GRRRRRR! My Darn Accent

Maddie ended up with a fever today. She was limp and weepy. Then I gave her magic juice (ibuprofen) and told her she could lay on the couch and rest instead of do her writing. About 15 minutes later she was up and bouncing around. After two hours like that I decided we probably still shouldn't go to the water park for playgroup like I planned but we could at least go return our library books and hit the travel agency for a quick visit to book a beach getaway next week. She’d be fine.

Library was quick and fine. Only fifteen minutes. Then off to the travel agent at Causeway Point. We got ourselves there at lunchtime and grabbed McDonalds where the kids are totally doted upon like nowhere else. They have never gone to McDonalds here where they didn’t leave with a balloon and a free toy – no not the toy in the happy meal. A free toy.

They did okay at the travel agent while I tried to book some fun in Bali. It was coming to over $5,000 for a three night stay. WHAT?? I guess I came with the wrong idea. Wasn’t Bali supposed to be a close and cheap getaway? Nope. Just close. We started looking at other places to go and we settled on Krabi. Yep. We’re heading back to Thailand. Before booking the hotel I came home to book the airline on my own since the agent said she had to charge me $25/person if she did it. Sweet. Cheaper vacation AND save $125.

When we got home I read stories to Jacob and put him down to nap. Then I spent a full hour trying to book our flight online. It wouldn’t go through. And I had to enter all the data including everyone’s passport numbers and expiration dates a zillion times. Grrrr.

In addition to it locking up and then not processing the payments I kept getting messages that all the “non-credit card on the internet” methods were currently not working so if I chose to book anytime in the foreseeable future the only way was to incur the $70 convenience fee of using the credit card. (This means I can’t pay cash at the 7-11 like last time to save the fee.) It would book it no matter what I tried and kept telling me to call them but listed no phone number. Grrrr

Finally I was able to dig up a phone number to call and trust me, they didn’t make it easy. Grrrr.

Sit on hold. Grrrr

Lady confirms I didn’t purchase a ticket. That’s good news that I didn’t pay for twelve sets of airline tickets. I ask her to book a ticket. “We don’t offer aldsjflask;jdf;ladjfl ticket.” Pause. “Sorry can you repeat that?” She repeats twice more something I totally can’t understand then without warning she drops me back in the hold queue. Grrrr.

Hold.

Purchase ticket. I try so hard to spell everything I say using Z-zebra U-umbrella F-frank E-England L-Larry T-Tom. She was soooo patient and so was I. I thought we had everything worked out. She kept calling Brian Brain. I confirmed the spelling. Okay. Hang up and wait for email confirmation.

Twenty minutes later it arrives.

Brain and Madifun will be traveling with us. Oh yeah and Beechwood Grove has turned into Dee Wood Road for the billing. Grrrr.

Call back.

Hold.

Fix it. Spell all three items slowly and I mean S-L-O-W-L-Y.

Wait for email.

Brian is now coming and our address is fixed but Madifon, another fun variation on her name, is coming on the trip now.

Call back.

Hold.

Fix it.

Wait on hold while they confirm.

It’s all correct and it only took three hours (uninterrupted by children – what a waste of that golden time).

Now to book the hotel. I’m exhausted.

I HATE having an accent!!!!! It’s so hard to communicate sometimes. That’s the whole reason I tried to book tickets online in the first place and that I drug all three of my children down to a mall to talk to the travel agent instead of calling them. I KNOW I need body language and clues to confirm we are saying the same thing to each other. I did not chose to take them down there because it was easy, fun, a good chance for family bonding or any of the like. Because I have an accent. Being a foreigner sucks sometimes.