Letters were written 47 years ago and he traveled to meet her – Radioinforme 3

They communicated for the first time in 1972, when they were both in high school. The student of the National College of San Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Eglantine Manchuqui addressed a letter to the American Bill Dula as part of an activity that had been entrusted to him by his teacher. English.

The letter traveled to Ohio and found it in the hands of Dula who immediately responded. This first exchange sowed a seed which, today, 47 years later, continues to germinate: they have never stopped writing.

Eglantine is 63 years old today and she keeps at home the thousands of letters she has received from Bill. "I have the 47 cards he sent me by the end of the year," he said. Chain 3.

After 47 years of incessant writing, recounting their life through these letters and speaking only twice on the phone, Bill, 65, decided to leave his country for the first time and went to San Lorenzo to meet his friend.

"Last week we were with my family and the phone rang, I recognized his voice, I asked him if it was about him.I have a very english. rudimentary and he has the same Spanish, "he said.

"When he told me it was him, I was very excited, he surprised me and said that he was in Buenos Aires and there I realized I was going to meet him. "

The first letter

In an English class, the teacher passed a form in which he had to fill in his personal data and assign him an address.

"In my case, he went to Ohio, where my friend Bill was from, he was in high school, the letter came in and he started to write." It seemed odd to me at that time. there it was difficult to write from so far, very different. "

In each of the letters that came and went, we talked about the life of both: marriages, children, beginnings and ends.

"I have my family and I'm married 33 years ago.I have two daughters, a disabled person.I have a history and he has his own.This way, we never stop writing, "he said.

Interview with Miguel Clariá.