Postcrossing Blog

On this week’s Spotlight interview, we talked to Óskar, aka Fimafengur, from Iceland. He’s passionate about vintage posters – and postcards that depict them!

Here is what he had to say to our Spotlight questions:

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I think I’ve always been interested in postcards; at least I started early on buying cards when traveling around Iceland with my family on holidays. Started collecting cards from each place, town, museum etc. we stopped at. I continued this habit when I went traveling around the world on my own. I’m not a very organized collector but I buy cards that interest me somehow.

But… if there are any cards that I’m really passionate about then, it’s the vintage posters (travel ads, trains, cruise liners) and movie posters, old and new. One of my favourite cards is from a small collection I have from Swiss-old-timers and shows an ad from the Oriental Express.

A few years ago I read an interview in a local newspaper with an Icelandic Postcrosser. I decided to find this site and simply got hooked. I soon realized how the Postcrossing project is a great way of traveling around the world and “meet” all these nice people. I’m still a bit amazed that some stranger on the other side of the world will make the effort of buying a card, a stamp and mailing it to another person.

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

There are two post-offices in my hometown Akureyri. The staff is very friendly and provides an excellent service. This is the office in the city centrum.

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

I find it very difficult sorting out a few favourites! … but I’ll try to show examples of what I like in postcards.

FR-117423: This one combines two things I’m a fan of: Paris and bridges. It’s also a beautiful one.

UZ-1566: Cards from distant, faraway places, which I probably will never be able to visit or experience otherwise, like this one from Samarkand.

US-1641649: A great b/w photo of a great performer… I went to a TT concert in Copenhagen in 2000 (she was about 60 at that time).

DE-1300838: Reprint of a vintage posters ( more bridges and transportations ). Visited Wuppertal over 20 years ago and went on this “Schwebebahn” and it made my day getting this card.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

Sending a card… trying to pick a card according to the receiver’s request or what I think that would make the postcrosser happy to receive. Here in Iceland most of the postcards you can find are “touristic”, i.e. nature, landscape etc. Fortunately many Postcrossers seems to like these cards. I always try to buy cards I like myself and I also visit museums and such places to increase the diversity. Then I wait for the card to arrive and I’m always glad when it’s registered and I really appreciate a comment or just a “thank you” from the receiver.

Is there anything that you are passionate about?

I strongly believe in equal rights for all humans and democracy. One of the most important things is education, which sadly is very poor in too many countries, especially for girls and women. I try to support organisations like UNICEF and SOS Children’s Villages and also some smaller “private-projects” in Yemen, Ethiopia and South Africa. There are so many more things in common to people all over the world than those that divides us. I think the world would be a bit nicer place if we all made an effort to communicate and understand each other.

Xiomara, aka Blackthornhiei, is one of Postcrossing’s few users in El Salvador, the smallest (and most densely populated) country in Central America. She says in her profile that when she has mail, her dog will “talk” until she sees that it gets picked up! How handy! :)

Here is what she had to say to our interview questions:

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I’ve always liked postcards, I always buy from the places I go to and even mail some to myself. And one day, looking through my collection I wondered if there was site for postcard trade. A few minutes later I found Postcrossing.

It took me two weeks to actually join, though. I admit I kept wondering if it actually worked. I finally decided to give it a try and have been hooked since then.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

My hobbies aren’t all that special. Beside Postcrossing, I love to read and I make felt dolls. Recently, though, I found a local tourist company that makes groups tours to different corners of the country. I’ve visited places I wouldn’t have been able to visit alone. I even went to a baby sea turtle release. It was lovely!

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

This is the postoffice near my house. It’s inside a shopping mall. I come here often. The ladies there are great!

I keep all my Postcrossing cards in albums:

That way I can just pull out an album and look at them anytime, front and back. I don’t have them by country or theme, though. Just in the order they were received.

All other postcards go into this wooden crate, while I sort them in their own albums.

I even made instructions for the album in case anyone wants to try!

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

I love all the cards I have received so it’s hard to pick a favorite one. All of them have something I love.

But there’s one that hold a special place in my heart. It’s HU-37976.

