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Post by Leita on May 26, 2021 9:19:17 GMT 9
Of course any questions can go here too, but would anyone want us to make something like a main/miscellaneous "Current/Alumni CIR AMA/Ask Me Anything" thread where we can answer random questions? Not sure if incoming people have other questions ATM though.
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Post by Aya Raincoat on May 26, 2021 10:40:35 GMT 9
(Besides studying Japanese) do current CIRs or 2020 CIRs have any advice on what to do over the summer to prep? Or does anyone have specific advice on what areas of Japanese to study (should I try to get my keigo down pat or practice translating this summer)? I kind of wanna stay productive/have something to show for if I end up having to wait until December or longer to start working. - Keigo is a good idea; once you learn your placement, I strongly suggest trying to find videos with the local dialect as well - Just practicing your listening skills in general is good
- You may want to study up on your home country, too, especially if you end up doing presentations about it. Find information like what kids like, what school is like, some local tourist spots, etc.
- Another great skill to have is cooking, if you don't know how to cook well (consider you may not have an oven or some other ingredients); learning to cook meals from home can also help on the job if you end up doing cooking classes
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Post by miscreative on May 26, 2021 11:27:04 GMT 9
Of course any questions can go here too, but would anyone want us to make something like a main/miscellaneous "Current/Alumni CIR AMA/Ask Me Anything" thread where we can answer random questions? Not sure if incoming people have other questions ATM though. i think it could be helpful to have a thread here for even "Prepping for arrival"
we have a thread in on the job about what to do when you first arrive/are bored so seems similar
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Post by miscreative on May 26, 2021 11:49:41 GMT 9
(Besides studying Japanese) do current CIRs or 2020 CIRs have any advice on what to do over the summer to prep? Or does anyone have specific advice on what areas of Japanese to study (should I try to get my keigo down pat or practice translating this summer)? I kind of wanna stay productive/have something to show for if I end up having to wait until December or longer to start working. until that thread is made i will recommend that you
~practice your self intro skills. look at examples by and for japanese people, namely in business settings. keep them short and uncomplicated. no need to use too much keigo.
~study/practice KEIGO. i recommend listening/watching it in action in videos/movies. but dont stress. DES/MASU will get you far and no one will fault you for it ~on the same vein, studying business manners/japanese is helpful tho not always applicable to us as civil servants (esp. CIRs who are rarely directly interacting with people not in their division). this includes phone and email manners/japanese
~think about things you would like to introduce about your home country/town. most of us do school visits but we also present to adults. what are topics you want to share? are their artifacts that would help explain?
~once you get your placement, look it up. also take note of how hard it was to find info about it/its culture in english ~practice listening practice by simply watching/listening to your favorite japanese content, preferably with real life japanese (vs fantasy) ~look into translation (processes, theories, etc) if you are interested but know that it wont make sense until you are doing it
~dont fret. a lot of this will fall into place once you are here, fail some, and learn from your coworkers examples
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Post by meimei on May 26, 2021 12:33:38 GMT 9
Of course any questions can go here too, but would anyone want us to make something like a main/miscellaneous "Current/Alumni CIR AMA/Ask Me Anything" thread where we can answer random questions? Not sure if incoming people have other questions ATM though. Sorry, I considered making a separate thread but figured using this one would be fine since it's a little slow right now. An AMA thread would be helpful (for me at least) in the future though!
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katelyn
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 35
CIR Experience: 1st year
Location: Niigata
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by katelyn on Jun 8, 2021 20:26:14 GMT 9
literally just wanna find out my placement already 🥺 and also even find out when we’re going..... between the stress of getting background checks/paperwork sent in and a difficult time at my job i wanna finally see the light at the end of this tunnel hue
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Post by Dee on Jun 9, 2021 9:11:12 GMT 9
I hope you all get your placements soon, although I have heard it might not be until July at this point. At least you're more likely to arrive this year than the poor people who have already been waiting over a year to arrive.
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cherry
Straight outta Narita
Shoe Cats Chew
Posts: 40
CIR Experience: 2nd year
Location: Gifu
Gender (Pronouns): meh. whatever
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Post by cherry on Jun 9, 2021 16:40:17 GMT 9
We were told early July for the results and placements (we get both at the same time because there are very few positions). I can't wait uuuuughhh.
