Letter #254 from Singapore

Letter #254 comes from Qinyi in Singapore.This is our first letter from Singapore so it was quite exciting.Qinyi (pronounced Chin-yee) is a Chinese girl born and bred in Singapore.She says that her home country is full of migrants since a lot of their ancestors moved there from the 1800's.Singapore is an island state,meaning that technically they are geographically smaller than Manhattan,NY,but still considered a country.Her country has about four million citizens and other expatriates there.Most of them live in either public or private apartments due to land scarcity.To give us an idea of just how small the country is,she says that if you were to drive 2-3 hours in any direction,you would be out of the country.

There is a diversity of people from different ethnicities and the four major races found there are - Chinese,Indian,Malay, and Eurasians.The national language us Malay,or to be more precise,Behasa Melayu,which is different than the Indonesian Malay that they call Behasa Indonesia.Despite the fact that Malay is the national language,English is the "lingua franca" there and is taught as a first language,due to the fact that they were a British colong until the 1950's.The British educational system is still used in their country to this day.

Qinyi speaks English and Mandarin and can understand a little Malay and Cantonese - a Chinese dialect.She lives only 20 minutes from the city,or main shopping area.She says that you can find food at almost any time of the night.Since the country is so small,many people spend time travelling around the region.She has travelled to China,Malaysia,Indonesia,Thailand,and Hong Kong.She also lived in Brisbane,Australia for just over two years,where she studied art history at the college there.

Qinyi currently works as a curator at a university art museum and her job consists of researching about art and also to conceptualize and put up art exhibitions.It is a very challenging job,with little pay,but is something she enjoys doing.She also enjoys writing letters since it is much more intimate than an email....I couldn't agree more.I definitely think you can learn a lot about people from a handwritten letter that you could never get from an email.She noted  how her city is so hectic yet she is trying to slow down and enjoy life as it is.Letters are indeed a nice way to relax and not have to worry about the outside world.

Along with Qinyi's lovely letter,she enclosed a postcard of an art exhibition,which can be seen below:

Letter #253 from California

Letter #253 comes from Jennifer in California.Jennifer lives in southern California and works at Disney so she let us know ahead of time that the letter will include a lot about Disney since it is her life. She has been collecting Disney items since she was four years old,so I guess it makes sense that she should have a job there. :) Jennifer is the ultimate Disney fan....how do we know that?Well,she wrote to us on Mickey Mouse stationery using a Mickey pen on top of a Cars lapdesk while wearing Buzz Light Year socks...ok,maybe that was a little too much info,but I told you she was a true fan,right? :) She is even fortunate enough to have an annual pass to Disneyland so she goes often.She says she tries hard to be a grown up,but she loves cartoons and Disney too much.I'd like to know who said adults can't watch cartoons because I still love cartoons,too. :)

Jennifer also enjoys cooking,writing letters,hanging out with friends and family and reading biographies.She also loves to travel and has recently visited the Grand Canyon,which is only a six hour trip from her house.She said that when you stop and look out at the canyon,it looks like a huge painting because it seems to never end.We've never been there but it's on our list of places to visit one day.

She loves where she lives because there are countless places to eat at.Within just 10 minutes of her house,she can get any type of food you can imagine.Her favorites are Japanese and Italian,while her fiancé prefers Mexican food.

Jennifer also gave us a quick run down on how close she is to everything....

20 minutes to the beach
20 minutes to Hollywood
55 minutes to Disneyland
1 hour to see snow
3 hours to Las Vegas,NV
20 minutes to downtown L.A.
15 minutes to the zoo
3 hours to San Diego
4 hours to Mexico
6 hours to San Francisco
6 hours to Sacramento...the state capital

Along with the letter,Jen sent us a couple of postcards,which can be seen below.Thanks Jen for the letter and postcards! :)

Letter #252 from England

Letter #252 comes from Gavin in the capital of England and of the United Kingdom,which is London.The United Kingdom consists of four seperate countries - Scotland,England,Wales and Northern Ireland.Gavin is originally from Scotland,but moved to London at age 18,which is when he discovered a city with a population that was larger than his whole country,which was quite shocking to him.

