Letter #199 from Florida

Letter #199 comes from Carmen in Florida.Carmen is 19 years old and lives in Miami,but is from Honduras.She says that even though Miami isn't very big,there is so much to see.There are numerous different cultures living  in that one city.She said there are many Colombian carts and a lot of Cuban food.Even though everyone there loves the beach,she doesn't.

In Miami,it seems that everyone speaks Spanish.Carmen attends a church with many Brazilians.Of course,there are many Cubans there,too since Cuba is only 90 miles away from the lowest point in Florida,the Florida Keys.She says that you can actually see the island from there... I guess that is why so many people make the trek by boat since it is so close.I can't even begin to imagine being on the other side and seeing freedom so close and wanting your family to have a better life.She also noted that Disney is only 4 hours from where she lives.

Thanks Carmen for your lovely letter,which was written on an origami paper that gave directions on how to turn it into a heart. ♡ Her letter can be seen below:

Letter #198 from Finland

Letter #198 comes from Iina (pronounced ena) from Finland,home to the fabulous cartoon,The Moomins,which is one of our fave foreign cartoons!Iina loves history so she starts her letter off by telling us about the history of her country.The location of her country has had a real impact on the history of her country.Until 1809,they were part of Sweden,but after Sweden lost a war against Russia,Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy within Imperial Russia.In 1906, Finland was the first European country to give women the right to vote.Finlamd became independent on December 6,1917 after things changed in Russia,such as WWI and the Febuary and October Revolutions.The first half of the 20th century was filled with wars in Finland.There was a Civil War in 1918,which left the nation badly scarred and clearly divided.During WWII decades later,Finland fought in three wars.Their first war was the Winter War (1939-1940) against the Soviet Union,which she says had a major role in uniting the country.That war was then follwed by the Continuation War from 1941-1944,which was also against the Soviet Union.Finland was the underdog and the main goal was to remain independent.In the Continuation War,Finland got help from the Nazis,but after an armistice was reached with the Soviets,Finland was forced to begin its third war,known as Lapland War,which lasted from 1944-1945,which was a war to get the Nazis out.Wow,that is some history for a country I always think of as quiet since you never hear about Finland in the news,so it's amazing to hear that this country had such a rough start.

Finland is also home to some very talented composers and painters who were in the middle of some key points of the country's history.Akseli-Kallela painted many scenes from their national epic Kalevala (which she says is a very interesting book,which at times can be very difficult,but it's a big part of Finnish culture).He is also impossible to ignore when speaking of Finnish Romantic Nationalism.He is their most internationally known painter.

In music,the most internationally known Finn would be the composer Jean Sibelius.His music had an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity.His most important composition was called Finlandia,which was written as a protest against the quickly increasing censorship from the Russian Empire.Sibelius was also inspired by Kalevala.Sibelius' home,Ainola (which mean Aino's land and was named after his wife Aino) is a popular tourist attraction,which is located on the shores of Lake Tuusula,which is where many artists lived in the early 1900's.

Now on to some facts about Iina.She has mentioned how her name is very hard for foreigners to pronounce since her name starts with two i's,but as I showed earlier,it's pronounced like e-na,which is actually so easy,buy the i's throw us off.She says it's a popular name for her age group.Anyways,she's a rather typical 18 year old girl.In August,she will be a high school Senior,so she will be very busy with school and having many exams.After reading about school life in other countries,we sure have it easy in the U.S.Seniors here have it made,it's actually the easiest year and filled with more fun things and not really many tests.Iina wants to study English at the university and she will be applying to both Finnish and Scottish universities.Anyways,Iina was born during a recession,which was one of the history's worst economic crises and even worse than the one in the 1930's.Two years later her family moved to Heinola and they have lived there ever since.A few months before that,she says that Finland had won the ice hockey world championships for the very first time....  this recent win made it their 2nd world championship.Finland is a true ice hockey country,but Iina doesn't really understand ice hockey,but she does know that it means a lot to her country.My oldest daughter and I enjoy hockey and think it's so fun to play,well,floor hockey since we don't skate. :) Our fave team would be the Redwings since we moved from Michigan,where hockey is big.

