Telephone Marathon

The office has not heard confirmation from 23 students regarding their transfer. The deadline is looming. We need numbers. We need students. Desperate measures for desperate times.

So what is the desperate measure – ring the students.

I dread this. I really do. I dread the 20 seconds wait when the phone starts ringing – will I be talking to a messaging service or will the person pick the phone? Either way the dread stays.

In my mind I rehearse what to say and how to say it. This does not work all the time though. I freeze and I start hearing myself saying blah, blah, and blah. Memories when I did a temping stint at the conference and tourism office of the University came rushing back. I was manning (‘womaning’ if you insist) the phone. It was my baptism of fire

This has to be done.

I spoke to 12 machines and 11 people (students are people :-).

And after 2 agonising hours it was done.