A HISTORY LESSON

Thursday, 26 2009

I had another long day working with Kim Nguyen on a broadcast story and I filmed some pretty good content. The story turned out to be more than interesting and relevant to the economy, but I was expecting to do more hard-impact stories that spoke of the ugliness of the economic situation in Europe. Regardless, I enjoy, more than ever, working as a journalist.

The restaurant we covered, Foyer Vietnam, filled up with students and other local Parisians within twenty minutes of opening their doors. I felt an overwhelming warmth and coziness while we were filming and doing interviews, but it could have been the great French wine that the owner insisted I try. Either way I felt welcomed and honored to be there. Everyone was very hospitable and I think the story will turn out great.

It was also interesting to see the students and teachers interacting together in a social environment. When I asked if it was common I was told that the professors in Paris look after their students like family and often go out to eat together. It’s not uncommon to find them drinking together at night as well.

For those of you who haven’t read up on international conflict and history, there is a strong connection between France and Vietnam. Long before the U.S. made it’s presence known in the beautiful Southeast Asian Country, Vietnam was under French rule. The Vietnam War, as it’s known in the U.S., took place after the Vietnamese fought a long and bloody war of independence. When they finally gained their freedom from France, fueled by socialist ideas, the U.S. stepped in and tried to impose capitalistic ideas. The clash became a tragic war lasting over a decade and remains a dark cloud in the history of U.S. foreign policy, at least from my perspective.

Overall it was a productive day and I learned a lot about what it takes to get a strong broadcast story. Comparatively speaking, it seemed like it took longer that a traditional print story and it will probably have less information when it’s put together because of the time restraints. If I can, or if I think it will help the story, I’ll add some photos and written content.

John Ellis
Print Journalism

PUNK'D BY THE FRANCAIS

03-24-09

My first night in the beautiful city of Paris was extremely memorable not only because I was overwhelmed by the scenery, but because I was a victim of a French prankster.

A handful of our group dined out at a fondue restaurant near Notre Dame and got real taste of what France had to offer.

Suzanne Yada and I, being the daring individuals that we are, tried escargot for the first time. The French couple sitting behind us were amused when watching Suzanne fling shells across the table as they slipped out of the grip of the prongs.

Our garçon seemed frustrated as he watched us Americans struggle to get the snail out of its shell. He disappeared to the back of the restaurant, returned with a metal hammer and bludgeoned the shell in front of me. The garçon presented me with the snail's meat and I was surprised how delicious it tasted.

After finishing our authentic French cuisine, we put together 116 Euros to pay the bill. We set the bill on the side of the table and all of a sudden a man grabbed the Euros and ran out the door.

Everyone was confused and thought we got robbed and I was so afraid we were gonna have to pay again or wash dishes in the back to cover our meal. But the act was a prank and the man who grabbed the Euros was the owner of the restaurant.

Bursting in laughter he walked back into the restaurant and asked: "What would you have done if someone really did that?" I didn't have an answer to that question but the whole table breathed a sigh of relief that the robbery was only a prank.

I need to be more aware of my surroundings while in a foreign country and try not to get punk'd again during the rest of my stay in Paris.

Brielle Washington

WILD GOOSE CHASE IN LEICESTER SQUARE

I know there’s constant rejection in journalism whether it is in employment or story ideas, etc. But, today was filled with more rejection than I anticipated and made me realize how much harder the task at hand will be.

Being the worst and most directionally-challenged person at home in the United States, I knew finding my way in a foreign country was going to be damn near impossible. That wasn’t a surprise. But, when we are on a time limit to get our things done, not knowing where to go made me reach a higher level of frustration than normal.

Carlos A. Moreno, the photographer, two reporters Heather Nacht and Heather Driscoll and I could not figure out which tube to take to get from Westminster to South Kensington and from there to Leicester Square. After about half an hour, we figured it out and were on our way.

Right away, Carlos and I knew we had to get to business and find the restaurants for our story based on how restaurants are being affected by the economy.

The first restaurant we decided to use for our story declined any interview. Okay, that was one. Onto the next. The next one was another bust and by the third bust, I grew nervous. What restaurant would allow us to do both interviews and photos?

The fourth restaurant, a pub-grub kind of place, was a success at last. But, after some interviews and pictures, they seemed ready to get us out of there. I stepped out and waited for Carlos. Just a short while later he came out and let me know that they had asked him to leave. I wondered why it was such a big deal that he take some pictures but apparently it is a big deal in London because that was the primary hesitation for a lot of restaurant employees and managers.

It was either we were rejected for both interviews and photos at some places or just photos.

We received more rejection than approvals but we managed to score a handful of interviews and Carlos was able to get some photos. We also did some “man on the street”-type interviews asking people about their take on food and the economy but many declined to speak and/or have their photo taken.

After about four hours of walking and countless instances of being turned away, we were exhausted. But, I was happy that we came away with something.

Now I have also learned that doing this entire running around in high-heeled boots is probably not the wisest idea. So, tomorrow for round two of the chase in Leicester Square, I’ll definitely be wearing my sneakers.

Samantha Rivera
Magazine Journalism