Iina's hometown of Heinola is a relatively small countryside with about 20,000 people,in the south of Finland.Heinola is a summer town and life there isn't very lively after the summer season ends.She says she is quite lucky that their capital,Helsinki is nearby,just 1km south.Heinola is known for the Sauna World Championships,which is just a contest about who can sit in a sauna the longest.Saunas are a big part of Finnish culture.She said that in the old days,women gave birth in saunas.She says that in the championships,they steadily increase the temperature to see who can take the heat the longest.Unfortunately,last year a man died in the finals and another one was badly burnt because they stayed too long in the sauna.She really doesn't understand why they do this.... neither do we,it's pretty crazy to risk death for a championship.Aside from that,she says that saunas are pleasant and relazing.I wish we had one when we lived up north,it would be so nice after a long day in the cold.

Heinola is also home to Apulanta,one of Finland's most popular rock bands.The city has also meant a lot to Finnish literature as well.Two members of a literary group in the 1920's,known as Tulenkantajat,were from Heinola and a third studied for her teacher's degree there,too.The word Tulenkantajat means "the fire bearers",which describes their philosophy rather well.They wanted to introduce the very old-fashioned Finland of the 1920's to the lively modern Europe and its literature.Their writings pictured  the "Roaring 20's" really well and introduced "a new feeling of life".A decade later,the group was disbanded due to political conflicts (some members were strictly on the left,others on the opposite),but the young people who started the group and its magazine in their twenties ended up being rather important characters in Finnish cultural history.

Along with Iina's lovely letter,she sent some beautiful postcards,one is a Finnish winter scene and the other is a summer theme,and the last card is a Moomin card of the charcater Little My,which she says was her favorite as a little girl.She also included some cute Moomin stickers and we also loved the Moomin envelope....yes,we are crazy over the Moomins...they are so cute,you must google their cartoons if you have never seen them! :) Thanks Iina for your lovely letter and goodies,we wish you all the best for a great senior year with less stress.We hope you achieve all your goals in life!You can see her letter and goodies below:

Letter #197 from Louisiana

Letter #197 comes from Judy in our home state of Louisiana.I believe she wrote this letter with a fountain pen... isn't her penmanship amazing!? This is our very first letter from Louisiana.Judy lives in southeastern Louisiana in Iberville Parish.For those of you not from Louisiana,a parish is what other states call counties,it's the only state that doesn't call them counties.It was pretty had for me to get used to counties when we moved out of state.

She says she has a sugar cane field next to her house.I can remember when it was sugar cane season because the roads would have those occasional canes that flew out the trucks and landed on the road.I never even tried sugar cane till we moved to Michigan,but it must have not been a good one because I didn't think it tasted so good.She says that the sugar cane is ready to cut around September or October,where they will be sent to the sugar mills to be turned into raw brown sugar.My youngest daughter and I had recently read a book about the history of sugar and the work slaves had to do to make the sugar was very hard work because you needed so many stalks or canes to get a decent amount of sugar.It was such hard work,especially before they made machines.We even read that in the old days,people believed sugar could cure a lot of things and royalty would give the world just to get sugar since it was hard to get.

She also told us about the many chemical plants there,which are mostly found along the Mississippi River.... the idea of chemical plants near water scares me since the water could easily become polluted.Big ships come up the river from the Gulf of Mexico and dock at the chemical plants,so it seems that they were built there as a matter of convenience.They transport the chemicals to wherever they are needed all over the world.The chemicals are used to make many of the things we use on a daily basis,such as vinyl,plastics,fabrics,and much more.

Judy and her husband are both retired and live on a small hobby farm.They have three horses and a house cat.She says that the horses have personalities just like people and they enjoy spending time with them.

