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.
Melbourne tram (Australia)
My penpals Matty in Australia sent this postcard from a business trip to Melbourne. He mentioned Lune, a bakery with the best croissants he’s ever had. Consider it added to my list of places to visit!
Indonesian fried rice (Indonesia)
This sender took me at my word, asking for recipes, and sent this beautiful illustrated recipe for Indonesian fried rice. I’ll have to try it!
Obertauern (Germany)
My former colleague Isabel and her family moved to Germany a few months ago, and she went digging through her mother’s postcard collection to find this excellent vintage card. Although this postcard was sent from Germany, Obertauern is in Austria!
Veendam (the Netherlands)
What a deliciously homoerotic image! I wonder whether the designers knew what they were doing. They must have! Thanks to the sender for choosing this campy image to send me.
reboot the country (Oregon)
This seems like an appropriate card for Linda’s 40th sent from Oregon! How many times during the past five or six years have we all asked ourselves this question? With good friends to laugh and commiserate with, it almost seems possible to put the world to rights though.
Sydney Harbour (Australia)
The only other image of Australia that’s as iconic as this one has got to be Uluru. But since Matty was in Sydney for work and not the Southern Territory, this is the great image I received instead. Thanks, friend!
Niagara Falls (Canada)
Our friends traveled to Niagara Falls from their home in Toronto and did lots of great touristy things! If you accept it’s a tourist trap, I think places like Niagara Falls can be a delightful visit. I haven’t been to Niagara in decades. I think it was 2000 since I was last there when we took a drive with my penpal from Catalonia who had been visiting.
Vernors (Illinois)
This postcard comes from a Michigander now living in Chicago, but she chose it for me because of our shared background in Michigan. Vernors is a pop (or “soft drink” if you will) that’s like a spicier ginger ale, and it’s a common home remedy for nausea. She writes “To this day, if I have an upset stomach, that’s the first thing I reach for.” Same, friend. Same.
Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program (Oregon)
This postcard was so familiar to me when it came in the mail. Then I saw who sent it - my good friend and former colleague Heather! We were lucky to meet up and spend some time together at this year’s TESOL Convention in Portland, even recreating a photo we’d taken at the last TESOL to take place in Portland nine years ago!
Salzburg (Austria)
Margit sent this postcard from Salzburg, a city near where she lives. She introduced me to a new phenomenon: Kurrent (similar to Sütterlin". There were two styles of writing, akin to German cursive used until the first part of the 20th century. Margit learned it in school and has practice it since! My name looks so cool (and unrecognizable)!
Bród (Ireland)
One of the problems with the scans of these postcards is that you don’t get a sense of the size. This postcard is easily half a sheet of paper! It’s really beautiful, and comes from Ireland of course. I love it because it combines two of my favorite things: Pride celebrations and minority languages!
humpback whale (Canada)
This artwork is absolutely phenomenal. Gordon White of the Haida created this, writing “Humpbacks are respected for their enormous size, agility, and melodic songs.” My good friend Nozomi was in Vancouver, Canada for the Japanese/Korean Linguistics conference and sent me this postcard. I love it.
oatmeal cookies (Finland)
You know I love baking and so I love recipes. The sender of this postcard sent a recipe for oatmeal cookies from Finland. Terrific!
Neu-Ulm (Germany)
How I love this image! It contains so many things I love - namely baking and baked goods! The sender of this postcard lives on the Danube in Bavaria, a town called Neu-Ulm.
Cité de Carcassone (France)
Voici autre carte postale reçue de mon ami Dominique. Cette ville est tellement iconique - j’espère un jour la visiter!
Tom of Finland (Finland)
This handsome gent comes from Finland, where else? What art is potentially more iconic of Finland than Tom of Finland? Thanks to the lovely sender who sent this to me with the timely message of “Peace in Ukraine”! I couldn’t agree more.
Island Walcheren (Netherlands)
This postcard arrives from a retired person in the Netherlands and describes the lovely town she lives in with this great bridge.
Carhenge (Minnesota)
But the postcard itself says “Alliance, Nebraska” - why did you post it as Minnesota? It’s because that’s where the postcard was mailed from! I love a double-journey postcard, which has made its way from the store where it was purchased (in Nebraska) to the sender’s home or second destination (Minnesota) before being sent to me (California).
Bastia (France)
Voici une carte postale de mon ancienne étudiante Faith qui habite en France maintenant où elle enseigne l’ánglais aux elèves. Celle ci est son année dernière et j’ai hâte d’entendre de ses nouvelles quant à ce qu’elle fera en prochain.
Lahaina Shores (Hawai’i)
Lauren and her husband stayed at the Lahaina Shores beach resort, which they describe as “awesome” [original emphasis] because it’s laid back and super convenient for whale watching. I love the whale watching part, especially the idea that they could see them from the balcony! What a terrific resort - it’s definitely going on my list.