Hola Amigos and happy Tuesday!!
Today went by pretty fast at work! I got an email from Max this morning saying the people I found who are against the oil rigs live too far away so he won't be able to meet with them.....sooooooo it was back to research. I found some new contacts, so hopefully I can connect with them as soon as possible and get everything set up! So that was a little hectic this morning and I concentrated mostly on that.
Oh right, about the title of my post...I found an Indian tribe closer to where Max is in North Dakota. When I looked up the contact information there were a lot of "interesting" last names in the directory. I understand it is an Indian tribe and personally, I think it would be AWESOME to have some of these last names. A list of my favorites are: Amber Black Dog, Elisha Gray Hawk, Catherine Spotted Bird, Luane Four Bear, Kathy Red Eagle, Sheila Spotted Bird, Kristie CrowBelt, Jean Bear Crane, Walter White Tail Feather, Leonard Bighorn, Myron Walking Eagle, Jennifer Yellow Hammer, Sarah Three Stars, Morris Tattoo, and Terry Rattling Thunder. Personally, I think Shelby White Tail Feather or Shelby Three Stars or Shelby Rattling Thunder sound awesome! Or disturbing...I haven't decided yet.
This afternoon Lisa and I went to Rockville to the Charles E. Smith Living Community. It took us about an hour to get there after we had to wait for the train and everything. There, we met with the public relations directors to talk about doing a story. The community has almost 1,100 residents and the average age is 90. There are some people living there who are very independent and others need a lot of assistance. They have 50 residents who survived the Holocaust, and that's what the focus of our meeting was. If you recall from my post last week, there was an article about these survivors in the Washington Post a few weeks ago. One of our correspondents had the idea to do a story about them so today we met with the directors to see if this was possible.
The ladies we met with are SUPER nice. They gave us a few names of residents who would be willing to talk on camera about their experiences. They told us the only hesitation they have is how we would portray the story, since we are a German Broadcaster and they are Holocaust survivors, which is completely understandable. But we reassured them that we are just trying to tell their stories and share their experience before it's too late and we aren't able to talk to them again. We talked to them for over an hour and we thought we had a good understanding of what we were going to do.
Sooooo we went back and told the correspondent what we talked about and how there are people willing to share their story. He asked "so what is the story?" I said I think the story should be that there are 50 Holocaust survivors living in this community and how it is important to hear their stories before they pass away. He said that wasn't concrete enough and we can't do it. He said he needs a concrete story...we need to go and talk to the people ourselves to find out what their story is. Unfortunately, the directors we talked to said it's hard to get them to start talking about it because it is so painful for them and it would be easier if we just sat down with them once, with cameras, and talked to them. The correspondent also said it is expensive to do stories, so it really has to be a $1000 story...and he's not sure if it's worth it. Sooo now I'm not sure what we are going to do. It's frustrating because the ladies we met with today were super nice and very helpful and very excited to have us do this! Hopefully we work something out tomorrow.
When Lisa and I were on the train today there was a part of the track that goes outside and is above roads and stuff. She said "this always worries me because the train could just fall off the track!" I was like gee....THANKS! As if I'm not freaked out enough by the trains (thanks a lot tv and movies). Taxis freak me out too. She then said "don't worry, it probably won't happen." THANKS!
On the way to the metro today I saw a store called "Bedazzled." I'm not sure what kind of store it is....but I feel like I must check it out....
Also, I only saw 2 spies today...and they weren't on the bus. One was dressed up like an old person at the community and the other was a guy walking on the street. Definite spies.
Well that was today! More tomorrow :)
Shelby*
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Day 15: Prince Harry came back for me!!!
Prince Harry came back to Washington D.C. for me today!!!!! :) Just kidding :( But seriously...he was here today. Apparently he was never here like 2 weeks ago when I was told he was.....so today was my chance with him....and it didn't happen.....BUT I'm definitely not giving up hope!!
Today they kept me busy at work!! Max leaves tomorrow for North Dakota so most of the morning I was on the phone making sure everything was set. I FINALLY heard back from a lady at one of the Indian tribes. She gave me a few names and numbers of people who are against the oil rigs, so that was great!!
