Day 11: When in doubt, just smile and nod...

Guess what I did today?!  If you guessed research, ding ding ding, you are correct!!  If you didn't guess research then clearly you haven't been reading my blog!! 


This morning I did more research for Max about the Williston Oil Rigs.  Luckily, the people from the helicopter/plane tours emailed me back, so we are getting closer to getting that finalized.  What he needed me to do was find groups who are against the oil rigs.  He said he knew of some Indian tribes in eastern Montana that were against the rigs, so I was supposed to find them.  After awhile I finally found the groups and made some contacts, but no one got back to me.


Lisa finished the article about the FPV planes today and she showed it to me...of course, it was all in German.  She said she used some of the information I put in my article, but of course, how would I know?!  She also said she really liked my ending...but it didn't fit....so I don't know how much of it is mine, but my name is on it, so hey!


Then I was asked to do research for another story a correspondent is looking to do.  I am supposed to do research about how bias in the media effects the election campaign.  For example, find figures about how people turn to CNN, MSNBC, or FOX depending on what they are and the same thing for newspapers.  This seems really easy, but it is very hard to find information about it.  Most of the things online are opinions, not facts.  And I found some good sources, but they are old, like from 2009 or 2010, and I need current information.  So that was tough.


In the Washington Post last Friday there was an article about Holocaust survivors who are living at a senior center near D.C.  It was a really good article and one of the correspondents wants to do a story for DW-TV about it.  He wants Lisa and I to go to the center to start talking to the people to see if they would be willing to do an on camera interview with us.  I feel like this is going to be harder than he thinks.  First of all, these people are in their late 80s or 90s.  Second, we are a GERMAN television station....they may not be willing to talk.  And the third thing kinda goes along with the second, they may be willing to talk to me because I'm an American, but I'm not sure if they would talk to Lisa.  It will be difficult.  In the newspaper article, the reporter only got about 2 people to talk to her...and that was after spending over 4 hours there talking to them.  So we will see how that goes.

And finally, this afternoon the German Interior Minister (similar to the Prime Minister I was told), Hans-Peter Friedrich, came to do an interview in the studio.  This was a big deal and everyone was really anxious all day.  I was pretty chill.  And by anxious, I mean....well.....it was a lot to take in hahaha.  For example, they discussed the coffee situation (how we will serve them coffee) for no joke, about 20 minutes.  Then, only 2 people ended up wanting coffee...it was a bit much!  I was told  I would be on "entertain the secret service while the Minister is being interviewed" duty.  I was thinking, ok, I got this, I can be entertaining.  I had jokes prepared and everything!  (Ok so 2 muffins are in an oven....one muffin says 'Man, it's getting hot in here.'  The other muffin says 'HOLY COW! A talking muffin!' hahahahaha)  And then they got there.  They were scary.  And German.  And by German, I mean...they spoke German....obviously....but I didn't really think about that when I was preparing my jokes....let's just say I didn't speak.  At all.  Lisa introduced herself to all of them....I kinda waved.  I met the Minister though!  And by met, I mean I shook his hand and nodded and smiled when he started talking to me in German.  While he was being interviewed all the secret service dudes were just talking amongst themselves...and to Lisa....I avoided eye contact so they wouldn't talk to me.  Then 2 of them kept wandering off looking at things in the office...I kept an eye on them...they looked suspicious.  They stayed for about 30 minutes and then they left.  The whole time I just smiled and nodded...it was very exciting!


Well, that was today...and tomorrow is Friday!!  I better start making my weekend plans!!  Oh yeah...today the buses were wayyyy off and I had to wait 15-20 minutes for every bus!!  So I was walking to work and I walked down a different street....and I found a shoe store.... :)  Woo!  Well, more tomorrow :)


Shelby*


P.S.  A few things I forgot to post about in the past....
1.  I saw 4 different people smoking at the zoo on Tuesday.  That CAN'T be allowed, right?!
2.  Saturday when I was at the train station a bunch of people kept running through looking at maps....I mean legit, running.  I felt like I was witnessing the filming of The Amazing Race.
3.  I saw on CNN today that Spirit Airlines will now be charging for carry on bags!!  That is horse shit!!