As it's getting closer and closer to time for me to leave, the e-mails get shorter. Of course, I had to kind of BS the last part of this e-mail to make it an appropriate length for my professor. So I've deleted that part...because you don't need to read me complaning about random things. Ha.
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Hello all!
My trip is coming quickly to an end! And because it's so close, there really isn't anything interesting to say!
The past week I've been going to a class at the broadcasting school. I haven't done much, just sat through some speakers and other introductory sessions. I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to get from these last two weeks except to see how another broadcasting program works. Maybe it will be better next week when we actually go into the readings. I have enjoyed what I've experienced so far. Although I am thankful that ASU lets you experience the whole concept of broadcasting instead of just focusing on one thing (radio, TV, broadcast journalism).
So Saturday I went to Akaroa. Absolutely beautiful! The day was a little crappy with low cloud and mist. I did manage to go on a harbor cruise. Everything was great for the first hour going out. Learned some things about the Banks Peninsula, the Maori people, and saw some fur seals. Once we got to the ocean part of our trip, things got a little shaky. The skipper of the ship couldn't find any Hectors Dolphins, the smallest dolphins in the world. So he turned around in the ocean about 3 or 4 times. By time we found the dolphins, I was green. That is the first time I've ever really gotten sick on a ship! I did happen to see the dolphins though! No pictures because they were so fast! They were feeding at the time, so they had to move quickly in order to keep up or something. The cruise was nice despite getting sick, and I would do it again if I had the chance. I met another girl on the ship who was by herself and we walked back to the visitor's center together. We both got sick on the ship so it was nice to have someone to lean on.
Sunday I visited the beach again and took extra batteries! Sumner was really pretty and I was lucky to have gone on such a pretty day. I didn't do much there except look around.
I don't know what I'm going to do in this last week, but I am enjoying just sitting around not doing much. Reading, knitting, and resting. Going to the class sessions are a good way to break up my day and let me talk to people.
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So that pretty much sums up what I've done the past few days.
Today I'm basically going to walk around Christchurch, take pictures, go to the top of the Cathedral, relax, etc.
I can't believe there is only 6 days left until my flight leaves! I don't want to leave this wonderful country and it's amazing sights. However, I miss North Carolina like you wouldn't believe and I think it's just because all my family and friends are there. Home is where the heart is. :)
7.22.2007
7.15.2007
Week 6!
Hello all!
Wow! A lot has happened since last Thursday!
Friday, I went to TVNZ for my last day. I went out on a shoot as soon as I got there! The cameraman and the reporter told me that we were going to Porter's Ski Resort to cover the snow and their opening. The snow was beautiful! I can't say though that I like snow in July! It was a really good snow too. The flakes were so big you could see how each one was different! Anyway, it took us about 1.5 to 2 hours to get there because the roads got worse as we headed up the mountain. We get about half way there, and I am told that the Prime Minister of New Zealand would be there. How crazy! We get to the mountain and listen to the Prime Minister speak and then we went out to watch her ski. I shook her hand! It was a great way to end the week!
Saturday I was interviewed by a program on Plains called Women On Air. They wanted to hear about my experience so far and about the broadcasting program at App. So that was fun and for the rest of the day I mostly just rested. Sunday I decided to take a trip to the Christchurch Gondola! Amazing! After a somewhat scary ride, due to my fear of heights, I reached the top and looked at the beautiful scenery! On the way up, I managed to look around and try to take my mind off of the climb! It was a great way to spend about 2 hours!
Monday, I started at TV3. This Saturday, the All Blacks (NZ's main rugby team) are playing the Springboks (South Africa's team) in Christchurch. So, most of this week was spent covering the All Blacks training and press conferences. I've been watching rugby some the past few weeks, and have decided that Richie McCaw is probably my favorite player (and not too bad looking if I say so myself!). Richie is a pretty big deal here and most people like him. I guess he's like our Tiger Woods or something. So, from Monday until Wednesday, I spent my mornings watching the All Blacks practice and then attending the press conferences in the afternoon. Due to some kind of regulation, they can't have the same players at the press conferences everyday, so they had to rotate. Wednesday was the best All Blacks coverage day. Practice was awesome, the All Blacks seemed to be playing with a lot of strength and force. Afternoon came, and we were told that we would be able to interview 6 players. We get to the hotel where they are staying and get to the press room. There is this buzz that Richie is one of the players available for interview. The newspapers here have been doing most of the coverage with a small video camera and microphone. One of the journalists needed someone to hold his microphone near the player being interviewed so he could operate the camera. So I got to hold the microphone. 4 players later...Richie walked in the room. I'll save you the details of what was running through my head...but I could not stop smiling. Yeah, he's even better looking when he's 2 feet away! Haha!
Wednesday was also interesting in the fact that as we were out shooting some other things for another story, the cameraman received a call that there was a body found in a river. So we went to shoot it. And indeed, there was a body in the river! Turned out to be a suicide and he was found by the milkman. The news didn't end up covering it because they don't cover deaths that aren't suspicious. But we got to see the police turn the body over and take the wallet out. Ewww!
Anyway, that's pretty much how the week went! Monday, I start my two weeks at the broadcasting school and then it's all over! Sad! Saturday I'm making plains to visit Akaroa, a small town on the Banks Peninsula. And I'm sure more will come up!
Hope all is well!
Wow! A lot has happened since last Thursday!
Friday, I went to TVNZ for my last day. I went out on a shoot as soon as I got there! The cameraman and the reporter told me that we were going to Porter's Ski Resort to cover the snow and their opening. The snow was beautiful! I can't say though that I like snow in July! It was a really good snow too. The flakes were so big you could see how each one was different! Anyway, it took us about 1.5 to 2 hours to get there because the roads got worse as we headed up the mountain. We get about half way there, and I am told that the Prime Minister of New Zealand would be there. How crazy! We get to the mountain and listen to the Prime Minister speak and then we went out to watch her ski. I shook her hand! It was a great way to end the week!
Saturday I was interviewed by a program on Plains called Women On Air. They wanted to hear about my experience so far and about the broadcasting program at App. So that was fun and for the rest of the day I mostly just rested. Sunday I decided to take a trip to the Christchurch Gondola! Amazing! After a somewhat scary ride, due to my fear of heights, I reached the top and looked at the beautiful scenery! On the way up, I managed to look around and try to take my mind off of the climb! It was a great way to spend about 2 hours!
Monday, I started at TV3. This Saturday, the All Blacks (NZ's main rugby team) are playing the Springboks (South Africa's team) in Christchurch. So, most of this week was spent covering the All Blacks training and press conferences. I've been watching rugby some the past few weeks, and have decided that Richie McCaw is probably my favorite player (and not too bad looking if I say so myself!). Richie is a pretty big deal here and most people like him. I guess he's like our Tiger Woods or something. So, from Monday until Wednesday, I spent my mornings watching the All Blacks practice and then attending the press conferences in the afternoon. Due to some kind of regulation, they can't have the same players at the press conferences everyday, so they had to rotate. Wednesday was the best All Blacks coverage day. Practice was awesome, the All Blacks seemed to be playing with a lot of strength and force. Afternoon came, and we were told that we would be able to interview 6 players. We get to the hotel where they are staying and get to the press room. There is this buzz that Richie is one of the players available for interview. The newspapers here have been doing most of the coverage with a small video camera and microphone. One of the journalists needed someone to hold his microphone near the player being interviewed so he could operate the camera. So I got to hold the microphone. 4 players later...Richie walked in the room. I'll save you the details of what was running through my head...but I could not stop smiling. Yeah, he's even better looking when he's 2 feet away! Haha!
Wednesday was also interesting in the fact that as we were out shooting some other things for another story, the cameraman received a call that there was a body found in a river. So we went to shoot it. And indeed, there was a body in the river! Turned out to be a suicide and he was found by the milkman. The news didn't end up covering it because they don't cover deaths that aren't suspicious. But we got to see the police turn the body over and take the wallet out. Ewww!
Anyway, that's pretty much how the week went! Monday, I start my two weeks at the broadcasting school and then it's all over! Sad! Saturday I'm making plains to visit Akaroa, a small town on the Banks Peninsula. And I'm sure more will come up!
Hope all is well!
7.05.2007
Week 5...
Hello all!
Hope all is well stateside and that y'all had a good 4th.
This past week I've been at TVNZ experiencing anything that there is to experience. I've mostly waited around because there hasn't been much happening! It has been a particularly slow news week unfortunately. But I did get to go out on some shoots. Monday, I went to a food bank that recently had to close its doors due to not having enough money for rent.
Tuesday I went on a few shoots where journalists were making some promos for their stories. I also got to see a live feed from the Christchurch newsroom to the main Auckland newsroom.
Yesterday was more eventful. The Dept. of Corrections released a prisoner accidentally. He wasn't supposed to be released until September, but was told to go home Monday. Wednesday morning, he was back into custody. He has four young daughters and his girlfriend was upset that she had to put her daughters through saying goodbye to their Dad again but was glad that he at least got to spend two nights. We interviewed the girlfriend at her home and then a representative from the DOC at the prison. It was an interesting story, but the story ended up being dropped from the 6 p.m. news but I believe it was played on the late news. I got to help the camera man with some lighting issues...in other words I got to hold the reflector. Haha.
It has been an interesting week seeing the behind the scenes operations of a newsroom. You learn a lot from observing. Helped out the operations intern mostly during the week...labelling things, formatting disks (Sony XD...a new format to me), logging feeds, etc. Do I want to do any of this in the future? I don't know...but I definitely know it is a place that I could easily start out at.
The week is coming to a close and next week I will be at TV3. My time here in NZ is quickly coming down to the last few weeks. I'm sad that it's almost over! Hopefully I'll get to do a bit more traveling in the next few weeks.
We've gotten a forecast for a "big" snow here in Christchurch. I'm sure it won't amount to a Boone snow...but it'll be interesting to see snow in July! It hasn't done anything so far but rain and be cold. Next weekend will be interesting, the All Blacks (NZ's rugby team) will be playing at Jade Stadium here in Christchurch and I'm sure it will be super busy!
That's all for now!
Hope all is well stateside and that y'all had a good 4th.
This past week I've been at TVNZ experiencing anything that there is to experience. I've mostly waited around because there hasn't been much happening! It has been a particularly slow news week unfortunately. But I did get to go out on some shoots. Monday, I went to a food bank that recently had to close its doors due to not having enough money for rent.
Tuesday I went on a few shoots where journalists were making some promos for their stories. I also got to see a live feed from the Christchurch newsroom to the main Auckland newsroom.
Yesterday was more eventful. The Dept. of Corrections released a prisoner accidentally. He wasn't supposed to be released until September, but was told to go home Monday. Wednesday morning, he was back into custody. He has four young daughters and his girlfriend was upset that she had to put her daughters through saying goodbye to their Dad again but was glad that he at least got to spend two nights. We interviewed the girlfriend at her home and then a representative from the DOC at the prison. It was an interesting story, but the story ended up being dropped from the 6 p.m. news but I believe it was played on the late news. I got to help the camera man with some lighting issues...in other words I got to hold the reflector. Haha.
It has been an interesting week seeing the behind the scenes operations of a newsroom. You learn a lot from observing. Helped out the operations intern mostly during the week...labelling things, formatting disks (Sony XD...a new format to me), logging feeds, etc. Do I want to do any of this in the future? I don't know...but I definitely know it is a place that I could easily start out at.
The week is coming to a close and next week I will be at TV3. My time here in NZ is quickly coming down to the last few weeks. I'm sad that it's almost over! Hopefully I'll get to do a bit more traveling in the next few weeks.
We've gotten a forecast for a "big" snow here in Christchurch. I'm sure it won't amount to a Boone snow...but it'll be interesting to see snow in July! It hasn't done anything so far but rain and be cold. Next weekend will be interesting, the All Blacks (NZ's rugby team) will be playing at Jade Stadium here in Christchurch and I'm sure it will be super busy!
That's all for now!
I'm a bit of a slacker....
Sorry to all that have been reading this blog...I've gotten a bit slack at crossposting my e-mails! I'm going to post Week 4's e-mail below and then Week 5 in a separate post.
Hello all!
It's been another eventful week here in Christchurch.Last Friday night was amazing! I went to the opening event for Heritage Week to represent Plains FM. Along with an open bar and really good "nibbles" (what the kiwis call appetizers), the event was excellent and I learned a lot about Christchurch's heritage. A free bus ride to the small harbor town of Lyttelton was also provided on a vintage bus. It was really neat to be in a room with so many powerful people! I sat two rows back from the Mayor of Christchurch on the way back.
Saturday and Sunday were my relaxing/exploring days. I went to the spa on Saturday and pampered myself. Went to New Brighton Beach and the batteries in my camera died! I got a few pictures before they died, but I'm going to visit another beach so there will be more pictures of the ocean. The very cold ocean!
I've started my last week at Plains and I move to TVNZ on Monday for a week. Then I'll be at TV3 for a week before starting a course at CPIT for my final two weeks. I'm so happy to have this opportunity because I am learning so much! It seems my last days at Plains are filled with much more than the beginning! I've been loading programs into Linker, working on lots of things for the Kids Radio segment that Plains does every year for Kids Fest, and today I got to produce an ad! I did everything from the recording of the talent, editing down music, mixing, etc. I'll be super excited to have it done and have something to put on a sample CD! Tomorrow, my last day, will be really busy as I am putting some sound effects and music together for Kids Radio, decorating the studio for Kids Radio, loading programs, and wrapping up everything that I've done!
Last night was a lot of fun. The staff went out to see The Woman In Black, a play from London's West End. Before going to the play, we went to The Flying Burrito Brothers to have dinner. I had the chicken fajita and a margarita! (And I'm sure by this point in the e-mail it REALLY looks like all I've done is party this week!) The food was really good, and the play was definitely interesting. It was a thriller and really depended on your imagination to bring things to life.
As for this weekend, I don't really know what my plans are. I'm going to do a bit of shopping more than likely and set up some tours for me to take within the next few weeks. It's been hard getting ahold of my CPIT friends because they have exams this week. So I may go out with them later on to celebrate their start of their winter holidays! Hope everyone is warm! I woke up the other morning with snow on the hills in the distance!
Hello all!
It's been another eventful week here in Christchurch.Last Friday night was amazing! I went to the opening event for Heritage Week to represent Plains FM. Along with an open bar and really good "nibbles" (what the kiwis call appetizers), the event was excellent and I learned a lot about Christchurch's heritage. A free bus ride to the small harbor town of Lyttelton was also provided on a vintage bus. It was really neat to be in a room with so many powerful people! I sat two rows back from the Mayor of Christchurch on the way back.
Saturday and Sunday were my relaxing/exploring days. I went to the spa on Saturday and pampered myself. Went to New Brighton Beach and the batteries in my camera died! I got a few pictures before they died, but I'm going to visit another beach so there will be more pictures of the ocean. The very cold ocean!
I've started my last week at Plains and I move to TVNZ on Monday for a week. Then I'll be at TV3 for a week before starting a course at CPIT for my final two weeks. I'm so happy to have this opportunity because I am learning so much! It seems my last days at Plains are filled with much more than the beginning! I've been loading programs into Linker, working on lots of things for the Kids Radio segment that Plains does every year for Kids Fest, and today I got to produce an ad! I did everything from the recording of the talent, editing down music, mixing, etc. I'll be super excited to have it done and have something to put on a sample CD! Tomorrow, my last day, will be really busy as I am putting some sound effects and music together for Kids Radio, decorating the studio for Kids Radio, loading programs, and wrapping up everything that I've done!
Last night was a lot of fun. The staff went out to see The Woman In Black, a play from London's West End. Before going to the play, we went to The Flying Burrito Brothers to have dinner. I had the chicken fajita and a margarita! (And I'm sure by this point in the e-mail it REALLY looks like all I've done is party this week!) The food was really good, and the play was definitely interesting. It was a thriller and really depended on your imagination to bring things to life.
As for this weekend, I don't really know what my plans are. I'm going to do a bit of shopping more than likely and set up some tours for me to take within the next few weeks. It's been hard getting ahold of my CPIT friends because they have exams this week. So I may go out with them later on to celebrate their start of their winter holidays! Hope everyone is warm! I woke up the other morning with snow on the hills in the distance!
6.21.2007
Week 3...Not really interesting!
Hello all! It's that time again for the weekly e-mail, and what a week it's been! I've been very busy with projects around Plains and getting ready to switch over to the TV3/TVNZ portion of my internship. Not sure on the details quite yet, they're being worked out. The party last Thursday was great! It was at Boogie Nights, a 70s/80s club. The floor had lights in it, and the DJ booth was in an old VW bus! The radio station holding the party gave away door prizes, and I was one of the lucky winners! It had a shirt, a gift certificate to a bookstore, a gift certificate to a spa, and a CD of songs from chick flicks. I'm using the spa certificate this weekend! I'm going to get my fingers and toes done...a well-deserved treatment if I do say so myself! Friday was particularly uneventful, but Saturday Laura and I went to see the premiere of the 39 Steps. The play was alright, I didn't think it was as funny as some of the people in the audience, but it had its moments. Sunday, I decided to take a walk around the Art Gallery in town and check out all of the exhibits. There were definitely some interesting ones! I also went and finally saw Pirates 3! I thought it was pretty good...but I mean anything with Johnny Depp is good! Monday until today (Thursday) has mostly been working! I've been working on some event calendars to be aired daily from tomorrow until July 1 showcasing the different events of the Heritage Festival! I also get to go the invitation only Heritage Week opening ceremony tomorrow night in Lyttelton since no one else at the station can go! I'm pretty excited about that. I've also been putting together some promos about each of the programming zones that we have. In my spare time, I've been helping Nicki load programming into the system so it can be played at the appropriate time. By time I come back to the States, I'll have so much to add to my resume. As for the weekend, I'm going to the spa and probably going to do some shopping/window browsing. Who knows what will turn up!LivingSpace has been a bit of a problem as of late. Since its amazing location also means it is by some of the more popular bars in Christchurch, I have had trouble getting to sleep most nights. Which means, very little sleep for me! Margaret and I have talked about it, and it's a possibilty that I may move to a different location since I am currently only paid up at LivingSpace until next Friday. But that is a last resort and I'm going to try sleeping with ear plugs first! I'll let y'all know how it goes. I think that's about it for this week, I'm ready to get out of here and get some dinner ideas cooking! Hopefully I'll have more to talk about next week.
6.16.2007
Week 2!
Hello all!It's been another very busy week here in New Zealand. Friday, I took a rest day and didn't do anything but lay around and recover from my cold. It was a bit of a boring day, but it definitely helped in me getting better. That night we had our first of two late night fire drills. I was NOT happy about that...it brought me back to the days of living in Bowie Hall. The first one was at 12:30 a.m. while the second was at 3 a.m. Saturday, I walked around town again. Visited the Canterbury Museum to learn a little about the history of the area. Saturday night I went to a "fancy dress" (or costume) party at Nicole's flat. I had a great time watching everyone in their costumes! I didn't dress up because I hadn't had time to look for a costume being sick an all. Sunday, I rode the famous Christchurch tram and went to a small aquarium. Got to see a kiwi bird...so cute! I also got to watch them feed the fish in the big tank, including a very large stingray. The man was feeding the stingray hand to mouth! It was really neat! Sunday night, I went and had coffee with Laura and some other people from CPIT. That was a lot of fun.Monday, it was back to work here at Plains. Hamish had been sick as well, so I got to help out a little more around the station. I was assigned to cover his interview on Tuesday for a show called Focus on Community. In other words, I made up the questions, the layout for the 25 minute show, and did the interviews! Hamish edited all the pieces together and it aired today (Thursday 6/14) at 11:30 am. I've officially made my major radio debut. Haha. On Tuesday, I not only did the interview, but I also went with the Mornings guy, Nic, to help him record a piece for his mornings show. We had to go to a horse ranch just outside of Christchurch and record him learning how to ride a horse. It was an interesting recording session, lasting almost an hour and a half! The lady running the horse ranch, Kate, was very kind and knew what she was talking about. Kate's methods almost involve a little bit of horse whispering so that was interesting to watch her work with the horses. I had to carry the controls for the recording in a special bag around my shoulders. I've attached a picture. I look horrible because it was so cold! But the surrounding scenery was beautiful! I didn't get to ride, but maybe later on I will. Wednesday wasn't very eventful. I caught up on some interviews for the website. I also learned how to load programs into the radio scheduling program, Linker. I'm responsible for loading Democracy Now Monday through Friday. I was also assigned to help compile, Between the Ears, a weekly e-mail detailing the topics for this weeks shows. Tonight, I've been invited to ANOTHER "fancy dress" party, this time with the broadcasting students, and I MUST have a costume. So once I get off work, I'm going to go look at some. I've also been given tickets to The 39 Steps, a play opening on Saturday. Ruth gave me the tickets, and they're for opening night so apparently I get to enjoy complementary champagne and such! I'm probably going to be asked by Ruth to do a small review on the play, so that'll be another appearance on radio. Hope this summary was sufficient enough to keep all on the list up to date. Please feel free to send me some e-mails...mainly because I like getting e-mail! Hope you all are enjoying the WARM weather while I freeze my behind off here in NZ!
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