After that I was asked to do some different research about the media bias story. This time I was asked to find information about how people are educated by the media. Again, it has been hard to find information (reliable, current, etc.) regarding this topic. I found a few articles, but I plan on looking for more tomorrow.
One of the correspondents took me out for lunch, which was very nice. We had a really good conversation about college and how it differs in the United States and in Germany. Did you know that in Germany college is FREE?! Room and board costs money, but tuition is free. They feel like everyone deserves the chance to further their education, no matter what their situation is like at home. How sweet is that?! I think it's a super idea!! We also talked about the future and how hard it is to find a job and stuff like that, so I had a good time!
This afternoon I did some research on a few different things and made a few more phone calls regarding Max's trip...I hope everything goes smoothly for him!!
Did you hear the National Christmas tree died this weekend?! So heart breaking......
Tomorrow afternoon Lisa and I are going to the Charles E. Smith Living Community in Rockville, about 45 minutes away. There, we will meet with the director and a few people about the Holocaust survivors story we are thinking about doing. The lady who I have been in contact with seems very nice, so fingers crossed we are able to find some people with a story to tell!!
Oh yeah....here is the article Lisa and I wrote. It is currently on the Deutsche Welle website, which is pretty cool, but it's in German....so good luck with it!! http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15930407,00.html
Good news....I saw a lady in a purple coat today....it may or may not be Ruth, but I think it was!!!
Also, since going to the International Spy Museum on Saturday I think everyone is a spy....but I spotted 3 people on the bus today who are DEFINITELY spies!! I'm sure of it.
ANDDDDD on my way home tonight, I was on the bus and we stopped to let some people off. A guy then walked off the sidewalk and stood in front of the bus and he wouldn't move!! The bus driver was yelling at him and people on the bus were yelling at him!! He just refused to move!! The bus driver then yelled "You know what?! I have some BROTHERS on this bus who will come out and remove you!!" I stood up and yelled "YEAH!!" Just kidding...I didn't really do that....but I thought about it! But she really did yell that and that got him to move!! It was so bizarre.....
Well, that's about it for today!! More tomorrow :)
Shelby*
Today they kept me busy at work!! Max leaves tomorrow for North Dakota so most of the morning I was on the phone making sure everything was set. I FINALLY heard back from a lady at one of the Indian tribes. She gave me a few names and numbers of people who are against the oil rigs, so that was great!!
After that I was asked to do some different research about the media bias story. This time I was asked to find information about how people are educated by the media. Again, it has been hard to find information (reliable, current, etc.) regarding this topic. I found a few articles, but I plan on looking for more tomorrow.
One of the correspondents took me out for lunch, which was very nice. We had a really good conversation about college and how it differs in the United States and in Germany. Did you know that in Germany college is FREE?! Room and board costs money, but tuition is free. They feel like everyone deserves the chance to further their education, no matter what their situation is like at home. How sweet is that?! I think it's a super idea!! We also talked about the future and how hard it is to find a job and stuff like that, so I had a good time!
This afternoon I did some research on a few different things and made a few more phone calls regarding Max's trip...I hope everything goes smoothly for him!!
Did you hear the National Christmas tree died this weekend?! So heart breaking......
Tomorrow afternoon Lisa and I are going to the Charles E. Smith Living Community in Rockville, about 45 minutes away. There, we will meet with the director and a few people about the Holocaust survivors story we are thinking about doing. The lady who I have been in contact with seems very nice, so fingers crossed we are able to find some people with a story to tell!!
Oh yeah....here is the article Lisa and I wrote. It is currently on the Deutsche Welle website, which is pretty cool, but it's in German....so good luck with it!! http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15930407,00.html
Good news....I saw a lady in a purple coat today....it may or may not be Ruth, but I think it was!!!
Also, since going to the International Spy Museum on Saturday I think everyone is a spy....but I spotted 3 people on the bus today who are DEFINITELY spies!! I'm sure of it.
ANDDDDD on my way home tonight, I was on the bus and we stopped to let some people off. A guy then walked off the sidewalk and stood in front of the bus and he wouldn't move!! The bus driver was yelling at him and people on the bus were yelling at him!! He just refused to move!! The bus driver then yelled "You know what?! I have some BROTHERS on this bus who will come out and remove you!!" I stood up and yelled "YEAH!!" Just kidding...I didn't really do that....but I thought about it! But she really did yell that and that got him to move!! It was so bizarre.....
