On letter writing (cont.!)

I realized that I didn’t write all that I wanted to about letters yesterday. For example, I didn’t tell you all the realizations that came at the end of the story after learning about German job application letters. And I didn’t point out the letter-writing blogs I stumbled across, nor did I lament the fact that I always wanted a penpal but never worked hard enough to keep the relationship going (I never made it past two letters, sadly! Though I’m not sure it was always my fault). I also didn’t mention that this topic seems so big to me that I even gave it a tag: see at the bottom of this entry and the last? It says “Tags: letters”. I think if nothing else I’ll start blogging about letters and postcards. It’s a cheaper, more addicting hobby than knitting! Unless you get into stamps, in which case it’ll probably get more expensive.

Possibly will get more expensive.

After thinking a little bit about how the Germans still really use actual letters in their job applications, I realized that I have a lot of requests of other people, requests that I would feel more comfortable putting in a letter before asking on the phone, but e-mail wouldn’t do as well for.

You see, one thing I’m getting more interested in lately is food: specifically cooking and baking. It makes sense, seeing as for the first time I’m truly dependent on myself to feed myself. However, I don’t really know how to cook. I decided going into this that I wanted to figure out how to cook on my own, but now that I’m here and severely limited in meal options (spaghetti with vegetables – check. rice, lentils and sautéd vegetables – check. omelet, egg over easy, toast – check. granola, yogurt and fruit in the morning – check), I want to know more about the basics. What IS risotto, and what are the most basic ingredients for it? How do you make your own granola? What do you do with oatmeal and what do you add to it? How do you embellish dishes? How do you put together a good meal with the food you have on hand?

And the thing is, I don’t know. But I do know someone who does: a friend of the family who has offered to teach me to cook numerous times, but I haven’t followed up on the offer. So I think to myself: maybe I should write her a letter, letting her know how I am and asking if she’s available sometime in July—just for a couple of hours!—to teach me more of the basics. I’m sure she’d enjoy receiving such a request in the mail. (A postcard as well won’t hurt!) Too often we rely on the quick ways of communication and don’t give people a chance to think things through.

Then I thought some more. Who else do I want to hear things from? I realized: my grandmother. My only grandmother, whom I don’t know nearly as well as I should. I read so many environmentalist blogs that talk about doing things “the way our grandparents used to”, and I realized that I don’t know how my grandparents used to do things, like cook. And wouldn’t they she and Grandpa like a postcard from Berlin too? I should write them a letter and send a postcard and in the letter ask Grandma if she has any recipes she remembers her mother cooking. She doesn’t have a lot of time left for me to get to know her, she and my grandpa. It’s time for me to stop getting my information about them from my mom.

It’s one of those odd things that’s come about while I’m here in Berlin: I am starting to realize the things I always ignored back home, the things that I really want to have something to do with. I want to know more about my grandparents’ lives from their own perspective. I want to build a better relationship with my dad. And I really want more close friends. According to Study: Number of close friends dropping in U.S., the mean number of ‘close confidants’ a person has dropped from 2.94 in 1985 to 2.08 in 2004. You know what? I don’t want to be part of that. Our lives are all that much richer when we have a diverse amount of people to talk to and confide in. After all, how else can you emulate old novels and stories where rich people held dinner parties every evening and always had quirky, amusing guests to entertain and with whom to converse?

I want to be a person that people feel free to drop in on and eat cake, cookies and tea with at any time of the day. Someone people talk to, and someone who has many people to talk to. People are so amazing! Why do we hide from them and build barriers to keep away from them? I always say I want to get to know more people, but I never really do it. I think letter-writing will help me get in touch with more people.

Also, I want a penpal. Or three. If only I were disciplined enough to write letters right away once I receive them.

Now: I did mention I found some more web sites to peruse; blogs about letter-writing, actually. A Passion for Letter Writing is one, with a very detailed site design and blog entries that provoke you to do some letter writing yourself. I haven’t looked through it nearly enough yet, but I will soon, and especially through the Journaling category (my other paper-related love) and the Pen Pals links. Another letter-related blog I found is The Missive Maven. I’m not sure what it is yet, but there’s an invitation to send her (him?) letters, and there are photos of letters and stamps and lots of cool things. There is definitely passion for letter-writing, which inspires me. I think I’m going to need a new folder in my bookmarks soon for letter-related blogs!

Now, though, I need to go to bed—I’m fighting a cold and sleep is one of the best things for that. I can’t believe I wrote so much already. What can I say? Writing is my outlet, and I am trying to get back in touch with my dear Sunbeam Soapbox. (So don’t fret, I won’t stop writing here anytime soon, even if I—gasp—stop knitting.) Good night!