On Monday morning at school, Mrs. Honey said that she had some exciting news for us.

“We will be writing to pen pals in Germany!” she exclaimed!

Then, she passed out names and contact information to each student.

My pen pal was a third grader, just like me!

Her name was Marie Müller and she lived in Berlin.

Mrs. Honey said that our first letter should be an introduction.

We could talk about what we like to do, what we like to eat, and anything else that we wanted to.

I decided that I was going to tell Marie about some of my hobbies, favorite foods, and about my family.

I worked on my letter all afternoon. I wanted it to be perfect!

Finally, I decided that it was ready.

                                                   February 12, 2019

Dear Marie,

My name is Emily and I am eight years old. I live in Virginia and I love taking trips to the beach! Some of my favorite things to do are swimming, hiking, sewing, and playing basketball. I have one brother, his name is John. He is in middle school and he likes to play soccer. My mom teaches Kindergarten at a elementary school here in Virginia. My dad is an engineer and he builds really big and tall bridges. My favorite food is a hamburger and french fries from McDonalds, but my parents only let me eat there once a week. I can’t wait to hear from you!

I hope we will be good friends!

Your Friend,

Emily

I went with my mom to the post office to buy a stamp and then I put my letter in the mailbox.

Off to Germany went my letter. I was so excited for my pen pal to get it! I hope she likes it!

Several weeks went by and I wondered if my pen pal was writing me back.

It was almost time for Spring Break when Mrs. Honey came in the room with a bucket full of letters.

“Your pen pal responses are here,” she said.

I was so excited! I couldn’t wait to read my letter from Marie.

I noticed that the words on the outside of the envelope looked a little different. My name was spelled Emilie.

I excitedly opened my letter and began reading.