I've been trying to write a paper this week and failing miserably. Today I've been especially bad at writing anything (as me writing this post during work time testifies to), I just got back to the lab after a long coffee break with a fellow gaijin scientist and opened up the word file when the phone goes and M.san the technician is waving me over to the phone. This is strange, no one usually wants to speak to me, except the big boss and I know he's still on holiday (oh, god I hope he's still on holiday!). She says something to me about who's on the phone and not one syllable makes any sense, but still she hands the phone across to me
.....moshi, moshi... I say in my best Japanese. I have an inate fear of using phones in Japanese, because people rarely say the phrases or words that you're taught in the language text books.
A serious sounding male voice replies and I think the look of horror and non- comprehension on my face told M. san I didn't have a clue as to anything he was saying.
He paused and I squeezed in
sumimasen...chotto wakarimasen (more like a thumping great big wakarimasen) and handed the phone back to her appealing for help.
She starts writing down kanji and then more kanji with connecting arrows, non of this kanji is familiar and there's no hint of hiragana or anything in it to help.
.... It must be serious, she sounds serious and I"m getting a little nervous here- who is it? Am I about to be hauled off by the police? Has someone died? Is there a nest of criminal masterminds living in my building I should have been aware of?
She stands up and directs them to the departmental secreteries and hangs up. N. sensei looks over at the note and helps translate
I'm very sorry....the Japanese government (oh crap, my visa? my apartment? no, no...I've still got a year and more left on those)
...needs you to pay tax
TAX? is that it? Definately not the end of the world then, especially since the tax rate is nothing like European levels.
Apparently my tax free period of living in Japan is up....
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