During the summer the weather gets very hot,starting in April or May.The one thing that I will never forget about Louisiana is the heat and humidity.... who could forget it?Oh and love bugs that   get stuck all in the front grill of your car... not a pretty sight. :) I haven't seen lovebugs here in Virginia,so maybe they are native to LA only.Anyways,in summer they do all the barn chores early in the morning and late in the evening,while they spend the middle part of the day inside with the air conditioner on.Who can blame them. :)

She also mentions about how we always think about how computer technology has changed our lives,but we don't always think about how air conditioning has changed our lives.I think most people will tell you they only think of that when the electricity goes off.I can remember when we would get hurricanes as a kid and we'd lose electricty and it would be so humid,you couldn't even sleep at night.That was when we would talk about how thankful we should be to have air conditioning because it was brutal.Judy recalls the pre-air conditining days and talked about how most people had a lot of mold and mildew in their houses because of the humidity.You would also have a lot of dust in your house from all the open windows.Most people had to spend a lot of time dusting and the walls of your house would have to be painted often.But then she goes on to tell us about the positive side of not having air conditioning.She says that when fathers would come home from work,families would sit on the porch out in the yard because it was cooler outside than in the house.Neighbors would visit each other everyday and would talk to each other over the fences.There was a real community spirit that has been gone since the invention of the air conditioner.

I know that before we left Michigan,they had tried to build houses with a real community spirit by building the houses closer together (sacrificing a yard and privacy) with porches,hoping to bring that old community spirit of neighbors going on their front porch and talking to each other everyday,but it didn't work.With all the technology,people still prefer to stay to themselves,but at least they tried,but it just goes to show you,you just can't bring back old ways.I may not be that old (I am not meaning that Judy is old,so hopefully it is not take that way,just saying I was born after the a/c), but I miss the days where neighbors would borrow eggs and stuff from each other and just helped each other out.I have tried to be neighborly to my neighbor since our driveways are close together so we always have to see each other,but she just hides when she sees us...ok,she's too old to run,but she walks really fast and since she has a garage with windows facing our driveway,she'll peek out the window to see if we are out before she leaves her garage.It is quite amusing sometimes,but mostly I find it quite offensive since she was nice to me when I shoveled snow off her driveway,but after that,she seems to think I have some disease or something.Oh well. :) Judy does say that she wouldn't want to go back to those pre-air conditioning days because,like most people,she likes to be comfortable.I can agree with her there since the south can get so hot.But, like she said,most neighbors don't even know each other,you might wave while passing in a car,but you probably don't even know their names.It's amazing how much technology can change society.

Thanks Judy for your lovely letter,brochures and  postcards (the white one she made with her own photos from Baton Rouge,showing Columbus on the top,St. James Episcopal in the middle and the Botannical Gardens at the bottom),which can be seen below.Her brochures made me miss seeing the old plantation houses we used to pass by when visiting relatives.If you have never been to Louisiana,it's rich in history,but try to visit when it's cooler so you don't pass out from the heat. ;) If you do go,you have to eat boudin (it was my fave food) and my husband would recommend you try the seafood etoufee.It's pretty sad to admit this since I am a Cajun,I have never tried crawfish,so don't ask me how it tastes...I just don't like the creatures. :) Thanks again Judy and look below for pictures:

Letter #196 from New Jersey

Letter #196 comes from Barbie in New Jersey.She says she has become obssessed with mail since she left for college.She recalls spending many hours in high school texting friends,but now enjoys writing letters.Maybe if more people can start writing again,we won't have the problems with the postal service and they can stick around for a lot longer.

Currently,Barbie's job is finding a job. :) She has spent numerous hours dropping off resumes in and around Manhattan and even had to take some time off for her blisters to get a break.Hopefully her feet are feeling happier now. :) Barbie has recently moved to Jersey City.She is hoping to find two jobs so that she can afford a place in Manhattan or Brooklyn....I hope she is able to afford more than a closet since I hear it's quite expensive to live there.She says she would love a job in a book store or at a quilting shop since that is what she has experience in.Maybe someone reading this can help her out.

