Happy Fourth of July!
So I know I haven't been posting, which is lame because I've been in Beijing for, like, three whole days. Truth is, I've been cheating on you with another blog. All my posts have gone up on NeighborsGo, a Dallas Morning News publication. If you want the up-to-date stuff, I'd go there first! Otherwise, I think I'll update this one less often but add more funny stories and pictures.
Deal?
Friday, July 4, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
History, Part 2
Back to the story…
So after Mizzou puts us through an application and interview process, I received a letter in December that I was formally accepted to be a volunteer at the 2008 Olympics…sort of. Actually, I was formally accepted as a candidate for a volunteer position. I’d been accepted by Mizzou, but now the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) wanted to test me themselves.
Candidate or no, I was excited just to make it to the next level. A bunch of friends and I went to a local sushi joint to celebrate. (Yes, I’m aware sushi is from Japan, but Columbia, Missouri isn’t what you’d call a big city. I was happy just to get rice.) It was fun, although I did spend most of the time teaching everyone how to use chopsticks and keeping the guys from pelting each other with wasabi.
But the spot in China was no sure thing. Mizzou had accepted 61 candidates, and BOCOG only had 51 slots. The upcoming test would decide who went.
We took night classes twice a week to prepare – which was tough, because we had absolutely no idea what the test would be over. Frantically, we studied the poorly-translated sports guides they’d given us and caught up on Chinese culture.
Turns out, none of it would help. They tested us over note-taking and quote gathering, which is most of what we’ll be doing in Beijing for the Olympics News Service. We watched a beach volleyball game and wrote a story on it, and then we gathered quotes from recordings of athletes after competitions. We also presented a debate to prove our proficiency in English.
In March, we found out all the Mizzou kids were accepted, which means we did so well that they extended 10 extra slots for us!
So that’s what it took to get here. After all the classes, tests, lectures and books, I’m ready just to be there. And a week from now, I will be. Anyone have any advice?
So after Mizzou puts us through an application and interview process, I received a letter in December that I was formally accepted to be a volunteer at the 2008 Olympics…sort of. Actually, I was formally accepted as a candidate for a volunteer position. I’d been accepted by Mizzou, but now the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) wanted to test me themselves.
Candidate or no, I was excited just to make it to the next level. A bunch of friends and I went to a local sushi joint to celebrate. (Yes, I’m aware sushi is from Japan, but Columbia, Missouri isn’t what you’d call a big city. I was happy just to get rice.) It was fun, although I did spend most of the time teaching everyone how to use chopsticks and keeping the guys from pelting each other with wasabi.
But the spot in China was no sure thing. Mizzou had accepted 61 candidates, and BOCOG only had 51 slots. The upcoming test would decide who went.
We took night classes twice a week to prepare – which was tough, because we had absolutely no idea what the test would be over. Frantically, we studied the poorly-translated sports guides they’d given us and caught up on Chinese culture.
Turns out, none of it would help. They tested us over note-taking and quote gathering, which is most of what we’ll be doing in Beijing for the Olympics News Service. We watched a beach volleyball game and wrote a story on it, and then we gathered quotes from recordings of athletes after competitions. We also presented a debate to prove our proficiency in English.
In March, we found out all the Mizzou kids were accepted, which means we did so well that they extended 10 extra slots for us!
So that’s what it took to get here. After all the classes, tests, lectures and books, I’m ready just to be there. And a week from now, I will be. Anyone have any advice?
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Granny & Grampa
I’ve been hearing stories about my grandparents’ travels since I can remember, but one always stuck out: their first trip to China.
My grandparents were some of the first Americans to visit when China ended decades of social and economic isolation. (Nixon’s visit in 1972 was the first step in normalizing relations between the countries. Granny and Grampa visited in January 1979.) Below are two pictures of their trip, one of Grampa with a little boy wearing a Mao hat and one of Granny surrounded by woks.
When I first heard about the chance to go to Beijing with the Olympic News Service, all I could hear was my grandmother’s voice in my head: “We got to China before Coca-Cola,” she’d always say. “They were just as interested in looking at us as we were at them.” I’ve been dying to see China for myself. This summer, I finally have my chance.
My grandfather kept a journal of the trip, and I decided to bring it with me. After all, Beijing is a city where ancient hutongs (alleyways) stand next to brand-new skyscrapers. I think telling my own stories of the city will only be complete with my grandfather’s opinion – straight from his 30-year-old, hand-written journal.
I wonder if the Beijing I’m reading about is anything like the city I’ll see. His introduction to the city is hilarious: “Beijing is the smoggiest place I have ever seen.” From what I hear, there’s a chance that part, at least, will still be true.
