Postcrossing is the largest postcard exchange project in the world. Participants only need to register for free on the website. The website will randomly select the addresses of members from other countries, send postcards according to these addresses, and you will receive blessings from other members. All postcards will be scanned and uploaded to the website. Each person can send five postcards at the same time (50 postcards each 1), which requires members to understand English. At present, there are hundreds of thousands of registered members from all over the world, of which Russia ranks second.

An unexpected gift

The wonderful thing about Postcrossing is that the computer will automatically search for recipients. The sender and the recipient are strangers, and sometimes the sender doesn't even know the geographical location of the country where the postcard is sent. The slogan of this website is: "If you send a postcard, you can receive at least one postcard from a corner of the world. It is this greeting from afar that will turn your mailbox into a surprise treasure. "

Alena Herasin, a designer from Moscow, is a registered member of Postcrosssing. She often buys nearly 100 postcards at a time. Since 2007, Alaine has sent 2,000 postcards. The oldest of her recipients is a 96-year-old American grandmother, and the youngest is an unborn Asian baby (a pregnant woman asked Alina to send a postcard for her upcoming baby with the words-"Welcome to this world!" )。 As the project became more and more popular, Alena gradually learned to make postcards by herself. At present, there are too few postcards issued in Russia, and people need to buy them in large quantities abroad. She said, "Maybe making postcards will become a good business."

The project was founded by Portuguese Paul Magellan in 2005 when he was a student. But in just six years, members have spread all over the world, and now postcards are being sent at a speed of 800 per hour, and beautiful postcards have traveled 52 billion kilometers. Members have also become the gospel spread all over the world. In order to thank the postcard exchange project, the Dutch post office also issued special stamps.

Precious souvenir

Paul said: "My major is computer, but I know that e-mail is not universal. Postcards can convey more information. It has its own unique concept and is easy to carry. No one can put the mail on the refrigerator or on the table, but postcards can. "

Ariana Jane hid a whole box of postcards. The beautiful scenery of other countries and cities on postcards can make people suddenly feel the urge to travel. There are also many postcards of Russian scenery, which are as beautiful as the picture books collected by the National Library. She is going to send these postcards to other countries to promote Russian culture.

Alina also happened to know about the postcard exchange. Later, she always participated enthusiastically and mobilized her friends to participate. Anna Minanova, an accountant, has been participating in this activity for two years. She said: "What is interesting about this activity is not the number of postcards, nor how many kilometers they have traveled, but how many countries postcard mailers can enjoy. Our wish is to know as much as possible about those mailers and where they are. "

In order not to delay or lose postcards on the road, Alina and Anna try to avoid sending them on holidays. Alena said, "I usually lose 15 postcards every year. I scan them before sending them, and online statistics can show their delivery. I always think those lost postcards are the most beautiful. I even wonder if those postcards were left by the postman himself. "

Sincere communication

The simple information of the member will appear on the website, but the content of the postcard is confidential. Although sometimes there is a standard writing-"This is * * *, my name is * * *, and this postcard is a landscape of * * *." But most members will take the initiative to introduce their personal information: their work, living conditions, their own country and so on. If the recipient has special requirements, then the sender will also recommend something worth visiting or trying.

Many members will add their social network addresses to the website user information. "Sometimes, in order to express my hobbies in more detail, the sender will add me as a friend on Facebook. Therefore, before receiving postcards, we have already started to communicate through social networks. " Anna added.

Members often exchange information about pets, fashion, flowers and so on, hoping to receive postcards with specific content. Some members want to promote themselves by sending postcards to each other. Alaine received a postcard from an American painter, who sincerely invited her to appreciate her work.

If the two sides establish friendship in the process of sending postcards to each other, then future communication can be promoted in a faster way. Alina met an American boy by sending postcards. They have kept in touch by email and text messages for three years. Some participants also established beautiful families. A boy from Belarus and a girl from South America met by sending postcards to each other. They met in Spain and finally got married together.

Postcard exchange has other social and educational significance. Many kindergartens say on their websites that some students are orphans and they want to receive postcards. In addition, children can learn about geography, painting, architecture and art through the patterns on postcards.

With the development of the Internet, the alphabet age is drifting away. Participating in postcard exchange activities requires little money and thought, and you can receive surprises from afar. In the blessing of crossing the ocean, we can relive the warm and beautiful memories of the past.

[translated from Russian Spark]