsherie0807.htm

chopperbyrne · 18-03-2008 11:42AM

Social networking sites, blogs and the inability to write or spell correctly have replaced pen pals.

Pighead · 18-03-2008 11:53AM

Ponster wrote: »

Naaaa, she's clearly trying to con you. This one sounds much better...

http://www.cellpals.com/franklinsherie0807.htm

Must admit, she does sound like a good un. Especially likes the bit where she says
"I am a lady at all times."
The ability to be female at all times is always one of the first things Pighead looks for in a women.

_blank_ · 18-03-2008 02:18PM

I used to have a penpal, in Spain.

We met while I was on holiday in Salou about twelve years ago, and we wrote to each other for a year. I went back to Salou for another holiday the followinf summer, and we met up.

All of my friends slagged her off for being not very attractive, and I think she knew they were talking about her behind her back.

I did write back again when I got home, but she never replied again

I wonder how she's doing.

Googling her name gives nothing.

faceman · 18-03-2008 02:23PM

Great thread pighead!

I used to have 2 penpals when i was a teenager. A bird in germany and a bird in USA. (i insisted on having female penpals only) The bird in germany was quite cool and sent me big letters and lots of photos n stuff.

But like pighead it fizzled out after about 2 years.

Funny, had forgotten all about that. Oh the memories. Im sure i have snaps somewhere...

Oh and to answer your question, yeah i think the interwebz has killed traditional penpals but younsters nowadays like to add randomers to their bebo's so maybe it has just evolved?

Wertz · 18-03-2008 02:30PM

Kids writing letters? They wouldn't be able to find a post box let alone format a proper letter.
But y bthr wen dey cn jus txt?

Pighead · 18-03-2008 02:32PM

chopperbyrne wrote: »

Social networking sites, blogs and the inability to write or spell correctly have replaced pen pals.

Yeah but you need internet to be part of the great Social Networking revolution. Does this mean that Penpalling is still alive and well in impoverished backward places like Mozambique, Panama and Longford?

whatsgoinon · 18-03-2008 02:37PM

I had a penpal from Ghana whose letters used to provide hours of endless amusement for my friends and me, it fizzled out when he wrote me a letter asking for a pair of levis so he would look nice at his mothers birthday party, and a computer for her present... where did he think a 14 year old was going to get that kind of cash!!

ryoishin · 18-03-2008 02:39PM

she prob got herself a fella who did nt approve of her writing to an irishman (boy).

Pighead · 18-03-2008 02:45PM

ryoishin wrote: »

she prob got herself a fella who did nt approve of her writing to an irishman (boy).

No offence ryoishin (What the hells up with that username? Its hard to pronounce, its not capitalised but worst of all it makes no sense) but there's no way you can say "she probably got herself a new fella who didn't approve of her writing to Pighead.

Any one of a billion things could have happened. To pick one of those things and to say that its "probably" the right answer shows a complete disregard for stats and probability. In future keep your "probablies" to yourself.

Thanks for replying though.

Witcher · 18-03-2008 02:47PM

im 16 and i still have a penpal :pac:

shes from virginia in america

iv defied you all who thought penpals were dead and buried!! :pac:

:cool::cool::cool:

chopperbyrne · 18-03-2008 02:49PM

blay1 wrote: »

im 16 and i still have a penpal :pac:

shes from virginia in america

iv defied you all who thought penpals were dead and buried!! :pac:

:cool::cool::cool:

A random girl from Virginia added me on myspace over a year ago and I talk to her all the time.

Maybe it's just Virginians that are keeping it alive!

18-03-2008 02:52PM

blay1 wrote: »

iv defied you all who thought penpals were dead and buried!! :pac:

I think you're confusing 'penpals' with 'Madeline McCann'.

Witcher · 18-03-2008 02:53PM

Myth wrote: »

I think you're confusing 'penpals' with 'Madeline McCann'.

have a bit of respect will ya? jesus :cool::pac:

:cool::cool::cool:

Shield · 18-03-2008 02:55PM

Damn! Penpals.

Memories of writing to some kid in Kildare came flooding back. We both realised at around the same time that we were only 20 miles away from each other. The nail in the coffin was the picture Fran sent me of HIM and his family. I naively thought Fran was a girl.

Fran's favourite TV show was Into The Labyrinth... just in case you were wondering like...

ibh · 18-03-2008 02:55PM

Pighead wrote: »

Yeah but you need internet to be part of the great Social Networking revolution. Does this mean that Penpalling is still alive and well in impoverished backward places like Mozambique, Panama and Longford?

I like your style Pighead, dissing Longford cause they are lucky enough to be the next team to be beaten by Dundalk. I should warn you though that there are a few Lonford expats living in Dublin so you may get some flak for that comment.

Oh and Mozambique is indeed impoverished but fcuk all people there speak English so unless you are good with the Portuguese language stick to Longford.

ironictoaster · 18-03-2008 02:56PM

I have a penpal from Florida. Travelled over twice to see her, good person.

ironictoaster · 18-03-2008 02:58PM

psni wrote: »

Damn! Penpals.

Memories of writing to some kid in Kildare came flooding back. We both realised at around the same time that we were only 20 miles away from each other. The nail in the coffin was the picture Fran sent me of HIM and his family. I naively thought Fran was a girl.

Fran's favourite TV show was Into The Labyrinth... just in case you were wondering like...

hahaha, good stuff

Pighead · 18-03-2008 03:02PM

blay1 wrote: »

im 16 and i still have a penpal :pac:

shes from virginia in america

iv defied you all who thought penpals were dead and buried!! :pac:

:cool::cool::cool:

Ah interesting. A kid who has a penpal. The thread has done its job and has highlighted that penpalling is alive and well. Now to try and get into the mind of a 16 year old penpaller.

Hey ya blay1 how are you. Pighead just has a couple of questions for you if you don't mind.

1/ How long have you been writing to your Virginian penpal? Has the relationship maintained its innocence or have the letters become racier you've both got older?

2/ At this moment in time do you think that you're Virginian girl will be your penpal buddy for life or have you come to terms with the fact with the sad but inevitable truth that its very possible that in 5 years you will not remember this girls name?

Cheers blay1.

kelle · 18-03-2008 03:12PM

I had 2 penpals, one in France and one in Germany. I met the one fron Germany twice.
As I longed to travel, it was interesting finding out about life in other countries.
E-mailing or Bebo is just not the same.

azezil · 18-03-2008 04:06PM

A gal from Canada and a guy from Tunisia, maaan that was a long long time ago!
The girly wanted to meet up, she was a single mother, not bad lookin for a burd I have to say, but I was too young and feared the vag. :pac:

Do kids still have penpals?

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