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.

Kristopher Geda Kristopher Geda

pantone flag (Switzerland)

Ha! What a truly clever way to represent the famous Swiss flag! Rob and Paul traveled there recently and send this terrific postcard!

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

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Great Southern Land (Australia)

This postcard comes from Australia, Tasmania actually! I always forget that Australia is in the southern hemisphere so the seasons are reversed. At the time of writing, it was between 8 - 16C (46-60F)!

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hedgehog (Indiana)

Nozomi is right, this is a very cute hedgehog! She also writes that the Japanese word for this species is “needle-mouse,” but it’s neither a hog nor a mouse! It reminds me that the word for panda in Chinese translates as big-cat-bear; again, it is neither a cat nor a bear!

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le Paysan du tendre (Romania)

This postcard comes from Romania and the sender writes that French verbs are a real headache. I couldn’t agree more! This poem is “le Paysan du tendre” (1974) by Marcel Mariën, a surrealist from Belgium.

I was going to try to translate it but I gave up. Suffice it to say that the poem consists of the frame “Je te conX” where X is either a verb or maybe verbed-noun. The first line is made-up verb “conpisser” which I think we can interpret as “piss-with” or “co-piss.” So maybe: I piss with you? It gets weirder from there!

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downtown Atlanta (Georgia)

This postcard comes from a longtime penpal name Eleanor who lives in Virginia. However, we met quite by happenstance! I was visiting Atlanta for the 2019 TESOL Convention, and I went to a BBQ joint on my last day there to eat lunch and write several postcards. I was sitting at the counter waiting for my food to arrive and I was writing so many postcards, that I’d attracted the attention of the people sitting on either side of me. We made conversation and exchanged addresses; I sent them each a postcard, and one of them responded. In time, our friendship grew and now we exchange regular letters! Eleanor was back in Atlanta for a conference she presented at and sent this hello!

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le Metropolitan Opéra de New York (France)

Cette carte postale est arrivé de Dominique; je trouve très intéréssante l’idée que l’opéra américain serait diffusé aux cinémas français. J’imagine bien qu’un opéra français serait traité comme ça, mais un opéra américain?! Fascinant!

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Gandalf (Indiana)

Nozomi sends this postcard from her collection; she bought it some 20 years ago when she was still in senior high back in Japan. They sell merchandise like this at movie theaters. What a great piece of memorabilia to receive!

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shear a sheep (Germany)

Lucky for me, our other niece speaks German and was able to translate this postcard for me: If you have a short hairdo again, then we’ve got pure spring. I think we’re missing a joke here because she says it’s not really funny in either German or English; it’s just that it rhymes in German! Still, it’s pretty cute!

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Levain Bakery (Chicago)

Our niece moved to Chicago with her boyfriend to pursue careers in restaurants, and on an exploratory visit last month, she visited this bakery and sent me their charismatic postcard!

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pumpkin poodle (Germany)

I’m not 100% certain that this card depicts a poodle, but it could be! That’s the beauty of this breed; with their ever-growing coat, you can choose so many styles for how they look! From witchy to bewitching. :-)

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More to come from the past…