Cindymt

DISCLAIMER: I am human and I do make mistakes. If I made a mistake on a swap, or worse, it does not get to you at all, please email me before rating and I will resend no questions asked :) If I will be late in sending a swap I will reach out to you before the swap deadline to let you know!

I know most are not postmark sticklers here. However, mail pickup/delivery is not consistent here. They do come Monday - Saturday but anytime between 10 AM to 4 PM. There may be times I put mail in the mail box but have missed pick up because they came early that day. If the swap is postmarked a day or two later than when I sent it, that is why.

Also! If you get a swap from me and have to pay postage, please let me know! It happened once (and I do not want it to happen again!

Hey, fellow Swappers! I am Cindy, and I am a 25-year-old female from the USA. I am a kindergarten teacher!

I started pen paling when I was 13, and I have loved it ever since! I heard about this site back in May of 2018 and decided to join. I think I did one or two swaps then logged off for a while. I did not truly get into Swap-Bot until December of 2019 when I randomly decided to log on again while sitting at an airport when my flight my delayed! I have been hooked ever since! And I am happy to have "rediscovered" Swap-Bot by the time the lockdown took place!

Some things that are very important to me include my family, friends, my cats (Jack and Mitzi), my boyfriend, and my career.

I am a washi tape enthusiast. I also love going to craft shops, especially Hobby Lobby where there is usually a sale on most items! Other than washi tape I also love stationary, tags, stickers, and as of recently, vintage.

I am not too artsy sadly but I am working on learning how to better decorate my letters and envelopes. It is nothing too fancy.

Now to relax after work I like to watch pen pal videos such as pen pal with me, tips and tricks, and what my pen pals sent me videos. I also scroll through swap-bot a lot! As someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, it is always good to stay busy!

I am looking forward to swapping with you all and I will stay up to date on these things! So if there's a chance your letter may have a slight delay, I will let you know ASAP! I am also 100% okay with late mail! I understand that things happen! Please just let me know ahead of time!

Lastly, I am not picky about what I get in the mail! I will never dislike it!

Have an amazing day and happy swapping!

I swap because it makes me happy and keeps me busy. As someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, it is always important to stay busy so the mean depression and anxiety do not take over!

In July of 2013, I was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (a form of anxiety). I have been treated for it ever since. I got off treatment for a while but then things got bad again in November of 2017. In December of 2019, I was diagnosed with Depression and I am treated for that as well.

I want the stigma of mental illness to end, or at least diminish because I am still a normal person. I work full time, I have hobbies, and friends, a relationship, and I go out. I share my story so others can share theirs. Feel free to email me if you want to share your story or just want someone to talk to! Let's get through this together!

Regarding ratings, I am not a "heart chaser." I understand not everything I send may deserve a heart and I am never offended when I do not get one. I have heard of "heart chasers" on here, so I want to make it clear I am not one.

For those of you who are interested, I have a pen pal instagram! It is @cindyssnailmail ! Follow my journey with me and I post updates on there like if i have to take a break from pen paling and other things like that.

I would love to get pen pals out of Swap-Bot, though I know it is not really for that. However, I would prefer if they are females ages 21-37! I have gotten at least one from here and would love more!

To make things easier, fill out this doc if you want to be pen pals! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oOn9XpYAkB9VXa_O-Oj2gtbsTkOryRjs8bF6HHgIyZ8/edit

Likes:

Washi Samples (I never use them, just admire them. So it is okay if you cannot send a lot)

Tea

Cats

Stickers

Tags

Labels

Disney (Especially Winnie the Pooh)

Recipes

Notecards/Envie

Handmade items

Vintage

Bookmarks

Cute Stuff

The Simpsons

Kind Words

Quotes

Letters

Books

I am okay with teacher/reward stickers

Dislikes:

Coffee

Mango Flavored things

Dr. Seuss pictures (quotes are okay)

Anything with lizards.

I want to note if I get anything from my "dislike" list, I will not rate down, but I may pass it on another swap to someone who may liked it!

