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Originally written in Simplified Chinese, translated by OpenAI.
My encounter with Slowly happened on a very ordinary afternoon. At that time, I was feeling frustrated in my friendships, and the first thing I did every day when I got home was to shut myself away in front of the electronic screen, not communicating with anyone. Even within that electronic screen, I had no one to confide in. I didn’t want to burden my friends with my sadness, nor did I have the courage to seek out a counselor. It was in this low state that I stumbled upon a blogger recommending the Slowly app.
At first glance, the old-fashioned communication style of Slowly piqued my interest, so I quickly downloaded the app.
Once I entered Slowly, I excitedly filled out my personal information, but I soon felt lost. Months of social isolation had left me without the courage to send my first letter in life. I deleted and rewrote my text multiple times, pondering how to make my letter appear friendlier and more polite. After reviewing my carefully crafted letter, I found the sentences so terrible that I was even tempted to uninstall the app. Fortunately, in the end, I mustered the courage to send off that clumsy letter.
The next day, when I returned to Slowly, I found that my letter had received a reply. I was so excited that I bounced up from the sofa, holding my phone and screaming around the living room for quite a while. After all, this was the first time in my life I received a response! I earnestly replied to the letter from Vietnam, and she quickly responded to me as well. That night, I stayed up late waiting for letters and replies. After that day, I was no longer afraid to send letters to others; I would carefully edit each letter, letting it carry my hopes across the sea toward an unreachable destination. The first thing I did every morning was check for letters and replies. In the letters, my pen pals shared with me lifestyles, customs, and traditional festivals I had never experienced. We also talked about our dreams—topics I had never discussed with anyone in real life or through instant messaging apps. One day, when I logged in, I found that a friend had starred me, which truly helped me gradually regain confidence and enthusiasm for socializing. I sincerely thank my pen pals for this.
I gradually grew fond of looking at the stories others posted on Slowly. Those stories told me interesting or touching tales, and they made me realize that there are many others in the world who share the same struggles as I do. I learned many ways to combat negative emotions from them. I also started to enjoy collecting the exquisite little stamps on Slowly, and I would print out all the photos sent by my pen pals to keep in my album.
However, there was a period when I uninstalled Slowly due to the busy school schedule, and during my free time, I often missed it. After five months, I decided to download Slowly again. When I logged in, I found that many of my previous pen pals had not been online for months. I began to reply little by little to the letters I had accumulated. To my surprise, on the day my letter was delivered, I discovered that a pen pal who hadn’t been online for three months had already read my letter! I cannot express in words how happy I was at that moment. I only remember that that night, I wrote two pages of diary entries about this. I thank my pen pal Annamey and everyone I corresponded with!
Now, after using Slowly for half a year, I have changed a lot. It is one of the important reasons I have regained my confidence. I no longer detest and avoid socializing, locking myself in my room every day just to be with my phone. I am also willing to actively engage in conversations with family and friends. Most importantly, Slowly made me realize how beautiful this world is and how many lovely people are waiting to be discovered. I am now working hard to prepare for the IELTS and apply for a visa. I vow that I will visit each of my lovely pen pals one by one. And to the brilliant software developers, thank you for this genius app, and thank you for creating Slowly, which has allowed me to see a different world.
And to my other friends whom I have never met and with whom I have never corresponded, please allow me to share a poem I really like:
“If life deceives you
Do not be sad, do not be in a hurry
In the days of gloom, you must remain calm
Believe that joyful days will come
The heart always longs for the future
But is often gloomy now
Everything is fleeting, everything will pass
And what has passed will become a dear memory.”
— Pushkin
