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My peers are preventing my French….how school is getting in the way of my learning. (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:43:15 +0200

This morning I woke to a loud banging on my wooden door. Not a pleasant sound at 7 a.m. and even less pleasant when I was supposed to be in the car at 7:05 a.m. I threw on some clothes and my glasses and ran barefoot across the pebble yard to the main house. “So [...]

This morning I woke to a loud banging on my wooden door. Not a pleasant sound at 7 a.m. and even less pleasant when I was supposed to be in the car at 7:05 a.m.

I threw on some clothes and my glasses and ran barefoot across the pebble yard to the main house.

“So sorry my alarm didn’t go off,” I explained to the Marie, Roland and Claire who were congregated in the kitchen.

“It’s ok. Michel is taking Lucy to school at 8,” Marie replied.

The rest of the morning I was frazzled as Marie showed me to the breakfast supplies, sketched directions on a hand-drawn map, and piled into the car with head-phone wearing Lucy and non-English speaking Michel.

By 8:50 I was entering a 10 ft wooden door to the Alliance Francais for my 9 a.m. French course.

We students (about 8 of us) sat silently, stealing glances at one another, while Karen Ayraout, our professor, ran in and out with papers and books.

After the introductions — the group is Chinese, Austrian, Swedish, English and Portuguese; all female; and mostly au pairs — we studied until 1 p.m. Professor Ayraout was great and I felt like my French actually improved during her four-hour class, but I had been corralled by the three other au pairs, all of whom spoke fluent English (one was From Manchester, another from Austria and the third from Sweden), and invited to lunch and a brief tour of the city.

The trio is very nice, very young (18 and 19) and not as dedicated to a complete French immersion as me — as in the entire afternoon we spoke in English against my better judgement. The English girl, who is tall with huge Texan-style blond hair and was wearing a big black bow in her headband and short-shorts and a tiny tank top, reminds me of a barby doll. She likes to talk in English loudly and isn’t really cut out for any adverse city situation. The other two, also blonds, are very nice but far more timid and quiet.

Don’t get me wrong, I really like them and I loved having people to lunch with and tour parts of Marseille, but I’m here to learn the language and that isn’t going to happen when I’m speaking English all day. They’ve already decided that we will have this rendez-vous after every class (Monday and Tuesday), and as soon as possible we should all go out on the weekend (I have babysitting duty this Saturday…). We are now Facebook friends, which could make this post dangerous, and soon we will exchange cell phone numbers, DNA samples and wear lockets that are broken hearts that we can all share…now I’m just being silly.

I enjoy company, but they need a big sister who can protect them from the big city and I guess I was anonymously nominated.

More than anything, I’m concerned I’m letting my french go bit by bit.

At home I speak a lot of English because, well, that is what I was hired to do. I’m practicing English with Francois and Claire. I could be speaking French with the rest of the family, but they are all fluent English speakers who often don’t have the time or patience to listen to my stammering French and switch to English.

Eight hours of French lessons a week aren’t going to make much difference if I’m not using the language.

This is why I’m being so scrappy about my free time after school. I’m afraid that in 12 months all I will have to show for my time in France is a few superficial friends and a diploma for completing level one, which doesn’t require an exam to advance.

Sorry girls if you read this, I haven’t been in a very good mood today.

My First Night in France (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:38:47 +0200

My first night in France was great. I was excited to be here and feeling fairly confident after retrieving some dusty vocab from my memory stacks and (more or less) successfully using it to speak with two French girls on the train. Communication became a bit more difficult once I arrived to the Grenets’ (my host [...]

Marie, my host mom, and Francois, the 14-year-old son, picked me up from the train station and from there my English began polluting my French (not that it was that clear to begin with). But now I was communicating with people whose opinion of me mattered [to me] and I struggled.

I worked through dinner, listening and attempting to engage the family in conversation. But let’s just say I have a long way to go. The whole family of five (there is a fourth child who is 21 and lives and studies in Paris) is fluent in English, which is both helpful and debilitating to my French skills.

Dinner was delicious. A very important factor since I will mostly be eating at home for the year. Marie made a fresh salad with greens from the garden, a thick tomato sauce topped with fried eggs and cheese, baguette, cheese and wine.

No matter how this au pair job goes, I have no fear of starving. The house’s two refrigerators, two freezers, and giant walk-in food pantry (it is a whole room attached to the kitchen) are well stocked. There is always a fresh French baguette in the bread basket, loads of cheeses and yogurt including goat, hundreds of tea and coffee options, two bottles of chilled water and two of wine, pounds of salmon, beef, chicken and game birds, every pasta and grain known to man and an ongoing supply of fresh produce from the garden.

The house and grounds are large enought to accomodate such a kitchen and it’s contents.

The home was built in the 16th century and has two levels of high ceiling, thick cement walls (the wireless internet can only work in one room because it can penetrate the walls) and giant wooden doors with large brass door knockers and handles. Much of the furniture looks antique and the floor to ceiling curtains are rich, heavy floral fabrics in burgundy. There is a fireplace, brass and gold mirrors and artwork on the walls and piles of books and magazines (French and English)

The property itself is closed in with high cement walls and a gate. There isn’t grass, but the whole property is covered in small rocks– it is very dry here and before the ground was raw and dusty. High, manicured bushes run along paths that lead to the horses (there are three, two large white Spanish horses with thick necks and long manes, and one brown pony) and riding corrals and the garden. Michel, a man in his early 60s, lives on the property and manages the grounds and drive the kids to and from school everyday. Annie, the housekeeper, works Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Wednesdays when she does the ironing from her home. An elderly man cares for the garden (Michel is his overseer), but I’ve yet to meet him (I’ve enjoyed the fruits of his labor though!).

My personal living space is in a building across from the main house. I have a queen bed, bathroom, flat screen (that is currently out-of-order), and I can make tea and coffee with my electric water heater. Michel lives next door to me and Roland, my host dad, also has his office on the opposite side of Michel. Attached to Roland’s office is a two-story library with books in French, English, German, Italian, Latin, Greek and Chinese.

There is a lot of stuff in the house, but it makes the home comfortable.

There are a lot of rules and routines I’m trying to remember, for example Marie has a few favorite mugs that I’m not to use and the kids (12 and 14) aren’t allowed to swim in the pool (which is in the back of the house with a large terrace) without supervision.

I’m starting French classes, and getting into the swing of things. I’m learning to live comfortably in this foreign space.

the secret of u.s. friendships (i am erican sequel)

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:39:05 +0200

it's been mostly a mystery to me how u.s.-americans form lasting friendships beyond "how are you"s and a rather opportunistic party culture in which it's okay to cancel a couple of hours before a birthday celebration that was agreed upon weeks ago.

not having found an answer yet despite observations and experiences for about 4 1/2 years i most often have thought it's due to my different socialization in germany.

turns out it might not be me but the us-americans as an insightful article by daniel akst in the wilson quarterly published this summer 2010 contends.

america: land of loners? he asks, providing quantitative and qualitative answers woven together to show the state of friendship in the (dis)united states of america:

"In a separate study, Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, authors of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives (2009), surveyed more than 3,000 randomly chosen Americans and found they had an average of four “close social contacts” with whom they could discuss important matters or spend free time. But only half of these contacts were solely friends; the rest were a variety of others, including spouses and children.

Here, as on so many fronts, we often buy what we need. The affluent commonly hire confidants in the form of talk therapists, with whom they may maintain enduring (if remunerated) relationships conducted on a first-name basis. The number of household pets has exploded throughout the Western world, suggesting that not just dogs but cats, rats, and parakeets are often people’s best friends. John Cacioppo, a University of Chicago psychologist who studies loneliness, says he’s convinced that more Americans are lonely—not because we have fewer social contacts, but because the ones we have are more harried and less meaningful."

akst contemplates different influences on the decline of deeper friendship in the usa such as the tradition of the country to hail the single hero(ine) and self-reliance, frequent moving and career choices, divorce, and in the case of men a fear of being seen as gay.

akst's analytical amalgam is worth reading for any alien who's been pondering about friendship us-american style.

schultüte für studentInnen/a scattered school cone/ (i am erican sequel)

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:00:11 +0200

see my proud collection of college paraphernalia! in contrast to germany, it`s not the first graders in the usa who receive a cornucopia of tools, treats, and sweets upon entering school. it`s the college kids who rake in utensils and free gadgets during the first days of the school year. it doesn't matter if you're undergrad or grad.

the convenient abbreviations, by the way, refer to students seeking a bachelors degree on one hand and master and phd titles on the other.

in germany so called Einschulung [the very first day of school in your life] is celebrated just once ever. in the us of a, every year in college seems to start with a celebration. there's free food, little gifts, parties.

my photo mostly just presents the common collection of pens every club, crowd, and college distributes for practical propaganda: the lgbt(q) office [= advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer community - i learnt it's not okay to say homosexual anymore], the sexucal assault response and prevention program, the student union, the graduate school, info experts 24/7, the univesity health center, you name it. well, except for the somewhat transparent bigger pen toward the right. take a guess! of course, you can't sanitaze hands often enough. a spritz here and there from this magic pen will keep every turtle [the mascot of the university of maryland] healthy.

there was not enough room on my table but my collection also includes a big black and green bag, a travel mug, a plastic pouch with hankerchiefs to go, a yo-yo, coasters, adhesive window stickers, and booklets over brochures.

perishable items included sandwiches, wraps, potato chips, chicken legs, cookies, bagels, muffins, orange juice, water, and coffee. all hosts offered vegetarian versions, too.

so after a first week of celebrations & scattered cornucupia contents is was just appropriate that with labor day a three-day weekend came along to digest the goodies!

labor day -- the end of summer & job illusions (i am erican sequel)

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:59:11 +0200

remember a year ago, i was writing about my confusion about keeping track of holidays in two countries.

another one has settled in to give us-americans one of the typical three-day weekends for the country. tomorrow is labor day and it made me think of two things.

first, it's a somewhat eerie day here as many us-americans are dealing with a serious bout of unemployment, something a lot of people in this country are not used to. but double-digit percentages of unemployed have brought woes of how to pay for the house, how to feed kids, and how to find another job to the forefront of social discourse.

by the way, Langzeitarbeitslose are called "discouraged workers". (too bad that sometime just a bit of us-style can-do encouragement doesn't fix the problem.)

as an east german i grew up with the ghost of unemployment that settled in the region after the german reunion. during high school we all thought we wouldn't get a place in a university program of our choice or an apprenticeship to later get a job. it worked out in the end but fear fed our work for good grades. after all, parents and relatives lost jobs. everyone knew someone.

during university we all thought we won't get a job. sudden panic attacks happened. unpaid internships discouraged job positions in the future. after wrestling through thesis time, sooner or later, all friends i know of found a job or alternatively phd program. a couple of friends wrote applications for about a year and/or survived through multiple internships. others had to register for unemployment even if just briefly. yet others were scrampling for scholarships and funding to finance their research. nobody has taken their job or program for granted. after all, some of the unemployed we knew of never found a job again.

back in the us of a, people tell me labor day stands for the end of summer. but with an average temperature around 90 degree F [30 degree C] forecast for the coming week in dc this is hard to believe. past year in the capital, i wore short sleeves into november. a friend from texas says dito for her state.

so while i've developed an awareness of when us-specific holidays occur, they often make me think of my foreigness because i don't get it. asking around i learnt that labor day weekend is also the last occasion to barbeque for the year. where people barbeque i don't know; everyone seems to have left the city. but mayhaps, a party outside consoles for the labor ahead in stuffy offices and classrooms. that is, until thanksgiving break beckons with more celebration in just about three months.

but maybe it's time to subsitute labor day with unemployment day. i think a lot of people could relate no matter where they're from.

A long day – 4 hours on trains and 11 hours in a car – following a very short night – 2 hours of sleep. (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:02:20 +0200

At 3 a.m. I gathered my belongings; Felix packed me two sandwiches with wheat bread and veggie spread, a pear and a banana, at headed to the train station. For 4 a.m. on a Saturday morning the train station was fairly respectable. The two drunks snored lightly on opposing benches, a few bakers were preparing [...]

At 3 a.m. I gathered my belongings; Felix packed me two sandwiches with wheat bread and veggie spread, a pear and a banana, at headed to the train station.

For 4 a.m. on a Saturday morning the train station was fairly respectable. The two drunks snored lightly on opposing benches, a few bakers were preparing for the day and a man paced back and forth from the information board and the ticket machine. I found a middle-aged woman and a young man to share my Bayern ticket, which reduced the cost from 20 Euros to 7, and at 4:42 a.m. I was on my way to Munich.

Since I only slept two hours the night before (I couldn’t get to sleep until well after 1 a.m. and I did not trust the alarm clock) I looked forward to my two-hour train ride nap, but anticipation kept me awake and I read “On the Road” by Jack Kerouc, and ate one of my sandwiches, instead.

The train coughed me onto platform 25 at 7 a.m. and I bought a coffee-to-go from a neighboring convenience store, while waiting and watching for my rideshare folks to arrive.

I was looking left toward the creamers, sugars and tiny wooden stirrers, when from the right I heard a hesitant “Jeanna?”

I turned to meet a lovely blond German girl about my height and size with bright brown eyes and a black jumper over a black and white striped shirt. “Melanie?” I replied.

Melanie and her boyfriend Daniel, who is over 6’3’’ blond and thin (a very German-looking man), were driving from Munich to the southern border of France and Spain or a two-week holiday, and I was paying them 60 Euros to take me with them as far as Orange, France.

Rebecca, another tall blond German, was riding with us too for the first three hours to Freisburg, but she didn’t say much, and didn’t talk to me at all, so I don’t have much to say about her.

The trip was enjoyable.

After we left Rebecca I had the whole backseat of Daniel’s BMW to myself and the three of us could chatter away in English without fear of being rude (I don’t think Rebecca spoke much, or if she did she didn’t like to.).

We listened to music, talked about the war in Iraq, recycling and McDonalds. Melanie was having her monthly craving for a big Mac and around 2 p.m. we stopped at a crowded McDonalds near Lyon, France. (I’m amazed at McDonalds’ ability to localize. FYI a French McDonalds is tres chic and they have Petite salade (little salads) and petit sandwich (small sandwich) and multiple coffee choices.)

The eleven-hour car ride ended for me at 6 p.m. at the train station in Orange, France, which is a couple hours from Marseille.

Melanie, Daniel and I said goodbye, promised to find one another on Facebook and Melanie took a photo of the two of us.

I bought my train ticket, in French, phoned a couchsurfer that I wouldn’t be staying at his place in Orange because I was catching a 7:30 p.m. train to Marseille (no problems there), and met Jane, a hippie woman from the UK who was waiting for a bus to take her to a grape-picking job.

I drank a coffee and Jane drank a beer and two wines (maybe there is a problem there?), while we waited for our train and bus.

I moved to platform one, 25 minutes early, and met Sarah and Neibla, two French girls dressed to hit some clubs in Marseille. We talked, in French, until the train came and continued during the 1.5 hour trip to the city. The girls applied more eyeliner and perfumes, and Sarah told me about her difficulties juggling two boyfriends. They helped me with my French and gave me their cell numbers. Nice girls who even insisted on helping me carry my luggage even though they had five inch high heals and polished nails.

Marie, my host mom, and Francois, the 14-year-old boy I will be working with, found me and soon we were jetting out of the city toward their 16^th century home in Aubagne, a 15 minute drive out of Marseille’s city center.

Dinner was waiting….

Did I grow up twiddling my thumbs or eating mud pies? Why does everyone seem to know more than me… (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:53:44 +0200

Last night I went to a German house party and it’s a good thing I’ve learned to check my pride at the door, because these Europeans didn’t even need to brag to humble me. The 20 or so party attendees, ranging in their early 20s, could all speak flawless English, in addition to German and [...]

Last night I went to a German house party and it’s a good thing I’ve learned to check my pride at the door, because these Europeans didn’t even need to brag to humble me.

The 20 or so party attendees, ranging in their early 20s, could all speak flawless English, in addition to German and in most cases a third language, had traveled extensively and could still have educated discussions on the Beatles, the Rolling stones, and politics past and present, while consuming enough alcohol and cigarettes to make any blue-blooded Bavarian proud. I was impressed.

Around 9 p.m. Felix’s friends Roman and Katie picked us up and when we entered the host’s house ten minutes later the party was in full swing. Two girls were working around the kitchen preparing loads of pasta and salad, a group of men and women were sitting on chairs, couches and pillows all arranged in a circle around a coffee table littered with bottles and ashtrays in the living room, and small groups of two to three were standing about holding glasses of wine. Chatter and laughter were abound and everyone was incredibly kind and accommodating to my language barrier and cultural ignorance. I made the mistake of wishing Lucas an early happy birthday, which apparently is very bad luck.

But I was the new face in the crowd, and a foreigner, giving me added appeal, and I had no problem finding people to hang-out with all night. Two characters, Andy and Lucas, were especially entertaining and they handled all rolling of cigarettes and opening of beer bottles, so I didn’t have to prove myself incapable (I can’t roll and they were using lighters to open the bottles, which I’ve not mastered).

An old record player filled the house with music and the night rolled on until after 2 a.m.

My mission to Marseille continues (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:48:05 +0200

Wow, I sincerely thought it would be significantly easier to get from lower Bavaria, Germany to Marseille, France. Plane tickets are outrageously high, floating between 400 and 900 euros, and direct rail tickets are either 1. nonexistent or 2. too expensive to warrant the rail changes and confusion that I would certainly experience. I’m reverting [...]

I’m reverting to what I know to help me: the kindness of my fellow-man. Forget trains and planes because ridesharing is more affordable and convenient, as long as someone is going in your direction and you can be flexible with the dates and times of departure and arrival.

I found a German couple on Mitfahreglegenheit, a German ride share site, going from Munich, two hours from Passau where I’m staying at Felix’s, to southern France, which is close enough (50 km) to where I need to land. From there I will have to either hitch or find a public bus or train to get take me the final leg to Aubagne, the town 15 km outside of Marseille where I will be living for the next year.

The only thing this plan sacrifices is a timely arrival in Aubagne (I believe I will get there Saturday between 10 p.m. and midnight), and therefore not the most positive first impression on my host family. I hope I can come across as resourceful and not flighty.

I walked to Austria and ran to Germany (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:29:48 +0200

Felix met me at the train station, put my stuff in his car, and toured me around Passau. “I wish I could tell you more about my city, but that building’s old, that’s old [pointing to another building decorated with art] and something probably happened during the medieval times, but I don’t know anything,” he [...]

Click to view slideshow.Felix met me at the train station, put my stuff in his car, and toured me around Passau.

“I wish I could tell you more about my city, but that building’s old, that’s old [pointing to another building decorated with art] and something probably happened during the medieval times, but I don’t know anything,” he admitted.

It was raining and cold and after an hour of walking around we drove to his family’s 250 year old farmhouse 10 km outside the city. The house has been under repair for a few months and feels like a construction site. We made pasta and coffee to ward off the cold, which permeated the stripped walls and windows.

The sun started to break through the gray clouds and we drove 10 minutes to the Austrian border. On foot we crossed the bridge, walked around the village, and returned to Germany. We toured around, driving through the rolling farmlands that remind me so much of Ohio, expect all the cars are tiny, the roads can barely fit one car let along two and between cornfields are sunflower fields. Homes are all off white with red tiles roofs and ivy climbing up the sides. Ice cream is still very popular with people, but it’s far too cold for me to consider indulging in the frozen dessert. Felix and I bought chocolate instead.

I was slightly disappointed by the yellow medieval castles we saw, because I expected something imposing and gothic from a fairy tale with huge stone towers and a dungeon, but these looked more like a giant monastery on a hill.

We parked at another bridge that connected Austria with Germany and this time I walked across to Austria and then ran back across to Germany, just to say I’d been there twice.

We polished off the night with a few Bavarian beers in Felix:s barn/wine cellar with his friend Alex.

I don’t learn a lot of history of the region with Felix, but we have fun.

I hate traveling with a lot of stuff. (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:26:20 +0200

My pre-au pair plans are working themselves out progressively. This morning I’m taking the 11:24 a.m. train from Regensburg to Passau. Then I will decide how to get to France. My host family, the Grenets, would like me to arrive in Marseille, France on Friday, September 3, in the afternoon. If I travel by public [...]

My pre-au pair plans are working themselves out progressively. This morning I’m taking the 11:24 a.m. train from Regensburg to Passau. Then I will decide how to get to France.

My host family, the Grenets, would like me to arrive in Marseille, France on Friday, September 3, in the afternoon. If I travel by public transportation it may take more than one day and it will require changing trains a few times and finding a place to stay in either a German or French border town. Hopping along for a few days wouldn’t be a bad option except I have two suitcases and a backpack to lug around.

When I was pulling my luggage between Kate’s apartment and the train station (about a 10 minute walk) I was trying, unsuccessfully, to stay on the narrow cobblestone sidewalk and not in the bike lane. One of my bags would have been fine, but having two posed a spatial problem and a woman on a bicycle yelled at me in German, which I couldn’t understand but her tone conveyed the message. The tiny wheels on the suitcases were obnoxiously protesting against the uneven street stone and attracting disapproving stares. I attracted more attention than a girl who had her shaved head dyed in a leopard print.

I’m not looking forward to a repeat performance or chasing down train whilst loaded with my luggage, but I will if it is the cheapest option. I pick pennies before pride.

I will keep you posted on my progress to Marseille…

I’m ready to get settled and started with my life as an au pair. I’ve enjoyed vagabonding around and living nomadically, but establishing a community will be a nice change of pace. In addition to adding routine to my life, I hope the added income will enhance my pathetic bank account, which is looking particularly sad after the exchange rate here in Europe bit me from behind.

I start language classes on Monday morning at 9 a.m. with the French alliance academy in Marseille. It would benefit me to spend hours upon hours studying for entertainment because apparently I’m every bit as bad as I suspected. The language school sent my placement test results and I’m a level A2 on a scale from A1 through C2 — one up from the bottom. I have a long way to go, but I’ll get there.

France, I’m on my way.

What a way to go (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:21:31 +0200

Before I left Ohio I made an effort to see as many family and friends as possible. During the final three days I had a breakfast, lunch and dinner engagement with different people. It was a busy time of farewells that were emotional and encouraging. My last supper was with my dad’s side of the family. We went to a local restaurant at 5 p.m. (early so I could pack after), took over a long table and enjoyed eating fried steak with onion rings and French fries. My heart was drowning in cholesterol but my soul was happy to be surrounded by loved ones. Each of them took time out from their busy lives to celebrate this chapter of mine and I appreciate their support, love and worry.

Our lives absorb us before the tears have dried, and once the going is gone it’s easy to settle into routine and day-to-day living again. I guess goodbyes are hard because deep down we all know that anything is possible, good and bad, and none of us is promised tomorrow. What if this is our ultimate goodbye? It usually isn’t and in the grand scheme of things one year isn’t much at all. I have been away from home more than present for the past four years and I’ve always made it back. I have to believe that out of sight appeases the “being gone” pain, but doesn’t mean out of mind. There is no way to stay in constant contact with everyone and I trust that we are on each other’s hearts even when we don’t take the time to write an email or drop a line on Facebook. (I trust people read these blog posts even when I don’t receive comments:)

This is a tribute to all the goodbyes shared and those constant unspoken thoughts of one another.

Meeting Munich (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:33:09 +0200

At 9:45 a.m. I hustled to the train station to catch the train to Munich. The sky was gray and rain was forecasted, so I ran back to the Kate’s apartment to grab an umbrella, which left me 10 minutes to walk to the station, a 10 minute trip if I knew exactly where [...]

At 9:45 a.m. I hustled to the train station to catch the train to Munich.

The sky was gray and rain was forecasted, so I ran back to the Kate’s apartment to grab an umbrella, which left me 10 minutes to walk to the station, a 10 minute trip if I knew exactly where I was going and didn’t need to buy a ticket.

I made it to the station with one minute to maneuver my way through the ticket dispenser’s German instructions (I didn’t discover until later that the machines can be switched to English).

A middle-aged Turkish man approached me as I was staring dumbly at the machine, “Are you going to Munich?” he asked first in German and then in English after I gave him my “I’m sorry. English?” apology.

He had a bayern ticket, which covers up to five people and costs 28 euros regardless if one or five people use it. Everyone using the ticket pays about 5.50 euros. He wanted to know if I would wait for the next train arriving at 10:45 a.m., and we could find three other people to share the ticket with us. I agreed, my train was pulling away during our 30 second conversation anyway, and it didn’t take us long to find a German woman and a Ghanaian man to join our ticket. Our eclectic group chatted about American films, Victor, the Turk, loved Al Pacino.

“Al Pacino put his sugar in his coffee like this [demo], so I put my sugar in my coffee like that too,” Victor said.

At 12:30 p.m. I was walking out of the Munich Central Station into a windy wet city center. Mother nature didn’t disappoint and it continued to rain with powerful gusts of wind all day.

I hid in a cafe for an hour. It was an elegant place with red fabric chairs which rounded backs, white wood floors, chandeliers and a view of the city center. The crowd was gray-haired and newcomers looking to sit and enjoy a dessert and coffee eyed the three empty chairs at my table with hunger. I knew I found a gem because the place was packed. (I had seen a sign pointing to a staircase in an ally and decided to check it out.)

Warmed and caffeinated I took on the rain again. I plowed on through sites and streets, soggy jeans and map in tow and visited the original Haufbrahous, the English Garden and the Viktualien Market.

I visited posh designer streets and walked into a store where the clerk continued her phone conversation without acknowledging me, so I didn’t feel bad about using her place as an escape from the weather and leaving a trail of water.

Main areas were busy with human traffic and like most cities everyone was walking with purpose and couldn’t be bothered to share a smile. It was a beautiful city with old gothic buildings, giant clock towers and modern installation art all sharing streets. It’s hard to find the essence of a city in one day, but I discovered charming spots like the beautiful tree-lined English Garden that spans over 900 acres and has a river dam where guys were surfing in wet suits.

I drank a lot of great coffee in cafes because I could never find any public restrooms, a catch 22 because coffee is a diuretic.

The best part was the train in and out of the city because I was able to get to know some locals.

On the way back to Regensburg I bought a bayern ticket and found four people to share it with me. I managed the machine, thanks to a German woman, and started multiple awkward conversations by lingering near the ticket machines and asking everyone who approached if they were going toward Regensburg, basically I just said “Regensburg?” and hoped they knew English. I met a first-year university student who is studying social work, a mom and daughter who’d spent the day together and a few friends heading home. A lot of people weren’t going my way, but they appreciated me asking.

I made it back to Kate’s at 9 p.m. and we ordered pizza while I removed my soggy shoes and thawed my toes.

Tomorrow I’m traveling southeast to another corner of Bavaria: Passau to stay with a friend Felix, whom I met while I was traveling in New Zealand last year. I will stay with his family at their country home and then leave for France on Thursday or Friday.

I’m excited to complete my varied German Bavarian experience: old city (Regensburg), big city (Munich) and country (Felix’s farm in Passau).

Dult Festival (Oktoberfest Preview) (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:45:45 +0200

A glass mug, commonly found in Munich beer gardens, known as the Mass Krug or the Seidel “steins” holds 1 litre of beer. Kate and I splurged and road the “rollercoaster” ride for 2.50 euros apiece. The spinning vortex-like motion held us in our seats sans harnesses.

A fellow festival goer wearing the traditional Bavarian dress, the dirndl, and I enjoy massive glasses of German Beer (a mass) inside a beer tent.

: A glass mug, commonly found in Munich beer gardens, known as the Mass Krug or the Seidel “steins” holds 1 litre of beer.

: Kate and I splurged and road the “rollercoaster” ride for 2.50 euros apiece. The spinning vortex-like motion held us in our seats sans harnesses.

First full day in Europe: Regensburg, Germany (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:30:34 +0200

The day opened with sunshine and chilly fall air. I dug the cool weather clothes from the bottom of my suitcase, pushed aside the shorts in favor of jeans and a scarf, pulled on my leather penny-loafers and hit the cobblestone streets. Kate and I toured her German city of six months, Regensberg, on foot [...]

Click to view slideshow.The day opened with sunshine and chilly fall air. I dug the cool weather clothes from the bottom of my suitcase, pushed aside the shorts in favor of jeans and a scarf, pulled on my leather penny-loafers and hit the cobblestone streets. Kate and I toured her German city of six months, Regensberg, on foot and on bicycles.

Regensburg is my dream of Europe actualized. It is charming, historic, fashionable, and proud. The streets are narrow and the cars are small and aerodynamic. The women look effortlessly chic, with understated makeup and thoughtfully dressed outfits complete with scarves, belts and perfectly cut slacks and jackets. Men look equally posh as the women on their arms and couples strut along the brick and stone streets that were laid in the 1700s. Biking and walking are the preferred means of transportation, which allows travelers the chance to take in the crisp fall weather and adore the final flowers of summer still in bloom in window baskets and city markets.

I can’t, or won’t initiate, any communication. I smile and use social cues to understand how and when to act. I prefer people to find out I don’t speak the language by default. Otherwise I keep this information to myself.

After nearly six months in the area, Kate is nearly fluent and she handles our end of conversations including a confusing encounter with a man over tomatoes at the morning market.

“Is the tea party a resistance?” He asked me.

“I’m not sure, maybe.” I choked out. Not only did he know my language, but he knew more about my countries politics than I.

He rambled a bit in German, which neither Kate or the man’s friend seemed to understand, before giving me free chili pepper and two tomatoes. Maybe he found my ignorance charming or just felt he needed to send us away with a parting gift, a favor for his confused audience.

During our afternoon bike ride the wind nips at my neck and I pull my scarf a bit tighter. We’ve barely scratched the edge of the expected 60 degree high. It’s refreshing, and as we pedal along the Danube river I soak in views: Dutch colonial architecture painted in pastel yellows, blues and reds; bikes with baskets full of market fresh produce, dogs on leashes, narrow alleys that wind into the unknown.

Into the evening Kate and I window shop, stop into a few bookstores, eat gelato, buy food at a local market and drink coffee. We dine in at her river front apartment, indulging in our purchases: veggies from local producers, a variety of cheeses and bread from the baker before heading out to the Dult Festival, a mini Oktoberfest.

I landed in Munich, Germany (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:37:43 +0200

My friend, Kate Maiorino, prearranged to pick me up in the Munich airport, but now that I’ve been waiting for over an hour and a half I’m beginning to question my location. Maybe there is more than one airport in Munich? She told me to wait at the Starbucks in the “arrivals” area, but there isn’t a Starbucks anywhere to be found. I asked a middle-aged woman sitting at an information desk. The same source also told me that there was no free internet access, other major airports in Munich, and on a Friday afternoon my friend could be stuck in rush hour traffic for hours. By my fourth approach she was beginning to get as anxious for Kate’s arrival as I was an d when Kate finally walked through the door I waved to my new airport friend who wore a smile to match my own.

I spent more than 26 hours in airports between Columbus, OH and Munich, Germany, which isn’t an attractive look on anyone, and I’m relieved to finally be leaving the terminal with a familiar face.

A few short hours ago I was sitting in the Madrid International Airport, inside a café, drinking my first European coffee (café con leche) and surrounded my posh, Spanish-speaking, people. My first European experience. I spent 9 euros on internet access just to email my sister, Laura, and tell her: I ain’t in Ohio no mo’.

I left Mt. Vernon over 20 hours before and I still had at least six to go until I landed in Munich. From Munich my options are open. My host family, the Grenets, asked me to arrive on September 3 and I don’t have any means of transportation organized between Munich and Marseille. The possibilities are endless because I could fly or travel on land. There is the option of commuting through Switzerland and Italy to arrive in southern France. I wouldn’t have time to stop, but by train and bus I could at least see a lot more of the sights. Felix, a German guy I met in New Zealand, lives near Munich, so he and I might meet up and he can commute part of the way with me. I’m absolutely broke and the exchange rate here is killing me! I have to be extremely conscientious of every dollar. And that may limit my options.

My mom drove me to the Columbus airport and Laura’s absence was felt more than ever. I wanted her to be there to see me off and to be a support to mom, who has spent more time saying goodbye to the both of us than she’d prefer.

Two days before my departure we had a little farewell cook-out a home. Mom busied herself with hosting and I was surrounded by family: my uncle Bob, aunt Pam, and cousins Madi and Charlie. Charlie’s girlfriend, my grandparents, and a friend of mine, Nelson, came too.

Nelson, the first boy I’ve ever brought to a family function, only met 48 hours prior, but made a connection that surpassed our limited time together. I met him through a friend Saturday night in Columbus, we hit it off, had ice cream and coffee Sunday and he came to see me in Mt Vernon on Tuesday. He stayed the night and left for Delaware on Wednesday around noon. He is Brazilian, went to school at OSU, did the teaching assistantship program in France I applied for twice and never accepted, and now he works for the Peace Corps in west Africa (Cape Verde). He has been in Africa for two years and is returning in one month to do a third. His uncle lives in Delaware, OH, so that is where he stays when he is visiting friends and family in America. Crazy how things work out that I should finally find someone really great three days before I leave. We recognized the radical situation we were in and didn’t promise one another anything, but we will stay in contact. He made me a wonderful CD full of photos from Cape Verde (to entice me to visit) and French and English music. He also gave me a Cape Verde dress.

So, now I’m finally leaving my last airport for the day, wrapping up my thoughts of home and my goodbyes with loved ones, and stepping onto European soil fully in the present. This is a dream at long last accomplished.

Airports…noisy, shiny, familiar, predictable, irritating, nerve-racking, non-negotiable, confusing.

Welcome to my travel blog (Jeanna Packard's Blog)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:12:19 +0200

This is a continuation of a travel blog I started in September 2009, when I began traveling around the world. I didn’t quite make it all the way around, so I’m on the road again. I’m spending the year as an au pair in Marseille, France and doing some travel in my free time. My [...]

Please honor me with your audience, comments and critiques! I’m an aspiring journalist and I want to share my journey and develop my writing skills.

Stay tuned.

Jeanna

Travel freedom and pain (How to Become a U.S. Citizen)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:39:43 +0200

A neat graphic showing which citizens can travel to how many country without the cost and hassle of applying for a visa.

The Economist
August 25th, 2010

No Visa Required -- Who has most freedom to travel

URL:
http://www.economist.com/node/16885221?story_id=16885221&fsrc=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+economist/news_analysis_and_views+%28The+Economist:+News+analysis+and+views%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

How to say "NO" to political pressure on journalism? (Institute for International Journalism)

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:56:00 +0200

By Aleksandra Temenugova

Something big is happening in Macedonia at the moment. And it is about journalism. And freedom of expression and political pressure. And it's been top news for last three days.

Ok, let me tell you the story. Eight journalists from one of the leading national TV station Channel 5 (I used to work there as a journalist and anchor for 6 years) out of blue were fired due to financial constrains that this TV station has been facing lately. When the journalists asked why they are fired at the same time when the TV station hires new journalists, they didn't got the right answer. It was more than clear for them that this is a punishment because didn't obey as the management wanted: follow the politics of the government.

But, among these journalists is a journalists, very tough and stubborn enough to say "No" to all of this. So, Vesna Kovacevska Trpcevska wrote two public letters: one to the Macedonian Prime-Minister and one to my previous employer, owner of the TV station. She spoke openly about the political pressure encountered while working there, sharing even some juicy details where the Chief of the Cabinet of the Prime-minister instructs the journalists on speaker-phone how they are supposed to cover a certain topic.

It aroused a huge impact to the Macedonian media society. And, of course to the asleep journalists. She's got an enormous support from her colleagues. Vesna speaks, as we say in Macedonia, without hair in her mouth and already there are some visible results: all electronic media (apart the above mentioned TV station) aired a minute silence and half black printed page at the print media as a protest to the political pressure, a lot of debates are going on on Facebook, there is a initiation for reforms of the Association of journalists in Macedonia in order to enhance the freedom of expression and to clearly divide journalism from politics. The case has got an international dimension: at his initiative, the fired journalists spoke to the American Ambassador, the European Ambassador, OSCE etc. We'll see the outcomes of this discussions in their annual reports. For sure, they won't be bright.

I wasn't sure should I bring this case out here. I've been thinking of it since the very begging. Not only because it is about my best friend and empathy with her as a single mother of nine years old son who out of blue lost her job, but because I admire her bravery to talk about the unpleasant experiences from point of view of almost all journalists in Macedonia. You gave us a lesson. Thank you, Vesna!

