Alexandra from Russia sends me a handmade card with birthday greetings - and the hope that the card will arrive on time. (It doesn't, but that makes it an even better treat when it arrives unexpectedly.)

As an expat from the US, however, I got the biggest smile from a card that came from my old state:

Dear Mike, Hello from Texas!

I am a teacher of second-graders (7 to 8 years old) in Arlington, Texas. My students think that children in China eat with chopsticks, learn karate and go fishing a lot! They also think that they learn Chinese and English in school. Happy Post Crossings! - Mrs Medeiros' class

Hmmm. I know something about chopsticks and karate (well, kung fu), and I know Chinese students learn English. I teach some of them.

But fishing a lot? I'll have to find some second-graders here in Beijing who can speak with authority on this question. I'll send the answer by old-fashioned mail - with a big box of enameled chopsticks.

Meanwhile, I wonder what second-graders in Belarus do ...

michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn