Window to the World

“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand 

about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” ~Socrates

Hello readers! As the school year has just finished for us over here, I’m starting to get busy with summer activities, but before I get too carried away with all of that, I want to tell you about a new activity I will be doing with my class next year. I’m introducing it now, because I need your help.

For most of my students I am the first American they have met, for some I’m even the first white person they’ve ever known. Over this past year my students exchanged a few letters with pen pals in the U.S. and they absolutely loved the experience. So I’ve decided to expand upon this idea for the next school year. In order to foster greater cross-cultural exchange, I am inviting you to send my class a postcard and in return, we will send you a written response.

This project is not an original idea of mine. Volunteers have done this in other countries with much success. It’s entertaining for the students, because they get to learn about another part of the world, enjoy pictures of new and different places, and practice their English through writing a response. We hope to receive mail from all over the world, but realistically, postcards from anywhere will be greatly appreciated. Eventually, I plan to display this collection of postcards on a wall in our new school library (another project in the planning stages). 

If you are interested in participating, please send your postcard to the address below, starting this summer and continuing throughout the school year. Important note: When sending a postcard, make sure to put it inside an envelope. If you don’t, it might be stolen somewhere along the way and never make it to us, because it’s a pretty picture. Classes begin at the end of September. I will save any postcards I receive this summer until then, and my class will start responding to them during the school year. I am very grateful to all of you out there who are reading this blog. Thank you so much for helping my students to learn more about the world outside of Togo! 

Emily Brown, PCV
Corps de la Paix
BP 408
Kpalime, Togo
West Africa