[spicytuna]

Just thought I'd post my experiences with penpal sites in particular.

I signed up with an online site around 10 years ago for the purposes of finding someone I could practice my Japanese with. Although I had many pen friends at first, that number eventually whittled down to two. One of them was a girl from Shizuoka who came to visit me in Toronto. We spent a week together and at the end of her visit, she asked me I could be her boyfriend if she returned with a working holiday visa. I told her No.

The other penpal was a girl from Tokyo who eventually became a stalker who emailed me several times a day. When I stopped responding, she flew to Toronto and called me from the airport asking me to meet her. I told her No.

Two years ago, I signed up with another site to practice my Japanese with. (Seriously... I'm studying for JLPT1.) After many interactions, I eventually settled with 2 individuals.

One of them was a lady in Osaka who I met late last year. To my surprise, she actually proposed to me while we were at Universal Studios. I told her No.

The other is a pharmacist from Tokyo who is arriving next month to stay with me for a week. We'll see what happens.