Tallyonthewave
Originally written in German, translated by OpenAI.
It was winter 2020, and I had just returned early from my trip to Sri Lanka due to the pandemic, with four months to spare before my studies were set to begin. The lockdown had significantly limited my options for keeping busy and meeting friends, so the recommendation from my friend Hanne to download the Slowly app came at just the right time.
I signed up and was immediately impressed by all the enthusiastic letter writers. Eventually, I had written and received so many letters that I could barely respond to them all. I had exchanged several letters with a few people, including Gilberto from Mexico. Since I had never been to the Americas and knew almost nothing about Mexico, I found it fascinating to talk to him about the differences between our countries. Additionally, Gil had spent a year in Germany and was interested in continuing to speak German. I had just started learning Spanish, so everything fell into place perfectly.
While my connections with other Slowly pen pals gradually faded, my correspondence with Gilberto persisted. We talked about all sorts of things, and sometimes I felt like I could tell him everything, perhaps because he lived so far away. Even then, I imagined how cool and exciting it would be to meet him one day, though I didn’t consider it very realistic at that point.
Meanwhile, the usual madness of life carried on for both of us. Of course, we each had our own obligations and worries. I started my studies, which kept me busy, and it was the same for Gil in Mexico. Sometimes we didn’t hear from each other for several weeks (or even months in rare cases), but I always looked forward to receiving a new message.
At some point, Gilberto cautiously suggested we should have a phone call. I agreed, but I was super nervous. Honestly, it was a bit awkward at first, but I’m so glad I pushed through it. This went on for three years, and I constantly had plans to travel to Mexico. In the summer of 2023, the time finally came. The semester break was approaching, and everyone was making plans for the long free period. So I thought, why not? I started asking all my friends if they wanted to join, and in the end, Hanne said yes (funnily enough, she had recommended Slowly to me, so she was more or less the start of everything). My sister Lena also quit her job, which she had long disliked, and within a week, we booked our flights. Six weeks in Mexico – from Mexico City to Cancun!
I let Gil know that we were really coming this time, and at first, he didn’t believe me since I had mentioned before that I would come, but it never happened. But this time, it was real! I think he was even more excited than we were; he immediately started planning and bombarding me with tips and advice (for which I was very grateful, as every piece of advice was invaluable, and our trip might have turned out very differently without them).
The trip began at the end of August, and we spent the first few days in Mexico City. Gil planned to meet us over the weekend. Naturally, I was a bit nervous, but honestly, I trusted Gilberto completely. After all, I had known him for nearly three years. It would be a lie to say that everything was immediately super relaxed and chill, but that was probably because we were all a little nervous. However, the tension quickly dissolved, and we all got along very well, going on many lovely trips together. With him as a local guide, we felt incredibly safe in the city. Gil went out of his way, taking time off work to show us around his hometown of Querétaro, taking us to places we would never have found without him.
We also met many of his friends, who were all very warm and kind to us. Unfortunately, time flew by, and soon the final days of our trip were upon us. Gil had taken a few more days off so we could spend the last week together on the Yucatán Peninsula, relaxing on the beach.
When we met again there, I truly felt like we had known each other forever, and it was a very cool and relaxed final week. Honestly, I was quite sad at the end, knowing that we wouldn’t see each other again for a long time. But on the other hand, Gil is probably planning to do his master’s in Germany, and I’m very sure we’ll stay in touch. I’m so happy I downloaded Slowly back then because I’m certain that many more friendships like this can form, creating a whole new way for people from all over the world to connect!