By Aleksandra Temenugova

Something big is happening in Macedonia at the moment. And it is about journalism. And freedom of expression and political pressure. And it's been top news for last three days.

AN AMISH INSPIRATION (Institute for International Journalism)

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:32:00 +0200

AN AMISH INSPIRATION

Abhijit Bora

Today's SUSI 2010 team's visit proved to be quite an encouraging one. Because - it reaffirms the strong desire of human beings to be resolute against the attractions of a luxurious life in this new century. Also, I consider this as a confidence-building status that helps us stand firmly against the lusts and lures of life.
I just wish more and mor eof us human beings could have the strength to live a life like this community - not in exact similarity but trying to maintain its philosophy of life - simple thinking and a philanthropic living with all the care for Nature which gives us everything in life and caring for our families which is everything for us.
How many of our youths today can exactly overcome the lure of big money, charismatic jobs, a city life and joing the Rat Race.
Also, another things that has struck me very much has been the Community-Camaraderie of the people which is reflected in the fact that whenever there is need of some big works in one family's house, all the other members of the community help that specific family. I found this quite interesting because in the viallges of my country, at least in the state where I grew up, such community support was quite a normal affair in the olden days (about 20 years agao) and everyone would help others even without an invitation. The ocacsion may be anaything like marriage, funeral ceremony and feasts, usual religious ceremony etc. However, it is highly saddening that this tradition has been fast dying down in my state because of many factors.
I have been hearing about this community's way of life since my chidlhood and I consider myself lucky enough to have been ableto get a glimpse of its lifestyle, loads of thanks to Stephanie Madam and David Sir without whose cooperation this would not have been possible. This was one high point of the tour for me.
Besides, the food in the reastaurant was also very tasty. I am somewaht phinicky about foods of other countries with which I am not very accustomed to. But, today's was one of the several occasions which I found highly satisfactory and tasty.
However, I could not understand how do members of this community travel long distances when they need to travel, maybe across the states or countries. Or is it avoided.
WELL, PLEASE KEEP IT UP AND BE A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR MANY OTHERS LIKE MYSELF. Amen.

AN AMISH INSPIRATION

Abhijit Bora

Overview of the German Experience (OLEC 2010)

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:34:33 +0200

The past few weeks I’ve been home, nearly everyone in my life has bombarded me with questions about my experiences in Germany. Even now, it’s still hard for me to believe that I had the opportunity to go abroad and immerse myself in a different culture. While most of my friends were bored in Ohio, [...]

From the very beginning, we were thrown into the deep end. I think it turned out for the best though. I have now flown internationally all alone, had roommates from a different country, and learned to adapt to a completely different city. Independence at its finest.

I think it’s safe to say that when I arrived in Germany, I had no idea how things would turn out, and I wasn’t too confident in the project we were going to make. After all, there is only so much you can do from Ohio. As it happened, or as Bokonon would say, “As it was meant to happen,” my group stumbled upon the perfect guardian house for our project. I remember the weird looks we got as Victoria made a grand speech for an entrance, but over time they accepted us and let us into their world.

It always interests me when others lead a lifestyle that isn’t the norm, and those at the guardian house certainly did. The atmosphere was much more communal than most places I have been to. If everyone had their same ideals, we would easily live in a happy utopia.

I think I’ve been extremely lucky to see Germany. It really was a beautiful country. Taking in the countryside on long train rides to other cities was astounding. The simple beauty of small villages, open fields, and humble homes lining the tracks had an impact that I didn’t expect. At the time, it seemed like nothing important, but now they are visuals at the forefront of my mind when I think of Germany.

The people there were great as well. I’m not sure why there is a stereotype that German people are cold or distant because those that I met were very friendly and welcoming. It was especially great that we were there during the World Cup. Everyone was filled with such indescribable spirit, the public viewings of games was always so much fun.

Everyone in our group had a great bonding experience as well. At the beginning, we didn’t really know each other, but by the end of the trip we were able to make good friendships. I hope that these friendships won’t fade away with the end of summer, but I’m confident that they won’t.

I made many memories this summer that I will cherish for the rest of my life. This experience has lead me to see new possibilities in the future, more travelling, more exploring, and I know that I was part of something special.

The Beginning of OLEC 2010 (OLEC 2010)

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:54:17 +0200

So…I’m on a train headed for Brussels. My friend Zack and I had wanted to go to Dusseldorf. There were friends there with open beds, and probably food as well. Apparently, it wasn’t meant to be. We had no hostel booked in Amsterdam, and after four nights of what the Dutch had to offer, we were eager to leave with what little we had left of our bank accounts and dignity. We asked the clerk at the ticket booth for a one-way trip to Dusseldorf, and he informed us that there were no trains headed for Germany until the next morning. So, Zack asked him, “Well, what trains are leaving tonight and where are they headed?” The clerk said, “There’s a train leaving for Brussels in fifteen minutes.” Sounded good to us. Brussels it is. We said our goodbyes to our colleague Kyle Ackley, and made our way to the platform with the train headed to Belgium.

Now, as I ride along through the Dutch countryside, I find myself with the opportunity to contemplate my time studying abroad in Germany. The chance to make a short documentary film while living abroad in Europe isn’t something that happens for many people. I got to immerse myself in a culture that I had only previously known through my immediate family. My dad’s side is German so I’ve gotten to enjoy many parts of their way of life, but I never got to experience it all firsthand by myself. Trying to put my time in Leipzig in perspective will be an on going process. I feel like I probably won’t feel the full weight of my trip until I get back stateside, but I guess the best way to get the ball rolling would be to start at the beginning of my trip and work my way through.

I’ve never been very good at time management or prioritizing. So, the few days before leaving were fairly stressful. All of the students in our program had to be in Leipzig the weekend before our first class on that Tuesday, June 15^th. My flight left on the 11^th and I arrived on the 12^th. My last final exam was on the 10^th. So I had to completely move out of my house at 82 Mill Street, drive three and a half hours back to the east side of Cleveland, pack for a 6 week program (which would eventually turn into a two month trip in Europe), and still make my plane in the afternoon on the 11^th. Also, I’m going to be a fifth year senior next year, so many of my close friends were having their last week in college while I was getting ready to leave home for about 6-8 weeks. This just added on the pile of mounting stress that accumulated until I set foot in Germany.

But I managed to do it (with a lot of help from my parents). I made the plane out of Cleveland, watched the US manage to come up with a draw against England while waiting for my connecting flight in Toronto, flew across the Atlantic Ocean, and landed safely in Dusseldorf so that I could wait one more hour to get on a plane for Leipzig.

I got to Leipzig, and immediately had to figure out how to get to the Leipzig Hauptbaunhof. That would be the Main Central Train Station for those of you who aren’t well-versed in the ways of Deutschland. One of the employees at the airport pointed me in the direction of the trains and so began an hour of trying to figure out how to purchase a ticket for the train. I must have asked about 8 to 10 different people if they spoke English.

“Sprechen sie English?”

“A little bit…”

A little bit wasn’t going to be very helpful to me at this point. I finally found the information center, and the train attendant there spoke great English. She told me that I could buy the ticket there at the information center, and she also informed me that I could have just changed the language setting on any of the ticket machines near the train platform and purchased a ticket. I was amazed by my own ignorance. I could have saved myself an hour and a half by just pushing a button.

I hopped on the train and made my way to the Leipzig Hauptbaunhof. There, a Leipzig University student named Carolyn would meet me and show me to the dorm rooms. She lead me to the No. 16 tram, and we headed for the Leipzig dorm room that I would call home for the next six weeks. We got off the tram, she handed me a folder with papers I would need, a German cell phone, and a set of keys for my dorm. She pointed in the direction of my building, and told me, “Good Luck.” At this point, I was starting to stress a little bit. I entered my building, put my stuff in my new room, and had something comparable to a mini-panic attack. Here I was, in a totally foreign country. I didn’t know anybody in my program yet. I had never traveled abroad on my own. My phone was in German and I couldn’t figure out how to change it over to English, and I had no idea where anything was located: stores, food, my fellow study abroad students, etc….

So I immediately explored the folder Carolyn had given me, and found a contact sheet with everyones phone numbers. I started calling everyone. I had expected everybody to be living together, but apparently everyone in the program was dispersed in different rooms in three large dorm buildings. A few of the students had plans to go get dinner together so I joined them. That was my first encounter with authentic German bratwurst, and it was everything I ever imagined. All of us ended up going out together that night, and had a great time. It was our first experience at Kickers In which was an establishment that all of us would be frequenting fairly often for the next few weeks. This was the beginning of my experience in Leipzig. It was a relief to finally get to hang out with the other students in the program, and be around a group of people who were in the same boat as me.

I think this first weekend was a big part of our initiation into Leipzig living. It was good that all of us got thrown into the water and forced to swim. I’m glad that I had a few days where I was forced to make friends and explore the city. We didn’t even have Internet for the first couple days so this kept us out of our dorms even more. It was a great way to start off the program.

Football and Filmmaking (OLEC 2010)

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:05:49 +0200

There I stood, surrounded by an undescribable energy. There was so much black, red, and yellow around me, I thought that my eyes were playing tricks on me. It was an energy that I’d never experienced before with such a massive group of people. Everyone had come alive and everyone was watching together. It’s an amazing feeling to know that you’re watching a game a long with the majority of a country. Soccer, or football as the Germans call it, is something much more than just a sport. It brought the country together. Being in Berlin next to the Brandenburg gate with nearly half a million people was special. In a place with so much history, there was held this powerful event. Germany beat Argentina that game 4 – 0, what a game for Germany.

Berka, the quieter side of Germany. We were taken there to film and get to know the Baumgartl family, who needless to say were amazing people. What I didn’t expect was that nearly an hour and a half outside of Leipzig, there was a place of such peace. I think that’s the amazing part about Germany, the fact that you can travel an hour and find yourself in a very different environment.

Making the documentary was a catastrophe at times and that’s why it was truly a learning experience for me. The first time we ventured to Berka we conducted interviews in the house that had white walls. We also used two cameras, which seemed like a good idea at the time but turned out to be more crippling and stressful. Our audio wasn’t great and we ended up redoing the interviews outside in better locations when we went back to Berka. Time management was a huge part of our trips to Berka because we would have interviews and broll to get that both were vitally important for the piece. It was important to have one of us mingle with the family while the rest of us set up for the next interview or got broll. One of the things I learned was to always have the camera ready and at hand when shooting broll because you never know what could happen. One time I happened to be outside to see Billy Baumgartl grab a ladder. I followed him out back to find him picking cherries from a tree. I quickly turned the camera on, white balanced, focused, and pressed record faster than I ever had before. Periodically he’d come down from the ladder and hand me handfuls of cherries, but as soon as he’d look away I’d stuff my pockets full of the cherries and keep my eyes and hands on the camera not wanting to miss a single moment.

My advise for anyone else making a documentary for your first time, it’s very exciting, but take it easy on the coffee. During our first trip to Berka I was offered cups of very strong coffee that I didn’t refuse, by the time that I was setting up the interviews my hand were shaking and I had a little trouble standing still. Of course by mid-afternoon I started to crash but luckily it was coffee and kuchen time so that got me going again. One tradition Americans need to start following would be coffee and cake in the afternoon, it’s just a great idea.

One regret that I have is not learning more German before going over there. Heather would always make fun of me because often times when people told me they didn’t speak english, I would proceed to talk to them out of instinct. I guess I had this crazy idea in my head that people would understand me if I just tried hard enough, this was generally not the case.

Andrew Thomas

on campus, again -- a photo tour of the university of maryland (i am erican sequel)

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:43:51 +0200

another chance for full-time learning came along for me and some of you asked me to show you where. welcome to the campus of the university of maryland at college park! but beware, this will be a purely non-academic tour, just highlights and fun facts.

talking of which, according to a campus tour guide the academic lawn or mall -- the biggest piece of green often in the center of a u.s. university campus -- is the longest in the united states of america. it seems that there's been a competition about green length between maryland and the university of virginia. the story goes that marylanders went to the virginian lawn and measured, went back and measured their own. apparently the marylandish lawn is 6 inches longer (15cm).

just like every u.s. university, this one also has a president. alas, the current office holder, dan mote, the guide said, is leaving soon. maybe that's why his reserved parking spot was empty?

you've seen the red brick already. now add white pillars and a portico, white window frames surrounding small glass panes and you get a sense of how most halls on campus look like. they are named after someone important to the department inside, and carry one or the other name above the entrance. in holzapfel hall -- which translates into "wooden apple" in german -- lives the office of international services among other offices.

the oldest building on campus is rossborough inn. built between 1804 and 1812, it actually existed before there was a campus to serve as a tavern. in 1858 the owners at the time sold the inn to the maryland agricultural college. founded in 1857, the college was the forerunner of the university of maryland. back to the inn: allegedly it's been a haunted house inhabited by several (good) spirits. athenians, does that ring a bell?

as of this day the university nurtures its agricultural heritage with an on-campus farm. yes, a farm with stables, dung piles, and pastures. among the hustle and bustle you can slow down and visit the horses chewing gemütlich-ly.

apart from tradition, the farm has served a practical purpose: the college of agriculture and natural resources started to churn out ice cream in 1924 to be sold in what still is a cafe named "the dairy". apparently the cool scoops of the university have been a metropolitan delicatessen with a rich history.

indeed, a small pile of "fear the turtle" was a saving grace to me on the sizzling hot day for my photo safari: white chocolate with caramel and pecans, and enough of it, too. something tells me that there'll be more occasions to try the "final exam cram", "midnight madness" and "fridge fever". the smallest serving of about two to three scoops in a cup cost $2.64. back in leipzig, one scoop at the most convenient ice cream store just opposite the seminar building cost €0.60/ $0.75.

of course a food court in the student union can't be missing for gustatorial items other than dairy. outside vendors such as taco bell, sbarro [pasta and pizza] and panda express offer the usual mostly meat based fast food fare. trying to secure some steamed rice and vegetables from the panda, i was told that everything is cooked in chicken broth. even the roughly dozen salads on display at the saladworks booth only offered two which could be considered vegetarian. vegans might have a hard time finding anything.

the most interesting detail that our guides brought to our attention is the mcdonald's. see the soda machine on the left? it's pepsi. although mcdonalds is a coke company, the big pepsi contract with the university of maryland trumps the mcdonald's coke agreement. allegedly this mcdonald's is just one of two in the united states of america making such an exception (the other one is supposedly in the state of georgia).

no u.s. college is complete without sports. "terp pride", as the guide said, is a big deal at maryland: "you just gotta love the sea of gold and black", referring to the state flag of maryland. from the top row of the bleachers in the campus stadium for the maryland terrapins you are supposed to see all the landmarks of washington, d.c., which is located about ten miles southwest.

the biggest sport court inside hosts a basketball field. tickets for the men b-ballers are highly sought after, the guide explained.

a loyality point system rewards true fans who visit low levels games to later catch better seats for the biggies, explained the guide.

my german readers, are you wondering what a terrapin is? it translates into "Dosenschildkröte" or "Sumpfschildkröte". the one with the determined posture above is supposed to symboliz the ice cream flavor i had picked: "fear the turtle" is not just delicious dairy but also the athletic and academic motto of the university. (likewise warnings against spreading a flu start with the slogan: "the slowest thing is the world is a sick turtle...cover your cough").

its academic incarnation is called testudo and offers its golden nose to rub for a good luck charm. at least three of the metal mascots are placed on campus -- instant luck on the go. the most popular of the metal pets to stroke sits in front of mckeldin library. this house of books is the biggest of seven libaries on campus.

during the semeser, mckeldin library is open 24 hours from sunday to thursday for overnight study apart from regular hours. back to the turle one more time. the funniest interpretation of the schools favorite animal was inspired by one of its most popular alums. can you guess who?

maybe the name of the creation will give you a hint. "kertle". jim henson earned a b.s. degree in home economics at the university in 1960. his muppets were modelled after professors and friends he met on campus.

not only professional sports terps, also normal students can indulge in physical activity. as college athletes enjoy their very own work out space, you won't have to compare your muscles with theirs in eppley recreation center.

apart from the obligatory basketball courts and running track (see the white banister between the pipes?)...

...there are weights in all forms and sizes...

...and an outside swimming pool. of course, there's also a natatorium inside (which was hidden behind a photo-unfriendly glass grid). people who are looking for a more extraordinary activity can do as harry potter did and join the quidditch team. gravity is no obstacle: with a broom stick between your legs, one mandatory hand on the handle, and a cape you can chase a cross country runner snitch clad in a gold with a tennis ball on his back. catch him if you can!

terp spirit can be easily bought at the college store. among the mandatory clothing and aficionado items, a maybe more unusual one is also featured.

...

enough brawn, back to brains. tata! -- knight hall, which houses the philip merril school ofjournalism, my new academic home, from the outside...

...and inside with a lounge, which just as the entire campus (also on the lawn), provides wireless internet access in cushy chairs or on stylish stools.

Nicole Cameron
Jamaica

Between the Jimmy Carter Museum and Library and the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site it is evident that the state of Georgia is the reservoir of much history.

This makes me think of history in general and our relationship to it. I think all would agree that what we all are, in both the collective and individual sense, is the product of our histories. After all, where we have been shapes our identities and determines largely where and what we are today.

As someone once said, "if you don't know where you are coming from, then you don't know where you are going." If there is even only a hint of truth in this statement, then it is critical that we all invest some time in tracing the histories that we are all a part of- this begins from the micro sphere of our family tree and expands to that to our nations, regions and the world at large.

It is also important that we think about the role that we play in shaping history. In other words, what impact does my life have on others and the world? Martin Luther King Jr.'s actions aided in changing the entire history of the United States and beyond its borders. Jimmy Carter's unwillingness to abide by the status quo impacted positively the lives of so many in America and the world as well. These two stalwarts of history should make us pause and look at the legacy that we are leaving behind. Why? Because whether we are aware of it or not each of our lives leaves a trail behind. We are involved in writing history as long as we are alive and I think it is an awesome privilege and responsibility to have the power to impact lives.

I see people everyday who live selfishly. They are caught up only with hoarding the material and temporal things in this life and give no thought to the man, woman, boy, girl or animal that lives next door, in the next village, in the next nation or in the world. What kind of legacy is that leaving behind? What will be the history that will be told when they are gone. How will his obituary read?

Martin Luther King Jr. was not a fictional superhero. Likewise, Jimmy Carter has blood running in his veins like the rest of us. What these two men were able to do, the legacies that they were able to bequeath to us did materialize because they possessed something that the rest of us lack. No, they were able to rise above the rest of us because they were willing to risk all for the sake of a better tomorrow. They were willing to fight for others who in many cases were not able to fight for themselves. They were willing to have a dream and work to make it happen. Note: They did not know where the path would take them, but they were willing to take the first step. After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step. But, one has to dream first.

Therefore, I hope that all of us will cease to be myopic. Instead, I hope that we will all cast our visions backward and contemplate history. Then, I hope we will cast our vision around us and see the needs of our times and then chart a course for the future where we might see only a distant horizon, but we will press forward in faith knowing that our cause - whatever it may be - will benefit humanity.

I hope that when all our obituaries are written and our histories told, someone, somewhere will build a monument to us. I do not refer to a monument of stone or steel; but if it is only a thought of gratitude that we were willing to extend a hand when needed; that we were willing to do all that it takes for the cause of justice, truth, equality and the betterment of humanity, then our lives would not have been in vain.

So, do you have a dream? I dare you to!
Nicole Cameron
Jamaica

Between the Jimmy Carter Museum and Library and the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site it is evident that the state of Georgia is the reservoir of much history.

This makes me think of history in general and our relationship to it. I think all would agree that what we all are, in both the collective and individual sense, is the product of our histories. After all, where we have been shapes our identities and determines largely where and what we are today.

As someone once said, "if you don't know where you are coming from, then you don't know where you are going." If there is even only a hint of truth in this statement, then it is critical that we all invest some time in tracing the histories that we are all a part of- this begins from the micro sphere of our family tree and expands to that to our nations, regions and the world at large.

It is also important that we think about the role that we play in shaping history. In other words, what impact does my life have on others and the world? Martin Luther King Jr.'s actions aided in changing the entire history of the United States and beyond its borders. Jimmy Carter's unwillingness to abide by the status quo impacted positively the lives of so many in America and the world as well. These two stalwarts of history should make us pause and look at the legacy that we are leaving behind. Why? Because whether we are aware of it or not each of our lives leaves a trail behind. We are involved in writing history as long as we are alive and I think it is an awesome privilege and responsibility to have the power to impact lives.

I see people everyday who live selfishly. They are caught up only with hoarding the material and temporal things in this life and give no thought to the man, woman, boy, girl or animal that lives next door, in the next village, in the next nation or in the world. What kind of legacy is that leaving behind? What will be the history that will be told when they are gone. How will his obituary read?

Martin Luther King Jr. was not a fictional superhero. Likewise, Jimmy Carter has blood running in his veins like the rest of us. What these two men were able to do, the legacies that they were able to bequeath to us did materialize because they possessed something that the rest of us lack. No, they were able to rise above the rest of us because they were willing to risk all for the sake of a better tomorrow. They were willing to fight for others who in many cases were not able to fight for themselves. They were willing to have a dream and work to make it happen. Note: They did not know where the path would take them, but they were willing to take the first step. After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step. But, one has to dream first.

Therefore, I hope that all of us will cease to be myopic. Instead, I hope that we will all cast our visions backward and contemplate history. Then, I hope we will cast our vision around us and see the needs of our times and then chart a course for the future where we might see only a distant horizon, but we will press forward in faith knowing that our cause - whatever it may be - will benefit humanity.

I hope that when all our obituaries are written and our histories told, someone, somewhere will build a monument to us. I do not refer to a monument of stone or steel; but if it is only a thought of gratitude that we were willing to extend a hand when needed; that we were willing to do all that it takes for the cause of justice, truth, equality and the betterment of humanity, then our lives would not have been in vain.

So, do you have a dream? I dare you to!

toot, toot -- here comes the union pacific and i'm on it. (i am erican sequel)

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:03:21 +0200

arriving back in the u.s.a. after a summer in germany with many (delayed) train rides there, i was happy to have an occasion to test the u.s. train system for the first time.

this is certainly not new york. but there is another pretty union station: in portland, oregon.

in the big hall with wooden benches, stone floor, and red neon signs a certain type of people seem to gather: byciclists with their vehicles, aged hippies, adventurous family. the word "california" flies through the air, and instructions for travelers to canada are provided. the three doors open up to the tracks.

across the three doors you'll find the big open ticket counter.

an old-fashioned announcement board keeps track of arrivals and departures. time seems to be viewed with the typical laid back west coast attitude. ten minutes give or take count for nothing. otherwise it might get hectic adjusting the board.

ooh, that's neat, i thought, when i saw that the train station comes with a baggage department. and no, it's not just for storage but to check in luggage to take along.

alas, my stop in kelso was too short for my baby monster suitcase to deserve one of the many colorful tags in the sorting shelf.

so, off i went with suitcase, backpack, and purse in tow. at least i couldn't miss the direction.

interestingly you have to walk across the tracks to get to your train...

because other than in germany the train tracks are level with the platform making the train look rather like a steel mountain to climb.

the worst inconvenience: the train is hovering so high above the ground that yellow stepping helps are needed. if it would have been just for myself, no problem. but with a giant suitcase that maxes out the weight limits of the airlines it became a pain lifting them on board.

recovering from the suitcase exercise was easy. the coach department -- which would be called economy on flights or second class on german trains -- looked like german business class to me. seats were soft and big enough to curl up.

similar to german trains a dinner car offered snacks at the board bar.

expensive souvenirs: my 45-minute trip cost $23 (€18 as of this writing). a similar distance and train ride in germany costs about $7.70 (€6). at least, the pricy u.s. ticket came with a guaranteed seat in a very comfy coach car.

curious about my experience with the german trains this summer? but beware, it will crack the myth of german punctualness and "Ordnung"

url: http://iamericansequel.blogspot.com/2010/08/delays-track-changes-brazenness-riding.html

delays, track changes, brazenness -- riding trains in germany (i am erican sequel)

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:00:01 +0200

as much as i appreciate the german public train system, it was sad and annoying to experience its incompetence this summer.

with eight out of 16 train rides throughout july and august 2010 half of them were delayed. the trips included going to leipzig, frankfurt, marburg, berlin, and hamburg -- a pretty wide net of directions.

15 rides were with Deutsche Bahn, the other one with a private train operator Interconnex, which scored one of the delays, too (of 17 minutes because of an engine defect).

the delays ranged from shorter amounts of 15 minutes (three times) and 17 minutes (twice) to longer delays of 25 minutes, to 55 and 56 minutes (each case once). but only once i had a case for reimbursement.

sometimes the delays are announced ahead of time on the platform. at least then you know you're day is screwed up. sometimes the train stops in the middle of the track. then it takes them at least another 15 minutes to 30 minutes to tell you when you will arrive. sometimes it's corrected to an even later time later. sometimes the platform changes and nobody tells you. sometimes they tell you but change the platform twice within minutes.

in one case it was clear from the start that because of the delay of the initial train i would not catch my connecting train. luckily a friend could give me a car ride to the next city which was an hour away.

in another case the train stopped at a station closed to leipzig which also featured a street car station. the delay was not announced before the start of the journey. suddenly according to the train conductor a construction site had popped up on the track that he didn't know of before. some fellow travelers knew about a street car station nearby. but the service woman on the train had to be convinced to pick up her company cell phone in order to make a call to find out how close the streetcar station is to the train station where we were stranded.

first, she said she doesn't know. then she said her colleagues at the main station don't know. after i suggested that one of her colleagues might be able to call the local public transportation people in leipzig, she finally punched some numbers. turns out, the Deutsche Bahn company wouldn't reimburse the street car tickets anyway.

in order to get something you have to prove that you were at least 61 minutes late between your starting point and your destination. then the Deutsche Bahn reimburses half the ticket price. remember the case in which i was delayed 55 minutes? yes, that doesn't count for reimbursement.

and you always hear a voice over the loudspeaker system on board: "we apologize for the delay and thank you for your understanding and patience."

for proper evidence that you are entitled for reimbursement, the service personnel is supposed to give you a receipt confirming the delay. alas, they lie to you, too. in one case i reached my destination exactly 61 minutes late. anticipating that i might have a case here i asked the service man to give me a confirmation. the reply: "you don't need one. everyone knows this railway control center is burnt down."

arriving at my final destination, the lady at the information booth apparently hadn't heard the news yet. but yes, i do need the slip. and oh, by the way, she doesn't belong to Deutsche Bahn anyway but is a private self-employed ticket seller.

she did give me a long sheet of paper to fill out. i am sending it away these days. but, she warned, reimbursement takes at least a quarter of a year if it goes through. (how does she know if she isn't working for Deutsche Bahn?)

at least the Deutsche Bahn didn't try to grill me. which cannot be said for nine passengers who landed in hospital because air conditioning of the Deutsche Bahn trains couldn't cope with the heat wave that plagued germany in july.

curious how it is to ride on a u.s. train? follow me on my first journey with one of the amtrak trains from portland, oregon to kelso, washington.

url: http://iamericansequel.blogspot.com/2010/08/toot-toot-here-comes-union-pacific-and.html

SUSI 2010 TEAM YOU HAVE MADE IT (Institute for International Journalism)

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 03:59:00 +0200

LET'S MAKE A PLEDGE :
It is 7.30 of a nice bright morning at New Delhi and I am sitting at the departure Lounge of the Indira Gandhi International Airport for my last leg of the journey to Sweet Home Sweet. It is a two hour journey but I am an indirect flight so it will take three-and-a-half hours in all.
Well, I had to spent about 8 / 9 hours at the airport after I landed up here at 12.30 last night from Frankfurt (Lufthansa). So during this period of solitude, the feeling that disturbed me the most was the sudden break from the enthusiastic and Gung Ho activeness everyone - right from the hosts to the Internationalists - of the SUSI 2010 team, whether it is Athens, Cleveland, Pittsburg, Atlanta or even Washington DC.
I am missing these days very much.
You see we meet to part and part to meet somehwere sometime again, though there might be hardly any chance of meeting a few of you which saddens me the most.
For me, all the academic, cultural as well as the practical exposure to each and everything that we did have been one GEM of an experience of a lifetime. I shall be cherishing them throughout my life.
Well, I am a pessimist to a big extent. But if I can be proved wrong in meeeting you people once again, I would be the happiest person in this world.
Let us make a pledge right here that even if not possible to meet personally, we shall keep ourselves as one the only SUSI 2010 Team of Internationalists at least by CYBERICALLY / TELEPATHICALLY.
By the way, my wife sends her regards and best wishes to you all for the creation of a family-like atmosphere during the entire period of the programme.
HATS OFF TO YOU EVERYONE - SUSI 2010 - BOTH HOSTS AND PARTICIPANTS - YOU HAVE DONE IT WITH FULL MARKS.
ABHIJIT, (INDIAN VAGABOND),
7.45 A. M., AUGUST 14 (WE ARE ONE DAY AHEAD OF U.S.A. BECAUSE OF TIME ZONE.LET'S MAKE A PLEDGE :
It is 7.30 of a nice bright morning at New Delhi and I am sitting at the departure Lounge of the Indira Gandhi International Airport for my last leg of the journey to Sweet Home Sweet. It is a two hour journey but I am an indirect flight so it will take three-and-a-half hours in all.
Well, I had to spent about 8 / 9 hours at the airport after I landed up here at 12.30 last night from Frankfurt (Lufthansa). So during this period of solitude, the feeling that disturbed me the most was the sudden break from the enthusiastic and Gung Ho activeness everyone - right from the hosts to the Internationalists - of the SUSI 2010 team, whether it is Athens, Cleveland, Pittsburg, Atlanta or even Washington DC.
I am missing these days very much.
You see we meet to part and part to meet somehwere sometime again, though there might be hardly any chance of meeting a few of you which saddens me the most.
For me, all the academic, cultural as well as the practical exposure to each and everything that we did have been one GEM of an experience of a lifetime. I shall be cherishing them throughout my life.
Well, I am a pessimist to a big extent. But if I can be proved wrong in meeeting you people once again, I would be the happiest person in this world.
Let us make a pledge right here that even if not possible to meet personally, we shall keep ourselves as one the only SUSI 2010 Team of Internationalists at least by CYBERICALLY / TELEPATHICALLY.
By the way, my wife sends her regards and best wishes to you all for the creation of a family-like atmosphere during the entire period of the programme.
HATS OFF TO YOU EVERYONE - SUSI 2010 - BOTH HOSTS AND PARTICIPANTS - YOU HAVE DONE IT WITH FULL MARKS.
ABHIJIT, (INDIAN VAGABOND),
7.45 A. M., AUGUST 14 (WE ARE ONE DAY AHEAD OF U.S.A. BECAUSE OF TIME ZONE.

International?? (Institute for International Journalism)

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:47:00 +0200

Nicole Cameron
Jamaica

I must admit that as of late the word international has me confused. The United Nations recognizes the existence of approximately 192 countries with the existence of around 5 more give and take. So we can safely say that there are approximately 195 countries in the world. Yet, I have noticed that the word international is used in a curious way when referring to maybe one or two countries.

Let me explain. If a reporter has traveled to one country and covered a story or stories there then they will brag and say that they now have international experience. If in a local news coverage, a story deals with one news item from another country, that story, in some cases that I have seen, suffices as the international coverage for the morning/evening. As of late, I even notice that when faculty members travel to another country, then they drop lines that they are 'internationalists' or have 'international' experience. Granted, if a report is from abroad since it is not local or national. it does qualify as in the category of the i-word. I understand that. But, I am still confused.

Why? It is a simple matter of percentage.

One's own country + another = 2.

If we should calculate the percentage out of total countries that would give us:

2/195*100 which gives us a grand total of 1%.

The fact that I have a scathing knowledge of 1% of the world, does that qualify me to use the word international? Please, help me!

Again, I will admit that the literal definition of the word lends itself to be applied to such narrow usage. The Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary gives relevant definitions of international as follows:

1. between or among nations; involving two or more nations: international trade.
2. of or pertaining to two or more nations or their citizens: a matter of international concern.
3. pertaining to the relations between nations: international law.
4. having members or activities in several nations: an international organization.
5. transcending national boundaries or viewpoints: an international benefit; an international reputation.

Now notice, that it does say involving two or more nations. I concede there.

However, I will throw a tantrum and say that when I hear the i-word, I do expect the reference to be wider than 1% of the world. Am I unfair if I ask for at least 4-5%?

Why is this important to me? Simple because the world is such a colourful and diverse place that I think that such a loaded word such as international should be used with caution. There are many that have been insular in thinking and because they have touched their toes in a handful of countries for a couple days at a time think they have mastered the world and its peoples and this affects politics and even media coverage.

So, I ask you to think about it: What does (should?) international mean?Nicole Cameron
Jamaica

I must admit that as of late the word international has me confused. The United Nations recognizes the existence of approximately 192 countries with the existence of around 5 more give and take. So we can safely say that there are approximately 195 countries in the world. Yet, I have noticed that the word international is used in a curious way when referring to maybe one or two countries.

Let me explain. If a reporter has traveled to one country and covered a story or stories there then they will brag and say that they now have international experience. If in a local news coverage, a story deals with one news item from another country, that story, in some cases that I have seen, suffices as the international coverage for the morning/evening. As of late, I even notice that when faculty members travel to another country, then they drop lines that they are 'internationalists' or have 'international' experience. Granted, if a report is from abroad since it is not local or national. it does qualify as in the category of the i-word. I understand that. But, I am still confused.

Why? It is a simple matter of percentage.

One's own country + another = 2.

If we should calculate the percentage out of total countries that would give us:

2/195*100 which gives us a grand total of 1%.

The fact that I have a scathing knowledge of 1% of the world, does that qualify me to use the word international? Please, help me!

Again, I will admit that the literal definition of the word lends itself to be applied to such narrow usage. The Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary gives relevant definitions of international as follows:

1. between or among nations; involving two or more nations: international trade.
2. of or pertaining to two or more nations or their citizens: a matter of international concern.
3. pertaining to the relations between nations: international law.
4. having members or activities in several nations: an international organization.
5. transcending national boundaries or viewpoints: an international benefit; an international reputation.

Now notice, that it does say involving two or more nations. I concede there.

However, I will throw a tantrum and say that when I hear the i-word, I do expect the reference to be wider than 1% of the world. Am I unfair if I ask for at least 4-5%?

Why is this important to me? Simple because the world is such a colourful and diverse place that I think that such a loaded word such as international should be used with caution. There are many that have been insular in thinking and because they have touched their toes in a handful of countries for a couple days at a time think they have mastered the world and its peoples and this affects politics and even media coverage.

So, I ask you to think about it: What does (should?) international mean?

Rock 'n Roll Quiz (Institute for International Journalism)

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:49:00 +0200

Pirongrong Ramasoota
Thailand

This rock’n roll quiz was written three weeks ago after our SUSI team went to the Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH. But due to a whiplash accident and other engagements, I was delayed in uploading it. Anyhow, here it is and I challenge all the SUSI participants and program staff to test your knowledge on rock’n roll. Be aware that this was written by a rock’n roll dummy.

Score rating 5-7 – highly knowledgeable
3-4 – moderately knowledgeable
2-1 – slightly knowledgeable
0 -- dummy

1) Which of the following artists would qualify least as Rock & Roll?
a. Simon & Garfunkel
b. Madonna
c. Aretha Franklin
d. Michael Jackson

2) Which of the following is not the British invasion of Rock & Roll?
a. The Beatles
b. The Byrds
c. The Animals
d. Rolling Stones

3) At what age did Jim Morrison die?
a. 25
b. 26
c. 27
d. 28

4) Which is not Elvis Presley’s song?
a. Can’t help falling in love
b. Heartbreak Hotel
c. In the Ghetto
d. Nighttime in Paris

5) Of the following pairs, which has no relationship with each other?
a. Rolling Stones – A Bigger bang
b. Rod Stewart – the Motown song
c. Guns N' Roses' – Chinese Democracy
d. The Byrd – With a little help from my friends

6) If Nirvana is classified as Alternative Rock & Roll, what would Jimmi
Hendrix be?
a. Punk New Waves
b. Psychedelic
c. Rockability
d. Souls

7) How many of the Beatles members are still alive in 2010?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. None

Answers: 1. d. 2. b. 3.c. 4. d. 5. d. 6. b. 7. b.Pirongrong Ramasoota
Thailand

This rock’n roll quiz was written three weeks ago after our SUSI team went to the Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH. But due to a whiplash accident and other engagements, I was delayed in uploading it. Anyhow, here it is and I challenge all the SUSI participants and program staff to test your knowledge on rock’n roll. Be aware that this was written by a rock’n roll dummy.

Score rating 5-7 – highly knowledgeable
3-4 – moderately knowledgeable
2-1 – slightly knowledgeable
0 -- dummy

1) Which of the following artists would qualify least as Rock & Roll?
a. Simon & Garfunkel
b. Madonna
c. Aretha Franklin
d. Michael Jackson

2) Which of the following is not the British invasion of Rock & Roll?
a. The Beatles
b. The Byrds
c. The Animals
d. Rolling Stones

3) At what age did Jim Morrison die?
a. 25
b. 26
c. 27
d. 28

4) Which is not Elvis Presley’s song?
a. Can’t help falling in love
b. Heartbreak Hotel
c. In the Ghetto
d. Nighttime in Paris

5) Of the following pairs, which has no relationship with each other?
a. Rolling Stones – A Bigger bang
b. Rod Stewart – the Motown song
c. Guns N' Roses' – Chinese Democracy
d. The Byrd – With a little help from my friends

6) If Nirvana is classified as Alternative Rock & Roll, what would Jimmi
Hendrix be?
a. Punk New Waves
b. Psychedelic
c. Rockability
d. Souls

7) How many of the Beatles members are still alive in 2010?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. None

Answers: 1. d. 2. b. 3.c. 4. d. 5. d. 6. b. 7. b.

Quiz on U.S. Presidents (Institute for International Journalism)

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:46:00 +0200

Pirongrong Ramasoota
Thailand

Score rating 5-7 – highly knowledgeable
3-4 – moderately knowledgeable
2-1 – slightly knowledgeable
0 -- dummy

1) Which President introduced the New Deal?
a. Harry Truman
b. Herbert Hoover
c. Richard Nixon
d. Franklin D. Roosevelt

2) Which of the following Presidents had two terms in office?
a. Jimmy Carter
b. George Bush
c. Dwight D. Eisenhower
d. Lyndon B. Johnson

3) Under which of these Presidents did the US not engage in war?
a. Franklin D. Roosevelt
b. Jimmy Carter
c. George W. Bush
d. Harry Truman

4) Which of the following statements is true?
a. Lyndon B. Johnson was the only President who did not run for his second term
b. Dwight D. Eisenhower ended the Korean War and engaged the US in the Cuban
Missile Crisis
c. Ronald Reagan revived US foreign relations with China and the Soviet Union
d. Crime rate fell to the lowest point in 30 years during George Bush’s era

5) Walter Mondale was a running mate of which President?
a. Ronald Reagan
b. Harry Truman
c. Jimmy Carter
d. John F. Kennedy

6) What is not true about JFK?
a. He was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas, Texas.
b. He founded the Peace Corps.
c. He was a US Senator from Maine.
d. He founded the Peace Corps.

7) Under which President did the US witness the most prosperity with lowest
inflation and unemployment in 30 years?
a. Dwight D. Eisenhower
b. Richard Nixon
c. Ronald Reagan
d. Bill Clinton

Answers: 1. d 2. c 3. b. 4. a. 5. c 6. c. 7. dPirongrong Ramasoota
Thailand

Score rating 5-7 – highly knowledgeable
3-4 – moderately knowledgeable
2-1 – slightly knowledgeable
0 -- dummy

1) Which President introduced the New Deal?
a. Harry Truman
b. Herbert Hoover
c. Richard Nixon
d. Franklin D. Roosevelt

2) Which of the following Presidents had two terms in office?
a. Jimmy Carter
b. George Bush
c. Dwight D. Eisenhower
d. Lyndon B. Johnson

3) Under which of these Presidents did the US not engage in war?
a. Franklin D. Roosevelt
b. Jimmy Carter
c. George W. Bush
d. Harry Truman

4) Which of the following statements is true?
a. Lyndon B. Johnson was the only President who did not run for his second term
b. Dwight D. Eisenhower ended the Korean War and engaged the US in the Cuban
Missile Crisis
c. Ronald Reagan revived US foreign relations with China and the Soviet Union
d. Crime rate fell to the lowest point in 30 years during George Bush’s era

5) Walter Mondale was a running mate of which President?
a. Ronald Reagan
b. Harry Truman
c. Jimmy Carter
d. John F. Kennedy

6) What is not true about JFK?
a. He was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas, Texas.
b. He founded the Peace Corps.
c. He was a US Senator from Maine.
d. He founded the Peace Corps.

7) Under which President did the US witness the most prosperity with lowest
inflation and unemployment in 30 years?
a. Dwight D. Eisenhower
b. Richard Nixon
c. Ronald Reagan
d. Bill Clinton

Answers: 1. d 2. c 3. b. 4. a. 5. c 6. c. 7. d

Online Premiere (OLEC 2010)

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 02:15:15 +0200

Back in February of Winter Quarter of the 2009-2010 academic year, 16 students committed to a study abroad trip to learn about documentary film making in Leipzig, Germany. While still in the States in mid Spring research on interesting topics with stories began without knowing little about the country and language. After 6 hard weeks of in-the-field research, classes in documentary techniques and German culture and language and exploration of the country the students are home to share their documentaries.

On the Werra

By: Andrew Thomas, Heather Germann, Kyle Ackley and Annette Drapac
To revisit their entire process, visit their project page: 3 Generations

From Coal Comes Water

By: Brian Grady, Andrew McMillian and Max Rodriguez
To revisit their entire process, visit their project page: Post Industrial

Wächterhäuser In Leipzig, Germany

By: Victoria Calderon, Kara Brenneman and Kristen Avery
To revisit their entire process, visit their project page: Guardian Houses

Conne Island

By: Justin Matzen, Jared Towler and Abigail Geib
To revisit their entire process, visit their project page: Conne Island

Radio Mephisto

By: Alex Van Neil, Rachel O’Donnel and Lauren Byrwa
To revisit their entire process, visit their project page: Radio Mephisto

Thoughts (Institute for International Journalism)

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:35:00 +0200

Nicole Cameron
Jamaica

What do you do when thrown together
with personalities
with cultures
with people
with biases
that are are different, unyielding
impatient... or is that just you perceiving?
an unwillingness to see, to let up, to understand, to ignore
the other side, the differences and maybe just say that
sometimes
the other side
that you sideline
the different colours that you see might just be as a result of the glasses that you wear
and not really the colours out there.Nicole Cameron
Jamaica

What do you do when thrown together
with personalities
with cultures
with people
with biases
that are are different, unyielding
impatient... or is that just you perceiving?
an unwillingness to see, to let up, to understand, to ignore
the other side, the differences and maybe just say that
sometimes
the other side
that you sideline
the different colours that you see might just be as a result of the glasses that you wear
and not really the colours out there.

See you again Athens (Institute for International Journalism)

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:49:00 +0200

By Julien Mahoro Niyingabira

Rwanda

It is a windy and rainy morning in Athens, Ohio and through the window from my appartment room at the University Courtyard I can watch the greyness of this strange sky. It has not looked like this before, since I am here. This is a different day. This is a day I have to spend on highway and ride away from this town I loved.

I want to go to "Detangles hair and nails care" to say goodbye to that lady who cut so professionally my hair and tell her that I won't come back shortly. When I stepped in few days ago, she was the first I saw and she smiled to me. I felt I was in the right place. We chatted (sometimes looking each other in the face through the mirror) as she cut my hair. She is a pride of Athens in customer care.

I wish I could go to "Chipottle", that Mexican rstaurant to thank those cool guys in dark green T-shirts who most of the times have made me smile by packing for me a beautiful chicken burritto. "some beans?... some vegetables?..." Their burrittos have made me fall in love with Athens.

I wish I could just jump to that newly constructed circle, to say goodbye to those road constructers who have always told me "Hi, how are you doing?" and added "Have a great day". I have understood more what "the home of the brave" means through these small gests. Just as small as people who stop their car to let pedestrian cross the road while they had priority to continue driving.

I want to stand on the top of any longest thing in Athens and scream "THANK YOU" to everyone.

Now I'm going, miles and miles away from you but I'm convinced I will see you again Athens. Your lovely being has been a very nice experience for me and I will remember you!

By Julien Mahoro Niyingabira

Rwanda

I want to stand on the top of any longest thing in Athens and scream "THANK YOU" to everyone.

Now I'm going, miles and miles away from you but I'm convinced I will see you again Athens. Your lovely being has been a very nice experience for me and I will remember you!

A BIT OF NOSTALGIA (Institute for International Journalism)

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:17:00 +0200

As the days were passing by many of us, at least myself were starting to feel homesick and were looking forward to arriving home. But, after all the activities, both academic and cultural here, with detours to Cleveland, Pittsburg, today suddenly I am feeling nostalgic to this place - mainly to Ohio University, Athens city and University Courtyards which has becxome the second home to all of us. We became used to the daily grind of arriving at Scripps Hall or RTV building everyday by 8.15 and return back in the evening tired with all the days' works under strict taskmasters (it is a complement).
But, the things I would be missing include Baker Centre caffe, the Chinese, Mexican and the Indian resturants on the main street which became our destinations everyday at noon for lunch, the tree-lined nice campus of OU and of course Walmart and Kroeger's.
Probably, as I myself grew up in a small town tucked away in the north-easternmost corner of the great country India, maybe I feel more at ease with such places like Athens. And my present university is also a small and cosy campus somewhat like OU.
Now, with a sad heart I bid Athens and OU a broad 'adeiu'.
YOU WILL ALWAYS REMAIN VERY ACTIVELY IN A PROMINENT CORNER OF MY HEART. IT WILL BE MY ENDEAVOUR TO RETURN BACK TO THIS GREAT CAMPUS AND THE TOWN AT LEASTR ONCE IN MY LIFETIME.
We meet to part and part to meet somewhere sometime in life.
So long, freinds.
ABHIJIT,
#SUSI 2010As the days were passing by many of us, at least myself were starting to feel homesick and were looking forward to arriving home. But, after all the activities, both academic and cultural here, with detours to Cleveland, Pittsburg, today suddenly I am feeling nostalgic to this place - mainly to Ohio University, Athens city and University Courtyards which has becxome the second home to all of us. We became used to the daily grind of arriving at Scripps Hall or RTV building everyday by 8.15 and return back in the evening tired with all the days' works under strict taskmasters (it is a complement).
But, the things I would be missing include Baker Centre caffe, the Chinese, Mexican and the Indian resturants on the main street which became our destinations everyday at noon for lunch, the tree-lined nice campus of OU and of course Walmart and Kroeger's.
Probably, as I myself grew up in a small town tucked away in the north-easternmost corner of the great country India, maybe I feel more at ease with such places like Athens. And my present university is also a small and cosy campus somewhat like OU.
Now, with a sad heart I bid Athens and OU a broad 'adeiu'.
YOU WILL ALWAYS REMAIN VERY ACTIVELY IN A PROMINENT CORNER OF MY HEART. IT WILL BE MY ENDEAVOUR TO RETURN BACK TO THIS GREAT CAMPUS AND THE TOWN AT LEASTR ONCE IN MY LIFETIME.
We meet to part and part to meet somewhere sometime in life.
So long, freinds.
ABHIJIT,
#SUSI 2010

Bobcats to the World!! (Institute for International Journalism)

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:41:00 +0200

Nicole Cameron
Jamaica

Today, Monday August 2, 2010 marks the end of the academic portion of the Study of the United States Summer Institute on Media and Journalism hosted by the School of Journalism at the Scripps College of Communication on the beautiful Ohio University Campus.

As I reflect on the last four weeks, I must register kudos to the program faculty and staff members. A big thank you for:

hosting us with such grace and generosity
accommodating personal and cultural idiosyncrasies
giving us the opportunity to dig into the culture of Southeast Ohio and beyond its borders
working assiduously and efficiently to ensure our comfort
providing avenues for us to satisfy our needs and many wants
proving the opportunity of networking with a cadre of top-notch professionals and academics
everything else that you did that I fail to remember

While our time in Ohio has come to an end, we look forward to the Atlanta and Washington D.C. leg of the journey knowing that we are in safe hands. Once again, thank you Ohio.

Go Bobcats!
Nicole Cameron
Jamaica

Today, Monday August 2, 2010 marks the end of the academic portion of the Study of the United States Summer Institute on Media and Journalism hosted by the School of Journalism at the Scripps College of Communication on the beautiful Ohio University Campus.

As I reflect on the last four weeks, I must register kudos to the program faculty and staff members. A big thank you for:

hosting us with such grace and generosity
accommodating personal and cultural idiosyncrasies
giving us the opportunity to dig into the culture of Southeast Ohio and beyond its borders
working assiduously and efficiently to ensure our comfort
providing avenues for us to satisfy our needs and many wants
proving the opportunity of networking with a cadre of top-notch professionals and academics
everything else that you did that I fail to remember

While our time in Ohio has come to an end, we look forward to the Atlanta and Washington D.C. leg of the journey knowing that we are in safe hands. Once again, thank you Ohio.

Go Bobcats!

Spiritual Resonances (Institute for International Journalism)

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 06:00:00 +0200

By Nicole Cameron
Jamaica

It is truly amazing where it is that we we can find resonances in life. Take me for example: I am Jamaican, but the truth is that due to my philosophical and religious beliefs and practices many times I feel as if I am on the fringes of the Jamaican culture - I eat differently, I read differently, I enjoy 'weird' things and in general my lifestyle is not typically Jamaican - even though I am 100% Jamaican and would have it no other way. I love the fruits, the language, the heritage, the history, the vibrancy, the life, the colour and the spirit of the little island I call home.

Yet, when the SUSIJ group visited Amish Country in Holmes County, Ohio yesterday, I felt quite at home. As I listened to our tour guide explain the roots of the Amish, Hutterite and Menonnite people, it resonated with me in a very powerful way.

You see, outside of the particular individuals that were named from which the groups above descended, the exposition we were given was basically that of Christianity in general and as a Christian that is also my roots. While scholars agree that one's sense of identity is a combination of multiple segments of one's self, history and experiences, the strongest shade of my identity is my spirituality. My religious and spiritual beliefs shape practically everything I do - from what I eat for breakfast, to who I marry and even the career I pursue. Therefore, I can totally understand why the Amish's religious beliefs shape their way of life.

Religious liberty is one of the foundation principles upon which the American constitution was built and so after the discovery of the New World, many religious sects from Europe fled to America in the pursuit of the freedom to worship according to the dictates of one's own conscience. The Amish were among this group that fled in order to escape religious persecution from the Roman church. As a Protestant myself, religious freedom is also one of the cornerstone doctrines that I subscribe to. Therefore, like the Amish I agree wholeheartedly with the principle of the separation of church and state. In fact the Behalt (mural depicting church and Amish history) in many respects depict quite astoundingly, the development and progression of Christianity its early years to its expansion into Europe and then to the New World. As our guide explained, I felt as if I were snuggled up in my chair at home reading one of the many volumes that my church publishes on Church history.

As a listened to the basic beliefs of the Amish, I realise that we share so much. I felt as if I was visited spiritual brothers and sisters. You see, while it appears that the Amish are ultra conservative, the fact is my religious faith is equally ultra- conservative. To a large extent if someone has time to sit with me for a while, I would probably argue that I am more conservative than the Amish. For sure, I do not shun the advances of science, education and technology. On the contrary, the church in which my membership resides has one of the largest pool of educational institutions in the world, from Kindergarden all the way up to institutions of higher learning. In addition, we do not live as secluded as the Amish do, but our conservativeness is reflected in nuances such as our diet, adherence of certain biblical principles, interpretation of bible prophecy and of course, our take on eschatology.

While there are some striking differences in practices of faith between the Amish and I, the spiritual resonance that I felt during my time in Amish country went deep. It reminded me that there are many peoples and cultures that I may never meet, but there are some threads that bind us together. It reminded me that we may be strangers but spirituality has a way of transcending all spaces, all times and all barriers.

By Nicole Cameron
Jamaica

It is truly amazing where it is that we we can find resonances in life. Take me for example: I am Jamaican, but the truth is that due to my philosophical and religious beliefs and practices many times I feel as if I am on the fringes of the Jamaican culture - I eat differently, I read differently, I enjoy 'weird' things and in general my lifestyle is not typically Jamaican - even though I am 100% Jamaican and would have it no other way. I love the fruits, the language, the heritage, the history, the vibrancy, the life, the colour and the spirit of the little island I call home.

Yet, when the SUSIJ group visited Amish Country in Holmes County, Ohio yesterday, I felt quite at home. As I listened to our tour guide explain the roots of the Amish, Hutterite and Menonnite people, it resonated with me in a very powerful way.

You see, outside of the particular individuals that were named from which the groups above descended, the exposition we were given was basically that of Christianity in general and as a Christian that is also my roots. While scholars agree that one's sense of identity is a combination of multiple segments of one's self, history and experiences, the strongest shade of my identity is my spirituality. My religious and spiritual beliefs shape practically everything I do - from what I eat for breakfast, to who I marry and even the career I pursue. Therefore, I can totally understand why the Amish's religious beliefs shape their way of life.

Religious liberty is one of the foundation principles upon which the American constitution was built and so after the discovery of the New World, many religious sects from Europe fled to America in the pursuit of the freedom to worship according to the dictates of one's own conscience. The Amish were among this group that fled in order to escape religious persecution from the Roman church. As a Protestant myself, religious freedom is also one of the cornerstone doctrines that I subscribe to. Therefore, like the Amish I agree wholeheartedly with the principle of the separation of church and state. In fact the Behalt (mural depicting church and Amish history) in many respects depict quite astoundingly, the development and progression of Christianity its early years to its expansion into Europe and then to the New World. As our guide explained, I felt as if I were snuggled up in my chair at home reading one of the many volumes that my church publishes on Church history.

