Junior Year

Junior year I was also in NPQ. My Mom and Stepdad had moved back to Arkansas from New Jersey so around the new year sometime, we had a bonfire and karaoke night in Sheridan. We also did a Snipe Hunt. During the summer I participated in an Internship in Washington DC, along with classes at Georgetown University.

My second semester I met a girl who I began to develop feelings for. You might be able to guess who that was, especially if you read my blog in February.

Presentations

I got to briefly relive my summer today for about an hour. As part of getting credit for my internship at ASU, I had to talk to two FYE classes today, each for about half an hour. It was an interesting experience and a new one.

I have sat in my own Journalism classes when we have had guest speakers. But today I got to be on the other end of that-- I was the speaker. I saw the expressions on the students faces. I saw the emotion, or lack thereof. I was able to take questions if the students had any.

The presentations were about the internship I had this summer. Mine included how I got the internship, what I did, and what I learned from the internship. (Click here to see the first version of the PowerPoint that went with it.) It went a lot better than I expected. I didn't put much preparation into it. All I did was make the PowerPoint presentation and practice a real quick run-through in my room about a week ago. After all, with all of the presentations in Spanish, an English Presentation would be easy. And it was.

But, no matter how easy it is or what language it is in, it never goes as expected or intended. There were things that I said in one class that I didn't say in the other. There are things I wanted to say in both classes but I didn't. There were ways I wanted to begin that I didn't. But it all worked out anyway. It was a great opportunity. It was a lot different from an Oral Communications class.

I remember being extremely nervous in Oral Communications. Today wasn't that bad. I went in to the classes looking forward to it. I looked for the opportunity to put a little bit of public speaking behind me. Who knows how much I will have to do in the future. And being on the other side of speaking, I am able to see how all our guest speakers might feel, or even the instructors.

When we as students slouch down in our chairs and look bored, they can sense it. It doesn't help the professor and in turn it probably makes things worse for the students. I honestly wondered, especially in the second presentation, if anyone was even paying attention. It had been my intention to answer more questions in the second, because they had already listened to another presentation before mine. But only one person asked a question.

So, from the internship I learned just how important some of my classes are. Even though I didn't understand how much I needed some of the information, it turned out very valuable at the internship. And then, from presenting that information today, I learned a little bit more about what it is like for teachers and presenters. As students, we should give them all a little more respect. Ask questions (assuming it is that kind of class). Sit up. Use body language appropriate-- smile, nod... something to show we are paying attention and understand what is being said. It could all make a world of a difference.

Newseum

Whether a journalist, a history buff or just an average tourist the Newseum, located on 6th and Pennsylvania in downtown Washington, D.C. is a must see. Some exhibits convey a lot of emotion, so much that one even has tissues nearby.

Washington is filled with history, but this museum has so much history stored in it. Through copies of old newspapers, documentaries, and even a 4-D movie the museum documents events all the way back to the first newspapers, before D.C. was the capital.

The museum advises visitors to go to the concourse level, one floor below the entry level. After viewing that floor visitors go on an express, glass elevator to floor 6. My fun began at the concourse.

The first thing I did was watch an introductory film/documentary. In the film they went all the way back to when the government was based in Philadelphia. It talked about how important a free press is to society.


 The first thing I did was watch an introductory film/documentary. In the film they went all the way back to when the government was based in Philadelphia. It talked about how important a free press is to society.

After the documentary I got to spend some time in an exhibit about the fall of communism in Europe. Items on exhibit included a toppled statue of a communist leader. (It was not Saddam Hussein.) Another was a pen used to sign over the Soviet Unions nuclear weapons to Russia.

The biggest exhibit in this area was of the Berlin Wall. They had a small piece for visitors to touch (top left). The information talked about how there was graffiti on the west side of the wall which is still partially visible now. Another part of the exhibit had a large segment of the wall and what appeared to be a guard tower or something; there was a door in this part. The walls were lined with headlines from that period including how people were escaping or died trying.

