“Tourists who come here usually don’t believe it, but it is true,” grins Simen van Dijk. And it’s true. The 68-year-old resident of Grolloo is called Simen and he is a postman. Almost just like postman Siemen in the children’s series Sow. And so he is often called after in the village in the same tone as in the series.
“‘Postman Siemèèèn, can I have a rack?’, children say in the schoolyard,” says van Dijk. He doesn’t seem to mind it at all. A whole row of ‘rekkies’, or rubber bands, dangle from his handlebars. There is also a crate full of today’s mail. Because although he can retire, he doesn’t want to yet.
“I still enjoy it way too much. This work is my passion and my life.” He travels about fifteen kilometers through Grolloo every day on a bicycle without a battery. “I received an electric bicycle from PostNL, but I returned it. I found the hand brakes inconvenient with mail in my hands. And cycling keeps me healthy.”