Here are the postcards!
I’ve been collecting postcards since 2008. Since then, I’ve sent and received over 1800 postcards from all over the US and dozens of countries. I respond to every postcard I receive, so I’m always open for private swaps.
My origin story: Back when I was a young boy, I got the idea to write a letter to several world leaders, but I only ever ended up writing the US president and the Queen of England. I was so tickled to receive responses from President Bush and then Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II! Well, they weren’t directly from the world leaders, but rather from their staff members. President Bush sent me an autographed photograph (which I lost later in a show-and-tell accident).
One of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting sent me a very detailed letter, typed on Buckingham Palace stationery, answering all of my questions about the Queen’s horses and her corgis and her favorite foods. I marveled at the strangely-sized paper, the texture of the embossed coat of arms centered at the top of the page, and the stamps on the envelope. A real person had spent time reading my letter, responding to it, folding it and placing it in an envelope, and then more real human beings had taken the time and effort to transport it from London to some mail distribution center, to an airport in England, to an airport in the US, and back through the various USPS chains until it arrived in a plastic mailbox at the foot of my driveway in southeast Michigan.
I’m still fascinated by this process today, and all for less than the price of some chocolate! So I maintain correspondence with about a dozen penpals across the world, and send and receive postcards. At last count, I have a little under 2,000 postcards that I’ve received. Keep scrolling to see the most recent postcards that have arrived in my mailbox.
Happy New Year (in Japanese)!
Once in a while, I get handmade postcards and they always make my day! This one comes from a good friend and former classmate of mine who now lives in Pennsylvania (again). They spent quite some time in Japan and they’re my go-to person when I have questions about a whole host of things, not just Japanese. As many of you may know, this upcoming lunar new year will mark the beginning of the year of the Ox, hence the bovine drawing here. This leads me to two questions:
What’s your Eastern zodiac sign? I’m a Dog!
How do you prefer to translate this upcoming year’s animal? Ox? Bull? Cow?
Philadelphia LOVE
This postcard arrived via Postcrossing just a few weeks ago. But in fact the sender had emailed me over a month prior to tell me they’d forgotten to write the postcard ID and to send it via email so I could register it. I was surprised that a domestic postcard had taken so long to arrive, but with the holidays and the elections, I think the USPS was just a bit overwhelmed! Well, arrive it did and with such clear and beautiful handwriting on the back. I was very grateful because I usually have a hard time reading handwritten Chinese. Sometimes I take a photo of the message and ask my friend to transcribe it for me so I can work out any words I don’t know! This time, there was no need as I could make out all of the words quite clearly.
This is the famous LOVE sculpture.
From the back of the postcard: Perhaps the most familiar of Philadelphia’s many artworks that embellish public spaces is the painted aluminum LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana. It was erected in 1976 as part of the nation’s Bicentennial celebration. Photographer - Catherine Gehm.
En Périgord Nord
Cette carte postale vient de mon ami de lettres depuis assez longtemps en France. Celle-ci réprésente la Place de la Liberté à Sarlat en Dordogne, France. En fait, elle est la quarantième carte postale que j’ai reçue de lui! Ce que j’adore de cette carte est le beffroi courbe dans le centre de l’image. Il me rappelle un peu le beffroi que j’ai passé chaque jour en allant à mon travail comme assistant de langue anglaise à Avesnes-sur-Helpe. Je reçois une carte postale de lui, je dirais, chaque mois au moins, peut-être plus fréquemment.
George Washington Masonic National Memorial
In early January, I received this postcard from a new penpal that I met through Postcrossing. This card depicts the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. I particularly love the scalloped edges, which is something you don’t see very often in contemporary postcards. Judging from the paper and overall state, this is definitely a vintage postcard. I also enjoy the stamps that were affixed: a 13-cent Clara Maass stamp and a 22-cent stamp depicting part of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution!
Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan
我一個學生給我發到這張明信片。我真的很喜歡！我都每一個字看不懂，可是他用英文別便幫助我看得懂。我很久沒去台灣所以呢張照片就讓我很開心啊！謝謝！
Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy
This beautiful postcard comes from my equally beautiful friend Linda who never fails to send excellent postcards at every turn. She writes that her home of Portland has been as foggy and rainy as this postcard depicts: "the Italian ambiance!"
