More Than A Bundle Story

When my parents first moved to London communication with the homeland was never that easy. There wasn’t a phone in the accommodation they stayed in and neither did my grandparents have a phone in their home. In the early years (mid 70s) they would have to call the local post office and arrange an appointment to call a family member. Which sometimes could take up to a week and by then the urgency of the matter would have been diluted. 

They did however write lots of letters and send many postcards right up until the cassette player was introduced into homes, where songs of particular artists were recorded and sent with letters. Then it was the era of cassette letters.

My sister explains her primary school teacher recorded her voice learning English and sent it to my grandparents. As someone who facetimes her mum daily, I don’t think I could ever imagine their feeling of joy yet perplexity of how they could hear their granddaughter’s voice 2000 miles away from this little black box. 

🎙️

I’ve listened to stories from previous interviews where families have gathered around a cassette player responding to ‘Hope you are well, hope it’s not too cold, hope to see you in the summer’ and they’d finish each recording the same as a letter ‘I kiss the hands of my elders and cheeks of the little ones.’ Those were the voices of loved ones who wove a tapestry around those longing hearts. 

Did your family ever send a cassette letter? ️