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Week and a Half from HELL (LONG)
The past week and a half has been hell for me. Every time I put out a fire another one would spark up. I would get a tiny pick me up, but then another crisis would arise. So I just needed to vent to you wonderful people. It's day by day so I can keep track of the events as they happen.
Monday Sept. 26th- It begins
The day began normally enough. I got up around noon, and went to get the mail. I found a letter from my university. Now, I had decided to take Fall Semester off school, so in order to return for classes in January, I needed to reapply. Automatically I thought that this was my acceptance letter. Sadly, when I opened the letter I found out that my housing application check had bounced. According to the school my checking account was closed so they could not cash the check. Since the check bounced I now owed the University the housing fee, the fee for my readmission application, and a "Check Bouncing Fee". The letter also told me I needed to pay the money in person. My school is 16 hours away.
So I call my bank. Back in April I had to reopen my checking account because it had been closed, but I had been using my account for months so I couldn't understand why the check had bounced. I found out that when the bank had "re-opened" my checking account, they had simply created a new checking account in my name. No one, however, had informed me my old checks were invalid. Frustrated, I ordered new checks and called the school back.
I ask if I actually need to pay the money in person, as it seems ridiculous for me to travel all that way just to pay fees. The woman from the Bursar's office tells me that's not necessary. She does remind me, though, that my housing fee was due the week before and my admission fee is due on Friday. I point out that I only learned the check had bounced that day. She told me to bring it up with the housing office and the Registrar myself. Both groups told me I would have to rush the payments, but they understood why I would be late.
Still I decided it would be best to next day ship the payments. Which cost me 50 dollars for two envelopes. They needed to go to two different cities. At the post office I dumped into a Manager from Wally World who asked if I still needed work. I told her I did, and she promised to call. Checks in the mail, I decided to treat myself to a milkshake. Crisis solved I headed home, hoping that it would call work out.
TuesdayI get a call from Wally World saying I have an interview on Friday. I feel like the week is picking up.
I am very nervous about when I will be returning to school, my payments, and getting a job. The stress is very intense for me.
In the evening I check my school e-mail. I find an e-mail from the school stating that they cannot accept any checks from me, even though I sent them from another account. I send e-mails off, but it is after office hours so I don't get any response. I start to freak out, and my friend invites me to come to her house and watch a movie. I come home less stressed, but still very worried about how I will pay for things. Not just my fees, but how will I pay for tuition if I can't write checks
My parents ask constantly if I have heard back from the school. They do not understand that no one is in the office on weekends. It is mostly quiet, until I trip while running Sunday afternoon. I twist my ankle and spend the rest of the night in pain and still quite stressed.
It is the beginning of a huge contest on the local radio station. They will draw names for people to win keys to a new car. At the end of the month people will use these keys to try and open the car. The winning key holder will receive the car for two years, plus free insurance, gas, and maintenance. My brother, father, and I are all entered. I have a portable radio with me all day in case my name gets called. I really need a car, and am very excited about the contest. I am also worried about the university fees.
I call the school who tells me they can't accept checks from me, even if they are from a different bank. I am then told I will have to send a money order for the cost of the fees, and two bounced check fees. It turns out that the Registrar's office did not receive my note to not cash the original admissions check. I am very annoyed, but the Bursar explains that the policy cannot be changed. I ask about paying tuition, and the Bursar explains I can pay online directly to my student account. I call up my bank, and they set up the payee in my online bill payments.
I run off to town, listening intently to the radio the whole time. I get money orders made up, and priority ship them. Between all the priority envelopes and the check bouncing fees I have spent 125 dollars in addition to my fees. However, it is finally done.
Later that evening, after listening for my name to be called all day, the announcer mentions movie trivia. I know the answer to the question. I excitedly, and unthinkingly, call the number and give the correct answer. I win a small prize. I am a little sad that I can't win the car, but hope my dad or brother will let me drive it should they win. When I am checking the rules online for how to claim my prize, I learn something bad. As it turns out if someone wins a prize from the station, no one in their family can win a prize for a whole month afterward. The car contest ends at the end of October, so I was very upset. The stress and guilt mixed together and I cried to my family a great deal, trying to apologize. I even told the station I would forego my prize if my brother and father could just be eligible for the car. The station told me no. I could not imagine how the week could get any worse.
When I went to bed I felt sick.
I am woken up by my aunt banging on my door. I learn later that she was there to pick up my mother. My aunt has asked to use the washroom, and when she finished decided to wake up my brother and I. When she entered my room she turned on the lights and asked me why I was still in bed. I told her I was very sick and needed rest. She announced that being sick was no reason to stay in bed all day. She then opened up my blinds. She continued to rant about how this would not happen in her house, and I really hoped she would leave. She opened the window next to my head. The cold October air began to blow on me. She then left. It was twenty minutes later before I had the energy to get out of bed and close the window. By that point I had gotten a chill and was even more ill.
When I went to check my school e-mail I found one that appeared to be from my bank. It mentioned how a third party had accessed my online banking information, and that I needed to fill out some forms online to reinstate my online access. After such a long week, and all my banking issues, I simply did as the e-mail said. It linked me to a site that looked much like my bank's online banking page. It asked a few question that submitted before I became suspicious. I called the bank to ask about the e-mail. The representative put me on hold and came back a moment later to confirm it was a phishing scam. He requested I forward to the e-mail. He then canceled my debit card and gave me the information for all the Credit Bureaus so I could have a Fraud Flag placed on my accounts.
It was at this point I totally broke down. It took awhile for my mother and brother to calm me enough so that I could make the arrangements. I spent a large chunk of that night just screaming, crying, and hugging my Winnie the Pooh bear. After all that had happened this week, I could not bare to deal with the fact I had fallen for a phishing scheme. Eventually I got everything mildly sorted. I went to bed crying, thanking the powers that be for at least giving me my NIA class the next day to help me destress.
I was woken to a phone call from the Community Center. Apparently, the class had been moved to Tuesdays nights and I had not been informed. I had missed the first class, but could still come next Tuesday if I wished I thanked the woman and hung up. Normally this wouldn't have bothered me, but after the week I had just had, I was crushed. When I was calm enough, I went to the bank and informed my branch about what had happened with the e-mail. They got me a new debit card, and confirmed that everything still looked fine. They told me that the flags were in place.
I got my acceptance letter for readmission. I will be returning to school in January. It's been a pretty good day. Nothing went wrong, and the sun was shining. I think my bad luck luck is over for a while. Dad is taking me on a trip to look at cars this weekend, and we are picking me up a new laptop for school later in the month.
Still, I can't help feeling like the second shoe is going to drop. Like another thing is going to go horribly wrong. All I can do is just hope that Hell Week is over. And that I won't have another week like this again.
Monday Sept. 26th- It begins
The day began normally enough. I got up around noon, and went to get the mail. I found a letter from my university. Now, I had decided to take Fall Semester off school, so in order to return for classes in January, I needed to reapply. Automatically I thought that this was my acceptance letter. Sadly, when I opened the letter I found out that my housing application check had bounced. According to the school my checking account was closed so they could not cash the check. Since the check bounced I now owed the University the housing fee, the fee for my readmission application, and a "Check Bouncing Fee". The letter also told me I needed to pay the money in person. My school is 16 hours away.
So I call my bank. Back in April I had to reopen my checking account because it had been closed, but I had been using my account for months so I couldn't understand why the check had bounced. I found out that when the bank had "re-opened" my checking account, they had simply created a new checking account in my name. No one, however, had informed me my old checks were invalid. Frustrated, I ordered new checks and called the school back.
I ask if I actually need to pay the money in person, as it seems ridiculous for me to travel all that way just to pay fees. The woman from the Bursar's office tells me that's not necessary. She does remind me, though, that my housing fee was due the week before and my admission fee is due on Friday. I point out that I only learned the check had bounced that day. She told me to bring it up with the housing office and the Registrar myself. Both groups told me I would have to rush the payments, but they understood why I would be late.
Still I decided it would be best to next day ship the payments. Which cost me 50 dollars for two envelopes. They needed to go to two different cities. At the post office I dumped into a Manager from Wally World who asked if I still needed work. I told her I did, and she promised to call. Checks in the mail, I decided to treat myself to a milkshake. Crisis solved I headed home, hoping that it would call work out.
Tuesday
Wednesday
I sign up for a NIA class. As I'm out of school and still unemployed at this point, I'm quite bored. Also, I am hoping that the class will help decrease some of my stress. I get called shortly before the class to be told it is postponed until next week. I am disappointed. I later get an e-mail from my school saying they are starting to process my readmission application. I take this as a good sign. Obviously that payments have gone through.Thursday
I am very nervous about when I will be returning to school, my payments, and getting a job. The stress is very intense for me.
Friday
I head off for my interview at Wally World. I arrive ten minutes early. The Customer Service Girl tells me that my interviewer is out to lunch and asks me to wait at a bench. I wait until it is time for my interview, then go back up to the Service Desk. My interviewer is still out to lunch, but now everyone is trying to get a hold of her. I am told to wait at the bench. Fifty minutes after I arrive, another manager comes down and tells me she will interview me instead. By this point I am a bundle of nerves, but manage to impress the manager. She offers me a job at the end of my interview. She tells me orientation will be in the coming week, maybe Wednesday or Friday. (I still haven't been called back with a date for when training starts) In celebration I pick up a milkshake. I am sure my week of stress is over. Though, I'm still waiting to here back from the university.In the evening I check my school e-mail. I find an e-mail from the school stating that they cannot accept any checks from me, even though I sent them from another account. I send e-mails off, but it is after office hours so I don't get any response. I start to freak out, and my friend invites me to come to her house and watch a movie. I come home less stressed, but still very worried about how I will pay for things. Not just my fees, but how will I pay for tuition if I can't write checks
The Weekend
My parents ask constantly if I have heard back from the school. They do not understand that no one is in the office on weekends. It is mostly quiet, until I trip while running Sunday afternoon. I twist my ankle and spend the rest of the night in pain and still quite stressed.
