As seen on TV (What I've Learned Post 1)

I'm a journalism major. And with that comes the assumption that I'll do most of my learning outside of the classroom.

Well, this semester is when that type of learning starts. Up to this point, it's been all theory and discussion of how journalism is done. Not actually doing journalism.

The assignment is a news package due at the end of the semester, basically a video news story like you see on your local news. I decided to be proactive and start mine super early. What I didn't count on was that the act of journalism is completely different from the study of journalism.

I picked up my camera, got dressed in what I thought was appropriate and set out to as Ron Burgundy so elegantly put it, "Do the News."

When I got to the scene of my story, I soon figured out that holding the mic up to a person and asking them a question was much different than reading and critiquing a made-up story. I still have much to learn, but I've really advanced in how I act around those I interview.

I learned that I am much more resourceful  than I thought (catching up with a runaway interviewee on a golf cart) and that everything I've learned in theory is good as that... a theory. Putting things into practice takes time and experience. I've learned that I can't be perfect the first time I put my mind to something. Instant gratification does not exist in journalism, or really in life for that matter. I'm so used to being the one of the best at what I set my mind to, so not having an immediate knowledge really put me off.

I still have much to learn, but I'm excited to see where this journey takes me.

Who Ate the Cheese? (Uncontrollable Laughter Post 1)

So, I live with four of my best friends. As friends, we decided that we would share the provided mini-fridge and its contents. In the end we just agreed that it would be more economical to share than to end up with four milk jugs that all go bad at the same time.

Smart, right?

So, it gets to be around the third week of school and I'm pretty excited because I have just bought one of my favorite little snacks: Babybell cheese. You know, those cute cheeses that come in the little wax and go perfectly with Ritz crackers? Yeah, those ones. 

I bought a pack of six and had ate around two. I open the fridge and there is a single cheese left.

Just one. 

I immediately say, "Who's been eating the Babybells?!"

Then my roommates look around their doorframes simultaneously and start to say that they've had one until my other roommate says loudly, "Well I might have had three... today."And I lost it.

The combination of her guilty expression and the way she admitted her guilt made me (and our other roommates) bust out laughing. We just stood there laughing for a good five minutes until my roommate who ate the cheese says, "No, seriously, I'll buy you some more cheese!"

And then we just lost it again.

First Meeting with Harrison (Conversation Partner 1)

I'll have to admit, I was a bit confused when my conversation partner email yielded a male name. I thought that I was most definitely going to be talking to a female IEP student, but I decided to roll with the punches and set up a meeting date as soon as possible (there's no time like the present, right?).

So Sunday at 3 p.m. by Union Grounds it was. I stepped into the BLUU with one conundrum. I had no idea what Harrison looked like. 

I timidly craned my neck around the first floor of the BLUU and found a guy waving me over. He asked if I was looking for Harrison, I said yes, then he proceeded to tell me that Harrison was in the bathroom.

This guy's name was Cameron, Harrison's roommate. Harrison had brought him here because he was nervous and needed a little moral support. Okay, this was too sweet. I met Harrison and we began to talk.

We talked majors, hometown and hobbies, but it was not the usual conversation. Harrison is from central China and plans on being a Computer Science major. Likes to just hang out in his dorm and relax when he doesn't have class.

He jokes about Cameron taking him to Target, and Harrison shares my love for the store (you can buy almost anything!). He also talks about how easy his homework assignments are and how he hopes to finish the IEP program early. He talks about how difficult and time-consuming school is in China.

They are in class from 7:20 a.m. until 6 p.m. What???? We talk about what he should do with all that free time, and he insists that he's content playing his computer games and staying out of the heat. I can't argue about that (I'm currently sporting a nice pink flush from Saturday's football game). 

But the thing that strikes me the most about our conversation is Harrison's unwavering optimism. He is thousands of miles away from home, and he's absorbing each experience in a positive light. He thinks the stir-fry line in Market Square is fabulous, even when he has to wait in line. He is really bonding with his American roommate, and is able to joke with him like they have been friends for much longer than a month. 

His responses are just so normal! He misses his family a little bit, but is much more excited to be at school and to be experiencing everything he can. Harrison loves the new freedom he has in the forms of free afternoons and weekends. 

We were both a little timid at first. Just as I was surprised to get a guy, he was surprised to get a girl. But, I think it's going to be a great year with many revelations and discoveries about each culture. Already I am so inspired by his fresh approach to everyday things and can really apply that to my own life.

I currently have a cough that sounds much worse than it really is, but Harrison was so concerned. When we parted ways, I asked him if he had any more questions.

He said no, but he did have some advice.

“You need to get better! Rest!”

We had just met, but he was concerned for my health and our next meeting. His enthusiasm is so inspiring and I can’t wait for my next conversation with Harrison Cao!

Oh, and I gave him some advice too: to go to the campus Chick-Fil-A. I promised him that he would love it and be addicted once he went!