Mailboxes Etc.

It's pretty weird how people treat mailboxes here in the Philippines. The household help do not inspect them, and the kartero (postman) does not put the letters inside and would rather just insert it between the recesses of the door or the gate. I always thought that mailboxes are a better idea, since your mail gets protected from the weather elements like sun and rain. With the current technique by our local postmen, the mail may get wet due to rains or even lost when a strong wind blows. Also, you only have to look in one place for the mail.

Maybe we just have a culture where not having mailboxes is just the norm, especially in the provinces, where the housewife usually stays at home and the postman just hands the day's mail to her. I do believe that in the busy city where sometimes people are not always home when the mail arrives. My mother agrees, so she had a mailbox installed when we moved into our current house. It actually complements the look of our house and I love the idea that I just need to look in one place for our mail (which didn't happen -- sigh!) I love the look and the function of a mailbox, and even though they do get ignored, I'd still have one installed when I get to have my own house.