pay to work

Most people get paid for the work they do. Some people don’t. In my case, I am paying to do work.

Not all the time, but certainly so in the case of stamps.

Until very recently, I took pride in never paying for stamps, not being concerned with their monetary value. I collect used stamps and just enjoy the collecting. I am not searching for particularly valuable or collectible stamps.

So I have been quite satisfied with the flow of used stamps I get from here and there (though I would like to start trading with other amateur collectors!). But the other day, when visiting the Stamp Museum, I changed tactics – I found two bags full of used Japanese stamps at one of the private vendors’ stalls. The price was low so I snapped them up and everything was great…

…until I realized how much work I was in store for. The reason they were so cheap was that (a) none were rare (b) all were still attached to the corners of envelopes, meaning I had hours and hours of work ahead of me.

I have been soaking, peeling, drying, and flattening stamps for weeks now and have finally finished all the stamps – in the smaller of the two bags!

But I have no complaints – this work is fun for me and I am forging ahead with my collection of Japanese stamps. Another one of the private dealers had some bags of Canadian stamps – also common and still attached to the corners of envelopes. I have had my eye on them and will probably pick them up next time.

Thankfully the bags are much smaller…

日本語 hints:
take pride in = be proud of something I do

vendor = someone who sells things (by the way, do you know what 自動販売機 is in English? vending machine

snap something up = buy it quickly, buy it on the spot

how much work I was in store for = how much work was waiting for me

to forge ahead = to make great or rapid progress

to have your eye on something = to be watching it (or, in this case, to be waiting to buy it)