Weekend Updates!

Coming into the first week of December, I'm ready for busy days. I have three final papers due the week after this one and a new project at Third Sector. The papers shouldn't be too much of a hassle, but they are lengthy. My papers are:

1)British Life and Cultures- A 1500 word paper on an aspect of British history or culture. I'm doing an analysis of how Charles Dickens advocated against social ills such as poverty in Oliver Twist.

2)Media in Britain- My topic of choice is to analyze how newspapers endorse government policies based on their readers' political leanings.

3)Internship Seminar- Put the semester's papers into a lengthy analysis of how I progressed within my internship.

At Third Sector, I'm going to work on a long term project to get younger readers to use the website's job search function. The idea was mine actually. I told the web editor that college students and recent grads might find such a service useful when searching for job opportunities. The project will involve creating a Facebook group and interviewing charity officials about their current programs for students and young professionals. I'm really excited. This is reminiscent of the projects I researched and implemented at the Career Center. Unfortunately, I only have three weeks left. I hope to make some progress on the initiative.

In the meantime, I will leave you with these photos from my walk today through Kensington Gardens. Enjoy.
Memorial tree for Princess Diana

Peter Pan statue

Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

One Month Countdown: My Top Five Moments in the UK

Now that I'm one month from the end of my semester in London, I wanted to look back on some of my favorite moments here in the UK. They range from sightseeing adventures to plain old fun moments. Mind you, these are the events I'm willing to share with the general public. Enjoy! Oh, and I want to wish everyone in the States a very happy Thanksgiving holiday!

5. Bowling in Northeast London (mid-Sept). (May or not be the actual bowling alley. I got this pic off the interwebs). When in London, do as Londoners do. My roommates and close friends took this to heart when we got bored in wealthy South Kensington and decided to rough it...in a dark shady part of the city. The moment was marked when we got searched by security at the front door of the bowling alley. No problems happened but we almost were stranded afterwards when we realized the Tube was closing. A good adventure all around.

4. Manchester United get heckled (Sept. 21)
(Chelsea fans head towards the riot). Two of the UK's greatest football teams, Chelsea and Manchester United, met in late September for a friendly in the former's hometown in central London. British football fans are notorious for their hometown pride which is why Manchester players ran into trouble when the police stopped their bus right in front of the stadium. Fan frenzy soon turned to hometown pride when drinks and foodstuffs were projected at the team bus. Luckily they had the windows closed.

3. Driving to Wales (Oct. 19)

My fall break visit to Shropshire in West England led to this fun excursion. My friend Bryan was kind enough to take me on a tour of Clun Castle but the highlight came when we crossed into Wales. Where do you go when you have 30 minutes in Wales? You go to a pub of course. Needless to say, the drive back was fun.

2. Greenwich Mean Time (Oct. 10)
What began as a cheap boat tour along the Thames River resulted in a memorable day trip to the town of Greenwich. A must-see for tourists and Londoners alike, this cheerful neighborhood features fun outdoor markets, great restaurants...and the Prime Meridian line. Yes, the line dividing the eastern and western hemispheres can be found at the Greenwich Observatory. I'm on the eastern hemisphere, I'm on the western hemisphere! Of course, the trip was made more fun when tequila shots were added.

1. Auld Reekie (Oct. 22-24)
No trip to the UK is complete without an excursion into the land of haggis, kilts and Mel Gibson... uhh I mean William Wallace. My short visit to Edinburgh (previously nicknamed Auld Reekie for its smell) at the tail end of my fall break was worth a lifetime of memories and photos. Going at it alone allowed for contemplation as I took in the history and culture of this rich city. Edinburgh is excellent for tourists in boasting top of the line hostels and hotels, a variety of food options and best of all, free and inexpensive tours and attractions. Go if you have the chance.

Sightseeing in the UK: Photos!

Due to my busy schedule, I neglected putting up photos from my recent adventures. Here they are, enjoy:

1. Monday, Nov. 17- Bus tour to Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon and Warwick Castle

Standing in front of Oxford University's library.

This is William Shakespeare's birthplace in the town of Stratford upon Avon. He was born and raised here and also started his own family at this home. It is currently open for tourists.

In the town of Stratford upon Avon. They had already put up Christmas decorations!

I opted not to go inside Warwick Castle but it was great to see it up close. It certainly looked great with the cloudy weather.

Saturday, Nov. 22- The Tower of London

Here I am at the Tower of London, the legendary medieval fortress and prison. It has a long history of military action, political scandal and torture. This is where King Henry VIII got rid of his wives!

Here I am trying out an old weapon used to defend the Tower.

Another week finished...successfully

I haven’t updated in a while...been a little busy resuming my sightseeing and of course interning at Third Sector. It’s late afternoon on a Friday and as always the anticipation for the weekend is strong. This Friday is special because I believe it completes my third week at this internship. It’s amazing how time flies during the workweek...it doesn’t help that I only intern Wednesday through Friday.

