Bajans Get Their Mail

Barbados is the most densely populated country of the CARICOM* nations and the second most densely populated country in The Caribbean ( 659 persons per square kilometer),  St. Maarten is first.

On top of that, we live in one of the more densely populated districts in Christ Church, an area that has many streets better known as gaps* with no street names. Additionally none of the houses in my district have house numbers although some of them do have house names. So how does the mail get delivered to all of these people in such a crowded country?

The local post office in Christ Church is no longer the hotbed of activity it used to be. It was the place that pensioners would pick up their checks twice a month. I was told that you could tell when the checks were in by the long lines that extended outside the post office building.  Families would get excited when they received a notice from the postman/woman that indicated that they had a package from overseas. The packages usually consisted of clothing. However, if they received pajamas they were “put down” in case they had to go to the hospital which rarely happened (and it never happened in Sandra’s family). Years later they would  find the pajamas  were too small and had to be given away.

People still use the post office for many reasons.  Of course they still get letters (although I am not sure who writes these days), post office boxes and packages but now they must compete with  likes of Federal Express and DHL. Today, there are some pensioners who still pick up their checks at the post office.

Sandra has always said that if you can be a postman in Barbados you can be a postman or postwoman anywhere. An interesting note, there is virtually no junk mail delivered here, I’ve only got 1 piece of junk mail in about 6 months and that one was just before Christmas.  Basically, I get 4 pieces of mail a month gas, water, cable and electricity.  Compare getting no junk mail here in Barbados to the US where I get junk mail every day if not addressed to me it’s to the occupant or current resident!

The answer to my opening question, “How does mail get delivered in such a crowded country?” The task is completed by the hard working and dedicated men and women of the post office! Before we received any mail at our new “wall” house, I spotted the mail lady for our district her name is Pat. I asked her if there were any forms or a notification that we had to give to the post office to start getting mail delivered to our newly purchased home. She said “No, you just need to tell me”. She pulled out a pen from her pocket and wrote our name on the palm of her hand then revved  her motorcycle engine ready to move on. I asked if there was anything else and she said “No,  ya good” and rode away.  We’ve  have been getting our mail every since!

*CARICOM 15 nations of The Carribean established in 1973 to promote foreign policy and trade among the group. These countries include Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Granada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago. (Barbados is the most densely populated of this group.)

**Gaps are roads short or long, paved and unpaved that do not have street names but do have a number of homes. Directions are given using land marks for example , “I live in the second gap after Squires Variety store, look for the yellow board house.”