The FBI exhibit was also located on the concourse level. I found it very interesting. It had information about some of the cases in which the FBI was involved. One of the most interesting to me was the Unabomber, short for Universities and Airlines bomber-- they are the ones he targeted. He wrote a very long letter and told the two papers he sent it to, the Washington Post and New York Times, if they published it, his reign of terror would end.

After considering it and some convincing by the authorities , the Washington Post ran the story. The plan worked and someone recognized information in the story. The bomber was captured in a cabin in Montana. Another case exhibited was that of a cult in Texas. The FBI was in a 51-day standoff before the compound caught fire. The FBI received a lot of criticism.

A lot of other information was available about different agents and cases. I found the previous two to be some of the most interesting, even though it was all interesting.

After visiting the concourse level, I went to floor one. That is where the emotional journey began. The main exhibit here was Pulitzer Prize-winning photos. Some of them were "pretty." Some of them were "funny." Some of them were "frightening," or "disturbing." Others were plain "sad."

Some of the photos almost brought me to tears. Some of the photos I remember seeing were of the World Trade Center on 9/11, victims from the Columbine shooting, and a woman with her arms wrapped around a headstone, crying.

I was unable to stay at that exhibit long. I went on to the 4-D movie. It was an interesting experience with a lot of good information too. Moving seats, special effects and pictures that jump of the screen help tell the story of Journalism. The film is only 15 minutes and unable to cover a lot. Two of the people I remember from the film are Nelly Bly and Edward R. Murrow.

The film shows Bly as she becomes the first female "detective" reporter when she goes undercover at an all female insane asylum to expose what happens there. It showed how they were treated and the conditions of the institution. One scene shows a rat crawling in bed with her. She throws it off and then I jumped as something brushed against my leg.

It showed Edward R. Murrow and his crew as they were the first radio broadcast from a war zone. He stood on top of a building describing exactly what he saw. Planes flew overhead dropping bombs. The sky was lit up with anti aircraft fire.

 After the film, I went back down and caught the elevator to level 6. This area is what I had known the museum for beforehand. Other than a view of the city and a few other exhibits, they have a collection of front page headlines located on this floor.


I walked outside to see the view and briefly skimmed some of the history outside before going back inside to search for an Arkansas newspaper. They only have the major newspapers, unlike the larger list on their website. But I did find the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, along with some larger newspapers and even a few foreign newspapers.

I missed floor five because the staircase I took didn't go to it. So my next stop was the most difficult of all. I spent a lot of time in this area and even found myself in tears on more than one occasion. It was the September 11 exhibit. The wall was full of newspaper front pages from that fateful day. Part of a broadcast antenna located on top of the towers is exhibited. Around it is a time line with photos and stories from reporters.

I went in and watched a film about being a journalist there having to cover the horrific events. Reporters risked their lives to get the story. Many shot photos and video before having to run for their own lives as the towers collapsed. One of the most famous pictures from the disaster is firefighters raising a flag. The reporter did not realize it would be compared so much to a photo taken by Joseph Rosenthal at Iwo Jima, more than 60 years ago.

According to the exhibit, only one on-duty journalist died that day. The photojournalist ran toward the buildings as everyone else was running away. He snapped photos all along the way. His equipment was later recovered. The last photo  was taken with a time-stamp exactly when one of the towers collapsed.

I found my way to the fifth floor and browsed around there for a little while. The most interesting thing was the timeline of newspapers. Three levels of cases along a timeline were in this area. Visitors can pull out a case to see newspapers that are on lower shelves.

Some various books an documents were also displayed in this area. I was able to see books such as Areopigetica.

I found some quotes in the walls before leaving the fifth floor and catching an elevator to the third floor. They were actually a mixture of quotes and headline bloopers. The book was for sale in the gift shop but, I did not thing it was worth 10 dollars with the internet around.