I made progress on my writer’s frustration. I’ve learned to focus a little more on the important topics rather than the little details like numbers. Those can go below the meaty information that readers need to know. My supervising editor sat down with me on Wednesday and discussed some of the things I should look for when writing. He also weighed in with his own experiences of being a young journalist. He said it’s always difficult when you start at a new publication because you have to learn their style and the content they cover.

This certainly applies to me since I knew next to nothing about the UK non-profit sector when I started here. I know the basics now. One important thing I’ve realized is the strong relationship between the Third Sector and the UK Government. The government even has an influential department devoted to charities and the non-profit. The recent banking crisis put this sector in the headlines when Brown was pressured to devise a plan to alleviate financial losses to charities.

This introduction to the non-profit sector beefed up my resume for spring internships. I don’t want to give too much away at this point but I’m currently in talks to interview for The Glover Park Group. I know this public affairs firm from my work at the Career Center. They are one of the top companies in D.C. and they blend a variety of fascinating subjects: legislative affairs, advocacy, public relations, media and more. It will be great to intern within these fields in a company that is still young but already respected among its clients and power-players in Washington. This semester and this internship has given me the confidence to attack any job or internship with confidence, determination and best of all, enthusiasm.

A Writer's Frustration Part 2

Another issue that has bothered me for a while is my lack of style when it comes to writing. Some of my fellow journalism students can write with wonderful diction and prose. I don't consider myself a novice to writing. My parents drilled penmanship and thoroughness in writing since I started first grade. While most students were struggling to remember how to spell "cat" and "hat," I was trying to compose short stories and personal essays. Nevertheless, I never felt the need to pepper my writing with big words or dry wit. I believe in writing what you mean without inflating your sentences. I know others use fancy words to boost their writing cred (and ego) while others are just reflecting their true thoughts and personality. It's not a bad thing necessarily, but it's not my style.

As I progress into the writing world, through print and digital media, I suspect, however, that I am behind in writing skill. I do envy the columnist who can weave irony, depth and words like "loquacious" into a 300 word statement on knitting or globalization. Part of my problem is that writing is a terrible chore for me. Many people just write and edit later. I edit each sentence as I go along, twisting and turning each word and phrase until I feel it is coherent. As I write this now, my eyes keep scanning to the sentences above, picking out what needs to be changed. Maybe I should consider using a big word like "loquacious" in the third sentence of this paragraph. My obsessive compulsiveness is aggravated when I feel my words are childish, redundant or devoid of meaning. I usually end up trying too hard, using lame jokes and misplaced words to demonstrate my prowess in writing.

As a journalism student, I haven't had the opportunity to write with stylish prose. At The Eagle and in class, it was drilled in our heads that direct and clean sentences were the way to go. It's "A fireman died yesterday in Southeast Washington," not "A fireman exhibited altruism when he sacrificed his life in the fight against a raging blaze." No room for egos in SOC, at least not on paper. But maturity in writing is a strong tool to have and I do have a need every now and then to express my thoughts in a guest column at the Eagle, a blog post or even a cover letter. People, especially employers, often measure another person's intelligence and experience through their writing.

My solution right now will be to read voraciously. How do the pros at the NY Times or Wash. Post do it? I need to expand my world more by traveling, studying history, reading novels, watching movies, anything to stay informed of the world past and present. The more experience I have, the meatier my writing will be. But my ultimate wish is to leave behind my desire to mimic the experts and to finally find my own voice. Only then will I be a true writer.

A Writer's Frustration

The daily output of short web articles at my internship is starting to burn out. Most of my sentences are re-written so when I come in every morning I hardly recognize the articles I toil over for hours. I respect the editor's decision to make those changes but it leaves me frustrated that I can't put together a perfect piece. I've been writing for campus publications since high school but I can't seem to hack it at my first professional news job.

I recognize some of my mistakes. I often don't put the newsworthy information at the top or in the lead. It irks me that I can write and re-write and still end up with these simple mistakes. Fortunately, my editors have been patient with me but I think I'm going to ask for extra help in writing.

Part of the reason I feel so bad is because the problem has humbled me a lot. I came into this internship with a lot of confidence related to my years of experience. I had courage in doing phone interviews the first day and collaborating with my co-workers. I haven't felt ashamed of my American accent or lack of knowledge about the non-profit sector. Now I feel a little smaller. Maybe I am still a student and a novice in the journalism world. My Dad said an interesting thing in an email recently: "Make each day better than yesterday." I will take his advice and learn from my mistakes rather than crumble under the pressure.

