Pen Pal Experience

Posted June 4, 2015 by Hayley Botnen

This last Friday, I had the opportunity to meet up with a pen pal of mine. Back in October or November, Promising Pals sent out an email and asked for pen pals for students at the Timilty Middle School in Roslindale. I loved pen pal activities when I was in school, so I was happy to sign up for the experience.

Usually, Promising Pals asks their pals to exchange four letters. Of course, this year, the snow storms made all plans go haywire. The mail was delayed, and I, at least, received two letters within three days. It was difficult to build a rapport with my pal when the mail was so irregular.

However, Friday morning and meeting my pen pal for breakfast was exciting. The pals were able to hear a little bit about the history of the program and listen to some inspirational speeches and music. Then I got to collect my student from his classroom. We ate breakfast and bonded over basketball and horror movies. I bought him a book from the book fair, and we listened to one of the teachers sing for a bit. I had a great time. My little brother is in 8th grade, so it made me miss him. It reminded me of all the similarities about being a kid no matter where you grow up.

I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to be a pal next year. It’s a commitment, and I don’t want to make it unless I know I can follow through. Right now, I have no idea where I’m going to be next May. However, if I think I’ll still be around come this fall when sign-ups start, I’m going to find myself a pen pal. I hope you consider doing the same.

All the best,

Hayley