04/20/22 Today as of 7:30 AM EST, I have resigned from my job. It was a hard but necessary decision. My plan was to stick it out until the end of the year, but things change, I guess. I feel a mix of both positive and negative emotions right now, but I know in the long run it is for the best. I do have another teaching job lined up that will start soon! So, I am excited!

06/13/22 Goodness Gracious! I have not updated this section for over a month! Some of you may think I am still not working. Ha-ha! Just kidding! I started my current job on May 10th. But I am taking the teaching certification exam on July 1st. If I pass this time around (which I hope I do because I have been studying), I may be able to start teaching elementary school in August! That is exciting and scary at the same time! Wish me luck!

07/16/22 Well, I got good news and bad news. The good news is I passed my exam! Yay! The bad news is that I have not been able to rate swaps because I misplaced my mailbox key and have to get a replacement! I should be able to get that on Tuesday, so I do apologize for anyone waiting for a rating from me!

07/19/22 I got my key and I got my mail! All ratings are in! If you are missing a rating from me please let me know!

07/30/22 I got hired as a 5th-grade math and science teacher! I am beyond excited! I am also a bit nervous! I should know if I will stay in my current location or move closer to the school soon! Once I make that choice, I will change my mailing address on SB!

08/27/22 Today I changed my address on SB to the address I am at now and not my hometown address, so ratings should be happening a lot quicker now! I have come to realize that where I am now is where I will likely be for the foreseeable future, so I finished all the swaps I was in and now I have changed my address!

09/26/22 I live in SouthWest Florida and Tropical Storm or Hurricane (whatever it is now) Ian could pass over me. If that is the case, it could delay my swapping a bit due to the potential lack of mail service as well as the possibility of losing Internet, or the slight possibility of me needing to evacuate. Hopefully, none of that happens, I just wanted to let you all know it could happen!

09/26/22 (update) So the hurricane is due to hit my area but not too hard. However, my work is closed for at least tomorrow and Wednesday. I do not know about mail pickup so please be aware that mail may be delayed on my end! Both sending and receiving!

09/30/22 As of a few days ago, I decided to Evacuate from Estero back to Miami Beach due to the hurricane and it is a good thing I did! My apartment ran out of power and for a little bit did not have running water. I do not know anything about my work yet and I do not know when I will be back in Estero. Please be patient with my ratings and I have limited supplies for swaps as I get my mail in Estero and most of my supplies is over there. I hope to be back in Estero soon and things can get back to normal! But the important thing is I am safe from the hurricane!

10/08/22 I am located in Southwest Florida which was the area heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian. I did evacuate so I am okay. I am beyond lucky. My place and all of my belongings and even the school I work at are okay. But sadly, many, including those I know, were not as lucky. Things around my area are not "normal" yet and I do not think they will be for a long time. Due to this, my postal service is off so it may take a longer about of time for me to get swaps or for swaps to get to my partners.

10/30/22 I left my teaching job a little over a week ago. I LOVE what I did! But I felt like I may be better suited teaching a class that was younger, like 1st or 2nd grade. Sadly, my school did not have an open position for teaching a younger grade. I also did not think I could effectively teach and manage the class at the same time until I got more experience in the classroom. I wanted to do what was best for me, but more importantly my students. I miss them so much! They have contacted me to ask if I am okay and I told them I am teaching at a school closer to where I live (which is what I am trying to do). I am applying and interviewing for many different types of schools. I miss teaching. I love it and I want to work again! Also, I need money!

11/18/22 I have left town for Thanksgiving! This means I will not have access to my mailbox. So, if you are waiting for a rating, it is most likely because I am not home so I cannot get it yet! I should be back by November 27th!

12/12/22 I filled out my paperwork today for the teaching position I will start in January! I am very excited! I will teach full-time and also have a part-time virtual tutoring job! The school is a bit of a drive, so I may end up moving closer. But, I do not know for sure yet. Of course, if that is what happens, I will change it here!

