Thanks for replying, SecretGarden. That's true, but most of the time with phone calls even if I make one small mistake it feels like I've failed...succeeding at them is very difficult for me.

I wish I could, but I can't rely on email - I never know how often people check theirs, and if they don't reply I won't know if they've recieved my message. (Plus, I've had problems before with my emails going straight into one of my friend's junk mail folders because of the email's strict filters.) I'd certainly feel a lot more comfortable with emailing them than phoning them, though.