Small Achievement # 2

It isn't something to be excessively proud about.... its just another one of my small achievements living in a country where one doesn't speak the language! Uninterested ones can skip this entry.....

Here goes: the takyubin - a courier service - brought a special package for me on Wednesday. Unfortunately they came to my house at 2 o'clock, when i was obviously at work, and not finding me at my aparto they left a note. The next day when I discovered the note in the dark recesses of my mailbox, I called them up by myself - i.e., without the assistance of a native speaker of Japanese! I was able to communicate that i was a gaijin (foreigner) who knew very little Japanese, and that they came to my house yesterday when i was not there, that i needed them to come that night at 8pm and then i gave them the number of my parcel. All in broken but understandable Japanese! Ending the conversation, the male Japanese voice at the other side responded with a very firm "wakarimashta*" and i could very distinctly hear the smile in it! :)

* wakarimashta : understood!