week 6 recap

What does running late mean ? It’s when you publish a recap of week 6 when week 7 already started. Well done you future journalist!

Linguistic failure of the week : Talking about Bonfire night with Catherine and Lisa, I told them that we didn’t have that event in France. However, I explained that the 14th of July, we have fireworks and Fireman balls. Well, turns out, I was talking about a bal as in a party with dance and music. Nice way to learn that this word doesn’t work well when used in plural.

The frustration of the week : Speaking of language confusion, I have to find a way of toning down my accent. Maybe I should do a DeFrench course? Some people say it’s cute but the truth is: when I speak on the radio, it’s sometimes difficult to understand me.

Satisfaction : I can’t really find any that’s related to work but I can tell you that I have been practising my B-Boying skills and I can perform a baby freeze. That’s right, be impressed.

The everlasting question : Why are we using Avid as a TV editing software? WHY? This program is a real pain in the bottom. It’s seems to be possessed by a little demon that refuses to import files or can suddenly shuts itself down for no reason.

Each time I’m working on it, I just want to lay down on the floor in a foetal position. However, it appears Avid is the software used in the industry. So I guess the next question is: you want the job? Stop being so delicate and get on with it.

Week 4 recap

Week 4 will be over in half an hour. I procrastinated all day and I decided to write the recap now. That’s right, let’s put some artificial pressure because I don’t have enough challenge in my life right now.

Linguistic failure of the week : This is an old one but I remembered about it a few days ago. Talking to a course mate about how I was homesick already, I said that I was feeling “upside down”. She gave me a really puzzled look and asked: Why would you be upside down ? Actually, what I meant is that I was going through lots of up and downs. (This one is correct right ?)

The frustration of the week : Currently I have at least 6 blog posts ideas. In one week, I couldn’t write a single one. I have no idea where my time goes and I know it’s only going to get worse. This is a shame really because if I could, I would be posting everyday.

Satisfaction : During a lecture about the European Union this week, guest speaker Antonia Mochan told us that to work at the EU, you need to speak English and French. I wish I knew these languages… Oh wait!

News of the week : For me, Omer Beriziky is a very good friend of my mother, someone I know since I was little. For Madagascar, he is now the new Prime Minister (link in French) of the transition. This former ambassador has been nominated on Friday 28th of October and his mission is to organize new elections. This was completely unexpected news. 

The everlasting question : Have you done your interview yet ? Usually followed by: With who ? How did it go ? The first assessment is everyone’s new obsession.

2 minutes before the start of week 5. Let’s publish the post.

Week 3 recap

Week 3 is now over, it’s time for a quick recap in no particular order. 

Linguistic failure of the week : some of you may have noticed that English is only my second language. I’m fluent, but sometimes I still have a poor pronunciation. The beach/bitch confusion is a perfect example of that. I always suspected that I was mispronouncing these two words and I got confirmation of my feeling this week. So apparently, when I was talking about my house, people would know that I was living near “Gylly bitch”. Now I can see why they were confused. (Thanks Emma Fry for improving my education).

Radio challenge : on Wednesday news meeting, a different assignment is introduced. We all pick a story and have 40 seconds to report about it, radio style. No script allowed. The fact that the whole class is staring at you doesn’t help. This is George’s new way of torturing testing us. I decide to cover the 48-hour Greek strike. With a shaky voice I manage to complete the task. 

The frustration of the week : 9. This is the number of rejections I received before someone agreed to do a radio interview with me. I know that a journalist is supposed to deal with refusal but I was very close to that tipping point where you can’t be bothered anymore. On the other hand, I have to admit that I didn’t do myself a favor by obsessing about getting an international news angle. 

Satisfaction : Did I mention how happy I am to be on this course ? It’s truly satisfying to work for something you love rather that studying for the sake of getting good marks. I do feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information we receive but I’m convinced that I’m in the right place. 

The everlasting question : So, you are a Parisian girl and you decided to study in Falmouth… Why ? (I’ll answer in a different post in a few days)

Blog test : This is the first time I publish a post without an English sub-editor. Let’s see how it works.