Wednesday, March 25
Lesson learned today: The best thing in the world is working while having fun, but you need to prepare a lot for it as well as have a tremendous amount of luck.
Before the trip, I spent hours sending tons of e-mails to people I’d never met, researching for story ideas and not sleeping until 5 a.m. for many days.
It all paid off, as I was able to enjoy parts of Paris on the way to my first interview in the city, though the weather was ridiculously cold and windy.
Walking on Quai du Louvre along the Seine River from Musée du Louvre and seeing Conciergerie-Palais de Justice and Notre Dame on the other side of the river were experiences that I couldn’t leave Paris without. After my interview, I also got to experience Paris’ jam-packed metro at Châtelet Les Halles during traffic hours.
I could see what a bunch of busy people the Parisians are. My Parisian friend said that a lot of times people just rush past when someone approaches them. I considered myself lucky because my interviewee was very helpful and I have a friend in Paris who helped me during my interviews. However, this whole experience --- from not sleeping until 5 a.m., making contacts, to enjoying the scenes in Paris --- it's made me realized the importance of preparation.
It’s true that there are lots of unexpected things in journalism, but the more you prepare, the more likely things will work out for you.
Ya-an Chan
Copy Editor
Magazine Journalism
My Blog.
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