Letters from the Other Side of the Net
A story about pen pals, understanding and connecting across distance.
For their geography unit, the class was paired with students from another country. Isla, who lived in a small town in Australia, was matched with a girl named Ananya, in Pune, India. They were to exchange letters by post, because their teacher wanted them to try something slow.
Isla wrote the first letter at her desk, with a mug of tea. “Dear Ananya,” she began. “I am fourteen. I live near the sea. I like surfing, and drawing. I have a dog called Biscuit and a little brother who snores.” She added a drawing of her house, and a pressed gum leaf.
Three weeks later, a thin blue envelope arrived. It smelled of spices. Ananya wrote about her family’s flat, and about monsoon rains. She loved cricket, and her favourite subject was maths. She enclosed a paper kite she had folded herself.
They wrote back and forth, month after month. Isla learned about Ananya’s favourite sweets, and her Diwali festival of lights. Ananya learned that Isla’s Christmas was in summer, and that it was sometimes hot enough to have lunch on the beach. They both marvelled at the differences.
But as the months passed, the letters began to show something else. They both worried about exams, and about whether they would fit in at high school. They both argued with their brothers. They both felt shy when they had to speak in front of a crowd.
In one letter, Isla confessed that she sometimes felt lonely. She was one of the few students at school who liked to read. A few weeks later, Ananya replied. “I know exactly how you feel,” she wrote. “I have been laughing at myself for reading in the corner.”
In their final letter of the year, they both wrote the same thing. “I am glad we are friends.” They decided to keep writing, and to start video calls once a month. When Isla held up her dog to the screen, Ananya squealed. Their faces filled each other’s screens.
Isla later told her class, “I thought we would be very different. But we are mostly the same.” Her teacher nodded. “That is what geography is about,” she said. “Understanding people as well as places.” Isla smiled, and tucked Ananya’s kite into her pencil case.
✨ Key Takeaways
- People in different places often share similar hopes and worries.
- Writing letters is a thoughtful way to build a friendship.
- Curiosity about other cultures makes us better global citizens.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- How did the girls get to know each other?
- What did they discover they had in common?
- What would you ask a pen pal in another country?
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