Would it be safe to get an African penpal?

Would it be safe to get an African penpal?

 
I really like having international penpals. I have one from South Korea and one from Israel. But I really like learning about African culture too! The reason I haven’t gotten a penpal yet is because my mom would freak if she found a letter in the mail that came from Africa. (She freaked out already about my asian penpal because I gave someone our address) And since Africa is like the worst continent in terms of disease and violence how can I convince her that it would be okay to get an African penpal? Or do you think it even is okay? 

Also, I meet my penpals on the internet via interpals.com. And yes, I know Israel is like in Africa but I want a penpal from maybe South Africa, Ghana, or somewhere in central Africa.

Avoid them ALL, especially the ones here in the USA.
Why not? You would not get AIDS or some nonsense.
sure if they know english….have fun
 
im from south africa… 
i think we are pretty okay, most of us.. 
cant say the same about our politics though.. 
south africa is an very interesting country, because we have an 
vast amount of diffrent cultures and diffrent types of people 
within one country. 

im 22, if your not like freakishly younger i wont mind being an pen pal, 

in terms of your mom, 
well hey, giving ur home adress to someone you met over the internet is not 
the most perfect idea. you never know what will happen. 

safest way is email for you to interact with penpals, and if you are determined on handwritten 
letters for you and penpals, i suggest having the letters delivered to a local post office. 
You can get it there, and that lowers your risk of some freaky person stalking you. 

NOT EVERYONE IN AFRICA HAS AIDS, i dont have aids, my friends dont have aids, my family doesnt have aids…and the violence in my province is the lowest in the country, so i feel safer. 
If you are responsible with adress details and phone numbers, it is not dangerous.
 
Only if you have one that is the MD of a huge oil firm and needs to get money out of the country really quickly. 

Oh, and you’re the only one that can help. 

Get some experience of life in your own country, if you’re that mad about Africa, visit when you’re older.
 
You cannot catch disease via snail mail….get that out of your head. 

If she’s worried about people spending thousands of dollars, getting a visa and coming to see you personally, get her to take out a post office box that YOU will pay for, out of your allowance or whatever, then the pen pal only knows the city.
 
Don’t worry about it! I guarantee you, there is NO WAY you will get sick from an African letter. Besides, Africa is a fascinating continent. Just tell your mom that you will be able to learn about a different, complex, and beautiful culture other than your own. Just because much of a continent is experiencing political instability does not mean that the people should be avoided. Besides, the whole point of foreign pen-palling is to learn about another way of life. What is your mom worried the African individual would do with your address anyhow? What are they going to do, come over and egg your house on Halloween? 😛
 
Source(s):Anthropology student, world traveller

 
If your mom is concerned about the security of giving out your address, why don’t you see if she’ll help you get a post office box. That way, you can have all the penpals you have time for, and she doesn’t have to worry about your family’s safety. Regardless of whether or not her concerns are valid, she has them, so you should respect them.

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