You know how we all wonder whether our postmen and postwomen look at our postcards, and what they think of them? Well, Jessica (aka Jess18877) from the Netherlands did not wonder about this… she knew her postman enjoyed her cards as much as she did, because now and then he would leave her a note about them! :)
Postman Pieter has been working for the Dutch postal service for almost 30 years and is about to retire, so Jessica and her friend Marleen (aka Marleen1979) thought it would be a good idea to interview him for the blog. We agree… this blog needs more postal workers!
- Hi Pieter! Tell us more about you!
-
My name is Pieter Pepping but people often call me “Pieter Post” like the bunny. I am originally from Abcoude, a small town near Amsterdam. I was born in 1952 and I’ve been working as a mailman since 1985. A secure job with a lot of freedom.
- What do you think of your job, do you like it? Does it involve a lot of walking? Have you found many mean dogs or are they happy to see you?
-
I’ve always loved my job! Sporty, always outdoors… and it can be cold, rainy, windy or hot here in the Netherlands! But I love to be in the fresh air, and I see it as a kind of sport. I always whistle when I carry the mail around — people hear me coming from far away! And I’ve never ever called in sick, not for a single day.
I don’t have problems with dogs. I used to have a dog of my own, I think when you own a dog, then you know how to cope with them. I used to carry dog biscuits with me. Dogs were always waiting for me to come to get a cookie!
- Do you chat with people on your rounds? Do people complain to you about problems with the mail service?
-
I like a nice chitchat once and a while (laughs). I used to work in a shop so I am used to talking to a lot of strangers. People do complain to me about the mail services… I always try to give it a positive twist, and never argue with people. I smile and continue on my rounds.
- A little bird told us you sometimes leaves notes on Jessica’s cards – do you enjoy looking at the postcards that you deliver?
-
Unfortunately there is not enough time to look at all the nice cards… But when there is someone in your district who gets as many cards as Jessica, then you will notice it. That is why we all know her and I often tie her mail together with a string and put in a nice little note.
- How has your job changed since you first started? Did it get easier, or just different, and in what ways?
-
When you walk in a city center district as I do, there are always people talking to you or ask you for directions. That is what makes it so much fun to be a mail carrier! But nowadays we need to do more work with less people. They are continuously watching us. This creates a lot of pressure and there is not so much time left for a chat in the street.
- What do you think about Postcrossing?
-
I had never heard of Postcrossing before. But the large piles of postcards that Jessica received did draw my attention. At first I thought she was famous or had many birthdays!
I like it when someone pays a lot of attention to find a nice card, a beautiful stamp, etc.
- Do you ever receive nice mail yourself?
-
While carrying the mail around, I often get nice things, as kind gestures from thankful costumers. Something like a card, a drawing, a box of chocolates… or like today, the book about Pieter Post from Marleen and Jessica — thank you girls!
That was really nice, thank you Marleen1979 and Jess18877 for interviewing Postman Pieter! We’re thinking we should actually invite more postal workers to the blog… what do you think? Do you know a special postal worker that we should feature? Let us know in the comments!
70 comments so far
Thanks for sharing! Very nice man. You're lucky for having a so dedicated postman.
Very good gesture. Keep it up guys :)
Our postman once asked me if "postcrossing" could be a good idea for his daughter to learn english through postcards...
Very nice interview! I'll be happy to read more such stories here.
I love finding new interesting blog posts for me to read...keep up the good work
What a nice story!! Thank you for sharing this!!! :)
What a great idea, Jessica and Marleen, and lovely interview! I'd love to read more about postal workers (already hugely enjoyed this post: http://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2014/06/13/the-unlikely-dominican-postman) - and secretly wonder if my postwoman also reads the postcards coming here or if she'd be too busy to do so...
I never met my postman, but I'm always curious what he or she might think about all these international postcards. Some even include "thank you postman", but I guess they won't read the back. Thumbs up for Pieter! :D
Pieter Post is also the Dutch name given to Postman Pat, of stop motion animation fame. Just in case anybody's interested. Great post by the way! And as for me I caught my postman reading my postcards several times. All in good fun.
I feel very blessed with a mailman who takes such good care of the cards I receive
Wonderful story. Hope the next postman will be as great as Pieter. All the best to him for his future....
Always nice to see people that enjoy what do, smile to little things and makes life turning into a lot of sense!
What a good story! I should really not know my postman, every day I see other men or women walking through the street.
Lovely story! I'm also a postwoman and sometimes my mail is delivered by myself, so I know my postwoman really good:-)
Such a nice story! I wish our post'woman' would leave me notes like that!
wonderfull!
Interesting interview. Thanks for sharing. :)
I love my postwomen. She is really nice and always smiling.
Great interview and wonderful photographs. I hope that “Pieter Post” has a long and happy retirement. The fresh air must be very good for him as Peter looks a good 15 years too young to be thinking about retirement.
Great interview. Postmen are very important to postcrossing. My postman always smile when he sees me, bring me stamps and even asks about when i get fewer postcards :)
Nice story! I love it :-)
Lovely interview!!
I hope Jessica's future mailman/mail woman will be just as dedicated as mailman Pieter. Wishing Pieter all the best in future and a big thank you for always delivering my mail to Jessica!
Can we flood Pieter with Happy Retirement postcards? Do you have the address of the Post Office where he works? I'd like to send him a card!
I second the idea of sending him some postcards! He truly deserves a shower of postcrossing love!!
What a lovely idee to give him a shower of postcards!
I can try to look up the address of the postoffice
Or... If you want to send him a card ask me in a personal message for my address and I will collect the cards for him and give them to him
My postie reads them (I don't mind) asked me one day "you have a lot of friends in different countries" then" I explained about Postcrossing".
aussieannie.
thx for the nice interview!! what a kind postman!! how we can fullfill his time with ppl when he'll get retired!!??!?!
