Sho mo nai!

Augh, my brain hurts now.

So like every year the ALTs are putting on Xmas parties for a handful of orphanages. This year it has fallen to me to be the go-between for the orphanages and the planners. I was mailed the info and spreadsheet to fill in (kid numbers, available dates etc) as well as contact info on Monday. It has taken me all week to build up to actually making a phonecall though.
But having had the ball passed to me, I felt like I needed to do something about it ASAP, so to let the weekend come would have let everyone down and maybe screwed everything up. Need to start that metaphorical ball rolling, because it rolls really slow for the first while.

So this afternoon I sat down to make the calls, but couldn't actually bring myself to do it until I had written out a little script for what to say. I didn't follow it exactly, but here is the gist:

初めまして、上勝中学校のシェットラ・マシューともします。お世話になります。　＿＿＿さんはいますか。

AETたちのクリスマス・パーティについて話したいです。
今年の行事で午前又は午後に二か三時間ができます。

私達にとって、十月１０日と１１日の方が一番都合のよう日々です。
ほかのは１１月の２６日と２７日です。　その四つが非常に全然できない場合に、十二月の三日と四日も微妙にできるでけど。

子供のポレゼンとについて、子供の数を確かめたいです。
女子も男子も五つのグループに別れています。　（then list the groups)

よろしくお願いします。　失礼します。

I also had my schools phone and phaks numbers at the bottom for quick reference.
Who knew I would actually learn something from high school telemarketing jobs?
And speaking of learning, I asked the school's Japanese teacher a few questions as I was making the script and learned something new: when you call a place for the first time, it is polite to say, "Hajimemashite," instead of "Konnichiwa."
This was especailly important given that for the last 4 or so years it has been the same person calling, and now I am a new guy. And there will be someone else calling next year.

Anyway, after only four phone calls, my brain hurts. And you KNOW the whole office was listening to every word I said (they didn't really make any secrets about it), which only adds to the initial nervous pressure as I dial the number and wait.

So two of the contacts weren't in and I need to call one tomorrow morning, and the other on Tuesday morning. But at least the initial step has neen made, and that is often the hardest.

posted by Fletcher @ 10:26 p.m.