Well, that's about it for today!! More tomorrow :)
Shelby*
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Days 13 & 14: So much neatness!!
Well, it was another fun filled weekend in the nation's capitol!
Yesterday (Saturday) I did several different things. The first thing I did was go to the International Spy Museum. It was pretty flipping sweet. The first thing you do is go into this room and pick out your new identity. You have several minutes to pick one of 16 identities and memorize all the information. They then put you into a room for a briefing. There is a short film about spies that plays. Then you start seeing the exhibits, unfortunately they don't you take pictures!! I know, right?! It's not like there are top secret missions discussed or anything! LAME. Randomly throughout the museum there are checkpoints where you have to answer questions about your identity and you have to pass. Of course, I was slightly freaking out, cause what if I failed....? You also got new information about your mission. Basically what I learned from the museum is, I can't trust anyone!!! I have NO idea who is a spy! My parents could be spies! My professors could be spies! I could be a spy!!!! There were a ton of different gadgets that looked like ordinary things (pens, shoes, belts, coats, bags, etc.) but they were actually cameras, or bugging devices, or other things! Fun fact: there are more spies in Washington D.C. than anywhere else on EARTH!! I decided tomorrow on the bus I'm going to try to figure out who's a spy or not. Probably the coolest thing I saw in the museum was the Aston Martin James Bond had in Goldfinger. It was pretty cool. I also learned how to pick a lock...but don't test me. I also learned a lot about ninjas!!! Overall, it was pretty cool. Oh, and at the end we do a final "test" of our identity...I passed!! They said I did so well I should be a spy, I was like oh...I know.
After that I went to the Old Post Office Building. There is a food court and some shops, but they let you go up into the bell tower to get an awesome view of D.C. and since the Washington Monument is closed I figured I would do that! First of all, people were being so rude yesterday! There is a security check before you go into the Old Post Office and I was behind two guys. They were giving the security guards such a hard time! The guards asked them to take everything out of their pockets (like they ask everyone) and the guys talked back to them. Then they asked them to remove their belts before walking through the metal detector and the guys talked back again! It was very rude...but anyways. It was a cloudy day so it wasn't that clear, but I still got some good pictures. It was really neat to see everything from such a high point in the city. There are wires over most of the openings, instead of glass, and there are signs all over that say "Do Not Touch the Wires" and other signs that said "Keep Hands Inside." Well, apparently people thought those were options or suggestions. People kept sticking their cameras outside of the wires to get better pictures! The poor security guard had to keep asking people to put their cameras inside and they would respond with "yeah yeah, it's around my neck!" or "I won't drop it!" The security guard just kept saying, "yeah, well if you drop it and kill a person..." Then some guy freaked out and was like "This is horrible design up here! You can't touch anything! You can't take pictures!! What's the point?!" It was super annoying...but here are some pictures I took!!
So that was pretty neat! After that I rode the train to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. There's not much I can say about this, except WOW. It was so beautiful, breath taking, and it left me in awe. There were so many little chapels and then the main church was.....I was speechless. Here are some pictures!!
The pictures really don't do it much justice, but to see many more check out my Facebook!! (It's a good thing the memory card in my camera stores thousands of pictures!!!!) After the Basilica I decided to head back for the night. It was a pretty lame Cinco de Mayo for me, although it seemed like our nation's capitol was the place to be for this grand Mexican holiday! There were lots of people in sambreros and what not! Looked like fun!!
Today (Sunday) I decided to have a somewhat laid back day. I hung around the apartment this morning and then this afternoon I went to the National Gallery of Art. It was alright...I mean, I appreciate art and everything, but it was A LOT of art and a lot to look at. I saw some of Picasso's work and some Van Gogh paintings though! So that was pretty neat! It was mostly just a lot of naked people in sculpture or painting form, and you laugh, but I'm serious. So it was a relaxing day for the most part, with some art thrown in there! Here are some highlights!