Nice interview =)
What a great interview! I live in high rise apartment in Singapore and with buildings going up 50 floors, it's really difficult to get to know who delivers your mail. Our mailboxes are located at the lobby of our building.
Our postal system is great but I wished I'd get a chance to meet my postman!
great interview! i start thinking of becoming post-carrier when i get older.... thanx!
Lovely story....
I have a friendly postwoman!
I am a postwoman myself like my job very much. My postwoman Always enjoys bringing me cards and sometimes will read them too.she is a nice person. A few of our postpeople have a special site on facebook and we show eachother our cards and talk about postcrossing a lot.
I really like this post!
Would love to read more about the Big Mail Carriers around the world.
Thank you! a wonderful story about a postman! I wish him good luck!
Lovely interview! :) And Postcrossing, please do, that would be awesome!
What a nice story!
And very recognizable, for me as a former post(wo)man.
For 21 years I've been working with a lot of fun and motivation on this job too. But I couldn't cope with the many changes anymore, it were too many in too less time.
I started Postcrossing, because of some Postcrossing-receiving-addresses in my postingrounds.
I went curious, and now it's too late: addicted, haha!
Pieter, I wish you all the luck and enjoy your retirement.
What an awesome article! Thank you to all mail-carriers in the world! You are doing a great gob!
My lovely wife is also a postmen for the Dutch postal service called: PostNL. People Always love to see her.
Chapeau voor alle postbodes!!!
Thank you for the nice interview. On World Postday I thanked my own postman and he didn't even know it was World Postday!
Great interview! Thanks for sharing!!
Thank's for sharing, what a nice idea :-)
It was nice to kind of meet your postman.
Greetz, Bahbah
Our postwoman, Cora, is wonderful.
Happy retirement!! Well deserved!! I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful customer who visited The Netherlands and a friend gave him a postal scarf.
I now wear it during the Massachusetts, USA winters. Again, enjoy your retirement!!
What a lovely story and what a nice man. When was a little girl, I loved our mailman Ray. In the summer when it was hot and we were home from school we would offer him a cold glass of water or lemonade. We always appreciated the job he did. Now that I'm back in my home in Brooklyn (I recently moved back from an apartment in San Francisco where I NEVER even saw the postal worker), the postal worker seems to change regularly so there's not even an opportunity to get to know him or her. That's a loss for everyone.
So adorable, i love the pictures! I wish I would know my postman as good as you do, but I couldn't catch him/her while delivering mail til now. Best wishes to Pieter Post!! :-)
Wow! someone has beautiful penmanship! congrats on retiring from a well - loved career! The bicycle was a nice touch.
WoW! Such a good story! Thank you for sharing!
thank you for sharing your story. it was fun to read :)
Great story...reminded me of a postman named "Carl" we had back in Arizona. On my first trip to Europe, I actually sent him postcards simply addressed to "Carl" at his post office. In those days, he had plenty of time to chat with each of us who happened to be home when mail was delivered.
Where I live now, my favorite postman working at the post office recently retired...he seldom took a vacation before then, so retirement offered him a chance. He happened to be on a fateful cruise ship that was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico that year...he now thinks it might be better to be back at the post office rather than on vacation.
We love all our postmen/women...especially those who deliver our Postcrossing cards.
I enjoyed "meeting" this postman and I wish him happy retirement! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks to guys like Pieter postcrossers are feeling happy getting their postcards. Thank you, dear Pieter! And I am very grateful for the story about this kind man! :)
Great story! I adore postman job;')
What a marvellous job and interesting person. Geniet jou aftree Pieter. My post lady Janet enjoys and cards and stamps just as much as I do
Really lovely story!!! So many years of work and Pieter never lost his humor.
Thank you Pieter for doing a great job - and thank you to all postwomen and postmen around the world!!!
PS: It would be cool if I could send Pieter a postcard to his retirement.
What a sweetheart - and such beautiful handwriting! :-)
jess18877 is collecting cards for him, LowerBavaria. Scroll up a bit in replies to see details.
Sent a card to Pieter! If it's as the time we sent cards to Ana for her conference in Portugal, I guess Pieter will be COVERED by cards!
i am a postman as well as a postcrosser, so i know how important postcards are!
that is a good idea for a blog, postcrossers who are also postmen or postwomen!
Very nice man and interview! :) I would like to read more of these stories.
Thank you FionaT! Somehow I missed her posting. :-)
Delightful interview! Thank you, Jessica and Marleen, for introducing us to this fabulous postal worker. After Pieter retires, perhaps he might be interested in joining Postcrossing. After 30 years of dedicated mail service, it is now his turn to sit back and relax and receive wonderful postcards from lovely folks from all around the world. Happy retirement, Pieter!
Nice to meet you Pieter Post! :) What a nice story! Best wishes!
Dear Ana @meiadeleite you can invite Mr Bishnu Sarangi for your special Post Office staff interview
.
I loved the interview and the idea of this becoming an ongoing series! Just from the comments above, there are plenty of future candidates: postal employees who happen to be Postcrossing members ... and I can think of a couple of more names to add to that list :)
Groetjes van een Belgische Postman.
I really enjoyed reading this piece. I think it's a great idea to feature postal workers. Not just any postal worker, but the interesting characters like Pieter. I would love to work as a postman but given my obsession with stamps I probably wouldn't be a very efficient worker because I would stare at stamps all the time.
Great idea, Jessica and Marleen!
Best wishes to Pieter.
↑ Back to top ↑