Notes

hi mom,
i’ll just get right to it, so a couple months ago, i signed up for a pen pal website online. i think it was while we were planning the france trip, so i thought it could be cool to have the same experience with other countries and get to know their culture. another reason is that i wanted to practice my social skills before i go to college. i haven’t really had to practice meeting new people and maintaining conversations with them for a while, so i wanted to try it. also, i think the cool thing about the internet is that you can connect with anyone who is similar to you, and you’re not limited by only proximity and geography.

i’ve actually made some cool friends from this! there’s a few people that i talk to regularly, on snapchat and whatsapp. we have also sent video messages/voice recordings. i’ll tell you about some of the people i’ve met. one of them is clarisse (cla) from a small town called marche-en-famenne in belgium and she is 17. she really likes studying english and she is doing a year abroad next year in america or canada. another is hilda who is 17 and from halmstad, sweden, an hour away from gothenburg. we watch a lot of the same stuff like cody and noel. also, natalie from wellington, new zealand who is 17. she loves soccer and is really serious about it, she is hoping to get recruited by an american college. also sophia from cologne, germany who is 17. she is really good at singing, violin, and guitar, and she wants to study music in college.

i am always safe when talking to these people, and they don’t even know my last name. i’ve found it really nice to learn more about these countries and cultures, and it’s cool to have new people to talk to! i’m sorry for keeping it a secret for so long and i hope you are not mad. .