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Originally written in Simplified Chinese, translated by OpenAI.
I never thought that my most cherished pen pal wouldn’t be a foreigner, or even someone from Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan. I mistakenly assumed that very few people from my own country shared my “retro” interests, making it nearly impossible to meet someone like-minded.
In February 2023, I downloaded Slowly for the first time. Before that, I’d read an article about it on Langcorrect and found it intriguing. So, when I came across it in the App Store, I downloaded it without hesitation. As I opened the app, I was greeted by a simple, nostalgic vibe. I received my first stamp and a region-exclusive stamp. In real life, I also love sending letters and collecting stamps, so I instantly fell in love with the app. I remember that my first letter took over 40 hours to reach me. I was so excited and enjoyed the unique experience Slowly offered. I also tried finding pen pals myself, but sometimes people ignored my letters, which was frustrating. As a middle school student, I often hesitated to write to people over 16, worrying they might look down on me because of the age gap.
One day, I found someone from my own country who shared many common interests. Her favourite movie series matched mine perfectly! She was also a middle school student, and our birthdays were only about four months apart. I knew this was a golden opportunity, so I sent her a letter immediately. But I was also a bit worried. Many people, after getting to know each other for a while, ask for your social media ID, and then the exchanges start to dwindle, falling victim to “fast-food culture.” Unfortunately, I find this is particularly common with people from China.
Soon after, I received her reply. She was very friendly and warmly greeted me. We communicated in our native language, which was much more convenient than conversing with foreigners in English. Since then, we’ve frequently written to each other, and as we’re both within China, letters only take about four hours to arrive, which is very convenient.
On March 3, as usual, I sent her a letter, but days passed without a reply. I felt a bit disappointed, yet part of me thought, “I saw this coming,” so gradually, I forgot about her and continued my life, exchanging letters with foreign pen pals in English.
Then, on May 10, to my surprise, she returned with a letter. She explained, “Sorry for not being in touch for so long… My previous phone died, so I got a new one 😓, reinstalled the app, and it took a while to set everything up again.” I was overjoyed that she hadn’t forgotten about the app, or me. This reunion brought us both to share many recent stories. She shared her drawing of Captain Jack Sparrow, which amazed me, as I’m also learning sketching. She also showed me her needle felt creations, a craft I had never tried and first heard of from her.
Later, we added each other on WeChat, which made me nervous, as I feared we might lose touch. Unexpectedly, during the Dragon Boat Festival, she sent me a message in Slowly, saying, “Writing a letter feels more ceremonial, so I decided to write ✉️ (though we could also chat on WeChat).” This was the moment I truly realized I’d found a kindred spirit. No one had ever told me they found letter writing ceremonial; I had always kept this belief to myself, as others often found it costly or troublesome.
I plan to exchange addresses with her soon and begin a real pen-pal exchange. I’m grateful to her and to Slowly for helping me find a true friend, a real pen pal, and someone my age who shares my interests.