As a listened to the basic beliefs of the Amish, I realise that we share so much. I felt as if I was visited spiritual brothers and sisters. You see, while it appears that the Amish are ultra conservative, the fact is my religious faith is equally ultra- conservative. To a large extent if someone has time to sit with me for a while, I would probably argue that I am more conservative than the Amish. For sure, I do not shun the advances of science, education and technology. On the contrary, the church in which my membership resides has one of the largest pool of educational institutions in the world, from Kindergarden all the way up to institutions of higher learning. In addition, we do not live as secluded as the Amish do, but our conservativeness is reflected in nuances such as our diet, adherence of certain biblical principles, interpretation of bible prophecy and of course, our take on eschatology.

While there are some striking differences in practices of faith between the Amish and I, the spiritual resonance that I felt during my time in Amish country went deep. It reminded me that there are many peoples and cultures that I may never meet, but there are some threads that bind us together. It reminded me that we may be strangers but spirituality has a way of transcending all spaces, all times and all barriers.

Cycling in Athens - 10 Reasons (Institute for International Journalism)

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:13:00 +0200

by claudia schwarz, austria

5 Reasons why you should ride a bicycle in Athens, Ohio:

Hockhocking Adena Bikeway: A most beautiful ride from Athens to Nelsonville along the Hocking River with an amazing scenery and several interesting things to see and explore, e.g. the company town Eclipse (home to Jana's charming Soul Food Cafe), two mobile home parks, Beaumont/Salina (the site of former salt and coal mines), Robins Crossing Living History Site (with students and community members practicing crafts and imitating life in the 1850s), and Rocky Factory Outlet.
It's a very easy and quick way to get around.
Independence (which also means you can go shopping on your own schedule).
Keep in shape or at least get some exercise.
Meet interesting people!

5 Reasons why you should not ride a bike in Athens, Ohio:

The bikeway is great, but most other streets are in a terrible condition and badly damaged, which can be quite ... challenging.
It's dangerous. Car drivers are apparently not really used to bikes on regular streets and may get you into awkward or even dangerous situations (I know, cars are more powerful but all the rules still apply, right? And please, don't keep driving behind me when there is plenty of space to pass safely!).
Hills can be really steep in this area, especially the one to the University Courtyard.
There is limited space in your backpack to carry home shopping items.
It makes you want to get a car (or motorbike) for your next excursion.

by claudia schwarz, austria

5 Reasons why you should ride a bicycle in Athens, Ohio:

Hockhocking Adena Bikeway: A most beautiful ride from Athens to Nelsonville along the Hocking River with an amazing scenery and several interesting things to see and explore, e.g. the company town Eclipse (home to Jana's charming Soul Food Cafe), two mobile home parks, Beaumont/Salina (the site of former salt and coal mines), Robins Crossing Living History Site (with students and community members practicing crafts and imitating life in the 1850s), and Rocky Factory Outlet.
It's a very easy and quick way to get around.
Independence (which also means you can go shopping on your own schedule).
Keep in shape or at least get some exercise.
Meet interesting people!

5 Reasons why you should not ride a bike in Athens, Ohio:

The bikeway is great, but most other streets are in a terrible condition and badly damaged, which can be quite ... challenging.
It's dangerous. Car drivers are apparently not really used to bikes on regular streets and may get you into awkward or even dangerous situations (I know, cars are more powerful but all the rules still apply, right? And please, don't keep driving behind me when there is plenty of space to pass safely!).
Hills can be really steep in this area, especially the one to the University Courtyard.
There is limited space in your backpack to carry home shopping items.
It makes you want to get a car (or motorbike) for your next excursion.

What is a Newspaper Ombudsman? (Institute for International Journalism)

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:57:00 +0200

by Pirongrong Ramasoota
Thailand

A newspaper ombudsman, also known under other labels as readers’ advocate, public editor, and reader representative, is a profession that has existed in the U.S. as far back as 1970s.

But do we really know what they do and their significance to the newspaper they work for, or to the newspaper industry, and to the general readers, particularly in the current context of the biggest newspapers’ slump?

Andrew Alexander, the present ombudsman for the prestigious yet embattled Washington Post, says he works 75 hours a week to answer to complaints sent to the Post about its content and its performance as a newspaper.

There are a few channels through which complaints could be lodged – mail (postal system), emails, or telephone calls.

Alexander reported that he receives more than 20,000 letters and emails, and 100-120 calls per week. He goes through the letters and email himself but gets transcripts of the telephone complaints from a Post staffer. All the transcripts are also made available to the entire newsroom.

A large part of those 20,000 plus incoming messages are from those who do not actually want a reply – those who are just airing grievances from certain predispositions – anti-semitism, homophobia, religious fundamentalism, and so forth.

His job consists of three main parts, all of which are contingent upon the feedback or complaints received from the Post’s readers.

First, he responded directly to those who complain provided that they give their real name and addresses, or email addresses, or telephone numbers. He also represents them in matters of ethical concerns like accuracy, fairness, and new-gathering, among others.

“The main thing I do is give explanations,” said Alexander. And to explain, he needs to seek out the reporters who did the piece in question to understand their reason for covering that piece of news or why they wrote a column or an editorial the way they did.

“But my job is not to defend or to be apologist for the Post,” Alexander asserted, “It’s more like internal affairs. I have to investigate why the reporters did their job the way they did and give them a chance to explain themselves.”

Most of the reporters he went to ask questions have been co-operative. Of all the complaints he received, only about one percent lead to some sourt of retraction or clarification.

The readers who get a call from Alexander are usually surprised to hear from him as they never expected their complaint to get any kind of formal reply. This, he says, reflects the disconnection between the newspaper and its audience.

“This would be OK 15-20 years ago but with the kind of business situation that the newspaper industry is in now. Things have to change. Readers are now in the driver's seat and the paper has to really look into their demand,” said Alexander.

This is why Alexander needs to be upfront in his job as an internal critic, so he writes weekly column to put the Post under a critical lens, as framed by the readers’ comments. Some reporters, he said, may not be pleased with what he writes but most have been very professional about it.

After the Post underwent transformative changes in recent years, Alexander earned his third job; that is, promoting public understanding about the newspaper and the challenges facing it.

Among the transformative changes that Alexander needed to clarify to the Post readers were the buyout of the newspaper, the integration of print and online operations, the restructuring of print and online into a seamless operation, the introduction of new editorial management, the physical reorganization of the newsroom, the redesign of the paper which led to a reduction of content, among others.

“The readers need to hear about these changes and they need to be assured that the Post will survive. Personally, I think it will survive, but at what quality is another story.”

When asked if he regards his job as part of the so-called corporate social responsibility scheme to boost the Post’s public image, Alexander said no. He emphasized his independence from the newspaper organization.

“In my column, I criticize the paper openly. I am not here to increase or to hold readership necessarily but to bring credibility to the paper, he added.

Alexander is on a two-year contract with the Washington Post.
by Pirongrong Ramasoota
Thailand

A newspaper ombudsman, also known under other labels as readers’ advocate, public editor, and reader representative, is a profession that has existed in the U.S. as far back as 1970s.

But do we really know what they do and their significance to the newspaper they work for, or to the newspaper industry, and to the general readers, particularly in the current context of the biggest newspapers’ slump?

Andrew Alexander, the present ombudsman for the prestigious yet embattled Washington Post, says he works 75 hours a week to answer to complaints sent to the Post about its content and its performance as a newspaper.

There are a few channels through which complaints could be lodged – mail (postal system), emails, or telephone calls.

Alexander reported that he receives more than 20,000 letters and emails, and 100-120 calls per week. He goes through the letters and email himself but gets transcripts of the telephone complaints from a Post staffer. All the transcripts are also made available to the entire newsroom.

A large part of those 20,000 plus incoming messages are from those who do not actually want a reply – those who are just airing grievances from certain predispositions – anti-semitism, homophobia, religious fundamentalism, and so forth.

His job consists of three main parts, all of which are contingent upon the feedback or complaints received from the Post’s readers.

First, he responded directly to those who complain provided that they give their real name and addresses, or email addresses, or telephone numbers. He also represents them in matters of ethical concerns like accuracy, fairness, and new-gathering, among others.

“The main thing I do is give explanations,” said Alexander. And to explain, he needs to seek out the reporters who did the piece in question to understand their reason for covering that piece of news or why they wrote a column or an editorial the way they did.

“But my job is not to defend or to be apologist for the Post,” Alexander asserted, “It’s more like internal affairs. I have to investigate why the reporters did their job the way they did and give them a chance to explain themselves.”

Most of the reporters he went to ask questions have been co-operative. Of all the complaints he received, only about one percent lead to some sourt of retraction or clarification.

The readers who get a call from Alexander are usually surprised to hear from him as they never expected their complaint to get any kind of formal reply. This, he says, reflects the disconnection between the newspaper and its audience.

“This would be OK 15-20 years ago but with the kind of business situation that the newspaper industry is in now. Things have to change. Readers are now in the driver's seat and the paper has to really look into their demand,” said Alexander.

This is why Alexander needs to be upfront in his job as an internal critic, so he writes weekly column to put the Post under a critical lens, as framed by the readers’ comments. Some reporters, he said, may not be pleased with what he writes but most have been very professional about it.

After the Post underwent transformative changes in recent years, Alexander earned his third job; that is, promoting public understanding about the newspaper and the challenges facing it.

Among the transformative changes that Alexander needed to clarify to the Post readers were the buyout of the newspaper, the integration of print and online operations, the restructuring of print and online into a seamless operation, the introduction of new editorial management, the physical reorganization of the newsroom, the redesign of the paper which led to a reduction of content, among others.

“The readers need to hear about these changes and they need to be assured that the Post will survive. Personally, I think it will survive, but at what quality is another story.”

When asked if he regards his job as part of the so-called corporate social responsibility scheme to boost the Post’s public image, Alexander said no. He emphasized his independence from the newspaper organization.

“In my column, I criticize the paper openly. I am not here to increase or to hold readership necessarily but to bring credibility to the paper, he added.

Alexander is on a two-year contract with the Washington Post.

Press Coverage (Continued) (OLEC 2010)

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:32:21 +0200

Leipziger Volkszeitung is one of the most cited newspapers in Germany. It is the major regional newspaper subscription in Leipzig, with nine regional editions. It has published since 1894, and on July 18, 2010, Ohio University students made the front page. This front page feature stresses the fact that there IS international interest in Leipzig, a [...]

This front page feature stresses the fact that there IS international interest in Leipzig, a message to boost community morale in a city that has experienced a constant population decline over the years. Perhaps it is an effort to appeal to young people in a city that is sometimes labeled “the retirement home of Europe.”

Whichever the motivation, I hope the message gets across, because Leipziger Neuseenland is a hidden gem of Germany, even to those who live there. Lots of potential.

Press Coverage (OLEC 2010)

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:38:25 +0200

The OLEC crew weren’t only pulling stunts behind the camera. On several occasions, OLEC students made the news in and around Leipzig. For example, Rachel and Abbey were pinned down by a television news crew at Berlin’s Fan Mile during a broadcast of Germany’s World Cup quarter-final 4-0 victory. Impressed that these fans spoke no German, yet [...]

The OLEC crew weren’t only pulling stunts behind the camera. On several occasions, OLEC students made the news in and around Leipzig.

For example, Rachel and Abbey were pinned down by a television news crew at Berlin’s Fan Mile during a broadcast of Germany’s World Cup quarter-final 4-0 victory. Impressed that these fans spoke no German, yet wore Deutschland’s colors proudly, the reporter asked, “What did you think of the game?” Rachel responded, with class, “We owned them!”

Then later in the trip, rumors circulated that an American film team was shooting a documentary about the emerging Neuseenland landscape south of Leipzig. Suddenly, the dealmaking began.

Gudrun Jugel would give us (Max, Andrew, and Brian, a.k.a. the Post-Industrial Group) access to former coal workers, if we allowed the local paper to interview us at Kulturpark Deutzen, where she works.

Shortly after, the head of Economic Promotions of Leipzig, Rolf Müller-Syring, said he would take us on an excursion and give us access to prime locations, people and stories. That is, after he publishes our names, photos, backgrounds and documentary story line in a Neuseenland [New Lake Land] press release.
In the end, the Post-Industrial team was written about in two newspapers and one city magazine: A total of five different articles, including a letter from the editor of Leipziger Vokszeitung, Leipzig’s largest newspaper. Leipzig got publicity, and we filmed a documentary. Everybody wins.

Translation by Rolf Müller-Syring: What the change is doing to the people

An American filmteam is currently working on a 20-minute long documentary film on the development of this lignite shaped region to an attractive tourism and leisure area.

As the WILL-Wirtschaftsförderung Leipziger Land GmbH (Economic Promotion Company of the County Leipzig) informed yesterday, the team intends to record the social and economic consequences of the reshaping of the landscape and compare it as a positive example with American lignite regions.

The team of Brian Grady from Ohio is looking for an answer on the question, “what is the change doing to the people?” Therefore the film focuses on people in the Leipziger Neuseenland, what changes they have experienced and what new opportunities have arisen.

Translation: Today on the Way in the Leipziger Neuseenland

The WILL GmbH informed, that the documentary filmteam from the USA is travelling today again between Borna and Markkleeberg. It will continue its shooting, with interviews and viewing. The first man being on camera is Andreas Schmidt, project developer of the SSZ GmbH. He will report on the plans at Lake Zwenkau. Another partner of the talks will be Udo Theile. He represents as a current employee of the WILL GmbH and former director of the power plant Espenhain with his personal career as the link between the lignite shaped region and the development to a lake scenery. Rolf Müller-Syring, the managing director of the WIll GmbH, will accompany the Americans today on their way to sites of exemplary significance for the reshaping of the landscape: The loft apartments in the former briquette factory Witznitz, the vantage point of the open cast mine Schleenhain and the Lake Stormthal.

According to the WILL GmbH the shooting will be finished on Monday with a visit of the Bergbau-Technik Park (Mining Technology Park). The Gerald Riedel will be on camera, a former miner and inhabitant of Magdeborn, who contributed in the demolition of its hometown. Today, he is the Chairman of the Bergbau-Technik Park on a voluntary basis. Talks have been carried out also with the Mayor of Markkleeberg, Bernd Klose, the head of the regional planning authority, Andreas Berkner, and the LMBV manager, Stephan Tienz.

Translation: A region with potential

The interest in the Leipziger Neuseenland seems to be growing, not only in Germany, but even on a worldwide scale. The number of reports are rising that Russian manager, students from the Netherlands and currently film-makers from the USA look intensively on the Region between Leipzig and Borna.

It is no wonder, because what is happen here is without equal in Europe. For many of us living here, its normal: But he current change of our home region in an – in historic terms – extremely short period, is sheer breathtaking and is fascinating outsider. It is the change from a dirty lignite shaped region into a clean lake scenery with areas for industry and mining.

But still the number of interested persons in America, in the Netherlands or Russia (and in Germany as well) is still too low. It is important to convince the one or the other investor to invest his ideas and his money in the Leipziger Neuseenland – for prospective and promising jobs in a region with potential.

Germany and America (OLEC 2010)

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:20:33 +0200

Despite the common mistake of judging an individual or culture too quickly, I found myself making this habit a general tendancy when first arriving in Leipzig. However, after a stay of six weeks it becomes easier to remove oneself prom pre-existing prejudice and the ease of broad generalizations. What I have found to be a fundamental difference between the Germans and the Americans (despite how cliché it may sound) is in the way we choose to combat our image.
Over the past century, Germany has bore a legacy unlike any other country, being the impetus behind two world wars, genocide, and a stringent socialist system. But what one sees today when they witness the broader culture, is a society rooted in democracy, equality, environmentalism, and national service. Let us take two common practices within Germany to illustrate this; recycling and a mandatory two-year service in the military or domestic service. For Americans, the act of trash removal is the most meaningless and routine part of the day, a commonplace task that is overlooked and yet bears extroadinary weight in it’s environmental effects, and the overall reputation of a wasteful populace. However, in Germany most take the time to separate their trash and do so in a refined and neat way, even though the amount wasted is usually in small doses. Recycled glass and plastic bottles are recollected for cash, making it possible for the impoverished to grab some money, all while cleaning up the streets. In the end, Germany reflects it’s desire to progress not simply through its innovation, but through the cnstant chore of maintaining a beauty within their environment, and making sure this will remain as such for their upcoming generations.
As well, the government has made it mandatory for all students upon graduating high school to either serve the state in work or to enlist in the military for two years. Rather than the commonplace American habit of graduating and then milking mom and dad for a while, Germany instills a national unity and national pride through a system that allows one to engage this requirement in a way they see fit. Take a look at our own nation and what does one see; economic disparity, spoiled children, washed out parents, and corruption. That is not the problem inherently, rather the fact that Americans see their country in this way and make no unified effort to combat their reputation is. I may have seen Germany as a lederhosen-wearing, war-mongering, society of pretentious Europeans, but all Germans see their country as a country of change, one that will show the world what a nation should look like. Just look at the red, gold, and black banners waving outside the Brandenburg gate; this is what Germany wants the world to see and rather than putting up a façade, they work each and every day, in every task they perform, to make this a reality.

Wrapping Up Markleeberg (OLEC 2010)

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:18:38 +0200

The end of production for our group bore incredible significance, and yet this closure had little sign of “good news. It meant we had 8 German interviews to transcribe. It meant we had to upload and organize well over 75 gigabytes worth of footage and archive material. It meant we had to finally visualize our story within a script, a story that did not entirely reveal itself to us until the last week of shooting. The physical act of putting away the camera in itself however proved to be the biggest obstacle I would have to come to terms with in post-production.
Up until this point, I have normally surrounded myself around individuals that I have known for quite sometime, and thus we have similar styles of writing, production, and editing. Within our team, we all removed ourselves from certain aspects of the project in order to focus on areas we either felt we needed to improve in, or in skills we wanted to strengthen in particular. For me, this meant fully delving myself into a role as a director of photography, as Andrew hoped to experiment with his role of director and editor, and Brian with his journalism and producing techniques.
I can safely say that my camera work, in turns of movement, variety of shots, and exposure has improved beyond my expectations, simply from hours upon hours of walking through Neuseenland with a broad range of subjects and plenty of time. I finally feel as though I can set up an interview to be both functional and smooth as well as aesthetically pleasing. While my XL2 continues to give me struggles and I cannot fully say that I am satisfied with it’s final portrayal on the screen, I feel encouraged and uplifted by the sheer improvement I can see in my footage from our first shots on the lake, to our last at Bergbau-Technik Park.
Where my satisfaction lacks in my individual performance, it does not lack in the overall project. Brian’s journalistic mind and ability to network, schedule, and research is unrivalled by anyone on this trip. And with Andrew behind the computer screen for our editing, my footage took on added significance and exhumed a very different feel that I could have never expected, granting our project a level of originality and synthesis. While the rest of my experience at OU may not grant me the opportunity to work with these two once again, the lessons we have taught each other as individuals and as a singularly-directed unit will reappear in our future work with added clairvoyance.

My Lovely Homeplace (Institute for International Journalism)

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:46:00 +0200

by Abhitjit Bora
India

Whenever someone asks me where I am from, obviously I say that I am from India. But if asked which city or part of this country with continental proportions it becomes somewhat difficult to describe it properly. So, let me try to explain you about my birthplace.

It is a somewhat big province/state in India's northeastern most corner. We share more than a 1000 kilometres of border with Bangladesh, a few kilometres with Bhuttan, and on the other sides we share borders with six other states of India which in turn share their borders with China, and Burma/Myanmar. A medium-sized city called Guwahati is the state capitl, which is my hometown. But at present I am living in a small University town Caltezpur,which is also the name of my University. It is much bigger than Athens.

To give you an idea of the distance, Guwahati 2,000 kilometres from Delhi and 1500 kilometres from Kolkata/Calcutta. If you would kindly look at the map of India here you can see Assam on the right corner. Again if you would look at the map of Assam given here - the places Kamrup and Sonitpur are the districts of my hometown and working place.

I also welcome you all to this lovely land and perfectly friendly and hospitable nation. We have much oil and natural gas, a few hundred one-horned rhinos, beautifully crafted and picturesques tea gardens, a very big rivver dividing us in half from east to west that has been flowing from the Himalayas through Tibbet and China, and entering Bangladesh after Assam.
by Abhitjit Bora
India

Whenever someone asks me where I am from, obviously I say that I am from India. But if asked which city or part of this country with continental proportions it becomes somewhat difficult to describe it properly. So, let me try to explain you about my birthplace.

It is a somewhat big province/state in India's northeastern most corner. We share more than a 1000 kilometres of border with Bangladesh, a few kilometres with Bhuttan, and on the other sides we share borders with six other states of India which in turn share their borders with China, and Burma/Myanmar. A medium-sized city called Guwahati is the state capitl, which is my hometown. But at present I am living in a small University town Caltezpur,which is also the name of my University. It is much bigger than Athens.

To give you an idea of the distance, Guwahati 2,000 kilometres from Delhi and 1500 kilometres from Kolkata/Calcutta. If you would kindly look at the map of India here you can see Assam on the right corner. Again if you would look at the map of Assam given here - the places Kamrup and Sonitpur are the districts of my hometown and working place.

I also welcome you all to this lovely land and perfectly friendly and hospitable nation. We have much oil and natural gas, a few hundred one-horned rhinos, beautifully crafted and picturesques tea gardens, a very big rivver dividing us in half from east to west that has been flowing from the Himalayas through Tibbet and China, and entering Bangladesh after Assam.

The End (OLEC 2010)

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:26:42 +0200

Finally being back in America is amazing. Its sad knowing that I will probably not get the chance to go back to Leipzig, but in the end there is no place like home. In the last six weeks we have worked so hard. We produced a documentary. Which I know seems like “Ok. Duh. That was [...]

Finally being back in America is amazing. Its sad knowing that I will probably not get the chance to go back to Leipzig, but in the end there is no place like home.

In the last six weeks we have worked so hard. We produced a documentary. Which I know seems like “Ok. Duh. That was the whole point” but you don’t realize how much of a big deal that is til you’ve spent three days locked in a German dorm room with your team. To me, it was a great accomplishment that Team Mephisto was able to produce a documentary like this. Of course, we had a lot of help. There was a lot of checking in with Sam, Frederick, and Brandon and it would not have been possible without those in Germany will to help us both in front of the camera and behind. I think in the end we owe it all to everyone that made it possible.

Inside Radio Mephisto from Lauren Byrwa on Vimeo.

Four Things I Did Not Know (Institute for International Journalism)

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:55:00 +0200

OK. Pardon my ignorance. But I learnt the following from my colleagues here at SUSI 2010 at OU.

1. In Finland, there is a sauna culture that has everybody basking in saunas....naked! Outi was filling me on the details recently. Then, because it sounded so interesting, I went and spent almost 3 hours browsing the net to get more details. I found out that Finland has approximately 2 million saunas for a population that is approximately 5 million! On average, that is approximately one sauna per 2.5 people! Wow! I also learnt that the sauna is so ingrained in the culture that the military has a history of erecting one anywhere they go. Outi even said that they have interviewed naked politicians while in they were in the sauna ....and showed it on T.V.! (They did not show the privates, so stop wondering!). Talk about a cultural difference. In my neck of the woods such a thing would be anathema for sure. It should be said though that there is nothing sexual about the sauna culture. It is all for utility. I definately need to go to Finland! Who will sponsor me?

2. Abijhit was telling me that in India, it is quite normal for grown adults to live with their parents even after marriage. He even blogged about it. Again, in my neck of the woods, we clamour to get out of our parents' house. For me, going off to University for undergrad studies was the first step and it was understood that I would never live with my parents again, which I was grateful for! Don't get me wrong, I love them to death (or to life?) but I wanted my independence, freedom and privacy. I dutifully call and visit often though. Come to think of it, I have not slept at my parents' house in six and a half years! Wow. I did not even realize it was so long. The last time I slept there was the night before my wedding, I went home to spend the last night of single-hood with my family soon to become my relatives. (Do you have the distinction between family and relatives?) Of course, I didn't really sleep. Who sleeps the night before their wedding? I was up until around 2 a.m. then went laid down and prayed then thought about my future. Prayer is a must the night before one's wedding!

3. Somebody has two wives. In Ja. only one wife is allowed but being the creative and innovative people we are many men simply opt to have one wife and two or three mistresses "on the side" (reminds you of side dishes, doesn't it? A kind of delectable treat that you add to your main course. Mmmmmm).

4. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. I think that is a good thing.

N.C.
OK. Pardon my ignorance. But I learnt the following from my colleagues here at SUSI 2010 at OU.

1. In Finland, there is a sauna culture that has everybody basking in saunas....naked! Outi was filling me on the details recently. Then, because it sounded so interesting, I went and spent almost 3 hours browsing the net to get more details. I found out that Finland has approximately 2 million saunas for a population that is approximately 5 million! On average, that is approximately one sauna per 2.5 people! Wow! I also learnt that the sauna is so ingrained in the culture that the military has a history of erecting one anywhere they go. Outi even said that they have interviewed naked politicians while in they were in the sauna ....and showed it on T.V.! (They did not show the privates, so stop wondering!). Talk about a cultural difference. In my neck of the woods such a thing would be anathema for sure. It should be said though that there is nothing sexual about the sauna culture. It is all for utility. I definately need to go to Finland! Who will sponsor me?

2. Abijhit was telling me that in India, it is quite normal for grown adults to live with their parents even after marriage. He even blogged about it. Again, in my neck of the woods, we clamour to get out of our parents' house. For me, going off to University for undergrad studies was the first step and it was understood that I would never live with my parents again, which I was grateful for! Don't get me wrong, I love them to death (or to life?) but I wanted my independence, freedom and privacy. I dutifully call and visit often though. Come to think of it, I have not slept at my parents' house in six and a half years! Wow. I did not even realize it was so long. The last time I slept there was the night before my wedding, I went home to spend the last night of single-hood with my family soon to become my relatives. (Do you have the distinction between family and relatives?) Of course, I didn't really sleep. Who sleeps the night before their wedding? I was up until around 2 a.m. then went laid down and prayed then thought about my future. Prayer is a must the night before one's wedding!

3. Somebody has two wives. In Ja. only one wife is allowed but being the creative and innovative people we are many men simply opt to have one wife and two or three mistresses "on the side" (reminds you of side dishes, doesn't it? A kind of delectable treat that you add to your main course. Mmmmmm).

4. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. I think that is a good thing.

N.C.

A Day with Native Americans (Institute for International Journalism)

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:25:00 +0200

By Outi Hakola, Finland

On Saturday we got a glimpse of Native American culture that once ruled in Ohio. We visited the Indian Mound City in Hopewell Culture National Historic Park. In a burning mid-summer weather – a weather what we would call as an Indian summer in Finland – we were amazed by the geometrical shapes of mounds. One just couldn’t but wonder how life was 2000 years ago when the area was inhabited by Native Americans and what secrets lay in the ground. Walking around the grass gave, at least to me, almost a spiritual experience, while Mound City used to be the ceremonial centre of that long-gone culture.

When the sun set slowly behind the trees and the Indian summer day turned into moonlight we experienced a rather different kind of encounter with Native American culture in Chillicothe. This experience of an outdoor drama had nothing to do with spirituality, although it did evoke our spirits. For almost three hours we were entertained with a story of great Shawnee leader, Tecumseh.

For me this was especially interesting play. After all, one of my colleagues in Finland recently finished his lengthy study of Shawnee people and during the passing years I have had privilege to comment his work, listen his seminar papers and even learn some sentences in Shawnee’s language. Evening with moonlight with glittering bodies was more entertaining and stereotypic than educating, but these home-made savages made us go through different emotions with their tales of romance, adventure, battle, deceit and death.

Even more emotions were encountered after the show when we had the pleasure to meet the actors. From our behavior you might have guessed that you’re dealing with a bunch of six-years old, but the happy smiles on our faces prove that we had a great day out and we returned to Athens with stories about Native Americans - made both from facts and fiction.By Outi Hakola, Finland

On Saturday we got a glimpse of Native American culture that once ruled in Ohio. We visited the Indian Mound City in Hopewell Culture National Historic Park. In a burning mid-summer weather – a weather what we would call as an Indian summer in Finland – we were amazed by the geometrical shapes of mounds. One just couldn’t but wonder how life was 2000 years ago when the area was inhabited by Native Americans and what secrets lay in the ground. Walking around the grass gave, at least to me, almost a spiritual experience, while Mound City used to be the ceremonial centre of that long-gone culture.

When the sun set slowly behind the trees and the Indian summer day turned into moonlight we experienced a rather different kind of encounter with Native American culture in Chillicothe. This experience of an outdoor drama had nothing to do with spirituality, although it did evoke our spirits. For almost three hours we were entertained with a story of great Shawnee leader, Tecumseh.

For me this was especially interesting play. After all, one of my colleagues in Finland recently finished his lengthy study of Shawnee people and during the passing years I have had privilege to comment his work, listen his seminar papers and even learn some sentences in Shawnee’s language. Evening with moonlight with glittering bodies was more entertaining and stereotypic than educating, but these home-made savages made us go through different emotions with their tales of romance, adventure, battle, deceit and death.

Even more emotions were encountered after the show when we had the pleasure to meet the actors. From our behavior you might have guessed that you’re dealing with a bunch of six-years old, but the happy smiles on our faces prove that we had a great day out and we returned to Athens with stories about Native Americans - made both from facts and fiction.

Nächster Haltestelle: America (OLEC 2010)

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:00:24 +0200

So here I am, sitting in the Paris airport, reflecting on a full six weeks of intense immersion in German society. Where can I even begin? It’s just been full of those experiences that don’t sound super impressive when you say them, but then when you think about it you just step back and go [...]

For example, this past week, during one of the few breaks my group and I took amongst our 15 hour film-making sessions, I was walking through Augustusplatz sipping on my Fanta when I was approached from my left with a timid “bitteschon?” I turned to face who was talking to me. In the next five minutes I would find out that Michael was a Marxist who was not only from East Germany, but was from the GDR. Not the former GDR. But just the regular ol’ wall never fell GDR. I spoke with him for a bit, assuring him that I was not a capitalist, and trying to give a brief outline of my political beliefs. After explaining that I felt that most political systems would work and be fine if people just stopped treating each other like crap, Michael finished smiling and nodding and informed me that he didn’t understand most of what I said. He shook my hand and then took off with his violin (oh yeah, by the way, he had a violin) into the night, presumably to report me.

I’d like to take this moment to say that a huge moth just flew in my ear. One day I would like to go somewhere, anywhere, and not have giant bugs attack me.

But anyway, things like that are just experiences that are really weak when put into words but really just fantastic when they’re had. I mean, I keep thinking about this…Michael was insistent that he lived in the German Democratic Republic. A title that was put to rest twenty one years ago. I’m searching for stronger words to use but all I keep coming up with is quirky characters. Or how about the man that Abbey, Brian, and I met on the tram on the way to a German wedding in an abandoned (?) warehouse (?). While I did not catch his name, I would like to call him Flute Beardy because I feel that captures him. Beardy is an older gentleman who moved to Europe from Washington DC 30 years ago, the past 15 or so have been spent in Leipzig. Now, if you’ve been to some of the fancier parts of Leipzig, you know that there are more than a few competent street performers. And when I say competent, I mean I’ve seen a dude tear it up on a full-sized marimba, brass quartets, string quartets, and of course the obligatory jerk with the acoustic guitar and “insightful/sensitive/7-th grade english class” lyrics. Beardy, however, is none of these. He doesn’t paint himself all silver and stand silently until given a coin. He doesn’t play an accordion poorly with a puppy by his side while looking like his entire family was just blown up by a Disney villain. He doesn’t even run down the streets in full winter attire screaming in French about his one patch of hair on the back of his head.

This part isn’t necessary, I just want everyone to know that some dude just came, stared over my shoulder, made a cartoony face at me, took an empty pop bottle, and then walked off. Characters, right? Anyway!

No, Beardy is a “clown” as he calls himself. He basically is just a huge goof, plays a flute or a recorder poorly while trying to juggle or something else and follows people as they try to get to H&M without getting held hostage. Basically he’s like the poor man’s street mime. Without the paint.

“Well, Jared, that’s not a story! That’s just sad!” Nah, disembodied voice. You’re wrong.

Because see, Beardy has been at this game for THIRTY years. Traveling across Europe doing this. Living off of this. He can afford plane tickets off of this. He’s visited family in the States off of his clown money. I met a dude who has been living off of the kindness (guilt/pity) of strangers for longer than I’ve been alive. He’s traveled across the continent by performing on street corners.

Stopping here to say that some girl just got her luggage jacked, I guess. Good way to do that is to not leave it laying around while you wander off. Just saying. Oh wait, she was just yelling because she couldn’t find a cart. And now she’s mad that someone took her seat. You were gone for almost an hour. Chill.

But yeah, meeting new people. That was fantastic. Experiencing things like a bar with a flamethrower or a student club with four different rooms all jamming out different kinds of music or just sitting in a dungeon-esque bar chatting about post-rock and gun control with a German student. Human language really seems to fail in adequately capturing the power of experiences. So I guess all I can really say is they were awesome.

EPILOGUE:

This girl just yelled at a bunch of priests, stared down everyone in this sitting area while looking extremely violent, then stormed off.

Also a huge muscle-y dude with a vicious-looking dog just came by doing security checks. The dog slipped on the floor and almost fell. I feel safer?

gOLEC!

Discussing Conflict Resolution (Institute for International Journalism)

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:39:00 +0200

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The video was taken during long debate to make decision about " Conflict Resolution Case Study" in Yusuf Kalyango's class. We study how to solve problems in an organisation by applying SWOT analysis and Management by Objectives.

Uploaded by Nurul">

The video was taken during long debate to make decision about " Conflict Resolution Case Study" in Yusuf Kalyango's class. We study how to solve problems in an organisation by applying SWOT analysis and Management by Objectives.

Uploaded by Nurul

A PERFECT FAMILY GET TOGETHER (Institute for International Journalism)

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:23:00 +0200

A PERFECTLY-ENJOYABLE EVENING

It was a perfect and most enjoyable evening of the tour, courtesy Michael Dibari – the jovial, active, sporty gentleman and his family. Yes, the occasion was just a get together of the SUSI 2010 GANG at Michael’s neat and cosy home just a few minutes off from OU campus. It is a fine neighbourhood with lot of space for kids to play around and feel safe from speeding traffic.

While Michael carried out the task of preparing ‘pizzas’ in several delicious varieties we offered our generous “helping hand” by finishing the dishes quickly followed again by several types of disserts.

We enjoyed a lot in the tree-lined courtyard under a big tree and the few apple trees which Michael is so proud of, of course he should be.

One high point of the evening was the feeling of homesickness at least for myself personally. I have a kid at home who is about 5 and a half.

It is an interesting dilemma. In India it is the usual thing to stay with our parents even when we are matured and earning ourselves comfortably and are married. Of course, with job-related relocation, other problems this tradition is fast giving way to nuclear families – only the parents and their kids without paternal grandparents. For me since last about 8 months I am living away from my parents because of job relocation.

My family – my kid and his mother – is in my parent’s house at present as I am here. Everyday whenever I call home, my kid has only two things to say primarily – I should come home soon and I must bring a children’s game-playing system with me.

Since we are in groups and everyday we are quite busy in various things, the nostalgic feeling does not manage to attack much. If I had to live alone and do things myself without any set routine it would have been quite boring and difficult to sustain these 45 days.

I had two similar experiences in 2007 and 2008 and when I visited Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and McGill University (Montreal, Canada) respectively on academic fellowships. Staying lonely in a big city far away from home sometimes creates difficulties.

It is compounded by the fact I am very fussy about western food. Somehow I find difficulty in surviving on hamburgers, boiled vegetable salads, soups, black coffee etc. OF COURSE ABSOLUTELY NO COMPNAITS ABOUT IT.

Well, whatever it is. These are some of the experiences of our life which makes it so colourful and we keep chasing them despite all hardships and difficulties. These are small difficulties compared to the pearls of experience and exposure that we are getting for which I consider myself highly LUCKY.

In fact, when I told my wife about feeling homesick she teased me saying that this is not going to make any difference to my constant efforts for looking for foreign academic fellowships anywhere in the world and that the moment I am back at home I would forget everything and look for the newer opportunities gain such an experience.

And true enough, I have already set my eyes on two foreign academic fellowships for which I am eligible for 2011.

Well, we meet to part and part to meet somewhere sometime.

Guys, so long.

ABHIJIT, contact me at abhijitbora71@rediffmail.com

A PERFECTLY-ENJOYABLE EVENING

We enjoyed a lot in the tree-lined courtyard under a big tree and the few apple trees which Michael is so proud of, of course he should be.

One high point of the evening was the feeling of homesickness at least for myself personally. I have a kid at home who is about 5 and a half.

And true enough, I have already set my eyes on two foreign academic fellowships for which I am eligible for 2011.

Well, we meet to part and part to meet somewhere sometime.

Guys, so long.

ABHIJIT, contact me at abhijitbora71@rediffmail.com

Outie (OLEC 2010)

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 01:35:47 +0200

My adventure from Cleveland to Leipzig has been one that I will never forget. The past week, Team Mephisto has turned up the heat and successfully completed our documentary. We finally finished editing at 6:15 A.M. Friday morning, giving us about 10 hours before the deadline. The process was intense, but well worth it. I actually had fun working into the wee-hours of the night. I even semi-learned how to cook! At 4 A.M. Friday morning, I recalled that I had 6 mini steaks sitting in my refridgerator. I had not consumed them, because I was unaware how to make them. German directions and no microwave = Alex is clueless. But, Rachel and Lauren aided me in making them with a skillet, and steaks at 4 in the morning never tasted better.

Anyways, I learned a whole lot from the process of making a movie. I learned exactly what a producer, director, editor and videographer do when making a film. I also learned the proper and improper ways of interviewing people. There is so much more involved than what is seen on the tv screen. Next, my media vocabulary has grown exponentially. Finally, I made some friends that I will always share a special bond with – OLEC 2010. It is sad to be leaving, but I look forward to coming home to see my friends and family.

Thanks again to everyone affiliated with OLEC 2010. It was an amazing experience.

The End (OLEC 2010)

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:14:18 +0200

I am a journalist. I tell people stories. This summer, I’ve been able to tell one by means I never have before. Last night (or rather, very early this morning), my group and I finished a twelve-minute documentary on the wachterhauser in Leipzig. It was a six-week labor of love that concluded many trips to the wachterhaus for footage and answers. Often times, we were lucky enough that the days spent in the house felt so comfortable, they didn’t even seem like work. I will always be grateful to the people who live there. They opened up their home to three students from across the ocean and their video camera.

The evening before we finished our documentary, we were given two scrapbooks full of pictures from the beginning of the wachterhaus’s existence. It was the missing puzzle piece we needed to bring our film to life. I know that when we give the people living there a copy of our work on Saturday, they will not only have what we captured for them, but what they did.

It’s funny to remember how nervous I was to introduce ourselved at the first “open kitchen” dinner we attended six weeks ago and how odd it will be to not take a tram there next Thursday when I’m back in Ohio. Exploring the wachterhauser has given me the opportunity to understand a small part of German culture better than I could have ever read about it. I learned something during these six weeks that can’t be taught in a classroom. I also bettered skills that I have learned that way. Six interviews later, I know the practice I’ve had making this documentary will make me a better journalist. I’ve tried very hard to learn to memorize the AP Stylebook and include the facts of a story my freshman year as a journalism major, but I’ve been learning what it means to be passionate about a story and how to tell it so that everyone else who listens can understand it too this summer.

I am a journalist, but after the six weeks I’ve spent in Leipzig, I feel even more like a storyteller. That’s something I can smile about during the travel home.

< 24 Uhr (OLEC 2010)

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 04:12:54 +0200

I just made some scrambled eggs, Heather made over-easy, Drew and Kyle are eating Danishes and we’ve been up since 8 am yesterday. The iced coffee at the market is really cheap, so we decided to buy a bunch and see the sun rise. We are full swing in our penthouse editing suite on the 8th [...]

We are full swing in our penthouse editing suite on the 8^th floor, Tarostraße and the progress of our piece is coming along wonderfully. Over the past weeks, many people have helped us in producing every necessary asset for our documentary. From word-for-word translations of transcripts to voice over recordings in a snazzy flat in the Südplatz district, the people who have helped us in post-production have been incredible to work with. Making a documentary in a foreign country has opened our eyes to see that we really can’t do this alone—and I feel that is the beauty of the process. In less than 24 hours we will finish strong and have a piece that tells the story of the Baumgartl family as they recount their lifelong experiences. From simple times to life-changing moments, this piece will give you a new perspective on one family’s journey through East Germany’s history.

-Annette

Our sound bites are up, our b-roll is rolling, and our room… well it is a disaster. Red bull cans, coffee cups, snacks, scattered surrendered soundbites and 4 macs we are ready to go. We have transcripts and voice over scripts, German scripts and English scripts, but the light is at the end of the tunnel and a complete documentary finally awaits us. It has been a long process filled with many nights and mornings. Our storyboard has a completely different look as you see the sun rise and set behind it for multiple days on end. Now the picture is in our minds and the process begins to transfer it to a computer. That is a lot easier said then done however. Just to put our process in retrospect we began this blog around 8 a.m on Thursday morning. The only time we are concerned about is the time until our deadline. This is one of the most stressful and exciting parts of the project and in a few short hours we will finally be RENDERING!!!! So for now we will kiss black and fade in after the DVD is burned.

-Heather

Thinking back to six weeks ago when this all started, I would have never guessed that the time would have went by so fast. One thing that I really enjoyed is when we traveled with Susan to her hometown of Eisenach the night before we got to meet her family. It seems like just the other day She was taking us out to dinner there so we could relax with a nice meal before our first big day of shooting. I remember Andrew and I ordering the trout for dinner, which Susan explained had come from a stream in a nearby village. So of course we couldn’t resist. It was funny though because when the waitress brought it out it wasn’t just meat it was the entire fish, the head and all. This being our first time eating a fish prepared this way really made the dinner interesting. It was basically us two pulling bones from our teeth while Susan was coaching us on how to separate it from the meat. But even though it was a lot of work it still ended up being one of my favorite meals of the trip and something that I will always remember about my time here in Germany.

-Kyle

P.S. Drew sends his love, he’s in the editing zone right now.

Meeting Orson Welles (Institute for International Journalism)

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:45:00 +0200

by Claudia Schwarz
Austria

Would you like to meet Orson Welles? – Well, sure. Isn’t he dead? – Not tonight.

They call it “Ohio Chautauqua” and the tagline is “Step back in time and celebrate our history … Enjoy the journey.”

Now picture this: a small town in the Midwest (the place is called Gallipolis, one hour south of Athens, Ohio; population approx. 4.100), a tent in the city park (much like a circus tent), a fair number of (elderly) people, a stage, several people in weird outfits. They come on stage and introduce each other as Eleanor Roosevelt, Paul Robeson, Margaret Mitchell, W.C. Fields, and Orson Welles.

It was opening night, so we had the privilege of meeting all five of the great personalities that would come back to life for an evening each this week to chat with the town folks about their lives, careers, and personalities.

(W.C. Fields and Eleanor Roosevelt in action)

This was Orson Welles’ big night and for 45 minutes he talked about his life, shared scarcely known anecdotes, and entertained the audience. He even agreed to a Q&A session, which was cut short because of the heavy rain that inaugurated the Chautaqua.

Apart from experiencing yet another eccentricity of American culture, we learned that much of the success of Orson Welles was based on the misinterpretation by critics (he was celebrated as a genius for his progressive work and innovation when really he only tried to cope creatively with a shortage of money for theater productions), that Roosevelt’s New Deal meant a great deal to him, and that he was a real patriot (in Thoreau's sense because he also criticized his government).

Thanks Stephanie and David for sharing this time traveling adventure with us!

by Claudia Schwarz
Austria

Would you like to meet Orson Welles? – Well, sure. Isn’t he dead? – Not tonight.

They call it “Ohio Chautauqua” and the tagline is “Step back in time and celebrate our history … Enjoy the journey.”

(W.C. Fields and Eleanor Roosevelt in action)

Thanks Stephanie and David for sharing this time traveling adventure with us!

New Media, New Challenge to the old! (Institute for International Journalism)

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:18:00 +0200

SURESH ACHARYA

Nepal

After all is the online an ultimate media of the world? Are the other media in saturation? So on declining now? Ask to McLuhan. He once theorized that ‘Medium is the Message.’ The medium is the message is a phrase coined by

Marshall McLuhan meaning that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived. The phrase was introduced in his most widely known book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, published in 1964. McLuhan proposes that a medium

itself, not the content it carries, should be the focus of study. He said that a medium affects the society in which it plays a role not only by the content delivered over the medium, but also by the characteristics of the medium itself.

People did believe him for some time. But neither the print media stop nor the mushroom growth of radio been challenged. Even in the developed countries, his claim did not exist so far. But now! Online is challenging the print media!!! Is it true?

‘We Break the news in online and explain it in the newspaper.’ It is a heartfelt comment made by the editor of The Columbus Dispatch, Benjamin J. Marrisan. It is not an answer of him only, but also of The Plain Dealer daily of Cleveland. Both are facing the same fate. They are losing the audience and the advertisement as well. A newspaper having a history of more than a century is also being challenged by the very new media. Why the print has to face this challenge? Is the McLuhan correct here at least on online?

The answer is it is relative not absolute! In the developed countries because of high tech access to all, other media including radio and television are facing such trouble. The chunk of advertisements has gone to online. As a quick update media, obviously people go to online first. But again the question is: are the audiences satisfied with it and its presentation and performance? Answer may be not much positive.

In developing countries, print media are strong enough. In Nepal’s context, very few people have access to the online. Broadband is in very limited cities. PSTN service is slow. Even though, most of the broadsheet daily has online edition. Online compete for breaking news, they just provide information as eye opener. The next day they present the story in different angle. So print media are more effective and able to give impact to the authorities and the audience. They are long lasting than the TV or the Radio. Access of TV is also limited due to city centered cable service.

The scenario of developed countries is obviously different not only in terms of access but the interest. They have no time to read in detail or uncomforted to buy or subscribe and keep with. They are being habituated with blackberry edition.

It is not a question of survivable financially but the print has less charming and glamorous not only to the audience but also to the media workers as well. So print has to stop the day-to-day events and goes to in-depth stories. They must have to change the pattern of content and presentation to compete with technologically born challenge. Even the developing countries media have start to think.

Shall you!

SURESH ACHARYA

Nepal

Shall you!

A “healthy” communication (Institute for International Journalism)

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:56:00 +0200

by Manuel Ayala
México

Bad (and comfortable) habits die hard: fast food for a fast lifestyle (“grab and go”, “skip breakfast…it´s late”), drive don´t walk (“it´s too hot outside!”), watch more TV (“stay tuned”, “don´t touch that remote”), smoke (“you´ll look glamorous”), get the big meal ("McDonald´s I´m lovin´it"), drink alcohol (“relax… take it easy..it´s friday”)…

How many of these things have been created and promoted by the media? ...all of them! That´s a fact…but, will it be like this forever? The last word is not say yet.

There is an important and emerging area in the communication studies named Health Communication, and we at SUSI 2010, had the chance to know more thanks to a very interesting lecture by Professor Petya Eckler from Missouri University.

Health communication is defined as the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individuals or community decisions that enhance health.

I have seen that some of the typical research topics in this area are: the images of health care in the mass media culture (do medical cases are so exciting as they are represented for example, in Grey´s Anatomy?, what are the most common clichés that appear in non prescription medicine advertising on media, like pain killers?); corporal images (the cult to the extreme skinny bodies in fashion magazines like Vogue), portrayals of obesity (are they represented always as an comic stereotype?), and many more.

Health and media literacy can help in a great way to try to develop rational and critical thinking skills in the audience…healthy mind, healthy body.

How many of these things have been created and promoted by the media? ...all of them! That´s a fact…but, will it be like this forever? The last word is not say yet.

Health communication is defined as the study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individuals or community decisions that enhance health.

Health and media literacy can help in a great way to try to develop rational and critical thinking skills in the audience…healthy mind, healthy body.

No Man Is An Island (OLEC 2010)

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:33:13 +0200

The Conne Island group has been burning through pages of transcripts, constructing a constantly evolving script while simultaneously sorting and editing interviews and b-roll. At first we were concerned we may not have enough footage to fully illustrate the Island’s concepts and its crew, but now it seems that before we know it we’ll have a hefty [...]

I feel the movie has really changed its direction for the better since its initial pre-production stages. While in the states it was intended to simply be a biographical piece that touched on the blend of culture and politics, it now stands as a display of the Islander’s dedication to a place for alternative thought and culture.

The soul of the Little Cities of Black Diamond (Institute for International Journalism)

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:56:00 +0200

Nelsonville, Haydenville, Shawnee, Straitsville, Corning…so many places that have been existed since many decades ago, but for me those are new, just discovered, being in that “little cities” has become a fascinating experience.

When I knew the history of that region, the origins of the mineral extraction, the economical success, the braveness of the people, and the devotion for the religion and for the work, I could understand why all those places have the magical touch of the human being.

Being there you can still feel the presence of those men, working hard day by day with the coal, iron ore, clay…trying to take the best of the land to earn their salaries and have a better life with their families, most of them from another countries looking for the dignity of life.

But that experience was not completely new for me, it made me thinking on my grandfather, he was also an immigrant that came to this country and worked in the steel industry for almost four decades…years of hard work and sacrifice to help his family that stayed in México.

The souls of those miners still remains in the streets of those little cities, they refused to go to some other place…maybe because the earth that they worked for many years needs their presence to keep that places as beautiful as they are.

Manuel Ayala

MEXICO

Manuel Ayala

MEXICO

The Home Stretch (OLEC 2010)

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:39:36 +0200

Things are starting to get mighty stressful as all the teams including Radio Mephisto start pulling long hours working on scriptwriting and editing. We have been meeting twice a day for about four hours each working on the scriptwriting and going over broll to see what we are going to put on the screen. Today we finally finished a draft of the script although some of the visuals we are still a little shakey on. Either way, it is still so nice to be able to feel like we can scratch something off of the list of things to do. Today I was also able to throw together a quick little title sequence so that we have something that looks good to introduce the film. Rachel and Alex seemed to like it so hopefully it will entice viewers to want to keep watching the documentary. Only four days left until the premiere.

I’m finally starting to feel like all of this is coming together which is great, but at the same time it also means that it is almost coming to an end. Summer is almost over as sad as that is. People are already looking into which textbooks they need for the fall. In a millisecond we’ll be back in the states and before too long we’ll be back in the classroom. I know it’s sad to already be nostalgic about Germany when I haven’t even left yet, but the time is coming to an end and it feels like not to long ago that I was getting off the plane in Berlin thinking, “Wow. I’m really in Germany.” There are things about heading home that sound amazing to me: air conditioning, public water fountains, my own bed. But I feel like there is so much about Germany and OLEC that I’m going to miss.

HOCKING VALLEY - DOWN MEMORY LANE (Institute for International Journalism)

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:08:00 +0200

“HOCKING VALLEY” - DOWN MEMORY LANE

It is a commendable idea and activity that our entire programme has been interspersed with cultural events from time to time. Yesterday (July 18^th) was such a memorable day which took us on an encouraging trip around Hocking Valley and its picturesque surroundings and tourist places by office bearers of the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Council, Shawnee, a few kilometers from Athens where we could have a feel of the city’s rich history dating back to the thriving coal-mining days to the efforts of various organizations and institutions including Hocking College towards reviving the tourist interest in this town almost out of scratch.

Throughout the day we had visited places like Hocking town square with the oldest Tavern since the coal days which is still very much in business, the water fountain, the art galleries, Haydenvill Museum, Church, Payne Cemetary, New Straitsille‘s NS Museum.

Important highlights of the day included a stop by the Robinson’s Cave which unveiled the kind of struggle and efforts the early day miners had to put up for negotiating a better life and pay for themselves from the employers.

Further, the walking tour along with the Sunday Creek Associates Story were highly interesting, at least for me because I have also been involved in some similar kind of works back in my community.

Finally, the delicious outdoor dinner treat by the campsite of the Burr Oak Lake was a marvelous finish to the half-a-day-long activity that enriched our experience in addition to energizing us for a new working week at Scripps School, OU.

The opportunity has helped us in knowing quite a few things about this town’s past. And particularly for me, it has shown me a highly potential way of trying to develop places of tourism interest back in my home province in India where we do have a considerable number of such heritage articles, institutions which may become important tourism destinations – helping the local economy as well as exposing them to the world.

This is specially interesting because we are here not only for academic discourses and research. An insight into the cultural aspect of the country is also what we did have in mind. That too being media educators and professionals, such an exposure is highly welcome and desirable for all of us.

SHOPPING SPREE ;

It is quite natural that whenever a person goes on a foreign visit, that too the USA, people back home – family members, friends, colleagues do expect at least some gifts. So yesterday – July 17^th was the D Day sort of a thing for all of us as all the roads necessarily lead to Easton Malls near Cleveland. As usual, even though I am not much of a “shopee” yet I also enjoyed the experience of joining the tide by going on a shopping jamboree along with the others. It was a good experience with so many shops, utility stores and others all within whistling distance from each other. The day was well-spent though the wallet has made a big complaint of yesterday being not its kind of day. We had the ‘shopping time’ of the entire visit and lapped up everything in sight from computers to perfumes for dear ones and toys and video games for kids, testing the patience of Mary, Ed and Armaan to the most possible extent.

BEER FESTIVAL :

Claudia has already given you people at least some idea about the various aspects of the Athens Brew Festival that concluded on July 16^th.Yes, like the Oktoberfest I also expected a whole line up of locally-grown beer varieties at discounted prices with lots of food, merry-making and dancing and singing. Of course though I have never had an opportunity yet to visit Germany to see the Oktoberfest or otherwise, I have heard and read a lot about it leading to a kind of certain image in my mind. (Of course I have visited Germany in the real sense / too literary sense of the term. That is, I waited for periods ranging from a few hours to almost twelve hours while transiting through Frankfurt airport while visiting Canada in 1008 and also the current visit).

But, for me the most important bonus of the Brew festival evening on the concluding day was to have the pleasure of enjoying the company of Beauties of the earlier years – Bugattis, Model Ts, Mustangs, Harley Davidsons of vintage variety as quite a few of them were lined in a ramp show of sorts at the festival venue. This was quite a memorable experience for me and I could not resist a few snaps with them.

I have a special interest in such vintage cars since childhood, becoming more pronounced nowadays maybe because of my own ‘soon-to-be-vintage’ age by being on the upper wrong side of the thirties already.

Another major highlight of the fest evening was the melodious and soothing singing of our very own professor from Scripps School which helped a lot in boosting the spirits of the visitors to a large extent.