Overall I had a good weekend, only 2 weekends left and I still feel like I have a lot to see!! Hopefully I have a good week at work!! More tomorrow :)
Shelby*
Yesterday (Saturday) I did several different things. The first thing I did was go to the International Spy Museum. It was pretty flipping sweet. The first thing you do is go into this room and pick out your new identity. You have several minutes to pick one of 16 identities and memorize all the information. They then put you into a room for a briefing. There is a short film about spies that plays. Then you start seeing the exhibits, unfortunately they don't you take pictures!! I know, right?! It's not like there are top secret missions discussed or anything! LAME. Randomly throughout the museum there are checkpoints where you have to answer questions about your identity and you have to pass. Of course, I was slightly freaking out, cause what if I failed....? You also got new information about your mission. Basically what I learned from the museum is, I can't trust anyone!!! I have NO idea who is a spy! My parents could be spies! My professors could be spies! I could be a spy!!!! There were a ton of different gadgets that looked like ordinary things (pens, shoes, belts, coats, bags, etc.) but they were actually cameras, or bugging devices, or other things! Fun fact: there are more spies in Washington D.C. than anywhere else on EARTH!! I decided tomorrow on the bus I'm going to try to figure out who's a spy or not. Probably the coolest thing I saw in the museum was the Aston Martin James Bond had in Goldfinger. It was pretty cool. I also learned how to pick a lock...but don't test me. I also learned a lot about ninjas!!! Overall, it was pretty cool. Oh, and at the end we do a final "test" of our identity...I passed!! They said I did so well I should be a spy, I was like oh...I know.
After that I went to the Old Post Office Building. There is a food court and some shops, but they let you go up into the bell tower to get an awesome view of D.C. and since the Washington Monument is closed I figured I would do that! First of all, people were being so rude yesterday! There is a security check before you go into the Old Post Office and I was behind two guys. They were giving the security guards such a hard time! The guards asked them to take everything out of their pockets (like they ask everyone) and the guys talked back to them. Then they asked them to remove their belts before walking through the metal detector and the guys talked back again! It was very rude...but anyways. It was a cloudy day so it wasn't that clear, but I still got some good pictures. It was really neat to see everything from such a high point in the city. There are wires over most of the openings, instead of glass, and there are signs all over that say "Do Not Touch the Wires" and other signs that said "Keep Hands Inside." Well, apparently people thought those were options or suggestions. People kept sticking their cameras outside of the wires to get better pictures! The poor security guard had to keep asking people to put their cameras inside and they would respond with "yeah yeah, it's around my neck!" or "I won't drop it!" The security guard just kept saying, "yeah, well if you drop it and kill a person..." Then some guy freaked out and was like "This is horrible design up here! You can't touch anything! You can't take pictures!! What's the point?!" It was super annoying...but here are some pictures I took!!
Today (Sunday) I decided to have a somewhat laid back day. I hung around the apartment this morning and then this afternoon I went to the National Gallery of Art. It was alright...I mean, I appreciate art and everything, but it was A LOT of art and a lot to look at. I saw some of Picasso's work and some Van Gogh paintings though! So that was pretty neat! It was mostly just a lot of naked people in sculpture or painting form, and you laugh, but I'm serious. So it was a relaxing day for the most part, with some art thrown in there! Here are some highlights!
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| Cupid on a dolphin....legitimately what it's called! |
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| Picasso! |
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| Van Gogh! |
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| Dog... |
Overall I had a good weekend, only 2 weekends left and I still feel like I have a lot to see!! Hopefully I have a good week at work!! More tomorrow :)
Shelby*
Friday, May 4, 2012
Day 12: This is NOT my first rodeo
First of all, TGIF!!!
Second of all, you see the craziest things while waiting for buses! Today I saw a lady with lime green hair, a guy walking like 7 dogs, and can I just say, some times I want to look at people and say "did you even look in the mirror today?!" Mean, I know, and I apologize...but seriously!!!
Today was a fairly busy day at work. This morning I did more research on political bias in the media. I found a few more things, but it still took a lot of digging to find reliable sources. After that I was informed that I would be shadowing a correspondent and a photog in the afternoon while they shot a story. I was really excited to hear this because this is what I have been waiting for!! The correspondent asked me to do research about the guy we would be interviewing, Harry Wu, a very famous Chinese man.
