Pen pals send her to college

PEN-PALSHIP.Maritess (not her real name) loves writing to pen pals as a hobby. As of this writing she has about 50 pen pals in different parts of the world. At first, it was just for fun but later it became “an integral part of her search for a better life,” according to her mother.

COLLEGE EDUCATION.Maritess, now 24, started writing to pen pals when she was still in the elementary grades. As the years went on she became “very close” to her pen pals. Some of them offered to help her in her schooling expenses knowing that she was quitting school for reasons of funding difficulty. “At first, nauwaw ko modawat sa financial help kay basig ingnon sa uban nga gipahimuslan ko ang akong pen-pals pero sinsero man sila sa ilang offer,” Maritess told an Ear informer.