Gavin lives in a flat (apartment, for us in the US),as most people there do.Above him is a family from Bangladesh,below him is an Englishman and below that man is a couple from Nigeria.That goes to show you how diverse London really is because you can find people from almost any country living there.He lives in the central part of the city,where the neighborhood is predominately Bangladeshi,with a mix of white British.Gavin says it is quiet difficult to find someone born and bred in London that actually lives in London since it is so diverse.He says that it is a very cosmopolitan place and it shows that everyone can,on the whole,live together and get along together no matter where they are from.

They also have lots of little squares that are live parks,but smaller.The places he sees on his walk are some well known places,such as St. Paul's Cathedral,Tower of London,Bow Church,Big Ben and Covent Garden.He says he is fortunate to live within walking distance to all of those great places.Makes me really wish I was there.The downside,he says,is that he lives where the tourists come to stay,by the thousands.Less than a minute from his flat are six large hotels and two youth hostels,so it can be quite noisy,but since it is the noise of people having fun,he doesn't mind.

Gavin's are is called Bloomsbury and is famous for a literary and artistic community called the Bloomsbury Set.The most famous person from there would be Virginia Wolf.She wrote a book titled,"Orlando" and Gavin says they have turned it into a fanous movie and he recommends both highly.

There are many museums in his area,the most famous being the British Museum,which is where he used to work as a book buyer.His favorite museum is The Tate,which he says is worth looking up online.He says the British Museum would most likely be helpful for homeschooling since it covers world heritage....he also noted to check out the Assyrians artifacts on their website since it is lovely stuff and very dramatic.I will definitely have to check that out since he made it seem really interesting.

When Gavin was at school in Scotland,all children were taught to knit,but that has sadly stopped just this year.Hmm,wonder if the internet is the cause of that?Anyways,he has started knitting again since it is very relaxing to do,unless you make a mistake,then you might want to rethink that. :) He likes that you can make something useful.He also told us that they call yarn,wool over there.I would love to learn to knit and crochet one day,too because I love the thrill of making something handmade.I always wished I had a crafty family that would give me all handmade gifts because I truly love handmade gifts the most.They are always unique and of good quality.

Gavin also told us that he loves to cook.On the weekends,they have a farmers market where farmers from outside London bring their wares to sell to the city folk.He tries to shop this way,but it is not convenient or cost effective.The city also recycles a lot and is very craft and food oriented.I think this may be my dream place to live. :) He also doesn't own a car since many people use buses,trains or tubes.The public system is very good there and most people in the UK use their services,but there are still a lot of cars in the city.

The main shopping street in London is Oxford St,which is best to avoid, if possible.He says that it is so busy that you would never believe there is a recession going on if you saw all the people there.Each different area of London has their own shopping areas.He also told us that London is made up on small towns and villages that have joined up in what they call an urban sprawl.Oxford St. was originally built about 150 years ago to provide shops for the whole city in a central location.

He ended his letter with some random facts,such as his flat was built in 1830 and that if you read any of Charles Dickens's novels set in London,then it is likely to be where he lives.His (Charles Dickens) former home is now a museum with a good cafe that is within five minutes of his flat.

Thanks Gavin for such a wonderful letter.... I can tell you are very proud of where you live and I really felt like getting on a plane to go and visit the areas you mentioned!Gavin's lovely letter can be seen below:

Letters #206-251 from Slovenia

Letters #206-251 come from a great group of students (grades 4 and 5) in Slovenia at a primary school called Stara Cerkev.Letter #129 came from one of the teachers there and she was kind enough to have some of their students write to us.The children have written some outstanding letters with such beautiful penmanship!We were truly amazed by their letters.Most of them even decorated their letters with beautiful artwork and photos so we could see what they looked like,which was so fun!They told us their favorite foods....many listed pizza and pasta as their favorite. :) They also told us about their favorite toys and about their best friends.We were so thrilled to get these great letters.They should all be proud of themselves for writing so neatly,with great grammar and with such great creativity!We always love all the letters we get from children and hope to get many more.I believe I am allowed to list their names to say thanks,so a great big thanks to all the students below:

