Originally written in Chinese, translated by OpenAI.
In 2018, I downloaded Slowly for the first time. My very first pen pal was a 20-year-old from an ethnic minority in Sichuan. Just like me, he was full of curiosity about the world and wanted to use Slowly to connect with people from all over and broaden his horizons. Unfortunately, he had to use a VPN to access the app. Due to the inconvenience of turning on the VPN, we eventually switched to WeChat to continue chatting. Paradoxically, however, the fast-paced online chatting made both of us feel that the original “flavor” was gone. My realization was that the uniqueness of Slowly lies in how it restores the sense of anticipation and preciousness of traditional letter-writing—something fast instant messaging can never replace.
Not long after, I redownloaded Slowly and met an older brother figure from Macau. He was five years older than me, deeply knowledgeable, witty, and humorous; we had an endless stream of topics to talk about. Because of him, I developed a strong interest in Macau’s history and culture, and gained a deeper understanding of the politics across the Cross-Strait regions. Sadly, due to a phone malfunction, we lost touch for nearly a year. When I finally found him again, he told me that even though we had lost contact, he had always remembered me and had a feeling I would return. He was as talkative as ever, and I was still like a little fangirl listening to his various stories. I thought our friendship would last for a long time, but when he turned 30, he told me he felt exhausted and didn’t want to write letters anymore. Before I could ask for his alternative contact information, he disappeared from my life.
Later, I received a letter from the United States. The sender was also originally from Sichuan and was pursuing a PhD in the US. He was curious about how I, as a Malaysian, had Chinese as my native language, so he wrote to me. Because of my heavy school workload, I replied very slowly. I thought he would lose patience, but to my surprise, he was always waiting for my replies. We started corresponding in 2020, exchanging at least one letter every month. He was incredibly knowledgeable, and it seemed no difficult problem could stump him. Later, I went to the UK to study abroad, and he moved to the UK for work, so we finally met in person in Oxford. While he was rigorous and serious in his letters, in person he turned out to be a shy, joke-loving boy. After graduation, I returned to my home country to develop my career, while he stayed in Europe. Now in our 30s, we no longer write as frequently as before, but every year on our birthdays, we still send each other blessings right on time.
In the blink of an eye, 8 years have passed. I have witnessed Slowly grow from its birth to what is now its “elementary school” years. I have written and received so many letters and connected with so many pen pals, yet no one stays in the exact same place forever. However, those beautiful memories from the past are real and eternal. Life is like a train bound for a final destination; there are many stops along the way, with people getting on and off. Since meeting each other is a gift from time, when it is time to say goodbye, even if there is reluctance in our hearts, we should wave goodbye with gratitude and a smile.
May you, who are reading this letter, be well.