Harry Wu is a Chinese man who was born in 1937. In 1956 he was arrested for criticizing the Communist party and in 1960 he was sent to a "laogai," a Chinese labor camp. He spent 19 years in 12 different camps where he was tortured. In 1979 he was released and he came to the United States. In 1992 he founded the Laogai Research Foundation to make people aware of the Laogai situation in China. Today there are thousands of Laogai camps with millions of people being tortured. The Laogais also allow the Chinese government to profit from the imprisonment of people because it is a forced labor camp. Basically, it is a very, very sad situation.
So in the afternoon we went to the Laogai Museum, about a 10 minute walk from DW. When we arrived the photog went around and got different shots of the museum. Then the correspondent was asking ME questions about the research I did and what he should ask during the interview!! I was like really?! So then the photog was setting up for the interview and the correspondent asked me if I had ever worked with a camera before or if my school teaches that...I almost laughed out loud...I was thinking um...yeah....this isn't my first rodeo!! I told him that yes, this is actually what I do on a weekly basis...he was surprised!
So anyway, they did the interview, in English luckily, and it was extremely interesting!!! I guess I never really understood how bad the situation in China really is. He was talking about the One Child policy. It is illegal for a woman to be pregnant outside of marriage! (Dang, a lot of people would be in trouble in the U.S.!!) Then when they are married they have to get a permit to have a kid. And of course, they can only have one. If the woman gets pregnant with a second child she is taken to the hospital to have an abortion. It's so sad. Mr. Wu told the story of one family who had a baby and then the woman got pregnant again so they tried to hide. They then fled to Thailand and had a third child but the Chinese government found out, kidnapped the woman, sterilized her and her husband, then destroyed their home and took all of the possessions! And this was somewhat recently! It's just very sad and we should all be very fortunate for the freedoms we have here in the U.S.
After the interview we went back and I got to watch them go to work to put the story together. It was very similar to the process I go through except they had to translate everything to German and English, so I was able to help them with that....well, the English at least...
Towards the end of the day I did a little bit more research on the Indian tribes for Max. Like I said, it was a very busy day!
Now, about my ride home. Everything was going fine and I was on the second bus, about 4 blocks from the street my apartment is on. We were stopped, letting some people off the bus, when a bunch of emergency vehicles drove by and stopped up ahead. I looked and saw a lot of flashing lights so I figured there was an accident. I decided to get off the bus and walk the rest of the way since we'd probably be stuck in traffic for awhile. There were several cops directing traffic and a few firetrucks, but when I walked by there was no accident. I got to the intersection where the cops were and I looked down the street to the right and at the next intersection it was the same way...a bunch of cops and some firetrucks. I kept walking straight up to where I turn to go to the apartment and at the next two intersections there were cops all over the place with bullet proof vests on!! I was slightly freaking out. I was able to get into the apartment alright but I heard sirens for the next 30 minutes! It was really bizarre and I tried to find out what was going on but nothing was on the news about it! Weird right?!
I'm not quite sure what I am doing this weekend. I guess there is a big event at the National Mall tomorrow, so I'm thinking either I 1) avoid the area because it will be super busy or 2) go there and see if I can find famous people! I'm thinking I'll just avoid the area and just go to some random places tomorrow. Then on Sunday I might go back to the National Mall area and do the National Art Museum, the Holocaust Museum and a few other things. All I know is, I'm VERY glad it's the weekend!!! Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo so I'm sure the capitol is the place to be!!! hahahah more tomorrow :)
Shelby*
Second of all, you see the craziest things while waiting for buses! Today I saw a lady with lime green hair, a guy walking like 7 dogs, and can I just say, some times I want to look at people and say "did you even look in the mirror today?!" Mean, I know, and I apologize...but seriously!!!
Today was a fairly busy day at work. This morning I did more research on political bias in the media. I found a few more things, but it still took a lot of digging to find reliable sources. After that I was informed that I would be shadowing a correspondent and a photog in the afternoon while they shot a story. I was really excited to hear this because this is what I have been waiting for!! The correspondent asked me to do research about the guy we would be interviewing, Harry Wu, a very famous Chinese man.
