Carrier

When I started my mail delivery job, they equipped me with a new development in mail delivery: A mail carrier, a sort of partitioned bag which you wear around your waist to easily carry the mail around and have all the letters within hand's reach.

It's become such a natural part of work that I hardly notice it, but it commonly invites jokes such as 

'You carrying a child in that?' or 'Is that a bulletproof vest?' I don't really mind, though, and often shoot back with 'We treat the mail with just as much care!' or 'Well, you never know what could happen in this city.'

Saving grace

The worst days can really bring out the best in people. The summer heat has made some workdays miserable or even dangerous. Fortunately, almost everyone sympathizes. On every hot day, I get offered water, drinks and ice cream by dozens of kind people. I don't think I would've made it through the worst days without their help.

Wealth divide

As a mailman assigned to no specific route, I deliver mail all over the city. You really start to notice which districts are inhabited by the wealthy and which by the poor, relatively speaking. Both the poorest and richest neighborhoods are furthest from the city center, with the city center appropriately representing the middle ground.

I wonder if it's like that in other cities. There's no other city I know even half as well as this one.

Fortnite vlogging

Two young children walked up to me while I was just starting on a delivery route. One of them about 6 years old and the other even younger. 'Do you play Fortnite?' the older one asked. 'I've played it a few times,' I said. The next question seemed even more random. 'Are you a vlogger?' I just said no, but was too flustered to explain all the stuff I do put out on the Internet.

I think the vlogger question probably surprised me more than the Fortnite one.

Gratitude

On difficult days, I always feel grateful for people who have easily accessible mailboxes, clearly indicated addresses, and as a bonus, have their names clearly visible on the door. They make my work a lot easier and reassure me I'm in the right place. After the amount of samey, blatantly numberless doors I've had to put mail through, I'm never taking good old-fashioned clarity for granted again.

Technical problems

One time, during the final hours of a very busy delivery day, my bicycle completely broke down in the outskirts of the city - in front of a lonely little farm. Some lovely folks there did their best to help, but none had the tools to fix a bike in such a bad state. I was already in overtime and ended up having to call my father and have him bring me his bike so I could finish the route. I got home real late and tired that day and can confidently call it the worst day I've had on the job.

The good thing is that every day since has been better.

Regret

One time I had a handwritten letter addressed to a couple from China. It had no return address, but I could deliver it just fine... or so I thought, but the lady who lived there returned the letter to me and said the couple did not live at her address. She gave a vague explanation as to where the couple might be, but no address, and I couldn't find them even after multiple loops around the neighborhood and many wasted minutes. In the end, I followed the procedures and sent it to wherever all letters without a return address go, resigning it to an uncertain fate.

I still wonder what was in the letter, and if it ever made its way to the intended recipient. I wonder if I should've looked harder or tried again another day. Maybe I should've just put it through the lady's mailbox again and let her handle it.