Author

Sander

Founder of PenPalConnect · independent software developer in Dronten, the Netherlands

I'm Sander. I build and run PenPalConnect, and I write the posts on this blog.

By trade I'm a software developer. Away from the keyboard I play poker and golf, I have two kids, and I travel whenever I can, which is probably where the curiosity about how ordinary life looks somewhere else comes from.

PenPalConnect started in July 2026 as a one-person project. I write the code, work through reports with a small team of moderators, approve every member story before it goes live, scan the postcards that arrive for the postcard wall, and answer the mail that comes in at [email protected]. There are no investors and no growth team. The site is paid for by its ads, as the about page explains.

What I write about

The blog covers the practical side of keeping a pen pal: what to put in a first letter, how to keep a correspondence going past the first few exchanges, how to write in a language you are still learning, and how to stay safe while doing it. Where a post uses numbers about how members write, they come from aggregate data on the site and never from anyone's letters.

Getting in touch

If something in a post is wrong, out of date or missing, email [email protected]. Corrections are made on the post itself. The business details (KvK registration, VAT number and postal address) are on the contact page.

What I write about

Getting in touch

Written by Sander