Once upon a time many years ago (which is how all the best stories begin, right?) there was a Kiwi girl who liked to knit. (Cue 1979 music - oh let's just go with some ABBA, shall we?) She had a best friend who only ate tomato soup and spicy fruit buns for lunch but that's a whole other story for another time.Many many miles away (on the other side of the world almost) was a German boy whose interests included judo, playing the guitar, Scotland, crime novels and writing letters:
And since the Kiwi girl was learning German at school and her teacher, Mrs Kano, knew a teacher in Germany, they became penfriends. The years passed. The letters, photos, postcards and (on at least one occasion) tapes flew back and forth. There was even an "International co-production" where the Kiwi girl wrote a typically angst-ridden teenage poem which the German boy put to music and recorded as a Christmas gift.
In 1985 the German boy's Oma arranged for them to do a Pacific tour which included two days and one night in Auckland, New Zealand. The Kiwi girl traveled up to meet the German boy (change background music here to "Don't you forget about me" by Simple Minds) and they spent a night and a day together before he and his Oma had to leave to continue their tour.
The world was a very much larger place in those days. Life continued on for both the Kiwi girl and the German boy on (almost) opposite sides of the world.
In 1989 The German boy married his sweetheart and her son. In 1990 he became the father of twins. The letters between the Kiwi girl and the German boy got much less frequent as busy lives took hold. By 1992 the letters had petered out.
But the Kiwi girl occasionally thought of the German boy. And finally, in 2006, thanks to the wonders of Google images, the Kiwi (but-now-also-an-Aussie) no-longer-a-Girl and the German-no-longer-a-Boy reconnected and are busy catching up on 16 lost years thanks to the wonders of MSN and email.
The German boy (who is no longer a boy) and his wife now have children aged 22 and 16 - older than the German boy and the Kiwi girl were when they first started writing to each other all those years ago...
that's awesome! i had a pen pal once from about 7th grade up until i got married. he's probably some musical genius by now.
ReplyDeleteHi Sherpa,
ReplyDeleteWell written. The German boy (who has grown quite a bit of grey hair over the last couple of years) started to read through this blog in an attempt to cover about 14 years of elapsed time since the last letter exchange. I am touched! Will be boarding a plane back to Germany from Denver, Co. in about 4 hours.
*serious hug*
W.
... 10 years later, I am re-reading this blog entry while on a trip to Melbourne (for work). Every word is true & I am still touched. It is amazing how time passed by although one remembers exactly how it was (yes, and in full color).
ReplyDeleteBy the way, "Oma" passed away in 2008.
another "serious hug".
--W