Teen sent letter to a random address across the world, which led to a lifelong friendship

Two teens from opposite sides became pen pals after one sent a letter out of the blue. That single letter sparked a friendship that would last a lifetime.

Leonor Drago grew up in a small village in Portugal’s Alentejo region during the 1970s, often looking up at airplanes flying high above.

To her, those planes symbolized a world beyond her tiny community—a world she longed to see.

She dreamed of visiting far-off places like the United States and France, but those dreams felt like they needed to be within reach.

For her family, international travel was an unaffordable luxury.

“For me, the United States was something unreachable,” she says, reflecting on the financial and practical barriers that made such journeys seem impossible.

In 1975, a simple letter changed Leonor Drago’s life forever. It came from Michelle Anderson, a 12-year-old girl in a small Connecticut town, and it marked the start of a decades-long friendship.

What began as a pen pal exchange quickly grew into a deep bond, strengthened through letters filled with stories of their lives.

Over the years, the pen pals have stayed connected, sharing milestones like marriage and parenthood and navigating new ways to communicate in the digital age.

Yet, their connection remains as heartfelt as ever.

“It’s been a really good bond,” Michelle said during a recent Zoom call with CNN Travel, sitting alongside Leonor.

“It’s been fun. I couldn’t imagine her not being a part of my life, and her family too,” she added.

A chance meeting and cultural exchange

Michelle’s curiosity about other cultures sparked the friendship. With encouragement from her mother, she wrote letters introducing herself. She sent them to three randomly chosen places after spinning a globe.

One of them landed in Portugal—and the rest is history.

Michelle’s mother encouraged her to find a pen pal to learn about life in another country.

Following her advice, 12-year-old Michelle wrote letters introducing herself as a girl from Washington Depot, Connecticut—a small town with about 3,000 residents.

To choose where to send them, she spun a globe and picked three destinations at random.

One of Michelle’s letters made its way to a small Portuguese town near Moura. It was initially given to a girl who wasn’t interested in being pen pals with her.

However, that girl attended the same school as Leonor, who eagerly stepped in and seized the chance to respond. That small decision sparked an extraordinary friendship.

Leonor wrote back to Michelle, and the two quickly discovered they had much in common, including a shared love for poetry and heartfelt, sentimental things.

Michelle often looks back fondly on their early letters, remembering how Leonor asked her for help improving her English.

She regrets not keeping those letters, imagining how fun it would be to read them now.

Much of their correspondence centered on pop culture. As teenagers, they bonded over their favorite movies, books, and TV shows, finding common ground in the stories and entertainment they both enjoyed.

Despite living thousands of miles apart, Leonor and Michelle were fascinated by each other’s lives.

Michelle, who had never been on a vacation, was particularly amazed when Leonor described her trips to the Algarve.

“I’m like, ‘Wow, she gets to go away on vacation. How lucky is she?'” she said.

Before cell phones and with expensive mailing costs, Leonor and Michelle found creative ways to stay connected.

They exchanged mementos, pictures, and popular stickers from the US, which Michelle remembers sending to Leonor.

Though Leonor once thought visiting the US was out of reach, her friendship with Michelle made the dream more attainable.

Through their letters, Leonor learned about American culture and felt the bond opened new doors for her.

The long-awaited meeting

After years of correspondence, the pen pals wanted to meet in person. They started planning for Michelle to visit Portugal.

Michelle’s journey to visit Leonor was challenging. She spent three years babysitting to save for the airfare, initially earning just 50 cents an hour.

When local parents learned of her goal, they increased her pay to $1, turning her effort into a community project.

After saving enough, Michelle bought her ticket. On August 7, 1980, her parents drove her to JFK Airport for her first-ever flight.

At 17, between her junior and senior years of high school, she was about to embark on an unforgettable three-week adventure.

When Michelle and Leonor finally met at the airport, they recognized each other by carrying pictures of one another.

Michelle also brought gifts, including a Smurfs toy and Billy Joel’s “Glass Houses” album.

Leonor’s brother helped by spotting Michelle first and tapping her on the shoulder with the picture.

Michelle remembers thinking, “We found each other—now what?”

During the following weeks, Michelle immersed herself in Leonor’s life in Portugal.

They went camping in the Algarve, took a boat trip to Spain, and explored the town of Moura.

Michelle says she experienced not only the special moments but also the everyday routines of Leonor’s life.

When Michelle visited Portugal, she was struck by the abundance of olive trees.

However, she was shocked when she was served fresh tuna with its head and eye still intact, a far cry from the canned version she was used to.

Leonor was excited to have her American friend in town, and Michelle quickly became a local celebrity.

One cultural difference puzzled Leonor, though—Michelle took a bath right after dinner, which is considered unhealthy in Portugal.

Over time, Michelle adopted the local custom of waiting a couple of hours after eating before bathing.

After two weeks, Michelle returned to the US, and although they wouldn’t meet again in person for decades, their friendship stayed strong.

They continued to exchange letters throughout their lives despite the challenges of time, college, careers, marriage, and parenthood.

Leonor notes that although it became harder without email, they continued writing.

The pen pals turned best friends and kept in touch over the years, sharing essential life events through letters and later emails, which made communication much easier.

Despite their desire to meet again, financial and personal challenges delayed their plans.

Leonor, a teacher, struggled with low salaries in Portugal, which made it hard to afford a trip to the US.

Although she hoped to bring her children to New York, they could only visit Paris and London.

With their children’s education a priority, Leonor and her husband postponed their US trip but remained hopeful.

A dream come true reunion

In 2022, after years of waiting, Leonor and her husband, Filipe, could finally visit Michelle and her family in Rhode Island.

The trip, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, was a “dream come true” for Leonor.

When Leonor arrived in the US, the excitement of reuniting with her longtime friend Michelle surpassed everything else.

Although they had stayed in touch through video calls and emails, meeting in person at Newark Airport after 42 years apart was a relief.

Leonor had a list of sights she was eager to see, and the two friends spent five days exploring New York City together.

Michelle’s husband, Rich, was initially concerned about how they would get along as travel companions.

However, Michelle felt confident their long-standing friendship would make the trip smooth.

During their time in New York, they visited iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Yet, Leonor was particularly drawn to M&J Trimming, a unique needlecraft store filled with ribbons and buttons.

Having always dreamed of living in the US, Leonor was thrilled to experience American life firsthand.

However, the most memorable part of the trip was the time spent at Michelle’s house.

From shopping at large supermarkets to trying various ice cream flavors and Oreo varieties, everything felt like a grand experience.

In their 60s, Leonor and Michelle remain as close as ever following their 2022 reunion.

While they no longer exchange letters, they stay in touch through WhatsApp and email, sharing everything from photos of daily life to their dinner menus.

Michelle, a group exercise instructor, highlights how their strong connection has surprised them both, and she wishes they lived closer to enjoy more time together.

“I wish we lived closer, because I could see us going for a walk around the block and having coffee a couple times a week,” she said.

Leonor sees their enduring friendship as a reminder of the importance of stepping outside one’s comfort zone.

She believes embracing different cultures enriches life, a perspective she shares with Michelle.

The pen pals, who have two children, were thrilled when their daughters met in Barcelona, where Leonor’s daughter lives.