In the twenty-first century, people increasingly complain that nobody cares about paper letters. Fast, convenient, but, alas, emotionless emails replaced the languid waiting for an envelope in the mailbox, bright stamps, the smell of paper, a long writing response to several pages. Of course, time does not stand still, but still sometimes I really want to plunge into the atmosphere, associated primarily with the time when simple letters were in use.
Postcrossing is far from a new phenomenon. We can say that this is a peculiar way of international correspondence. Many have heard about it, but the truth is that not everyone knows what the essence of this project is unique for our century. So, postcrossing - what is it, why is it necessary and how to turn on? Let's try to figure it out.
History
It's best to start with a story. In 2005, the Portuguese yearning for paper messages, Paolo Magalyaesh decided to create an innovative project, the essence of which is the exchange of postcards from around the world. It would seem nothing special, but today there are entire communities dedicated to this unusual hobby that unites people of different faiths, nationalities, ages and interests. Everyone can find something interesting.
The meaning of the word "postcrossing" comes from the merger of two English words: "mail" and "exchange". By the way, someone says that the idea of sending postcards came to Magalyaesh’s mind after he got acquainted with bookcrossing - this is when books are left in some public places so that other people can read them. In any case, now the mail of all countries of the world actively contributes to the development of a hobby that allows you to maintain interest in traditional forwarders.
How to join
Usually people who come to postcrossing do not miss paper messages so much as they want to learn something new. And the point here is not only that on postcards you can see places that the addressee did not even hear about, animals that have not been found in any textbook, any fairy-tale stories, breathtaking in their realism. Here, rather, the opportunity to be part of a single, global whole uniting different people plays a role.
It is worth noting that many are interested in the word "postcrossing", what it is, we would like to know. Every day the number of fans of this unusual hobby is growing, and you can replenish their ranks by registering on the official website of the project. You need to specify your address, then fill out a profile where you can choose the theme of the desired postcards (this is very convenient for collectors) and tell a little about yourself. Then the resource itself issues five addresses to which messages can be sent. And with the first postcard in the mailbox, a person becomes a full-fledged participant in postcrossing.
And where are the postcards from
Where can I get postcards for postcrossing? About seven years ago, when he was just starting to make his way to Russian-speaking countries, it was practically impossible to buy decent and beautiful pictures. Now the mail has gone towards people who are hungry for communication: in any post office you can see a huge number of a wide variety of postcards. Naturally, the national theme dominates: beautiful landscapes, rare animals, paintings, photos of theatrical productions and so on. But sometimes there is something completely unusual.
You can also buy postcards for postcrossing in bookstores. True, they are less frequent there, but you can still try to search. And no one canceled home-made cards! It was with them that most of the current Russian-speaking postcrossers began. Cardboard, colored pencils, felt-tip pens and imagination can be a real miracle for someone on the other side of the ocean.
Travel letters
It is also necessary to talk about exactly how the journey of the postcard takes place. Stamps for postcrossing are divided into two groups: priority and non-priority. Messages with the first leave by airmail, of course, they cost a little more, but they arrive faster. Postcards with non-priority stamps, respectively, are a more economical, albeit a long, option.
The user of the postcrossing site (as mentioned above) registers each shipment. The recipient, when it finally reaches him, does the same, testifying that the card really came. Thus, the resource monitors the integrity of the project participants.
Of course, no one is forced to exchange exclusively pictures: someone encloses letters, others send their own photographs, and still others spoil their interlocutors with various small gifts. When asked about the word "postcrossing", what is it, one can easily answer that this is a unique way to become closer to the whole world.
Benefit
But postcrossing is not just about communication. Colorful and unusual postcards will easily become a room decoration - just hang them on the walls. Short messages on the turn of messages will help improve knowledge of the same English, and a desire to visit a particular place may appear. Someone collects stamps from postcards - the same albums that many people had in childhood, while others paste boxes over these stamps, for example, to create an unusual element of decor. What can we say about the interest in geography, which is only getting bigger with every postcard received?
Postcrossing. What it is? This is a languid expectation of a message, a bright postcard, amazing emotions of pleasure to hold in your hands a piece of another civilization, sometimes diametrically opposite. It is unlikely that there are many hobbies, the emotions of which are compared with the feeling experienced from each new message.