OBAMA'S VICTORY: ACCOMPLISHING THE IMPOSSIBLE

America was ready for Obama. Is Obama ready to fix America? (Photo courtesy of State.com)

I have a confession to make. The past two years I had trouble believing Barack Obama could get elected President. I thought a newcomer to politics with an exotic Arabic name couldn’t possibly be accepted in post-Sept. 11 America. Americans couldn’t even trust a decorated Vietnam vet like John Kerry because he seemed, as Bill Maher put it, “too French.” Adding to the Illinois senator's obstacles were the slew of high-profile candidates from both parties: Giuliani, Clinton, McCain and even Law and Order star Fred Thompson.

On the 28th of January 2008, I had the opportunity to hear Obama speak at American University. I waited for an hour and half in Bender Arena after standing in a line that stretched several miles down Massachusetts Avenue. This was the event in which Ted Kennedy gave him his formal endorsement. As I watched Obama at the podium, he seemed tired but his voice was steady as he outlined his goals for America. It was a surreal moment and it was hard to believe that I might be watching the next president of the United States.

As the race continued, Obama cleared each seemingly impossible hurdle from the Iowa primaries to the Democratic nomination to the onslaught of rumors and innuendos from the McCain camp. Nevertheless, a little voice in my head said it was too good to be true. The first black President. A distinguished Harvard Law grad calling for an end to the Iraq War, a more responsible method of foreign relations and a tax system that seeks to bridge the gap between low-income and wealthy Americans.

This explains my subdued reaction on election night. Sitting in my flat at 2 am I watched the electoral votes pour towards Obama. Even as his victory became apparent, I still suspected McCain would catch up at some point. It didn’t dawn on me what happened until the next morning as I picked up the newspaper at my internship. Obama had been elected president in the biggest electoral landslide in modern American history. I saw photos in the newspapers of people in Kenya, Japan and Chicago jumping up and down in sheer jubilation. It reminded me of the ending to Independence Day when the alien ships are finally shot down and people across the world celebrate. Equally as interesting were the long lines of Americans, including working class black and Hispanics, at polling stations. It was the biggest turnout in 100 years.


Obama's half brother Malik is carried in celebration through the village of Kogelo in Kenya. (Photo courtesy of Huffington Post)

I had a tear in my eye at this point. Not only because Obama won but because Americans had come together in a shared belief that he could help our country. The world was nodding its approval, still feeling the sting of the market collapse and the failed War on Terror. Not since Sept. 11, 2001 had Americans and people across the world united to that extent. Something on planet earth has to change and Barack Obama would be the man to lead us into the 21st century.

Sadly, the honeymoon will be over soon and we must use this unity against the Obama administration. With our renewed power as American citizens, not puppet voters, it is imperative to demand the most out of our new president as well as the Democratic Congress. They face insurmountable odds the next four years: repairing the economy, concluding the Iraq War, fighting global terrorism, curbing global warming and the list goes on and on.

Regardless of the outcome, Obama has reminded Americans and people across the world that hard work, determination and unity really make a difference. If we apply these values to terrorism, the environment and the market economy, maybe those odds are not so insurmountable after all. I had desired the elation that other Obama supporters felt for him but all along I should’ve relied on my own courage and hard work. This new perspective can be summarized in a quote from one of his speeches last February:

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

ELECTION NIGHT!

This is the most anticipated evening of the year, possibly in modern American history. In the UK, Brits and American ex-patriates are packing into pubs to watch the coverage on TV. The excitement is just as palpable here as I assume it is in the U.S.

At my internship, co-workers want to know who I'm voting for and what I think of Obama. British newspapers have devoted their front pages and considerable print space to the election. They depict the election as an epic showdown, not only between Obama and McCain but between progressive and traditional ideologies. British people are overwhelmingly for Obama, so much that left-of-center newspaper The Guardian was unashamed to put an attractive photo of Obama on their front page next to an uber-comical photo of McCain gritting his teeth and waving his fist.

My mom's friend, a UK resident, expressed her views bluntly in an e-mail: "...we hope Obama will make a bonfire of the Republicans and burn effigies of McCain and Sarah Palin like Guy Fawkes on 5th November."

News services are reporting that Americans are turning out in record numbers. Over 1,000 Penn State students lined up this morning to vote. Virginia is suffering from polling station problems because of the turnout. In short, this election is historic and the next 10 hours, maybe less, will be nothing less than suspenseful and gripping. Hollywood thrillers be damned.

I'm not sure how late I will be up. Ideally, I would live blog this entire election night. I have internship tomorrow morning and I didn't get much sleep last night due to class assignments due.

I'm in the living room of my flat with some fellow students, watching the coverage on BBC 1. As of now, 1 am UK time, 8 pm US eastern time, Obama has taken off in the initial results. He has around 60 to McCain's 23 in electoral votes. He has substantial leads in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and (GASP!) West Virginia.

Good luck America...



Barack Obama is ready for the fight but...

.
...you can't keep John McCain down.