I was told by the embassy that my application had been sent to Tokyo... Does that mean I'm at least an alternate? ???
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Post by Leita on Jun 10, 2021 10:07:29 GMT 9
cherry I think everyone's applications get sent to C.lair's office in Tokyo. Then after that they decide who to hire...? So I don't think you can assume your result yet. I hope you're shortlisted, good luck! ☆
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katelyn
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 35
CIR Experience: 1st year
Location: Niigata
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by katelyn on Jun 10, 2021 12:52:19 GMT 9
I hope you all get your placements soon, although I have heard it might not be until July at this point. At least you're more likely to arrive this year than the poor people who have already been waiting over a year to arrive. yes, that’s so true. i can’t even imagine what the 2020 group are feeling. fingers crossed that everyone can successfully come over this year!
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cherry
Straight outta Narita
Shoe Cats Chew
Posts: 40
CIR Experience: 2nd year
Location: Gifu
Gender (Pronouns): meh. whatever
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Post by cherry on Jun 10, 2021 17:50:48 GMT 9
cherry I think everyone's applications get sent to C.lair's office in Tokyo. Then after that they decide who to hire...? So I don't think you can assume your result yet. I hope you're shortlisted, good luck! ☆ Yes that's also what I'm telling myself not to be disappointed! I didn't think anything of it until I re-read the JET guidelines for our country and it says 'after the interviews, the jury selects a list of candidates and sends it to Japan for them to decide which candidates are shortlisted and which are alternates' (butchered translation yes hello). It's a little misleading and could mean several things but yeah, a little less than a month left to wait until we know (partially) our fate for the next year! Edit: also thank you for the good luck!!
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cherry
Straight outta Narita
Shoe Cats Chew
Posts: 40
CIR Experience: 2nd year
Location: Gifu
Gender (Pronouns): meh. whatever
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Post by cherry on Jun 10, 2021 17:53:31 GMT 9
I hope you all get your placements soon, although I have heard it might not be until July at this point. At least you're more likely to arrive this year than the poor people who have already been waiting over a year to arrive. yes, that’s so true. i can’t even imagine what the 2020 group are feeling. fingers crossed that everyone can successfully come over this year! Ugh yes........ 2020 JETs need a medal and financial compensation for their time spent in limbo
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Post by meimei on Jun 18, 2021 10:18:51 GMT 9
Thank you to everyone who answered my last question!
I know nothing is guaranteed at all, but we should (CL**R pls) be getting placements within the next 2 weeks and I'm so excited! Does anyone have somewhere they really wanna be placed (or absolutely don't want to end up)? Back when I applied I wasn't picky at all, but now I don't want to be anywhere north of Kanto (atrb_partsz)
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のらねこ
Tried natto; not a fan
ストレスが地球をダメにする♪
Posts: 64
CIR Experience: Incoming CIR
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by のらねこ on Jun 18, 2021 16:16:37 GMT 9
Thank you to everyone who answered my last question! I know nothing is guaranteed at all, but we should (CL**R pls) be getting placements within the next 2 weeks and I'm so excited! Does anyone have somewhere they really wanna be placed (or absolutely don't want to end up)? Back when I applied I wasn't picky at all, but now I don't want to be anywhere north of Kanto (atrb_partsz) Pretty much same! I hope we both get good placements. Lately it’s all I ever think about, but I’ve been throwing myself into Japanese reading (this week it’s センセイの鞄, last week I finished a 短編集) as a distraction. Highly recommend doing that to anyone like me who’s having a tough time thinking about literally anything else because also if you’re like me you’ll be looking up kanji/unknown words and idk why but that calms me. I guess it reminds me of being in a class hue
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Post by meimei on Jun 18, 2021 21:54:58 GMT 9
Thank you to everyone who answered my last question! I know nothing is guaranteed at all, but we should (CL**R pls) be getting placements within the next 2 weeks and I'm so excited! Does anyone have somewhere they really wanna be placed (or absolutely don't want to end up)? Back when I applied I wasn't picky at all, but now I don't want to be anywhere north of Kanto (atrb_partsz) Pretty much same! I hope we both get good placements. Lately it’s all I ever think about, but I’ve been throwing myself into Japanese reading (this week it’s センセイの鞄, last week I finished a 短編集) as a distraction. Highly recommend doing that to anyone like me who’s having a tough time thinking about literally anything else because also if you’re like me you’ll be looking up kanji/unknown words and idk why but that calms me. I guess it reminds me of being in a class hue I started a summer job teaching English online which has kept me busy, but I really need to start studying for the N2 if I'm gonna take it in December. I also have some light novels lying around that I should probably read. Do you have any authors/books you strongly recommend?
