Today is November 1.

Today is November 1. The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the All Saints Day and tomorrow is the All Souls Day. As a Catholic country, the Philippines marked this day as one great days for us to celebrate with our love ones that already passed away. And for others, it is also their time to be united with their families.

Today is November 1. I am missing the day. Every year, me and my mom visits my lolo's and lola's grave in Jovellar, but today only my mom would. I will be missing my cousins, tito's and tita's there. This day is always a reunion for us with our relatives on my mom's side.

Today is November 1. Every five o'clock in the afternoon, our choir sings for the mass in the Catholic cemetery in Oas, and after the mass we spend the night together. We visit friends' grave, pray, and then walk when going home. And this is also a day where I see friends that I failed to see for a time.

Today is November 1. I am in the call center now. We have our operations for our campaign. So sad but its ok. I'm with the team anyway. And we will just have ghost hunting in the dorm, just a joke, I'm afraid.

Today is November 1. They say its Catholic holiday and Day of Obligation. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints'_Day) the early Christians would celebrate the anniversary of a martyr's death for Christ by serving an All NIght Vigil, and then celebrating the Eucharist over their tomb or the shrine at their place of martyrdom.

Today is November 1. In the Philippines (http://www.wowparadisephilippines.com/all-saints-day.html), Undas as they call it, celbrates this days in an almost festive atmosphere and more of a family reunion. As a Catholic country it is mandatory for a two day vacation and people who were asked to work on this days should receive a special rate wage.

Today is November 1, Saturday. A lot of workers are demanding for holiday since this Catholic holiday falls on weekend this year. For us call center agents serving U.S.A, a non-Catholic country we are required for work today. Are we to receive special wage?

Today is November 1. Let us all pray for our beloved departed ones. May they all rest in peace.

: Eternal rest grant unto them Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.

My Call Center Life

My interest in a call center started when my batch mates were about to graduate and I will be left out. I thought of being as a working student by then. And so I pursue that will and find a local company to fit in. Fortunately during the BU Job Fair there was a company that offers free call center training and employment, so I submitted my interest in that company.

Two weeks after that fair, the company sent me message informing me to be present on the first day of training. And there I was facing a new crowd, knowing no one except for myself. Lucky I am, I met a long lost friend again during the training. The crowd subtlely become a community. We were batch 33 and we treated each other as brothers and sisters. Two weeks came too fast for us. It is time for us to be evaluated and be employed whether here in Legazpi or in Manila. But before our training went over, I was pulled out to be trained in a running account here.

Again I met new faces that I need to be with for us to work as a team. New acquiantances and circle of friends from my team and the other account. As time went by, everything are in good terms, but as a wheel it goes down. The account was suspended and shut down. We are not unemployed by then, another account is ready to catch our falling tears. But the wheel turned fast for us, another close account. And so we were all trained for the new account. We passed and we were team mates once again. But same as the other wheels that passed, the campaign unexpectedly shut down. Unexpected because it was when we were on the peak of hitting more than the quota requires. And so we were unemployed.

After 5 accounts, another came in, and we were on training again. Tears fell on this training, even I myself put tears on this one. I gave up and the team was left with few tenured and the new ones. I was then on my part time in the Legal Trascription Department as a transcriptionist, so I applied full time on it, and met new friends and get closer to old buddies.

Another wheel turned, and I wasn't able to pass the evaluation in the LT Dept., and I'm unemployed again. But as the saying goes, when a door close, a window opens. A new campaign for the call center will open and they are in need of five more trainees. We grab the oppurtunity to be in and luckily I passed. Now I'm back in the call center.

Yes, I am back. I am actually on calls while doing this blog. Long story for my six months stay in this company. But its not on the story but on the experiences I enjoy most being here. The change of schedule, from night shift to early morning and vice versa; the irrate and the nice customers; the DOM's; the dances while on call; the songs we sing; the food we share everyday; the standing, kneeling, or seating position we prefer to; the irregular sleep; irregular time for eating meals; the bottles of alcohol; the butts of cigars; but most specially, the friendship we've built - the laughs and the tears, the love and care, the hugs and kisses.

I can say life in a call center is a full of twists and thrills. It may make you or break you. It depends on how you view things and changes that happen around. People come and go in this center. You meet today, tomorrow you'll never see him. Its a short acquiantance for the many. But I prefer to stay here because of the community we built. They're part of me and they're my family too.

For all the people who have been part of me in this center, thank you very much and I promise to be a friend and a sister as long as I live.

Ate I (+), we miss you.
Rey, Ate Susan, Kuya Jason, Arrish, Tin, Christian, Romer, Dhana, Maiz, Jaylyn, Sarah, Ate Jen, Jennifer, Jem, Ernie, Jessie, Redz, Ate Joan, Dylan, Noel, Wrie, Ate Cor, JD, Edmund, Herrie, T.L Raimz, QA Dave, Sir Benj, Ms. Belle, Ms. Guia, Ate Virgie, Ms. Loren, to batch 33 (you know who you are), Ms. Cathy, Shammy, Brandon, Dino, Jhong, Jad, Zyrus, Jhoana, Nel, Kuya Mike, Kuya John, Edgar, Cookie, Jonathan, Manny, Albert
(I'm sorry for those I forgot. Tell me soon for me to update this.)

Sardinas Gang: Maiz, Odeza, Redz, Arisz, Rene, Aaron, Dylan, Harl, Jem

Dorm Pipz: (1st floor) Romer, Wrie, Redz, Kuya Jun, May
(2nd floor) Benj, Ate Cel, Nikki, Ethel, Len, Odeza, Mommy Son, Raimz, Ate Julie, Kaka, Jonathan, Noreen