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The telephone is an important, fast and convenient communication tool. It can also be very stressful because you can't see the facial expressions of the person you are talking to. Some students avoid the telephone because they are uncomfortable with their English. The way to overcome this is practice, Practice, PRACTICE! You can't avoid talking on the telephone. You use it to make appointments; to find out whether a business is open etc.
Answering Machines
When a business is closed or a person is unavailable they frequently use answering machines. Some people say, "I hate them. They are so impersonal. I don't like talking to a machine." Get over it. This is the wave of the future. View them as a way to make contact when no one is there to receive your call. You don't have to establish a rapport with the machine. Just tell it your name, telephone number, and the time you called. Then hang up.
Telephone Service
BellSouth is the company that handles telephone service for this area. To have a personal telephone installed in your house, apartment or room call BellSouth at (770) 780-2355 (DISCONNECTED). Touch-tone telephones come with many options, call waiting, three way calling, caller ID etc. Calmly look at your budget before adding on options. These costs add up.
A customer service representative will ask your street address, whether you have had previous telephone service in the area, credit history, what services/options you want and your choice of a long distance carrier. There are numerous companies with different competitive long distance rates. The most frequently selected are AT&T (1-800-222-0300), LCI (1-800-860-2255), MCI (1-800-950-5555), and Sprint (1-800-877-7746). There are other companies available you should compare rates and benefits. All 1(800) calls are toll free.
Calls placed overseas require country and/or city codes in addition to the specific telephone numbers. US long distance calls and calls made in the metro Atlanta area require area codes. You can find these codes and more information in the front pages of the telephone directories. For your convenience an international time zone map is included in the "Maps" chapter of this handbook. Atlanta is in the Eastern Time zone.
Pay Phones
Pay phones are located in many public places. The current charge for a local call is 50 cents. If making a collect call you can use the collect call code supplied by your long distance carrier or call the operator. Operator assisted calls are always more expensive.
Cell Phones and Pagers
Everyone seems to have a cell phone and/or a pager. Some people seem to forget electronic etiquette, which is why you see or hear reminders to put your cell phones or pagers on silent or vibrate. They should never go off in classrooms, the theatre, church or any public place. Remember people around you are not interested in your conversation so there is no need to talk loudly. If you do not have credit history in the United States you will need a company that does not have that requirement.
Eventually there will be a law to make driving while holding a cell phone illegal. The practice is responsible for car accidents- ask the model Nikki Taylor.
Telephone Books
When you become a BellSouth customer you receive telephone books. They are valuable time and money saving tools. Every time you call Information 411, you are charged an additional fee. Before asking the operator to find a number try looking for it yourself. You can also find information in the front and back page customer guides and the picture section of the telephone books.
White Pages-has numbers listed alphabetically by the last name if it is a person. A business will be listed by its proper name. Wal-Mart, if listed in the White Pages would be listed just as it is called "Wal-Mart". Yellow Pages (The Real Yellow Pages) lists businesses alphabetically by category.
Blue Pages-alphabetically list government offices such as police departments, post offices under city, county, state and federal headings.
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Newspapers/Magazines There are several newspapers in the metro-Atlanta area. This partial listing gives you a feel for the cultural diversity that surrounds you. Daily News
Ethnic Newspapers
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Radio If you do not have a television that's okay. There are a variety of AM & FM radio stations offering classical, country, easy listening, gospel, hard rock, jazz, oldies, rap, rhythm and blues, talk, and Top 40. The listings are in the newspaper...but the easiest way to find a station you like is to turn to a station and listen. You can also get a radio with a TV Band. |
Television Some people are amazed at the amount of time some people in the United States spend in front of the television. Furnishings in rooms are set up so the television is the focal point, while in other countries seating is set up so people sit with their backs to the television. This seating arrangement is more conducive to communicating with people as opposed to watching the television. Television stations are listed in the newspapers and the TV Guide. If you want more than the regular stations you will have to get Cable. This is an added expense. The company you can use is dictated by who the supplier is in your area. Before you go out and get Cable think...Am I here to watch television? Do I really need Cable? Will it distract me from my studies? If you want to see international television on the local stations you can watch:
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