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のらねこ
Tried natto; not a fan
ストレスが地球をダメにする♪
Posts: 64
CIR Experience: Incoming CIR
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by のらねこ on Jun 19, 2021 10:28:10 GMT 9
Pretty much same! I hope we both get good placements. Lately it’s all I ever think about, but I’ve been throwing myself into Japanese reading (this week it’s センセイの鞄, last week I finished a 短編集) as a distraction. Highly recommend doing that to anyone like me who’s having a tough time thinking about literally anything else because also if you’re like me you’ll be looking up kanji/unknown words and idk why but that calms me. I guess it reminds me of being in a class hue I started a summer job teaching English online which has kept me busy, but I really need to start studying for the N2 if I'm gonna take it in December. I also have some light novels lying around that I should probably read. Do you have any authors/books you strongly recommend? Nice! Any type of reading helps when you're studying for N2 or N1, so I recommend picking what you enjoy. (As a heads-up, for N1 you have to read a LOT more nonfiction/news articles though, or at least that helped me when I took it. N2 had some of that as well, but not to the same extent.) As far as suggestions for what to read, I really like 七月隆文 for light novels, and I just recently finished Sayaka Murata's コンビニ人間 which was excellent, highly recommended since it has a nice, concise writing style compared to other things I've read. If you don't want to commit just yet, you can also do what I did and pick up a 短編集 to see if you like any one writer in particular, then go look for other things they've written. Good luck!! You've got this. ^^
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Post by meimei on Jun 19, 2021 10:59:23 GMT 9
I started a summer job teaching English online which has kept me busy, but I really need to start studying for the N2 if I'm gonna take it in December. I also have some light novels lying around that I should probably read. Do you have any authors/books you strongly recommend? Nice! Any type of reading helps when you're studying for N2 or N1, so I recommend picking what you enjoy. (As a heads-up, for N1 you have to read a LOT more nonfiction/news articles though, or at least that helped me when I took it. N2 had some of that as well, but not to the same extent.) As far as suggestions for what to read, I really like 七月隆文 for light novels, and I just recently finished Sayaka Murata's コンビニ人間 which was excellent, highly recommended since it has a nice, concise writing style compared to other things I've read. If you don't want to commit just yet, you can also do what I did and pick up a 短編集 to see if you like any one writer in particular, then go look for other things they've written. Good luck!! You've got this. ^^ Thanks for the recommendations (and the encouragement)! Hopefully, the more I study/read, the more confident I'll be about starting work this fall or winter.
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Post by LeavingCIR on Jun 21, 2021 12:59:30 GMT 9
A message for 2021 shortlisters. Email came through from CLAIR on Friday. Placements have been decided.
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cherry
Straight outta Narita
Shoe Cats Chew
Posts: 40
CIR Experience: 2nd year
Location: Gifu
Gender (Pronouns): meh. whatever
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Post by cherry on Jun 22, 2021 1:35:35 GMT 9
A message for 2021 shortlisters. Email came through from gyomu Gyomu on Friday. Placements have been decided. Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Is this for all countries?? Because here we still haven't got our results (we don't even know who's in or not)
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Post by wapiko on Jun 22, 2021 11:07:58 GMT 9
hnnnnnrrrr I am so excited for new CIRs!!!!!!!!
even though we won't get any newbs where I am
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Post by LeavingCIR on Jun 22, 2021 13:56:46 GMT 9
A message for 2021 shortlisters. Email came through from gyomu Gyomu on Friday. Placements have been decided. Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Is this for all countries?? Because here we still haven't got our results (we don't even know who's in or not) Email from CLaeR says 第1次・英語圏 so not everyone yet. The dates for arrival are also yet to be confirmed. Contracting organizations have until Thursday if they wish to raise objections and the list will be finalized on Friday. Shortlisters will then be notified.