On the third floor I was unable to explore much. It was 3 hours later by this point even though I was moving at a fast pace through the museum. The museum was closing in 30 minutes. I was able to see political cartoons in that area. Again, many were serious, many were offensive, others were funny, and others left me wondering what the artist was trying to convey.

Unfortunately, because I was in on a group ticket, I am unable to return a second day. I really did not get to spend enough time on floor three or any time on floor two. I think the average ticket cost is about $20, and can be used up to two days (check with the information desk). It is well worth it. This blog does little to express how great this museum is.

To see some more pictures, visit my Facebook album.

By the numbers

I was asked at my internship the other day to count up some of the stuff that I have done on the job. While at my internship I have written about 1 story per week (and rising). I have taken about 10 photos that have been published. I have edited more than 10 stories from reporters around the world.

My photos and stories have been picked up by print and online publications. More than five Army newspapers have run my work. More than six websites (other than army.mil websites) have run my stories.

It has been a great experience. This past week has been very busy. Just this week I have had two stories written and posted. I did an interview today. I also had an interesting time getting the run around in the bureaucracy. I have to tell that story before I continue.

I accept another story this morning and with it I have two source recommendations made to me. I call the first source who says he is not the right person to comment and he referred me to another office. I wrote the name down and called another source. The number had been changed but I called the new number. They told me they were not the correct organization and referred me to another. After going through this a while I feel like my options are exhausted. I call OCPA. They tell me to call the PAO for the Secretary of the Army. I do that. The PAO tells me to call OCPA. That was a lot of help. But it was a funny story to tell. [I found a source, they just wouldn't ever answer the phone so the story is on hold.]

Anyway, in addition to the two that I wrote this week, I am working on three others. One I should have done by Monday afternoon. The other two I just hope to get interviews before Tuesday. Wednesday is my last day but I have a feeling I might work from my apartment some on Thursday and send an email with my last file or two.

I have learned a lot from my internship. It was an amazing experience. I have to write a paper for my school on it and I will post that as a blog in later weeks.

Culture

 

I find different cultures to be one of the most interesting things to learn about. And it is a very importing thing everyone should learn in today's world. Culture clashes are a major problem. Possibly one of the biggest examples is in religion: Athiests v. Buddhism v. Christian v. Hindu v. Muslim. I think it is important that we learn about one another beliefs, and ways of life -- not necessarily adopting them as our own, but at least understanding. It all goes back to LOVE.

One of my favorite things about Arkansas State is our international population. I found at the end of last semester, at least half of my friends are international students from all over the world. Students come from Turkey, Pakistan, China, Taiwan, Japan, and many other places.

That is my favorite way to learn about culture: first hand. I like to talk with people from that culture. I like to go to the countries and immerse in it. But today, after touring the white house, I did the next best thing. I went to Makiykumanta. It is a festival put on by the Embassy of Peru, showcasing music, dance, crafts, food, movies and speakers. 

I am planning to get my second major in Spanish. This was a perfect opportunity for me. I got to be around a lot of Spanish speakers. I got to learn about culture and I got to see some amazing dancing and hear some amazing music. The scissor dance was probably my favorite, but they had some other performances too.

At the end I was forced to use my Spanish skills. I went to a person working the event and asked if it would be different tomorrow. His response was that he didn't speak English. So I speak Spanish and ask again. He tells me it will change and then I ask if there is a schedule. Not getting the exact answer I wanted, he told me the hours. But I did get to use the language which made me happy.

The video at the top of the page is not the complete dance performed today but it is a lot of it.

Photo Blog: 4th of July

For the fourth of July, there were concerts, a parade and a lot of fireworks. I was able to get almost front row to a lot of the parade, and a good view of the fireworks at the Washington Monument, all without fighting security.

Possibly one of the best photos I could have taken was of a police officer standing in the middle of the road with signal flares burning around him as he directed traffic.

Russian Cuisine

When I think of Russia, it is generally of the accent. I can't help but think of the character in Armageddon as he says, "This is how we fix things in Russia," as he begins to bang on some equipment.