I was feeling pretty down that day, and finding this hand drawn card in my mailbox really brightened it. I mean, the fact that a young girl decided to take one of those blank postcards and draw a rabbit for a complete stranger. It was amazing. Looking at this card always makes me smile and feel better.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

Besides seeing what surprises might be in mailbox, I’d say it’s the whole process of getting an address, picking a card, writing on it, mailing it and waiting for it to arrive.

Most of the available cards are touristy. Non-tourist is hard to find, so sometimes I’m anxious on whether they will like my card or not. I’m looking into getting my own postcards professionally printed.

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

Nothing exotic, but for some reason, the postcards mailed from Siberia always surprise me.

Marianna7 (aka Marianne), is from Germany but moved to the UK in 2001. In this Spotlight interview, she tells us about her life-long passion for letter-writing… and bread-baking! :)

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I’ve lived since 2001 abroad (not in Germany) and my favorite weekly newspaper is “Die Zeit”. I try to get it, either from an airport or when friends/family bring it on a visit, but very irregularly.

On one of those I found an article about Willi, the German postcrosser who has sent the most postcards from Germany. At the same time I found life pretty stressful, being self-employed and I wanted a positive change in my mailbox (something else than advertisement, junkmail and invoices).

The other reason why I joined is this one: a good German friend of mine and I have been penfriends and friends for 11 years. Our friendship started more with letters, because I met her just before I left Germany. But we developed it over the years and last year, at our 10 years anniversary, we arranged an exhibition with our best envelopes (handmade), statements from letters of these last 10 years and our own arts (I do photography, Daniela does painting). This meant, we both read through the letters of 10 years again, we discussed which statements to use and which not over mail and phone and letters (obviously) and exhibited in Hamburg, Germany. It was a very interesting experience to go public with parts of our private thoughts, doubts, fears, happiness etc… anyhow, the exhibition exhausted us a bit and we are writing now less than before – so I missed the input of written words in my life.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I bake my own bread (buns, scones, croissants, bagels, ciabattas – you name it!). I call it a hobby, because it is a very satisfying work. It is so essential, so basic, but it fills a house with a beautiful smell and everyone comes running and wants some warm bread. I like walking with my sons and my partner most. Photography. Reading. I love languages. Arts!

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

This picture is the picture of my main postoffice in the village – but I go for miles all over the North East to send my mail.

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

RU-884413 a letter, very unexpected and mindblowingly beautiful

NL-1056976 one of the very first cards I received with great words

US-1652878 a handmade card on rice paper

I’ve also received mind-blowing letters and postcards with just a few words, which made me stumble. All words, I receive are precious to me. The fact that a complete stranger writes a few sentences out of his/her soul, is absolutely amazing to me.

Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?

Yes, my son :-) He is only 8, but a fanatic reader and writer (is true) and he collects stamps. So one day I told him I wouldn’t give him my stamps anymore, because I didn’t want to ruin my precious cards/words. That’s when he joined Postcrossing! The only thing I help him, is a)to get the address of recipient right, b) to send cards on time and c) to help him match the recipient’s preferences.

I’m trying to get my mother on it – she is very old and would have to learn to use the pc, but I am sure it would change her life for the better.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

Requesting a postcard. What type of person will it go to? What cards do they like?

I also like the process of finding the right card, though sometimes it takes me days to find one (it’s very rural here and i have to travel far for a card).

And lastly, I also like to receive a card. Who is the sender? After registering, I find it extremely exciting to read the sender’s profile.

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

No, not by the places… But very often I’m surprised by the messages on the cards; the sentences in unexpected letters. I am surprised by the wonderful things other postcrossers are sending. By the passionate words of postcrossers. By the openness of peoples minds towards a complete stranger. I have greatest respect to every cards/letter I receive.

Dianna is the user with most postcards sent from Macau, and she loves it when members decorate them, or fill them with stickers! :)

Here is what she had to say to our spotlight questions:

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I became a postcard lover since my first trip abroad, I enjoy sending postcards to my friends and to myself. One day my friend Staci told me about postcrossing so I become a member. I am so glad about Postcrossings as it has enabled me to contact people who love postcards and to swap with people around the world. We are able to share our feeling and stories with each other. I just love it. Thanks to Postcrossing, I have collected so many beautiful postcards now and have made some good friends!