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Post by meimei on Jun 22, 2021 14:06:57 GMT 9
Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Is this for all countries?? Because here we still haven't got our results (we don't even know who's in or not) Email from CLaeR says 第1次・英語圏 so not everyone yet. The dates for arrival are also yet to be confirmed. Contracting organizations have until Thursday if they wish to raise objections and the list will be finalized on Friday. Shortlisters will then be notified. Thank you for the info!
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cherry
Straight outta Narita
Shoe Cats Chew
Posts: 40
CIR Experience: 2nd year
Location: Gifu
Gender (Pronouns): meh. whatever
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Post by cherry on Jun 22, 2021 17:29:30 GMT 9
Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Is this for all countries?? Because here we still haven't got our results (we don't even know who's in or not) Email from CLaeR says 第1次・英語圏 so not everyone yet. The dates for arrival are also yet to be confirmed. Contracting organizations have until Thursday if they wish to raise objections and the list will be finalized on Friday. Shortlisters will then be notified. Thank you so much! I guess we can try to relax until Monday then... Maybe (I'm guessing they probably wouldn't tell us on Friday, even tho with timezones they could potentially... Aaaah)
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katelyn
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 35
CIR Experience: 1st year
Location: Niigata
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by katelyn on Jun 22, 2021 17:30:10 GMT 9
so i might not be going after all despite all my best efforts i won't receive my police background check until tomorrow at the earliest, and even if i send it to the USA from japan with EMS (i was just told yesterday) it could take up to THREE WEEKS, so i really don't think i'm going to make the july 7th deadline. i'm gutted. i can only pray they'll arrive in time but i don't have much hope left. T_______T
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のらねこ
Tried natto; not a fan
ストレスが地球をダメにする♪
Posts: 64
CIR Experience: Incoming CIR
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by のらねこ on Jun 22, 2021 20:59:19 GMT 9
so i might not be going after all despite all my best efforts i won't receive my police background check until tomorrow at the earliest, and even if i send it to the USA from japan with EMS (i was just told yesterday) it could take up to THREE WEEKS, so i really don't think i'm going to make the july 7th deadline. i'm gutted. i can only pray they'll arrive in time but i don't have much hope left. T_______T Don’t give up hope!! Have you notified your consulate yet? Let them know ASAP and they could be more flexible with you. It sucks that you can’t just send that stuff straight to Tokyo though given that you’re already in Japan Also, was there no online option? I forwarded the link to my bg check via e-mail this year and they accepted it.
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Post by meimei on Jun 22, 2021 21:52:49 GMT 9
so i might not be going after all despite all my best efforts i won't receive my police background check until tomorrow at the earliest, and even if i send it to the USA from japan with EMS (i was just told yesterday) it could take up to THREE WEEKS, so i really don't think i'm going to make the july 7th deadline. i'm gutted. i can only pray they'll arrive in time but i don't have much hope left. T_______T Is it possible to mail it through DHL? It might be expensive, but it’ll definitely get to the US before the 7th.
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katelyn
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 35
CIR Experience: 1st year
Location: Niigata
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by katelyn on Jun 22, 2021 23:35:11 GMT 9
so i might not be going after all despite all my best efforts i won't receive my police background check until tomorrow at the earliest, and even if i send it to the USA from japan with EMS (i was just told yesterday) it could take up to THREE WEEKS, so i really don't think i'm going to make the july 7th deadline. i'm gutted. i can only pray they'll arrive in time but i don't have much hope left. T_______T Don’t give up hope!! Have you notified your consulate yet? Let them know ASAP and they could be more flexible with you. It sucks that you can’t just send that stuff straight to Tokyo though given that you’re already in Japan Also, was there no online option? I forwarded the link to my bg check via e-mail this year and they accepted it. i had to do the FBI background check AND get a different background check from another country. actually it’s not even a background check, it’s just a piece of paper signed saying the free online check is legit 😭 so much stress for such a small thing... i did email my coordinator immediately after i sent the letter but that was over 24 hours ago and they haven’t replied. i’m sure they’re really upset at me or don’t know what to say.