Friday night I had the opportunity to change some of that. Some of my friends and I went to the Russian House to try something new: Russian food. I have to say it tasted great!

I really enjoyed the food. I really liked the atmosphere. I really did not like the cost. A small portion of almost everything cost at least 12 dollars. But the staff was friendly. The music seemed to all be traditional Russian music. It was a great experience.

Because of the high prices we decided to go elsewhere for dessert, which was a necessity because we did not get a lot of food for the money. A dessert cost eight dollars!

We ended up going to Dolcezza Gelato. My intention was originally to get a Churro. My friends wanted me to try gelato though, which ended up being a good thing because they'd sold out of churros. It was another new food. It was pretty good but not nearly as good as the Pelmini I had for dinner.

Lessons Learned

College is all about learning, right? Life is all about learning. Life in D.C. has been very educational. I think I learn something new every day, whether it is useful or not. Even when I am not at my internship I learn something new.

Today I went for a bike ride. I went down 34th street to a part of the Rock Creek trail system. I rode to some place where the trail ended because of construction. I found my way onto the other trails leading to the National Mall. I rode around the tidal basin. I rode past the navy yard (and learned there was a Titanic Memorial in D.C.). I rode past the capitol building. I rode to Union Station where I stopped for lunch. I learned it is a bad idea to do that. Lunch with a long ride ahead of you is a bad idea.

I left Union Station and decided it was time to head back to Georgetown. I learned from the police, "We don't stop for lights here." I rode 19 blocks to Dupont Circle. I sat down there for a rest and learned it is a bad idea to drink a lot of water and sit on a bench in the sun when there are still a few miles to go. I finally got back to my room after a rough ride from Dupont. I learned it was almost 16 miles that I biked today when I checked my GPS.

It was a lot of fun and it is something that most people that visit D.C. probably do not get to do. I got to see a lot of D.C. on the surface without riding a bus or taxi. I did not once have to wait on a bus or a train to get anywhere. I saw buildings that I had never seen before that were interesting. It was nice to see a lot of other people out on bikes as well.

International Spy Museum

Interesting, entertaining, family-friendly, and interactive all describe the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. It is not one of the free Smithsonian museums, but it is worth the cost.

The first task is to choose a new identity. There are plenty of them to choose from, young and old. After assuming the new identity it is time to embark on the mission.

Using your stealth, crawl through an air vent trying to make as little noise as possible to avoid detection. "Recruits"  read about listening devices and then listen in on conversations elsewhere in the museum because not only do you read about them, they are planted! There are also hidden cameras throughout the museum.

You can listen to encrypted messages and try to decode them. You can watch educational films on devices spies use whether it is to break into a locked room or radio equipment and spy gear.

The museum provides a walk through history. Visitors learn about celebrity spies and how it has been used, even back to the Trojan horse and “Ninjitsu” or Ninjas. Then there is the secret police of Russia, or USSR.

Other films and exhibits talk about modern technology. It makes one think just how hard would it be for something like that to happen.

One of the things that made me think the most was a Donald Duck cartoon. We learn about propaganda in school. We don’t usually get the chance to actually see it. It is interesting to think these cartoonists would make messages like this encouraging higher taxes to support the war effort.

If you are in the area and have time, I would recommend taking the Gallery-Chinatown metro stop and checking out the International Spy Museum yourself. Just remember, if you are thinking of breaking their rules, the spies are watching you.

Life as an Intern: Washington DC

The first week was amazing! Monday, Danny (the other intern) and I went to Crystal City to meet the boss. I won't go into a lot of detail with where we went or how we did it but we did get lost. Eventually we made it to the office, met the editor and other employees.

Wednesday is the official first day of the internship. Thursday is when it got real interesting though. We finally had our credentials to set up accounts. We got those. Then we also shot photos at a press conference that the staff reporter covered. My picture was chosen and not only did it run on the ARNews page, it even went on the front page of army.mil! (Click here to view the story and photo on the front page.)

