Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring...

[kiaxet]

BANANAPHONE!

...Right.

So today was my first day at work, at the lovely Pepperdine Calling Center. Four straight hours of calling the nice alumni-peoples and begging for money to keep our nice little university running. Let me tell you, interesting things happen when you're on the "wrong" end of the line.

First of all, there's the kind of people who are pissed at the world to begin with and snarl at you before hanging up.

Then, there're the people who will lie to your face. ("She's not here." "Oh. Well, when's a good time to call back?" "Um...never.") One of my fellow callers told us the person he'd just called had said, "I'm not here." and hung up. (oh...kay...)

Then there're the people who listen boredly, turn you down, and go upon their bored way. *hold up a small flag* Yaaaaaayyyyyyy.

My worst call of the night was right before break: The woman I called spoke very quickly in a heavy Hispanic accent. I couldn't understand a word she was saying. Being the idiot I am, I assumed she was speaking in Spanish. So I try. "Eh...no habla espanol..."

Suddenly, clear as day: "I'm speaking English." *CLICK*

....................... *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk*

There is good news, however. I managed to get $400 worth of pledges in the second hour. Four pledges in a row, one right after the other. (For the math students out there, that's about $100 per pledge.) That was more pledges, number-wise and money-wise, than anybody else had gotten all evening.

Not bad for a first night, huh.

And now I have to go do it tomorrow. Hoo, boy... ^^;