Big days, busy days

Been busy. There's about 9 days left before I turn in the conclusion to my dissertation and then two weeks after that, defense in Providence.
Everything else.

And in those 9 days, we're all feverishly working to bring together the Christmas chakai for about 120 people, including the iemoto (grand master) of the tea school and his family. Basically, the emperor of tea.

And also Glenn Pereira sensei is here! We have to hang out!

And yeah, writing that diss.

So, you may not hear too much from me over the next couple weeks.

But here's this to tide you over: I mailed a package to an APO address last Wednesday, but it turns out that EMS priority air won't mail such packages. And here's how I found out: the post office (just a block from my house) sent a letter to tell me so the day after I'd mailed it. Then the next day I got another one and a verbal message from the lady that tends our front door at the dorm in the day time, but the post office was closed when I went by on Friday (it was a holiday). The thing about the post office is that we are at school during almost every single hour every single day they are open. This particular one isn't even open on Saturday. So it's hard to get there, and I seized a lucky moment when I mailed the package in the first place.

So two letters, then on Monday I got a note delivered to me after afternoon lessons: the post office had CALLED KOKUSAIBU (the International Affairs division of the school) to try to get me the message. I don't even know how they knew to do that, except that I suppose when a foreigner in kimono comes to the post office to mail packages two blocks from the international headquarters of a tea school, they might draw some conclusions.
Then when I got home that night, almost half an hour after the post office had closed again, I got a call on my cell phone-- it was the post office. Sheesh.

I explained that I am always working during their opening hours, but that I'd try to come the next day (today) which was sumikiri, so we had a little more time, although most of the extra time we looked like coal miners.

So I went and did it, covered with charcoal dust and in my samue (monk-type work clothes) at lunch time.  And then it got more hilarious. I had been sort of annoyed anyway when I sent the packages because they asked if there was a letter in the boxes. Not sure what that would mean, I said no and yes to them although they all had a little note of some kind in them. So, the one that went "with letter" also turned out to be the biggest and most expensive, and worst, it turned out that without letter the postage was 2050 yen. With a letter inside, it was 2800 yen. I thought about saying, oh, sorry there *isn't* a letter in there, but I didn't have the nerve. Even though that would be the Japanese way.

So, I lost 800 yen, was minorly annoyed. THEN TODAY, since I can't send to an APO with EMS, the price for the box jumped up to 4200 YEN!!!  I asked, isn't there another way? What if it weren't airmail? She said, it can be small packet with no letter. How much is that? 2050 yen. 

Yes, it cost 2150 yen to have a letter in that box. I said, I'm taking out the letter, and I ripped open the tape and took out the little slip of envelope and then they sealed it back up while I did the customs form.  So NOW they owe me 650 yen.  It turns out the post office pays refunds in stamps.  So I got as many international mail stamps as I could and a couple random ones to make up the difference.

And I wish I could say I stuck one 110 yen stamp on that letter and mailed it right next to the box it would've cost 2150 yen to mail, but I didn't. I hadn't written the address on properly.

Funny.