I Will Always Write Back

The trajectory of Caitlin and Martin’s friendship reflects the possibilities of cross-cultural connection over time. What begins as a simple pen-pal exchange eventually flourishes into a deeper connection. In the beginning, Caitlin and Martin’s connection exists on a superficial level, where they bond over shared tastes in popular culture and the exchange of cultural artifacts. They both sustain a friendship over the years based upon a promise to “always reply no matter what happens” (62). This promise is a catalyst for the ways in which their friendship eventually deepens and grows. It is tested when Martin experiences financial hardship that prevents him from writing back to Caitlin. In a decision that alters both of their lives, Caitlin offers financial support, deepening the course of their connection for the future.

However, Caitlin and Martin’s cross-culturalism does harbor mishaps. When Caitlin makes repeated requests for Martin to send her a photograph of himself, she does not realize that photographs are a prized commodity in Zimbabwe and that Martin’s family cannot afford them. When Martin sends her the only photograph that his family owns, she requests another, still unaware that it would pose an issue for Martin. Martin never expresses this difficulty explicitly to Caitlin out of cultural etiquette and fear that his inability to reciprocate will lead to the dissolution of their exchange. He also possesses an innocence about their cross-cultural connection when he makes a request for Caitlin to send him a US dollar. Although he initially makes this request to compare US and Zimbabwean currency, his mother reveals to him the enormity of this request. Whereas a US dollar is worth only a little in the US, it can feed Martin’s family for an entire day due to inflation in Zimbabwe.

Over time, Caitlin and Martin begin to grow more culturally aware of each other’s experiences. Caitlin conducts further research into Zimbabwe and takes the initiative to make a contact at a US embassy in the hopes of helping Martin obtain a full scholarship to a US university. Martin also starts to learn more about the US education system by pursuing research on his own by using the internet. Their individual journey to understanding one another culminates in their eventual encounter after Martin successfully obtains a full scholarship to Villanova University. In the closing message of the book, Caitlin illustrates how her connection with Martin has led to transformations in both of their lives. She says to a crowd of young students that pursuing such a connection “changes lives” and that “[i]t changed [hers]” (396).