Friday was our 4-hour day where we did not arrive until 1. I got to start working on my first story, even if I wasn't very productive. For once I even look forward to Monday! Amazing! I am enjoying my internship, class, and DC.

Bellow are some pictures of our apartment.

My bedroom is probably one of the smaller ones but I get it to myself so it isn't a problem.

Current Events

Well, there are not a lot of current events in my college student life other than preparing for DC. But there are some major national and global concerns arising. There is the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, rising tensions between North and South Korea and the attacks on a relief convoy in Israel.

First off, why is a British Company drilling way over here around the United States? I heard an analogy on the national news one night where the reporter said, "It appears BP is losing credibility faster than they are losing oil." Other articles report how extra help was brought in for the president's visit but when he left, so did they. People are getting sick from cleaning it up, not to mention all the ecosystems being damaged and destroyed. There are worries now that it could reach areas of Florida, and maybe even the Eastern coast. Then there is the threat of hurricanes later in the season. I wonder how this one is going to turn out.

It isn't like there were not enough tensions with North Korea with their nuclear testing, then comes the accusation of sinking a South Korean ship. True or not, I don't know. What I have heard is that if there is a war Japan and maybe another country would support South Korea. An article on MinnPost says that China is leaning toward the South Korean claim on the cause for the sinking. They do not want conflict to break out. Lets hope it doesn't.

More recently in the news, Israel attacked a relief group trying to bring aid into the country. What makes me nervous about this is what our government will do. Will we remain allies with Israel? I don't want to see our countries be enemies.

As for me, it is only a day and a half more until I leave for DC. I am getting very nervous about the schedule. But I look forward to not being bored at home. I look forward mostly to August when I get to go back to ASU.

Overachieve?

I've been called an over achiever on more than one occasion, but I think I may be living up to that this summer. School is out. No classes until June. No homework. Yet I am still studying. I started a little more than two weeks ago, in effort to not only keep up with what I already know, but also learn more. Spanish. If you don't use a foreign language you forget it. And you forget it fast.

I took three years of Spanish in high school. My senior year I stopped taking the courses. I did not take another course in Spanish until my 4th semester of college. I started back at ground level. Last summer I took a course in Spanish online. This year I am interning in DC for the summer and will not have time to take a Spanish class online. I can only hope to use some Spanish while there.

Instead I have been keeping a notebook. Each day I write down an account of events in Spanish. Then I look up some song lyrics and translate them from English to Spanish, looking up words I do not know, underlining them and writing them on a vocabulary list. On the seventh day of each week I combine the vocabulary list and try to memorize the lists. This is the third week and I am still doing it. Hopefully it helps me remember what I already know, and if I am real lucky, maybe learn something in the process.

I go to Washington, D.C. a week from this Saturday.

Summer Break: Beginning

I spent the end of January filling out paperwork and writing essays trying to be accepted into the Institute on Political Journalism at Georgetown this summer. I was accepted and spent February filling out paperwork and writing essays for scholarships. Most of those I know did not pay off. Oh well.

But now summer break is finally here. I leave in about three weeks and head to Washington D.C. to intern with the Army News Service. I will have two classes at Georgetown, along with three-credit-hours at ASU for the internship. But I have to prepare for that internship. I don't have near the clothes that I will need. The dress-code is business casual. I needed a new wardrobe.

That, sadly, is how I have spent a lot of my vacation thus far: shopping. Shopping for shirts. Shopping for pants. Shopping for other supplies that I am going to need. But there have been a few breaks. I went swimming at Beaverfork lake the other day with friends. It was back to preparing today.

Pack for coming home. Unpack when I get home. Pack a lot of stuff back up for DC. Unpack some stuff I put up already that I wasn't taking because I find I need it. Pack it. Then of course comes the unpacking in DC, the packing up in DC the unpacking at home again, the packing to go to Jonesboro and the unpacking when I get there. So maybe the best way to sum up this summer is "pack and unpack."