UPDATE thank you everyone. i have 4x penpals now, which i think must be enough for a novice. who knows how this is going to turn out but i'd rather not take on more than i can manage and I'd like to do my best with each person. PROFILE my life is work. I thought it would be nice to create a social life with others around the world. and perhaps eventually we could visit one another and explore that part of the world. i read many of the profiles and initiated contact with the people i think i would get along with.