HELLO LONDON, GOODBYE USA

Sunday, March 22, 2009

So here I am, my first day in London and I am up to my neck in stress already. What? I just got here? Well that’s what I originally thought but “being stressed” is definitely an understatement because I most definitely don’t think I’m suffering from jet lag. I was ready for this trip three weeks before we embarked on this next journalism adventure of mine and I was nervous but very excited at the same time. Today was filled with a lot of different emotions; the anxious feeling of traveling and arriving to in a new country, the anxiousness about exploring some foreign territory, and arriving in your new destination where I would have to hit the ground running and get my work done ahead of time so I may have room to breathe.

The craziness of a new groove and new vibe of a new city excited me but after having seen what I’ve been through today in London? Let’s just say I was honestly hoping my first day here in London would have gone better. Sleeplessness hasn’t even kicked in yet and I miss my trusted journalism partner who did not join me on this trip. Speaking of this trip, this is my third time traveling with Dr. Michael Cheers, my professor. I think he’s taught me many wonderful things , he’s given me numerous chances to rise to the challenge of doing some foreign news reporting. I would prefer to call it “freelancing”….but then again I’m not sure which reference is better suited for me here in this context.

All in all, I’ve had very high highs today and experienced many low lows at the same time. Am I missing home yet? Not really. I’m in touch with my mother through email so missing home and being homesick hasn’t really occurred yet.

Speaking of Email…checking Email at the hotel is ridiculous. It’s very expensive but I guess we have to do what we have to do to stay informed while we’re in our new environment. I told my friends on Facebook, I’ll be traveling to London. Most of them message tagged me and said “ENJOY YOUR VACATION”…what vacation?

This London/Paris Spring Break trip has been a big multimedia boot camp and although we’re in a foreign country right now, thousands of miles away from home, I feel like I can rise to a challenge provided by my instructor or fold. I guess we shall see what my time here in London will bring....I guess for now it’s about taking this experience in for a bit but also working numerous hours to churn out something extremely wonderful. We shall wait and see…


Kim Nguyen
Broadcast Journalism

CALLING CARDS AND CALL GIRLS

I think the hardest thing in Paris as any one would assume is the language barrier. For one trying to find a café with internet connection is hard enough. I went to a couple of places that I would consider 'convenience stores.'

The first one I went into they didn’t speak English so they didn’t understand when I was asking for directions and when I was asking them for a calling card.

The third store I went into was run by an Asian family who spoke what sounded like French. Lucky for me, one of them spoke a little English because he had family living in the United States so he was able to help me get a calling card that I could use to call home. It took me awhile to understand him because of the accent but he was a big help.


Later in the day I made it to the Montmartre district of Paris. I went and saw the Moulin Rouge and on the same strip there were tons of sex shops and strip clubs. There were guys standing outside the strip clubs trying to get people to come in all while making gestures at women walking by. I am not sure what they were saying because it was in French, but it sounded like they were, I guess one would say, 'getting fresh' with them.

Liz Mitchell
Public Relations

FROM BIG BEN TO CHINATOWN

It is my second day here in London, and I have to say, I am probably in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I have never been in Europe, and everything is completely new to me.

I am definitely loving it here. The culmination of different cultures, the different types of food, all the new sites, everything!

Today, I helped Kim Nguyen, a broadcast journalism major, with her travel and tourist stories. We went from Chinatown to Big Ben in all one day. Chinatown, here, is not the like Chinatown in San Francisco. There were no oriental style buildings or signs of Chinese culture. In fact, we did not know that we were in Chinatown until we asked someone, and he replied,

"What are you talking about? You're standing in it!."

Kim and I did stumble upon a niche in the heart of Chinatown. This little square was surrounded by tall buildings housing Chinese buffet restaurants, Asian grocery stores, and gift shops. To enter the square, we had to walk underneath an Oriental arch similar to the red gates that stand out in the oceans of Japan.

After Kim shot the stories she needed, we met up with the rest of the group at Big Ben. Big Ben, is nothing like what I've seen in Peter Pan or in Hook. I never got to enter it, but it was still amazing from the outside looking up at it. The group took a photograph together, and I tried my hand at making a one-handed MySpace-like point-and-shoot shot with my DSLR, and failed, fantastically. But hey, it is still worth a keepsake with the 10 bad shots I took, so I'm not complaining.

Evening fell, and London is even more stunning. Every street is well lit with its signature globe streetlights. People are still bustling about. The city is still alive, even on a Sunday. I took a couple of shots of the scenery at night.

Finding free wireless Internet is nearly impossible here, so I'll have to keep this blog short (if it isn't long enough already).

Anyways, I gotta get back to work so I have more time to enjoy this already wonderful city.

Christian Garrucho

Photographer

Radio Television Film

My YouTube. My Flickr. My MySpace.