Barbie has worked in libraries all through her high school and college years.She has learned to mend books and also learned different ways to bind a book.I would love to learn to bind books,too, so that we can make our own books for us to enjoy as a family.

She used to live in Richmond and misses it,but she also loves the urban environment and the fact that she can go to Manhattan without a car.I think I would love to be able to live in a place where I didn't need a car,although I think I would sometimes miss the privacy of my car if I've been out all day and just want to throw all my bags in the trunk.She has survived all this time without a drivers license and doesn't plan to get one since she doesn't really see the need for one now.While she lived in Richmond,Virginia,she would ride her bicycle to her job.She prefers to walk instead of taking a bus,when possible.

Some of her interests include Star Trek,Harry Potter,Lord of the Rings,Star Wars and Doctor Who.She was even on a quidditch team while in college.Her position was chaser.I definitely didn't even know that there were real quidditch teams.She hopes to get in touch with the team in New York so she can play with them since she really enjoys it.

Her other love is vintage clothing and she tries to wear vintage dresses whenever going out.She also enjoys making her own clothes,too.She is also contemplating making crafts to sell on etsy since she usually makes handmade gifts for others.

Barbie also loves to cook,maybe that is because her father is a chef.Her sister is currently enrolled in a culinary program (that's one of the things on my bucket list is to learn to cook).She says that her father tried hard to keep them out of the food service industry,but it seems like it backfired since her and her sister both love cooking.Barbie's favorite food is fried rice.She also shared a cooking tip with us,she says that she likes to add sauted carrots to her tacos...it tastes fabulous, she says.Some of her other favorite foods include sweet potato fries,waffles,sushi, Mexican and Indian food.Her favorite cookbooks are Moosewood and Betty Feezov's cookbook.

She has also been reading various books,including the Little House books and a book called American Gods by Neil Gaiman,which she says is truly amazing.

Thanks Barbie for your lovely letter and New York postcard,which can be seen below:

Letter #195 from France

Letter #195 comes from Meinhild in France.Her lovely letter was written on postcards (she wrote on paper that she attached to the postcards to make them like a little booklet).She lives in Lyon,which is where she also works.She works in a small publishing house,which seems like it could be an interesting job.She says that if we were to visit Lyon,she would take us to see the old part of Lyon to see places like the catholic Basilica.Then we would go a famous place called Bellecours.Our next stop would be a walk up the Rue de la Republique,where there are many stores to discover,along with many old buildings.From there,we would go to Place des Terreaux to take a break and sit at a cafe or enjoy ice cream.Place des Terreaux is famous for a monument which was done by the French designer Frédéric Bartholdi,who is also known for creating the Statue of Liberty,which we just recently read about.

She also says that Lyon is home to many museums.She would like to take us to meet Gnafron and Guignol,which are puppets.I think that would be really cute to see.Our next stop would be the Miniature Museum or the Museum of the History of the Movie Theaters.

She also told us that the author of the book,"The Little Prince", Antoine de Saint Exupéry,was born in Lyon.In 2000,the Lyon Aeroport was named after him,which is the airport we would arrive at if we were to visit her.

That was such a fun trip through Lyon and I want to thank her for her lovely letter and lovely postcards,which can be seen below:

Letter #194 from Minnesota

Letter #194 comes from Krissy in Minnesota.She wrote a short but sweet note on a beautiful Papyrus card she says she got from Target....I need to go check it out...haven't been to Target in a long time.

Currently,Krissy is taking a couple of summer classes at UMD (I believe that would be the University of Minnesota at Duluth).She has been very busy studying,but has made it a point to find time for fun stuff.She watched her sister compete at sections for track and she has gone to the beach a couple of times.I know when I think of Minnesota,I don't think of beach,I think of snowmen. :) She also went to see a play with her younger sister called "39 Steps".It's an Alfred Hitchcock remake and thought it was quite amusing.I can remember watching Alfred Hitchcock shows with my mom as a kid and I loved them.

