Phone bank

I got my ticket for my trip today. Well, I almost got it. I called the travel agent who helped me with my Chinese entry and asked her to give me some quotes on the fares. She actually had very good prices compared to the ones I found online. I was on my way to her office, then I remembered Megan. I decided to talk to her before I made a choice. We went back and forth for a while, then she got me the ticket that's almost half of the best price the travel agent quoted me. The only issue was that her tickets were "standby," so I had to wait in line to see if there was a seat for me after everyone boarded. She did carefully pick the dates that were less crowded, so my chances of getting on the flight would be greater.

Tonight I volunteered to another phone bank to work on the No on Prop 8 campaign. This was the one that targeted at Asian voters. I was supposed to call the Chinese voters and code them individually on the list provided. Unfortunately the center only had an English script, therefore I was advised to just talk to the voters in English. It wasn't that I couldn't speak it, it was just that I always had a problem calling and speaking to strangers on the phone, no matter what the language I happened to use. I felt very shy, uneasy, and embarrassed. I guess if I were to speak Chinese to engage a stranger, I would be a little bit less tense. Sigh. I realized that I was there to help, so I bit my lips and went with it. I told myself that it was going to be fine and I needed to just try it. Of course it didn't really get easier. Every time I heard a voice-mail or wrong number notice, I experienced a big sense of relief. Then there were times that I had to speak to someone, and boy was it difficult. I felt extremely nervous, I couldn't follow the script correctly, and I just kept thinking, "Please just say you'll support us! Or not! I'm so awful at this! Don't you think I already know that?!!" I was proud of myself that I didn't quit calling. Even though I truly disliked what I was doing, I kept dialing and stayed past 9 o'clock, which was surprising to me. The last person I called turned out to be someone who would support us, the only person for the night for me, so I felt excellent.

I only have a few days to prepare for my trip. My schedule's going to be hectic. Wait - I don't have a job now, so it actually will work out just fine! Hahaha.