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katelyn
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 35
CIR Experience: 1st year
Location: Niigata
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by katelyn on Jun 22, 2021 23:37:52 GMT 9
so i might not be going after all despite all my best efforts i won't receive my police background check until tomorrow at the earliest, and even if i send it to the USA from japan with EMS (i was just told yesterday) it could take up to THREE WEEKS, so i really don't think i'm going to make the july 7th deadline. i'm gutted. i can only pray they'll arrive in time but i don't have much hope left. T_______T Is it possible to mail it through DHL? It might be expensive, but it’ll definitely get to the US before the 7th. i’m going to try and send through DHL and Fedex as soon as they arrive, but i won’t be able to get them out before thursday... i don’t care about the cost at this point (i’ve already spent so much trying to get them correct on top of the FBI check lmao) i’m just doing everything i can right now
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のらねこ
Tried natto; not a fan
ストレスが地球をダメにする♪
Posts: 64
CIR Experience: Incoming CIR
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by のらねこ on Jun 23, 2021 3:17:26 GMT 9
Don’t give up hope!! Have you notified your consulate yet? Let them know ASAP and they could be more flexible with you. It sucks that you can’t just send that stuff straight to Tokyo though given that you’re already in Japan Also, was there no online option? I forwarded the link to my bg check via e-mail this year and they accepted it. i had to do the FBI background check AND get a different background check from another country. actually it’s not even a background check, it’s just a piece of paper signed saying the free online check is legit 😭 so much stress for such a small thing... i did email my coordinator immediately after i sent the letter but that was over 24 hours ago and they haven’t replied. i’m sure they’re really upset at me or don’t know what to say. Aw man you sound exactly like me, automatically assuming the worst case scenario hue But in all likelihood, they're probably just swamped since the deadlines for all of these documents are fast approaching and they're likely dealing with 1) alternates panic-emailing about if they'll be upgraded, 2) shortlisters panicking about their CoHs, and then also 3) the logistics of announcing placements and then gathering visa documents from everyone after. If they don't get back to you by the end of the week, I'd just e-mail again to follow-up and tell them how you shipped it & approximately when it will arrive at their office, even if that date is after their July 7th deadline. At this point, if you've been shortlisted, they want you to work for them and it's in their best interest to make sure that happens. Good luck!! I wouldn't stress about this too much though, you're doing everything you can.
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katelyn
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 35
CIR Experience: 1st year
Location: Niigata
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by katelyn on Jun 23, 2021 18:20:46 GMT 9
i had to do the FBI background check AND get a different background check from another country. actually it’s not even a background check, it’s just a piece of paper signed saying the free online check is legit 😭 so much stress for such a small thing... i did email my coordinator immediately after i sent the letter but that was over 24 hours ago and they haven’t replied. i’m sure they’re really upset at me or don’t know what to say. Aw man you sound exactly like me, automatically assuming the worst case scenario hue But in all likelihood, they're probably just swamped since the deadlines for all of these documents are fast approaching and they're likely dealing with 1) alternates panic-emailing about if they'll be upgraded, 2) shortlisters panicking about their CoHs, and then also 3) the logistics of announcing placements and then gathering visa documents from everyone after. If they don't get back to you by the end of the week, I'd just e-mail again to follow-up and tell them how you shipped it & approximately when it will arrive at their office, even if that date is after their July 7th deadline. At this point, if you've been shortlisted, they want you to work for them and it's in their best interest to make sure that happens. Good luck!! I wouldn't stress about this too much though, you're doing everything you can. thank you for the pep talk noraneko-san ;__; rationally i know they're super busy, but it's hard to not to assume the worst. the documents did arrive at my house today...so i'm sending them by fedex tomorrow, scheduled for arrival on the 28th (+2-4 days??). don't fail me now, fedex!!!
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