Harry Wu is a Chinese man who was born in 1937. In 1956 he was arrested for criticizing the Communist party and in 1960 he was sent to a "laogai," a Chinese labor camp. He spent 19 years in 12 different camps where he was tortured. In 1979 he was released and he came to the United States. In 1992 he founded the Laogai Research Foundation to make people aware of the Laogai situation in China. Today there are thousands of Laogai camps with millions of people being tortured. The Laogais also allow the Chinese government to profit from the imprisonment of people because it is a forced labor camp. Basically, it is a very, very sad situation.
So in the afternoon we went to the Laogai Museum, about a 10 minute walk from DW. When we arrived the photog went around and got different shots of the museum. Then the correspondent was asking ME questions about the research I did and what he should ask during the interview!! I was like really?! So then the photog was setting up for the interview and the correspondent asked me if I had ever worked with a camera before or if my school teaches that...I almost laughed out loud...I was thinking um...yeah....this isn't my first rodeo!! I told him that yes, this is actually what I do on a weekly basis...he was surprised!
So anyway, they did the interview, in English luckily, and it was extremely interesting!!! I guess I never really understood how bad the situation in China really is. He was talking about the One Child policy. It is illegal for a woman to be pregnant outside of marriage! (Dang, a lot of people would be in trouble in the U.S.!!) Then when they are married they have to get a permit to have a kid. And of course, they can only have one. If the woman gets pregnant with a second child she is taken to the hospital to have an abortion. It's so sad. Mr. Wu told the story of one family who had a baby and then the woman got pregnant again so they tried to hide. They then fled to Thailand and had a third child but the Chinese government found out, kidnapped the woman, sterilized her and her husband, then destroyed their home and took all of the possessions! And this was somewhat recently! It's just very sad and we should all be very fortunate for the freedoms we have here in the U.S.
After the interview we went back and I got to watch them go to work to put the story together. It was very similar to the process I go through except they had to translate everything to German and English, so I was able to help them with that....well, the English at least...
Towards the end of the day I did a little bit more research on the Indian tribes for Max. Like I said, it was a very busy day!
Now, about my ride home. Everything was going fine and I was on the second bus, about 4 blocks from the street my apartment is on. We were stopped, letting some people off the bus, when a bunch of emergency vehicles drove by and stopped up ahead. I looked and saw a lot of flashing lights so I figured there was an accident. I decided to get off the bus and walk the rest of the way since we'd probably be stuck in traffic for awhile. There were several cops directing traffic and a few firetrucks, but when I walked by there was no accident. I got to the intersection where the cops were and I looked down the street to the right and at the next intersection it was the same way...a bunch of cops and some firetrucks. I kept walking straight up to where I turn to go to the apartment and at the next two intersections there were cops all over the place with bullet proof vests on!! I was slightly freaking out. I was able to get into the apartment alright but I heard sirens for the next 30 minutes! It was really bizarre and I tried to find out what was going on but nothing was on the news about it! Weird right?!
I'm not quite sure what I am doing this weekend. I guess there is a big event at the National Mall tomorrow, so I'm thinking either I 1) avoid the area because it will be super busy or 2) go there and see if I can find famous people! I'm thinking I'll just avoid the area and just go to some random places tomorrow. Then on Sunday I might go back to the National Mall area and do the National Art Museum, the Holocaust Museum and a few other things. All I know is, I'm VERY glad it's the weekend!!! Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo so I'm sure the capitol is the place to be!!! hahahah more tomorrow :)
Shelby*
Thursday, May 3, 2012
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!!
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.
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!!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Day 10: Helicopters, airplanes & spacecrafts
Today was a fun filled day full of research about, you guessed it, helicopters, airplanes and spacecrafts!
Side note before I forget: I didn't see Ruth AGAIN. She may be missing.
First thing this morning I was asked to do research for Max about his trip to the Williston Oil Rigs. He needs to schedule a helicopter/plane tour over the oil rigs. I couldn't find any specific Williston helicopter tours, but I found a few different companies that I contacted for more information. Max leaves in less than two weeks, so we'll be finishing up a lot of details this week I'm sure.
After that I wrote an article to go along with the story about the FPV (First Person View) remote controlled planes, that I mentioned I did research for on Monday. My article ended up being almost a page long and when I was done I gave it to Lisa who is writing/translating the master article. She said it was good and well written. She said she would add a few of my sentences to her article and then we could put my name on it as well. She also said some of the things I wrote wouldn't translate the same way in German, which is understandable.
