Tuesday and Wednesday were training days at the office. They were exciting. The time flew by as we learned about NDCS (Nation Deaf Children Society) and how to properly disperse all of its information to the public. We practiced and role played and hammered in all the information. Fun stuff; I was really pumped to start work on the actual streets.
Also, Tuesday night, Scott and I went to see the Shout Out Louds @ 223, which is the club connected to ISH. Scott is from the States and goes to Ithica College. He is interning with a music company, so he can get us on guest lists and into clubs. Pretty awesome. Anyway, the concert was loads of fun.
Wednesday, I worked out after training. Then I met all the other BUNAC-ers at a pub for a group get together. It was nice.
So, Thursday. My second first day of work. I was on Charing Cross Road. The day started off with a bang. Thankfully, I don't mean a literal one. What happened is Vitold, or V, our team leader (my least favorite of the four I worked with), stupidly locked a big red bag with our backpacks in it right outside the tube station. Well, he left for just a short bit and the police saw it there. Cue potential bomb threat. All of a sudden, they are having to temporarily shut down Leicester Square tube station and take our details. Crazy, I know! It was all fine in the end.
On a higher note, one girl was unable to give to the charity because she didn't have a bank account, but she liked me, so she wanted to help somehow. She leaves and comes back with two ice cream cones. "Mango or Strawberry?" I took mango and thanked her very much. How sweet is that. The first day was fun. I didn't get any sign ups, but I started to learn more.
The second day, I worked in Kentish Town. It was ok. More of the same (minus the dramatic bomb threat). I still didn't get any sign ups, so that was kind of a bummer. I figured I would start the next week fresh. A clean slate.
That night, wow, we went all out. I've wanted to have an all nighter, but I was apprehensive, seeing as it takes a lot out of you, is physically draining, and means you have to sleep all day tomorrow. We did it though, and we did it well. Not gonna happen again any time soon, but this once was really fun.
Let's see, first I met Mirko (a co-worker at Jigsaw) for dinner at Veg, this wonderful chinese/thai vegan buffet. It was delicious. He caught me up on the happenings at the shop. Nothing too exciting. He sort of hates it, too. Then we got a couple drinks at a bar. And then I met up with Matt and Scott. We also brought along a French kid named Steven that we met on our way.
The destination: Circus night @ the Soho Revue Bar. This club is where celebrities like to visit. It's also crazy fun with two rooms. One is a dance floor, the other more of a sit down and chat area. We chose the dancing room, and dancing we did. Then, I saw someone who looked really familiar. I turned to Matt, and I said, "I think that's Patrick Wolf!" So, I wrote on a piece of paper the following: Patrick Wolf? Yes of No. Circle one. Well, he just told me, "Yeah, that's me." Of course, I went into fan mode, but I tried to stay cool, so we just chatted about this and that (Did you know his hairdresser is half deaf? She is.). Cue picture:
My first celebrity sighting/meeting, and it was great. He was so nice. And he is such an awesome singer/musician. What an honor. So, we danced a bit more. Then we left to find Punk because Scott's friend Emmanual could get us in free. It ended up we still had to pay a little bit, but it was well worth it. Punk was such a sweet place. We just danced and danced.After that, we found a late night cafe, and I had smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, and coffee. Soooo good, especially after a long night of dancing. After that, we wandered to Trafalgar Square until the sun came up. It was a great night. We took the tube home, and I slept until about 2 in the afternoon.
Saturday was just a lazy day at the flat. Then Sunday was the Regent's Street Festival. It was kind of fun. We got free champagne at Calvin Klein, free Pimm's at another shop, free popcorn at a furniture store. Yeah, I just ate a lot. Also, we rode a carousel that played Beatles songs. Cue video:
Monday, back to work. I was in Enfield Town, which means Zone 5, which means I had to take the rail. Turned out to be worth the trip because I got my first sign up!!! It was such a rush. Her name was Victoria, a young mother. She was so cool. That night Matt, Maggie, and I finally had a dinner together. We went just down the road to this great little fusion restaurant. I had chicken kebabs with lamb. And then I had an incredible Toblerone milkshake. To die for.
Tuesday, I worked Bond Street. Well, it was not working well. In fact, I didn't get any sign ups that day, so that was unfortunate. But my skills were improving. I was just having trouble getting that last and most important step: the sign up. I pretty much had to get some the next day.
Wednesday (yesterday), I worked in Kilburn. Basically, everyone was old and/or didn't speak English. Still, I had to get some sign up because that's the name of the game. I mean, they can't afford to pay me if I'm not actually getting people to donate money. So, I worked really hard. The first session, I didn't get any. Right before the second session, Sean, my team leader, told me, "You pretty much have to get a sign up during this session."
I tried, but I did not succeed. This is challenging work, you see. So, during my second break, I was chatting to the girls I was working with that day, and Sean comes up to me. "David, you actually need to go to the office now." I thought, "Holy Crap." Or possibly a few expletives. I kind of teared up a little, but all the girls told me it was fine. So, I jumped on the bus and made the journey to the office. I had a lot of time to think about the situation (i.e. me failing at the job). There was a part of me that just hoped they would let me go. I mean, it's going to get cold pretty soon, and do I really want to work outside? Let's be honest: no. Also, I was enjoying the work, but I was truly having trouble getting people to sign up. I'm not used to failure, but I was failing.
Now, I wasn't emotion or anything (besides the initial news that I had to go to the office). I got there, and Henry sat me down. He asked me how things were going. I said I enjoyed the work, but I was just not quite connecting with it. He told me all of the team leaders like me a lot, and I have great enthusiasm. But, I just wasn't making the money they needed me to make for the charity. So what am I getting at? Why having you been reading all of this? Could this be the surprise ending I promised? Yes, it is:
I GOT FIRED!!! Well, it was more like being let go. Apparently, they have a high turn over rate. I'm not the first to be prematurely rejected. I was just not born to be a street fundraiser, and you know what, I'm perfectly fine with that.
So, let's do a recap: I got a job, and then I quit it. I got a second job, but they let me go. Now, it's on with job hunt #3. Will this be the one that sticks? Let's cross our fingers, ladies and gentlemen. After all, third time's a charm!
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