01/16/23 This past week I started my new teaching position as well as the onboarding process for my part-time tutoring position. I have a few pieces of mail I have yet to open or rate due to the new job and training but my schedule should be more "smooth" after this week!

03/01/23 As you can see in my history, as well as in my swaps if we were partners, I have been through a lot these last few months. Right after Hurricane Ian, I left the job I loved because I was not "fit" for the school. Sadly, I was not given the support a first-year teacher needs. It made me feel like a failure. I failed. I was not cut out to be a teacher. I spent most of my time job hunting and going to interviews. My mental health declined not just because I felt like a failure, but I had too much time on my hands. Therefore, joining a lot of swaps to keep my mind off things. Luckily, I was employed once again in January. I am happy that I have a more "normal" routine now but sadly, less time for swaps, ha-ha!

06/06/23 The school year is over and summer is here! However, I will be doing a lot of interviews at schools this summer since I want to work at a school closer to where I live. I have my heart set on teaching Kindergarten. I am happy to get a well deserved break!

07/20/23 I did not want to talk about this when it initially happened but I am ready to bring it up now. For the last few months, though I enjoy swapping and kept doing it, I started to find it overwhelming. In January, I got myself into a bad situation, and I am just trying to heal and move on from it. That is all I will say on the matter. I was also working at a charter school at the same time, and it ended up being one of the worst mistakes I have made. I was miserable there. Many other teachers were as well, as were the students. I was well liked by the students, but I always felt unsafe there and like I could not trust those who were above me. I will not go into further detail. I woke up every morning sad to go to work and I do not want to feel that way. I was also always exhausted after work and that is why I even saw the simplest of swaps overwhelming, but I kept swapping to keep a sense of "normalcy" in my life. Healing from the events of January while working in a toxic environment at the same time takes a toll both physically and mentally. I got sick more times in the past six months than I usually would have probably from everything going on. But I am happy to say I will not be returning to that school and will be teaching Kindergarten this year at what I feel will be a great school! I have also stopped stress eating and have lost 14 pounds this summer! I am happy to finally be in a great headspace again after 6 months of difficulties and just feeling great again! If any of you want/need more specifics for whatever reason, please send me an SB message!

08/29/23 I am in South West Florida and Hurricane Idalia (just became a hurricane as of this morning) may or may not pass me. The city I live in is under a State of Local Emergency. As of now, my area is not expected to get hit too badly, if at all. But that was what we expected regarding Ian last year and the situation was worse than we anticipated. Everyone in my area is keeping their eye on the weather channels to act accordingly. Hopefully I will not need to evacuate but there is a chance I will need to.

12/10/23 I am in the process of moving, but do not know when I will be officially moved in and therefore can get mail at my new address! Please message me to confirm the address to use before sending out swaps past December 15th, 2023! If the mail is sent back to you, please message me for my updated address! I will update it here as soon as my mailbox is ready!

12/19/23 I just changed my address on SB! But if you sent anything to my old address, I will be going back to my old apartment a few times a week until the end of February so I will still get your mail!

There have been probably less than a handful of people who feel the need to attack me and others for really no good reason. The sad truth of life is that not everybody is going to like me, and not everybody has the same sense of empathy as others. I think we need to remember, but also have trouble remembering, that behind the username is a real person.

But I do want to thank those fellow swappers who have been understanding and patient when "life got in the way" or I anxiously emailed them telling them a swap was going to be slightly delayed from something as simple as I needed to get more stamps to something more serious as I had a medical emergency. Thank you all who understand that we all have lives outside of this site, and personal matters happen, life happens and some things are out of our control. Thank you for knowing that behind the username is a human being with thoughts and feelings.

I have met so many amazing people here, even if our only relationship is over SB. I have met people who sent me get-well messages when they found out I was in the hospital a while ago, or one fellow member of one of the groups I am in sent me a little care package a while back. All those things may seem small but they do mean so much to me!

If I were to personally thank every person who has touched my heart on SB, we would be here forever, but you know who you are!

Thank you!