The last thing I did today was research about the new Dragon Spacecraft NASA is working on. Actually, it's not new, but there are some new aspects to it. Apparently the Vice President of Operations is from Germany, so of course, that is the angle we are taking on it. I started doing research, but I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to look for, and none of the correspondents were in the office today...so I was kinda stuck.
My ride home today was awful!! :( I got off of work early today because I was done working on my stuff, so I figured the buses wouldn't be too crowded because it wasn't 5pm yet. The first bus was fine, but the second bus was a nightmare!! It was sooooo crowded and the bus driver kept letting people on!! There were people pushing other people and some people were yelling and getting mad and there were a bunch of kids!! I finally got off and walked the last 5 blocks because I was about to have a panic attack!! It was no fun!!
Sorry today's post wasn't very exciting, but I figured I had to write something to keep everyone in the loop!! More tomorrow :)
Shelby*
P.S. Apparently on Monday Bryce Harper played in a pickup softball game near the Washington Monument and then he went exploring because he had never seen D.C. before!! Too bad it wasn't last week when I was exploring too!!
Side note before I forget: I didn't see Ruth AGAIN. She may be missing.
First thing this morning I was asked to do research for Max about his trip to the Williston Oil Rigs. He needs to schedule a helicopter/plane tour over the oil rigs. I couldn't find any specific Williston helicopter tours, but I found a few different companies that I contacted for more information. Max leaves in less than two weeks, so we'll be finishing up a lot of details this week I'm sure.
After that I wrote an article to go along with the story about the FPV (First Person View) remote controlled planes, that I mentioned I did research for on Monday. My article ended up being almost a page long and when I was done I gave it to Lisa who is writing/translating the master article. She said it was good and well written. She said she would add a few of my sentences to her article and then we could put my name on it as well. She also said some of the things I wrote wouldn't translate the same way in German, which is understandable.
The last thing I did today was research about the new Dragon Spacecraft NASA is working on. Actually, it's not new, but there are some new aspects to it. Apparently the Vice President of Operations is from Germany, so of course, that is the angle we are taking on it. I started doing research, but I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to look for, and none of the correspondents were in the office today...so I was kinda stuck.
My ride home today was awful!! :( I got off of work early today because I was done working on my stuff, so I figured the buses wouldn't be too crowded because it wasn't 5pm yet. The first bus was fine, but the second bus was a nightmare!! It was sooooo crowded and the bus driver kept letting people on!! There were people pushing other people and some people were yelling and getting mad and there were a bunch of kids!! I finally got off and walked the last 5 blocks because I was about to have a panic attack!! It was no fun!!
Sorry today's post wasn't very exciting, but I figured I had to write something to keep everyone in the loop!! More tomorrow :)
Shelby*
P.S. Apparently on Monday Bryce Harper played in a pickup softball game near the Washington Monument and then he went exploring because he had never seen D.C. before!! Too bad it wasn't last week when I was exploring too!!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Day 9: Fun at the zoo! :D
Today I had the day off because it is a German holiday, so I decided to go to the National Zoo! It was really hot today, it was 85 degrees most of the day, and very sunny! So it was the perfect day to go to the zoo! And it wasn't very crowded because it was a Tuesday!
I had to take 2 different trains to get there, but I pretty much have the metro system figured out, so it wasn't that bad. When I got off the second train I had to take an escalator up to the street.....it was the LONGEST escalator I've ever been on!! It took 2 and a half minutes to ride from the bottom to the top! And I'm not exaggerating....cause I timed it....don't judge me.
I saw a lot of neat animals and I took a ton of pictures! The only downfall was when I was looking at a cute lil owl....and then he bit the head off of a mouse... :(
Here are some zoo observations:
1. I have seen leash kids everywhere in Washington.....but not ONE at the zoo....
2. I don't care how old you are, you are NEVER too old for the zoo.
3. When there is a sign that says "CAUTION: AGGRESSIVE CRANES" do not ask a zoo keeper how to aggravate the cranes...
4. Elephant shrews, meerkats, and otters are the coolest animals ever. Period.
5. I want an otter for Christmas, or my Birthday...
6. The young children who stand by the lion exhibit screaming and growling at the lions should be thrown in with the lions...rude.
