Working outside in wind and weather. And that every day. You have to be made for it – or have the right equipment. The Garching postwoman Anita Lehmann always has them with her: anorak, rain hat, letters in waterproof packaging. She has been cycling for 27 years, whether it’s raining, snowing, sunshine or stormy winds. “It’s most uncomfortable when it’s cold and wet,” says Lehmann. “But I’ve also experienced storms in the summer. Then you have to make sure that you have everything together.”
What is your week like? In the morning at 6.30 a.m. she starts with the preparations: packing things and posting letters. “There’s a shelf with the streets and house numbers of the route, you look for them.” Once the letters have been sorted according to the order in which they were delivered, Lehmann sets off. She needs about three to four hours for her route, depending on the weather conditions. She doesn’t mind working outdoors, on the contrary: she enjoys the fresh air and exercise. She says she would always prefer delivering by bicycle to driving in a delivery van or working in the office. The only thing that she hasn’t even thought about in all this time is how long the daily walk actually is; she simply drives it, posts letters, rings the doorbell for registered mail at one or the other door. “Customer contact is very important,” says Lehmann. “People are happy when we see each other, especially the older ones. During Corona, many were alone. Then you stop for a moment and have a chat. Lately, of course, with a mask and a lot of distance.”
But the weather and the virus aren’t the only adversities along the way. After all, there are the natural enemies of every postman: dogs. Or not? Anita Lehmann laughs. “It’s just a cliché. I’ve never been bitten by a dog before. Rather overwhelmed with joy.”
The trained hairdresser started at the post office in Unterschleißheim on the recommendation of a friend. “And somehow it stayed that way,” says Lehmann, “although I had a bumpy start. In my first two weeks it rained from morning to night.” And maybe this drastic experience was the reason why she worked in the back office in Unterföhring for a short time. But she soon realized that she was drawn back outside.
An interesting fact about the job: you always have an eye on the development of the climate. “You can tell that the weather is changing,” says Lehmann. “It used to be much colder in winter. The first snow came in November and it snowed for two weeks. Today it’s only for a few days at most.” And even in summer, when it can get between 30 and 35 degrees warm on some days, you have to be prepared. “The important thing is: drink a lot!”
Because it’s all useless. No matter how bad the weather is – Anita Lehmann is out there delivering letters. But she waves it away: “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.”