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

Yes, I love world travel, hiking, coffee tasting, reading, movies, music, gardening, cooking, quilting and learning other languages.

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

Here are some of my favourites:

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

I received a card from North Korea. :-)

Have you met any other members in real life?

Yes, one member from Thailand and one from Macau so far.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

My favorite part is to receive postcards. I really enjoying reading and looking at each one that I get. I also enjoy looking for cards to send to others. I really try to find cards that people will like. Sometimes that can be a challenge.

Russel, (aka SonOfBilly) joined Postcrossing when the project was barely starting, and hasn’t stopped sending postcards since then… as a result, he is the second user with most postcards sent in New Zealand!

Here is what he had to say to our interview questions:

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

As a young 10 year old boy, an American pen friend sent me a chain letter which promised me 1,000's of postcards if I sent one to the person at the top of the list, put my name at the bottom of the list and sent the chain letter to 5 other people. My Mother said it wouldn’t work and guess what, she was right.

I now travel a lot on business, mainly throughout Asia and in particular China. I have been travelling in China now for 31 years. While travelling I have always sent postcards home to my family and extended family.

Back in 2005, not long after Postcrossing started my ISP sent out a newsletter showing interesting sites and “Postcrossing” was one of them. I immediately joined and have been hooked ever since.

I even try to send postcards while I travel. I also stock up on postcards by buying them in China, Hong Kong and have recently discovered a marvelous bookshop in Taipei called Eslite that has a great selection of postcards from around the world.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

Sport plays a dominant part of my lifestyle. I maintain my fitness by walking an hour a day, up to 5 days per week.

Work commitments mean I don’t have a lot of spare time but I always find time to keep in regular contact with my old High School friends with regular dinner evenings. I also watch most of my favourite sports on TV such as Rugby, Rugby League, Soccer (or Football as most of the rest of the world knows it), Motorsport (especially WRC, Formula 1, MotoGP & Superbikes) Tour de France, Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games.

Have been a season ticket holder of the New Zealand Warriors ever since they entered the Australian Rugby League competition back in 1995.

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

Luke, our “Postie” who delivers our mail, rain, shine or hail 6 days a week.

I buy my stamps from the NZ Post shop in the central shopping street of Auckland called Queen Street. The shop is called “Real Aotearoa”. Aotearoa is the maori name for New Zealand and means “Land Of The Long White Cloud”. The photo shows my friendly assistant.

This is our very basic letter box.

This is where I post most of my postcards, on the way to work most mornings, outside our local BP petrol station.

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

One of my favourite postcards was the very first one I received. It is black and white and shows the streets of Canton in China. Now called Guangzhou, it is the City I would visit the most in China. I enjoy all of the postcards I receive but a couple that stand out were of The Great Wall of China, The Colosseum, the Taichung Jazz Festival, Soccer World Cup 2010 and Finnish Nature.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

The sending means more than the receiving. I like to try and and match up the receivers requests with my closest equivalents. I enjoy getting a big thank you when the postcard is received and knowing that it is really appreciated.

I also enjoy finding out more information about the postcard I have received. I will try and add more information to the postcard, either when it is scanned or within a couple of weeks of having received the card. If you have sent me a postcard, please check the image to see if the information is correct.

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

I sent 2 postcards to Tuvalu. The first one was posted from China and my guess is that perhaps they didn’t realise it was a country, so it never arrived. Located in the Pacific, halfway between Australia and Hawaii they were formerly known as the Ellice Islands. Its population of 10,500 makes it the third-least populous sovereign state in the world, with only Vatican City and Nauru having fewer inhabitants. Because of the low elevation, the islands that make up this nation are threatened by current and future sea level rise.

Is there anything that you are passionate about?

The only issue that I take a real interest in at the moment is the world wide decline in mailing. The drop globally between 2008 to 2010 was 14% with one notable exception being China which continues to experience growth but from a relatively low base.

Mailing is expected to decline a further 43% by 2020.

For example in New Zealand mail volumes declined 6.7% in 2009. Slowed to a 4.9% reduction in 2010 but at the same time 7,200 new addresses were added to the delivery network bringing the total network to 1.9 million addresses. This meant the Post was delivering 20% less mail per address than they did 3 years ago.