A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME / NINA BÄCKSTRÖM
NINA GOT HER MEMORIES
BACK If someone asked you what you were doing at work exactly ten years ago, you probably wouldn’t have a clue. But mail carrier, Nina Bäckström knows. TEXT: MALIN DAHLBERG PHOTO: PAVEL KOUBEK ONE WINTER DAY IN 2011, Nina and her colleagues at the mail carrier office in Säffle were sorting three trolleys of parcels. You may be wondering how she can possibly remember that… Well, mail carrier, Nina Bäckström has a crystal clear memory of what happened that day. She has just received her memories back from the Swedish Postal Museum’s collection of diary entries from 2011. The museum regularly collects memories and diary entries from PostNord employees in Sweden. They capture everything from what they had for breakfast to what they do during a working day. The more detailed, the better. The intention is to collect snapshots from everyday life. The diary entries can reveal a great deal about changes in the business, and they also highlight what’s remained the same – like a letter to the future. “I was so taken aback when I got my diary entries back. I simply don’t remember taking part in the collection. It could almost make you a little afraid of yourself,” says Nina with a laugh, before adding: “But it was a lot of fun to read. I’d written down everything from the moment I got out of bed to when I turned the light out at night. One detail that immediately took me back to that particular day was that we’d just replaced a window at home. I could see it so clearly.” The profession of mail carrier has changed significantly over the past ten years, taking in more and more parcels and consignment letters, digital aids and new assignments. “Just think of how we stamped parcels manually before, whereas now we scan them with our cell phones. Back then we had three trolleys of parcels, and today it’s closer to ten. So much has happened both at PostNord and in society at large.”
E
WHEN NINA ISN’T working, she loves to spend time outdoors. Riding four-wheelers, grilling hot dogs, playing with her cats, Bull and Månmörker, and her dog Turbo. And looking after her family’s herd of 300 cows. Yep, that’s right. A herd of ruminating cattle that need food, water and love. “I haven’t lived in the country very long, but I love it there. I feel like this is where I’m meant to be, idling around in long johns, rubber boots and a knitted hat.”
58
PEOPLE BY POSTNORD
