May 13th 2009: Journal Entry 1- The Flight Over

To be honest, as I started to pack my bags and prepare for the South Africa trip, there were a few apprehensions going through my mind. I was most concerned then about doing well on the internship and fitting in with the other members of the group. But soon, when the date of the flight began to draw closer, I revised these fears. After all, I said to myself, I am going to Cape Town to not do resume building, but to push myself outside my normal comfort zone and experience and absorb a different culture. At the same time I had made up my mind not to be a tourist but an explorer and a participant in South African ways for the next couple of weeks. I have never been to the country before and have only studied, read and heard about it in various forms of media. In a way my goal is to observe the country, or at least Cape Town and Johannesburg, and form an opinion for myself. But I am also going to be frank by saying that I intend to observe myself and how well am I able to adjust and work in an environment that is not too strongly influenced by Western culture. It is important for me to assess myself whether as a journalist I am able to adapt to the news culture here and deliver the truth to people here in a way that they are comfortable with.

I look forward to the program changing any previous misconceptions I had about the region and also educating me about it. There is nothing like firsthand experience to help form a perspective and as a journalist it is my duty to not rely completely on written accounts. So in a way this program will make me a better journalist. Since I am an international student, being among different cultures is not something new to me. I also reside in a country, the United Arab Emirates that has mostly expatriates as the general population. But South Africa is special because of the various communities that are present, whether brought by force or choice. I think relating the history of these communities to their present situation will also give me a chance to question myself about my belief and sense of community. The program has been designed in a way that all of us will work in groups, live, share and experience the country together, so we do not feel lost in an unknown country and can rely on some support in case of mistakes. But at the same time I think I will have some freedom to sense and settle ourselves into the city.

In terms of Bush Radio, where I will be doing my internship, there are a few things I hope to achieve. One is a bit of experimentation with the field of broadcast journalism. When I first signed up for the program I was very tempted to choose something I am more familiar with, which is the newspaper track, the Cape Times. But as I thought about it more and after some research, I felt that by working with Bush Radio, I could at least gain some experience in the area. While I have learnt the ropes of audio editing and broadcast writing and did do a little freelance work with Sagal Radio in Atlanta, I am more than eager to put into practice what I have learnt and maybe learn something that I did not learn in class. Coming to South Africa itself is an unconventional trip, so why not take an unconventional and unexpected approach to our internships as well? And as all journalists are aware, the convergence of the field now requires that everyone should be in some ways adept in all mediums. I am also looking forward to understanding and comparing the structure of media creation in the company and the differences between how print and broadcast newsrooms, community and commercial stations function.

Somehow I feel more at ease knowing that I am experiencing this country and doing the internships as a group, just because in my opinion travelling together is always more fulfilling. I do know a few of the attendees but I am excited to meet some new people and have some interesting company on this journey. While being part of a group can mean it is easier to move around and visit new places without fearing about our safety, if we don’t get along with each other then the trip becomes more unpleasant. But the fact that we are all from Emory University automatically proves that we will have a sense of bonding and commonality between us. I think apart from the planned activities it is important to go in groups to other spots around Cape Town and even socialize by going out at night and having some fun. Another possible way of bringing the group closer is to share and help each other out. If we have joint dinners or visit restaurants in groups it will give us the chance to talk, interact and learn more about each other. I do not foresee many conflicts among the group because I feel most of us would be mature, intelligent and open-minded people for even coming to this non-traditional location. However, if it does happen I see myself simply talking it out with the person. We will all be living together for more than a month and so we are literally going to be like a family. And so we are going to have to be honest with each other if we all want to have a pleasant stay.

As I was leaving many people, friends and relatives, cautioned me endlessly about my safety. While it is a priority, it is not what I fear the most. More than anything, the only thing I fear would be not doing well in internship. But as I sit here on the flight, thinking about my response to that question, I sometimes think that it’s not only academic or career success that I am concerned about but about this personal test which I am giving myself. This trip is a test to see how I do here in South Africa in terms of adjusting to the place, interacting with people and respecting the way of life here. And sometimes I fear that I may not meet my own expectations. But I think that by observing and not jumping headlong into anything without thinking thrice about it would be my best approach. I will make mistakes but at least I will have the opportunity to be corrected and to learn from those very mistakes.

First of all, working with Bush Radio is in my eyes a privilege and will add to my training as a journalist because it is not only one of oldest and respected stations in Africa, but as a medium took part in abolishing the Apartheid system. Nothing could be more rewarding than working with a station which has the ability to influence people, which I am sure other journalists and interviewers, with whom I will work in the future, will recognize. Also, another important benefit which I mentioned earlier is the changing requirements of journalism where one needs to be comfortable with delivering news in all mediums and Bush Radio will assist me in that. And finally I believe that the experience of South Africa itself will be an eye-opener to what I can expect in the future as a correspondent. The career I plan to have, beside its competitiveness and stress also requires well-rounded and broad-minded personality who is willing to go beyond and above to get a story and so being here in South Africa and how I fare will be an attestation to that.