Tipsoo Lake, Mt. Rainier, Washington
I have a new penpal who reached out to me via Postcrossing and this was the first postcard he sent, even though he lives in Florida. The beauty of our national parks is unsurpassed and underappreciated. What a great way to get out and enjoy our nation's bounty during the pandemic. Which national parks have you visited recently?
New River Gorge, West Virginia
This is a postcard sent by my colleague James whom I've only ever met via video calls, but I hope we can meet in person when the TESOL Convention meets in person again! Until then, I continue to travel and "see" friends, family, and strangers via postcards that come and go with my mailbox!
Ashland, Oregon
This beautiful postcard comes courtesy of Christina and Evan who stopped in Ashland on their way home. Just a day prior, we'd had a great day walking on the beach and eating a distance lunch. I miss them but it was great to receive this card and the thoughtful message. Thanks, friends!
Beast Mode: Oxford, Michigan
This beautiful postcard came along with a fantastic dried orange, anise, clove, and cypress garland, both of which were handmade by the absolutely inimitable Kevin and Natasha. I absolutely adore this card and the garland which is hung in the kitchen where we can enjoy it. Thank you for the handmade holiday greetings!
Le Pigeonnier, Eguishem, France
Normally I write in French about these postcards but in case it's easier for folks to read in English, here it is. This postcard is from one of my most prolific penpals, Dominique and this is the thirty-ninth postcard he's sent from France (because he lives along the border, I often get postcards from Germany too). It's such a pleasure to carry on for years with the same person, exchanging information and thoughts, and of course postcards.
Hansestadt Lüneburg, Germany
This is another excellent postcard that came thanks to @postcrossing . The sender is one of the most prolific senders from Germany, no less (itself a very prolific country on Postcrossing), so to receive such a personal message is really something. Sometimes when you receive a postcard sent by someone with thousands of sent and received postcards, the message boils down to "Happy Postcrossing from Germany!" which is fine enough but sometimes it's not even handwritten. But this person really took the time to read my profile and send a postcard I'd like, and write about what we have in common. The disappointing cards are really quite few and far between. This is part of what I love so much about Postcrossing. Have you considered joining?
Love from Bavaria, Germany
In my @postcrossing profile, I invite senders (whom I don't know) to tell me about LGBTQ people where they live. I've learned so much and made a lot of friends this way. The German sender of this terrific illustration wrote that although she grew up in a conservative Catholic area of Bavaria, her family was open and accepting of LGBTQ people, and she feels this way today too. I'm glad to have a reminder that good people exist in this world, even when they grow up surrounded by discriminatory religious practices. It gives me hope for the future, something i think we desperately need this year.
Slaynt Vie! (Manx)
What a great postcard from Lauren C! I love the seaside vibes and a sparkling drink. It's reminding me that safe and responsible travel may be in the cards for (late) 2021! I love, too, that this card is written in Manx, a language in the process of revitalization. With luck and perseverance and the hard work of its speakers, I hope we'll read about Manx alongside Hebrew as successful cases of language revitalization. Gura mie ayd!
Yorkshire Coast, England
What a beautiful painting coming via Postcrossing from Jane in England. I've seen very little of England so I hope to visit it someday soon and see this scene myself! Until then, I travel safely and responsibly via the terrific postcards I send and receive through Postcrossing.
waiting for the train in Germany
This beautiful postcard comes via Postcrossing and was sent by a man who has traveled much of Germany by train, and many other places as well. He writes how he even visited Berlin when it was like an island with its wall. I love the train tracks; there is something very romantic about cross-country trains. Too bad the US doesn't have such a romance-inducing system... Thanks to my niece Caitlyn for the translation help.
Institute of Arctic Biology, Alaska
這張明信片昨天受到了。一個以前的學生給我發了。我真的很高興看到這張美麗的明信片。I'm also incredibly lucky to have such thoughtful, smart students who take the time and energy to think of me while on their very limited and previous breaks. 謝謝你, Hong! 我真的喜歡啊！ 你太客氣了！