No Post on Sundays

Postcards.

They are not really something that you might think of as people growing attached to, but yet, I somehow have. Over the last few trips overseas and around the US, I have grown a fondness for postcards. Usually when someone I know goes somewhere i have not been I ask them to get me a postcard. It's all I want.

And honestly, I do not even really hang them up that much. I just keep them all in a box in my room and collect them. They take up a lot less space than cats or teapots. (Although honestly, I do have a small collection of teapots, but that's beside the point.) Here at Oxford, I have amassed a large collection of them as we travel about the UK and from general shops. And by large, I mean over 100, but that is mainly due to buying a set of 100 at a shop for a really good price. Which leads me into my next point, sendign postcards.

As I love receiving mail and postcards in general, whenever I go overseas I always end up with a giant list of people to mail postcards to while here. I cut it down a bit this trip and only had 25 people, but that is still a lot. Especially when you think about the cost of postage. Because of this I bought that giant 100 pack and have been sending people postcards from that. So basically they are receiving postcards with book covers on them instead of ones with historical sites. They probably hate me.

Also, when I send a postcard, I have to draw myself on it. If it's a picture of Stonehenge, you will receive a postcard with Stonehenge and a small stick-figure sitting on a rock which is labelled 'me'. I am not sure when I started doing this, but it is probably rooted in the fact that I am horrible at remembering to take photos at historic sites, especially with me in them. So I suppose the sick-figure is suppose to somehow prove that I was there even though there is no photos of me ever being there. I also like to think that people see the stick-figure and smile or laugh a bit at the silliness, although I have a feeling they just look at it and think I am mentally-ill.

One of my favorite postcards I have ever gotten was from an exchange student from Japan that came to my High School. (Why a teenage Japanese girl would want to come to Virginia is beyond me, but she did.) She was living with one of my good friends so I hung out with her once or twice, but before she left she gave me a postcard from her home town and gave me a hug. I thought the hug was interesting, since I thought people from Japan did not like physical contact that much unless they were really close, but whatever, I like hugs. 

Back to the postcard, it is just a general mountain scene when the words 'Okinawa' written in a pretty purple cursive in one of the corners, along with the kanji/katakana version. I liked this postcard so much because I barely knew this girl and she felt I was nice enough to receive a piece of her culture. It really touched my heart, especially when some of my friends at High School could not remember to pick me up postcards from their families' home states. (I also have never been to Japan, and when I was younger I thought that would be a brilliant place to live, it being an island an all.)

Overall, postcards to me just represent not only the place you went but what you did there, who you met, and who you were when you were there. Or if you have never been there, what you have to look forward to/are missing out on. And those feelings might be attributed to my photo taking issue and my love of travel, but I seriously love postcards. Here at Oxford I am using them as small posters to decorate my room with and to remind me of all the exciting adventure I have had so far.

Love postcards and they will love you back.

Until next time...

Embrace the Odd,
Caitlin

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." -Mark Twain