7. "PLEASE DO NOT TAP ON THE GLASS" means do not tap on the glass....I don't understand why that is such a hard concept for people to grasp.
8. There is a security check everywhere I've been in D.C....but not at the zoo....I feel like the safety of the animals is just as important as the safety of the Declaration of Independence.
9. Watching 2 parents try to control 2 young children with ice cream is freaking hilarious!
10. What kind of zoo doesn't have bears, polar bears, giraffes or sea lions?!
11. The animals/creatures in smaller exhibits, like inside and stuff (you know what I mean...snakes, frogs, small creatures)....are SCARY! Wanna know why? Cause you stand there looking for them and then BOOM...they just appear....scary.
12. Why aren't pets allowed in the zoo? Hypocritical if you ask me.
13. I think zoos should leave some exhibits empty but don't put up a sign saying it's empty...just see how long people will stand there looking! HA!
14. Walking into an exhibit that says "Animals roam free. Do not encourage the animals to come to you. Stay on the sidewalk." IS SCARY!!
15. The zoo is definitely not as much fun when you are by yourself... :(
Even though I was by myself it was still a lot of fun! Here are some pictures...to see more check out my facebook!! (P.S. I've taken 1,106 pictures since being in D.C. Out of control? I'm ok with that.)
So that was my day at the zoo!! Back to work tomorrow!!! Have a good night and of course, more tomorrow :)
Shelby*
I had to take 2 different trains to get there, but I pretty much have the metro system figured out, so it wasn't that bad. When I got off the second train I had to take an escalator up to the street.....it was the LONGEST escalator I've ever been on!! It took 2 and a half minutes to ride from the bottom to the top! And I'm not exaggerating....cause I timed it....don't judge me.
I saw a lot of neat animals and I took a ton of pictures! The only downfall was when I was looking at a cute lil owl....and then he bit the head off of a mouse... :(
Here are some zoo observations:
1. I have seen leash kids everywhere in Washington.....but not ONE at the zoo....
2. I don't care how old you are, you are NEVER too old for the zoo.
3. When there is a sign that says "CAUTION: AGGRESSIVE CRANES" do not ask a zoo keeper how to aggravate the cranes...
4. Elephant shrews, meerkats, and otters are the coolest animals ever. Period.
5. I want an otter for Christmas, or my Birthday...
6. The young children who stand by the lion exhibit screaming and growling at the lions should be thrown in with the lions...rude.
7. "PLEASE DO NOT TAP ON THE GLASS" means do not tap on the glass....I don't understand why that is such a hard concept for people to grasp.
8. There is a security check everywhere I've been in D.C....but not at the zoo....I feel like the safety of the animals is just as important as the safety of the Declaration of Independence.
9. Watching 2 parents try to control 2 young children with ice cream is freaking hilarious!
10. What kind of zoo doesn't have bears, polar bears, giraffes or sea lions?!
11. The animals/creatures in smaller exhibits, like inside and stuff (you know what I mean...snakes, frogs, small creatures)....are SCARY! Wanna know why? Cause you stand there looking for them and then BOOM...they just appear....scary.
12. Why aren't pets allowed in the zoo? Hypocritical if you ask me.
13. I think zoos should leave some exhibits empty but don't put up a sign saying it's empty...just see how long people will stand there looking! HA!
14. Walking into an exhibit that says "Animals roam free. Do not encourage the animals to come to you. Stay on the sidewalk." IS SCARY!!
15. The zoo is definitely not as much fun when you are by yourself... :(
Even though I was by myself it was still a lot of fun! Here are some pictures...to see more check out my facebook!! (P.S. I've taken 1,106 pictures since being in D.C. Out of control? I'm ok with that.)
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| They were in love <3 |
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| PANDA!! |
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| Elephant! |
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| Cute owl....before....well....you know what happens :( |
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| Elephant shrew!! |
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| Monkeyyyyyy :) |
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| So awesome. |
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| Meerkat! |
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| Baby :) |
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| Absolutely darling! |
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| Why so serious? |
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| Om nom nom nom :) |
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| Ahhh! |
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| :D |
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| He was fun! |
So that was my day at the zoo!! Back to work tomorrow!!! Have a good night and of course, more tomorrow :)
Shelby*
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