Along with her beautiful notecard,she included the ticket stub from the play.Thanks Krissy for the lovely letter on a lovely notecard and your ticket stub,which can be seen below (sans ticket stub since I forgot to take it out for the photo):

Letter #193 from England

Letter #193 comes from Marina in England.She is in her final year of high school,where she studies English Literature,Theatre,Textiles,and Spanish.She loves school and says that her mother is a Spanish teacher there,so they get to live in a flat at the school.Next year she plans to go to the University of Exter and study Film and Spanish.She is so excited about going to univeristy.

Her family is half English and half Spanish,which is obviously why Spanish is so important for her.She has also lived in Spain and the Czech Republic.Her mother has lived in Texas,Canada,The Philippines and France.Marina feels so blessed to have been able to experience different people and cultures.

Marina has a variety of hobbies that she enjoys,including postcrossing where she trades postcards,twice a week she enjoys Zumba dancing with her mom...I think they talked about that on The Biggest Loser. :) She is also a member of her school's drama club and at the time she wrote the letter,they were preparing for their production of "Grease".I hope it went well.I loved seeing that play when I was a kid and we went on field trips to see plays.I think it's one show people never get bored of seeing....it just seems like it resonates with every generation.

Marina's favorite tv show is "Gilmore Girls" and a debate show called "The Big Question"...I will have to look that one up on youtube to see if we can watch it.As for movies,she watches a lot of movies as a film student,including alternative,indie and blockbuster movies,but she simply cannot pick a favorite.As for animated movies,she did say that her fave was "Up".I agree,I loved that movie,too,I thought it was so sweet.

In terms of collections,Marina likes to collect pez dispensers.I know I had many as a kid.She also collected badges as a kid and even included one in our letter from a tourist attraction called "The Millenium Dome".It was once a huge interactive museum,but is now a huge concert hall and exhibition center.

Travel wise,she has been to many places,including Morrocco and China.She went to China in 2008 for the Beijing Olympics and said it was breathtaking.She walked along the Great Wall and even watched a basketball game between China and Spain...she was happy to report that Spain won. :) She said there were thousands of spectators and she got her face painted with a spanish flag on it.She was also was fortunate to visit the traditional Hu-tongs and the Forbidden City.The food was divine and she felt it was a hundred times better than any take away food in England,in her opinion.

In addition to her letter,Marina included some coins and a postcard from an art exhibition she attended last year.It seems like Marina is very fortunate to have been able to travel and learn about other places at such a young age.I hope that as she gets older,she is able to continue to travel and explore many more places.Thanks Marina for your lovely letter (we love Diddle),postcard,badge and coins,which can be seen below:

Requesting a favor....

Hello everybody.I was hoping that you could help out my middle daughter,Fatima.She has written a story that she has entered for her very first writing contest.The grand prize is $1,000 along with some other goodies.She really wants to win the money to buy a Wacom drawing tablet since she really loves to draw and would love to be able to draw on the computer.I think she has so much potential in art with all the right tools.Anyways,she needs people to "heart" her story if they like it and the ten stories with the most hearts will be the finalists and from those one will be chosen.Voting ends on July 1st,so I hope you will take a moment to heart her story (if you like it).You will have to sign up for an account but it's quick and easy and you can read lots of other stories,too.Her story's title is called Vignis & you can click her to see it.It would be so great if you could also spread the word,she's so excited to win,but it does seem to be a popularity thing to get into the finals,but I told her not to give up till it's over.Thanks to all who vote for her and spread the word.She would be beyond thrilled if she won and I think it would finally motivate her to write more.I think she's really great at writing (I know I'm biased,but even if she wasn't my daughter,I think I would still think she was good at it). :)