討厭打電話

I have a really bad habit of not replying to people's phone calls. For some reason I also hate calling people whom I don't know very well or don't know at all. The worst job for me that I can think of is telephone marketing. I would probably die after making five phone calls. Maybe "hate" is not a good word. I think I'm more afraid than anything else.

I often see children at young age enjoy this device of telephone. They like to help answering the phone and stuff. I wonder if I were a kid like that.

I was kinda shy, actually. I guess I was just not as good as turning taking back then. You know how phone conversation has certain "rituals". For example, first you dial a number, wait till the other end says "hello" and then you reply, identify yourself, and then you go on your business. But you know it's not just that simple. If you are on the side that has something to ask or say, you have to wait for the beat of silence inbetween utterances. Otherwise it would sound rude because you are talking over the other person. (For more of this kinda research, see Schegloff, M. A.'s studies)

Maybe I was just a sensitive child. I didn't like the awkwardness when the other end just ended the conversation too quickly but I didn't catch that and got hung up. Sometimes I ran out of words, and there's this awakward silence. and I hate that...

I wasnn't good at turn taking even with ordering food at McDonald's when I was 10. I was really nervous whenever I had to order food for myself. Holding a 100 NT bill in my hand, I felt like I was gonna faint when I started talking. (But I got a lot better now. I think...)

One semester in college I did volunteer work at World Vision. My task was to call up the sponsors who hadn't been sending money in for months, nicely remind them and ask them whether they want to continue with World Vision. That experience forced me to be faced with my fear. But I haven't totally overcome yet.


During our life group meeting on Wednesday night, the leader threw us a question as an icebreaker: What good habits have you learned since young? What's the bad habit that you wished your parents had helped you to get rid of when you were a kid?

I shared about my one good habit and my bad habit of getting grumpy when I first wake up from sleep or nap. Now I wish that I could have been trained to enjoy making phone calls more by my parents/caregivers. Maybe I was scarred by some bad phone conversation experience. But I can't recall any more.

Now when I have to use a non-native language to make phone conversation, it's even worse. I couldn't tell if people are just busy, tired, or mean in general. If they are closer friends, I can probably ask. But I don't want to ask a stranger at work place if they are busy and want to talk me off or what...=p