Ivana
Ammar
Gaga
Ana
Emir
Miha
Kristjan
Katarina
Patrik
Manja
Zana
Lea
Tara
Nik
Eva
David
Maja
Teja
Hana
Lamia
Samo
Jaka
Damjana
Sara
Lana
Daisy
Mitja
Anesa
Amanda
Jan
Sara
Miha
Lara
Jan
Nejc
Miha
Jernej
Nina
Jasa
Nastja
Anja
Anel
Tilen
Tajda
Mike
Janja


Thanks to all of you that wrote us such great letters,you should be very proud of yourselves!We really enjoyed reading all of your letters and really enjoyed the pictures and artwork,too. All of the letters made us smile. :) Please enjoy the lovely letters,which can be seen below (including a picture of their school):

Letter #205 from Texas

Letter #205 comes from Kayleen in Texas.Kayleen is a wife and mother to seven grown children.She currently works as a locksmith for a casino owned by the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma.Both her and her husband enjoy making quilts,cooking and even share in the hobby of penpalling...that is a first,usually only one spouse enjoys penpalling and mail,so that must be nice to be able to share the joy of letters with a loved one who gets it. :) They both also enjoy reading books and she said that her favorite book is called, Silas Marner,she said it's definitely a must read for a mature audience.

Kayleen is also a published poet and enclosed one of her poems for us to enjoy.She ende her letter saying that mail in the mailbox from an individual to another is a marvelous gift when compared to other less personal pieces like bills and dental appointments.I think I will have to agree with her on that thought.

Thanks Kayleen for your wonderful letter,poem and also a "how to" paper for making envelopes.She did note one thing that maybe someone can help answer for us,she said that envelopes that cannot be machined are charged extra and they do charge us extra at the post office,but when we get handmade envelopes in the mail,they put $.44 on and it gets to us without postage due,so my question is this,is there any ruling on this,what exactly do they mean when they say it cannot be machined?Is is the thickness or type of paper?Thanks in advance for your help!Enjoy Kayleen's letter below:

Letter #204 from Pennsylvania

Letter #204 comes from Marguerite in Pennsylvania.She is a stay-at-home mom to three lovely daughters.Both her husband and herself were born and raised in the same city and both of their parents still live there.She is so glad that her children have the opportunity to see their grandparents so often.They live in a small city,but their arts scence continues to grow.

Marguerite studied Art History at Rosemont College near Philadelphia.She previously worked at the Pennsylvania Museum Commission during the summers of her college years.She also worked at local museum sites,including Landi Valley and Ephrate Cloister.Although she isn't interested in facts and dates,she does love artifacts from everyday life,espcially epherma like letters,books,journals,and advertisements.In her spare time,she also enjoys creating her own works on paper.Who knows,maybe her works of art could one day be in a museum for future generations to examine. :)

She also told us that during the American Revolution,Lancaster was briefly the capital of the colonies on Sept. 27,1777, when the Continental Congress fled Philadelphia.In 1812,the capital then moved to Harrisburg.

She has written her letter to us in parts on the back of the postcards,so I will go over each letter from each postcard.

James Buchanan,who was the only president from Pennsylvania was the only bachelor president,so his niece,Harriet Lane served as his First Lady.

Franklin and Marshall College is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the U.S.Franklin College was founded in 1787 with a generous financial gift from Benjamin Franklin.Marshall College,named after Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, was founded in 1836 in Mercersburg,PA.It moved to Lancaster in 1853 and merged with Franklin College.James Buchanan,the 15th president,was the first President of the Board of Trustees of the newly formed Franklin and Marshall College.It hosts many academic and cultural events that are open to the public.

She also couldn't resist sending us a postcard with three Amish girls since we both have three daughters. :) The Amish are a religious sect from Germany who retain many traditional customs.They make their living almost solely by farming,without the use of any modern conveniences like electricity and gas engines.They also don't drive cars or have computers.They are widely settled in Eastern Pennsylvania and still speak a German dialect,often referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch.The Amish are also known for their detailed quilts and heirloom furniture.There are many Amish and Mennonite farms in Lancaster County.Marguerite enjoys their fresh produce and admires their discipline and hard work,as well as the strong sense of community that they have.