Monday Again
It is the beginning of a huge contest on the local radio station. They will draw names for people to win keys to a new car. At the end of the month people will use these keys to try and open the car. The winning key holder will receive the car for two years, plus free insurance, gas, and maintenance. My brother, father, and I are all entered. I have a portable radio with me all day in case my name gets called. I really need a car, and am very excited about the contest. I am also worried about the university fees.
I call the school who tells me they can't accept checks from me, even if they are from a different bank. I am then told I will have to send a money order for the cost of the fees, and two bounced check fees. It turns out that the Registrar's office did not receive my note to not cash the original admissions check. I am very annoyed, but the Bursar explains that the policy cannot be changed. I ask about paying tuition, and the Bursar explains I can pay online directly to my student account. I call up my bank, and they set up the payee in my online bill payments.
I run off to town, listening intently to the radio the whole time. I get money orders made up, and priority ship them. Between all the priority envelopes and the check bouncing fees I have spent 125 dollars in addition to my fees. However, it is finally done.
Later that evening, after listening for my name to be called all day, the announcer mentions movie trivia. I know the answer to the question. I excitedly, and unthinkingly, call the number and give the correct answer. I win a small prize. I am a little sad that I can't win the car, but hope my dad or brother will let me drive it should they win. When I am checking the rules online for how to claim my prize, I learn something bad. As it turns out if someone wins a prize from the station, no one in their family can win a prize for a whole month afterward. The car contest ends at the end of October, so I was very upset. The stress and guilt mixed together and I cried to my family a great deal, trying to apologize. I even told the station I would forego my prize if my brother and father could just be eligible for the car. The station told me no. I could not imagine how the week could get any worse.
When I went to bed I felt sick.
Tuesday
I am woken up by my aunt banging on my door. I learn later that she was there to pick up my mother. My aunt has asked to use the washroom, and when she finished decided to wake up my brother and I. When she entered my room she turned on the lights and asked me why I was still in bed. I told her I was very sick and needed rest. She announced that being sick was no reason to stay in bed all day. She then opened up my blinds. She continued to rant about how this would not happen in her house, and I really hoped she would leave. She opened the window next to my head. The cold October air began to blow on me. She then left. It was twenty minutes later before I had the energy to get out of bed and close the window. By that point I had gotten a chill and was even more ill.
When I went to check my school e-mail I found one that appeared to be from my bank. It mentioned how a third party had accessed my online banking information, and that I needed to fill out some forms online to reinstate my online access. After such a long week, and all my banking issues, I simply did as the e-mail said. It linked me to a site that looked much like my bank's online banking page. It asked a few question that submitted before I became suspicious. I called the bank to ask about the e-mail. The representative put me on hold and came back a moment later to confirm it was a phishing scam. He requested I forward to the e-mail. He then canceled my debit card and gave me the information for all the Credit Bureaus so I could have a Fraud Flag placed on my accounts.
It was at this point I totally broke down. It took awhile for my mother and brother to calm me enough so that I could make the arrangements. I spent a large chunk of that night just screaming, crying, and hugging my Winnie the Pooh bear. After all that had happened this week, I could not bare to deal with the fact I had fallen for a phishing scheme. Eventually I got everything mildly sorted. I went to bed crying, thanking the powers that be for at least giving me my NIA class the next day to help me destress.
Wednesday
I was woken to a phone call from the Community Center. Apparently, the class had been moved to Tuesdays nights and I had not been informed. I had missed the first class, but could still come next Tuesday if I wished I thanked the woman and hung up. Normally this wouldn't have bothered me, but after the week I had just had, I was crushed. When I was calm enough, I went to the bank and informed my branch about what had happened with the e-mail. They got me a new debit card, and confirmed that everything still looked fine. They told me that the flags were in place.
Today(Thursday)
I got my acceptance letter for readmission. I will be returning to school in January. It's been a pretty good day. Nothing went wrong, and the sun was shining. I think my bad luck luck is over for a while. Dad is taking me on a trip to look at cars this weekend, and we are picking me up a new laptop for school later in the month.
Still, I can't help feeling like the second shoe is going to drop. Like another thing is going to go horribly wrong. All I can do is just hope that Hell Week is over. And that I won't have another week like this again.
*shares more chocolate*
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