One thing I stick with while I am travelling is to send postcards to my families, friends and myself. I have a goal of collecting postcards and stamps from all over the world, which I believe will become the project in my entire life.
My friends know about my passion of postcards and they are helping me realize my goal by sending me postcards wherever they go. But it’s still slow until one day my friend Frank introduced me to this wonderful website called Postcrossing.
Postcrossing is a project that allows anyone to receive postcards from random places in the world. Once registered you get an option to send postcards to random people in the world. Postcrossing system randomly picks addresses out of its vast database (362,012 members from 214 countries). Then you send a postcard to the chosen address which could be in any country. Once the member receives your postcard, he or she will register your postcard with the ID number you’ve written on the postcard, then just wait to receive a postcard from another member from another country in turn. Whoever is going to send you a postcard is also randomly selected by the system.
The exciting part of Postcrossing is that I never know what kind of postcard will end up in my mailbox. The feeling that something great awaits me in the mailbox is just so invigorating. I’ll get a chance to learn more about other countries, their people, landscapes and cultures, not to mention the opportunity of making new friends during the process. I have always been interested in international friendship and exchanging my culture with others around the world. It is not only a place to send and receive postcards, but it is also a place to make friendships.
It’s been a year since I started Postcrossing and I’ve received over 150 postcards from 38 countries. I really enjoy it. I still remember the thrill of that first card in my mail box so clearly in December 21st, 2011. I also love reading peoples profiles and searching for the card that fits their wish list. I enjoy this just as much as receiving cards.
Postcrossing makes me feel that I’m a part of the global community. It’s so touching every time I receive a postcard full of texts, knowing that someone out there in the world taking time to share his or her life with me. It feels great to get to know the world a little bit more every day.