Thanks Marguerite for your lovely letter,postcards and map of Lancaster County,which can be seen below:

Letter #203 from Ohio

Letter #203 comes from Bethany in Ohio.Bethany is also homeschooled,so she was glad to help us with our project.She enjoys art,most crafts,basketball,snail mail,and more.She says her town is pretty boring and that their courthouse looks more like a post office.

She has 5 brothers and sisters.She also loves penpalling and making her own postcards (she included one for us),stationery and envelopes.She says she has been penpalling for five or six years now.

She asked us a few questions that we will answer.She wanted to know what we do with the letters.Currently their home is in some decorative boxes,but their final destination is for them to be incorporated into a scrapbook.She also wanted to know if we have received letters in any other language.Yes,we have,we have received some letters from children in Germany who wrote their letters in German.It was so fun to see letters in another language.We also get letters that have some phrases written in another language.It's always exciting to compare their language with ours to see if there are any similarities or if we can figure out what the words could be.Sometimes we really have no idea until we look at the translation.

Bethany said she will be sharing our project with her penpals,thanks so much for helping spread the word.Her lovely letter and homemade postcard can be seen below:

Letter #202 from Texas

Letter #202 comes from Sharon in Texas.She has lived in Texas all of her life,except for the time when her husband was in the Air Force.Sharon has been married for an amazing 33 years!She also has a son who is in the Air Force and plans to make a career of it.She says in order to do that,he has to stay a minimum of 20 years,so he has already completed half of that term.Unfortunately,his wife died last year,leaving behind three small children.Since her passing,he was able to transfer to be closer to home so Sharon could see the grandkids more.I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for the children since they are so small.She gets to drive up to Oklahoma once a month to visit them and she loves it.She says the kids are so funny and a joy to be around.She also told us that her only sibling had passed away days after her daughter-in-law had passed.I can't even imagine having to go through so much so quickly,but I always hear it gets a little better day by day.She says that since then she has been finding heart shaped rocks and heart shaped clouds and it helps her feel a little better.I know I have said this before,but I will say it again,I think the best thing we can do is try to live the best we can because I don't think our loved ones would like seeing us on earth so sad.Yes,it's good for us to get our emotions out,but we also need to be able to pick ourselves up and make the most with the loved ones that are still with us.Life is too short,so we should cherish every moment we have with our loved ones.

Sharon lives on just over 27 acres in a cedar log home that her father built.There is even an abandoned cemetary on her property that dates back to the 1800's.The only remaing headstones are of a father and his two young boys.She found out the history of the cemetary  by searching recors at the library.While searching,she found out that her property used to be a stagecoach stop in the 1850's.

She also shares her property with an array of wildlife.They have deer,skunks,armadillo,opossums,raccoons,rabbits,foxes, and recently has been having wild hogs,which she is not happy about.They also have a variety of birds,such as cardinals,blue jays,mockingbirds (the state bird),wrnes,black capped chickadees,mourning doves and various finches,woodpeckers and owls,just to name a few.She has also seen roadrunners,a pileated woodpecker and her husband spotted  a golden eagle that was in the dog pen one morning.

Sharon says she is really a city girl so it was hard for her to live in the country,but after almost 20 years,she's almost adjusted to it. :) There are many things she enjoys about the country,such as the open space,wildlife,no neighbors close by to hear and she also loves the sounds of the cicadas.Living out in the country does have its drawbacks,such as no big libraries,limited variety of stores,and no sidewalks,just to name a few.Oh yeah,she also doesn't like the many scorpions that have been really bad this year,also the occasional poisonous snake which trapped her in her own laundry room...yikes!She also doesn't like that her husband has to drive 60 miles one way to work,but like everything in life,you have to make some sacrifices to enjoy some other things in life.

Sharon has many hobbies,one of them is quilting.She now focuses on making mini quilts or art quilts.I love quilts,but don't have relatives that do any type of crafting,so I really need to learn it one day.My daughter has been wanting one for her doll.She also enjoys beading and selling her items on etsy.She also enjoys taking photographs and turning them into postcards.She is also a beginner painter and knitter....I told you she has many hobbies. :)

Thanks Sharon for your lovely letter,postcards and mini moo cards of photos she took,which can be seen below: