my FJP experience

It is day three of the programme and I must just say I did not expect to have this much fun. everyday is a new experience and new challenge for me. Day 1 News writing session; Sim is literally the best and is so patient. Such a smart and insightful individual to be taken great advantage of, there is so much to learn from Sim and so much to take away from his sessions. Then we had tea & cake, courtesy of Highway Africa (fabulous). The group of FJPeers is honestly the best, such a diverse group with so much to say. I must confess, I love opinionated people and this bunch is exactly that. At the end of our day, we headed back to our rooms to freshen up. A group of us got together at a later stage for some Television and crazy conversation. We have really made such great friends and I am eternally grateful for having met each and every one of them. day 2: Oh my, this was so much fun. We had to get together in groups of two and interview each other. Now that was a great experience and sure way to boost ones confidence when conducting professional interviews. I found this exercise to be highly beneficial to us as it will form a large part of our working lives. Editing our interviews was even more interesting for me as it meant acquiring a new skill which will benefit me both in my educational and professional career. Oooh, then we had more fun. We had a braai, again courtesy of Highway Africa (mmmmmhhhhhhhhm). I had been looking forward to the braai so much, all because I hadn't had sausage in such a long time and all I wanted was to dive into it. Which is exactly what I did. Then we watched this crazy interesting movie (Shattered Glass) about this twisted young journo with no journalistic ethics whatsoever. Putting the good name of Journalism to shame. I would urge everyone to watch the movie at one point in their lives, just to remind you and keep yourself in check. Journalism is so much fun, it is ever changing and moving so fast that if you take your eye off the ball for one second, you could miss out on a lifetime of journalistic life. I think, IF you really want to be a journo, you just have to be passionate about every and anything. Live, don't just exist as life will pass you by. Day 3: The first half of the morning got me so confused that I felt lost in a jungle for a while....caught up just in the nick of time though, hahahahaha. we visited the Town's local newspaper Grocott Mail, the Editor Steven Lang was just a fountain of information and which was rich in history. He is the type of person I would talk to if I wanted to write a feature about the history of Grahamstown. Later, we took to the streets to interview some of the locals on their views on democracy and their ability to speak out to authority. My my my, the opinions people shared were eye opening. Made me appreciate what I have and know will continue to have, that much more. We never really take time out to think about what DEMOCRACY really is and what it means, we never think about the changes and effects the end of apartheid has had on our lives. Looking at the number of black people roaming the streets, both young and old with no sense of being at all was just heartbreaking. A pair of rather old ladies were quite vocal about how abusive even their fathers had been towards their mothers and no one could or would dare to do or say anything out of fear of being "dealt with". Talking back to government and other people of authority was even further from their minds. It was sad. All in all, it was an interesting experience and I am so glad I got the opportunity to be part of it. All in all, this has been a great experience so far and I must say I am highly appreciative of the opportunity. Anyway, later FJPeers. I will be back with a whole lot more so do keep coming back for more. peace & love A