My grandparents were some of the first Americans to visit when China ended decades of social and economic isolation. (Nixon’s visit in 1972 was the first step in normalizing relations between the countries. Granny and Grampa visited in January 1979.) Below are two pictures of their trip, one of Grampa with a little boy wearing a Mao hat and one of Granny surrounded by woks.
When I first heard about the chance to go to Beijing with the Olympic News Service, all I could hear was my grandmother’s voice in my head: “We got to China before Coca-Cola,” she’d always say. “They were just as interested in looking at us as we were at them.” I’ve been dying to see China for myself. This summer, I finally have my chance.My grandfather kept a journal of the trip, and I decided to bring it with me. After all, Beijing is a city where ancient hutongs (alleyways) stand next to brand-new skyscrapers. I think telling my own stories of the city will only be complete with my grandfather’s opinion – straight from his 30-year-old, hand-written journal.
I wonder if the Beijing I’m reading about is anything like the city I’ll see. His introduction to the city is hilarious: “Beijing is the smoggiest place I have ever seen.” From what I hear, there’s a chance that part, at least, will still be true.
History, Part 1
So, you might be wondering how I got a spot as a reporter at the Olympics. Well, here’s how it started:
I first heard about the chance to volunteer at Beijing’s Olympic Games back in August when the University of Missouri (where I go to school) and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) announced that about 50 of our journalism students could attend and cover the Games as volunteers.
A little background on the Missouri School of Journalism: there’s a reason I pay out-of-state tuition to go there. MU founded the first journalism school ever. Students work hands-on in real media outlets, like the NBC-affiliate station KOMU, or the local newspaper the Columbia Missourian. So many journalists graduated from MU, they call us the “Mizzou Mafia.”
Beijing slotted 300 spots for students from America, the UK and Australia. Most schools are bringing about a dozen. We’re bringing 61.
Anyway, back in August, Mizzou holds this informational session. Students armed with notepads, laptops or both filled every seat, step and corner of the auditorium. The girl on my left kept wondering out loud if her 5 years of language training in Mandarin would be enough; the guy on my right told stories about his years of sports reporting.
I was screwed.
By the end of the session, I didn't know much more than I knew before (a theme through this whole process), but I knew two important things: 1) Applications were due in a month, and 2) If I wanted to go, my personal essay had to rock. There was only one person to call: my grandmother.
I'll post more in between packing!
I first heard about the chance to volunteer at Beijing’s Olympic Games back in August when the University of Missouri (where I go to school) and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) announced that about 50 of our journalism students could attend and cover the Games as volunteers.
A little background on the Missouri School of Journalism: there’s a reason I pay out-of-state tuition to go there. MU founded the first journalism school ever. Students work hands-on in real media outlets, like the NBC-affiliate station KOMU, or the local newspaper the Columbia Missourian. So many journalists graduated from MU, they call us the “Mizzou Mafia.”
Beijing slotted 300 spots for students from America, the UK and Australia. Most schools are bringing about a dozen. We’re bringing 61.
Anyway, back in August, Mizzou holds this informational session. Students armed with notepads, laptops or both filled every seat, step and corner of the auditorium. The girl on my left kept wondering out loud if her 5 years of language training in Mandarin would be enough; the guy on my right told stories about his years of sports reporting.
I was screwed.
By the end of the session, I didn't know much more than I knew before (a theme through this whole process), but I knew two important things: 1) Applications were due in a month, and 2) If I wanted to go, my personal essay had to rock. There was only one person to call: my grandmother.
I'll post more in between packing!
Shameless plug
A week from today, I’ll be in Beijing!
I’m lucky to have a bunch of blogging opportunities this trip. There’s this one, obviously, that I’m passing out to friends, family and anyone interested.
I’m also keeping a blog with NeighborsGo, the neighborhood section for the Dallas Morning News. They have a weekly print edition they pull completely from the content residents post on-line, so if you live in Dallas, check your local Starbucks. The blog is at www.neighborsgo.com/blog/LindsayToler.
I’ll also be contributing on Live Wire, a blog kept by the MU news service, Mizzou Wire. They are at livewire.missouri.edu.
Well, that’s the end of my shameless plug. The blogging starts NOW!
I’m lucky to have a bunch of blogging opportunities this trip. There’s this one, obviously, that I’m passing out to friends, family and anyone interested.
I’m also keeping a blog with NeighborsGo, the neighborhood section for the Dallas Morning News. They have a weekly print edition they pull completely from the content residents post on-line, so if you live in Dallas, check your local Starbucks. The blog is at www.neighborsgo.com/blog/LindsayToler.
I’ll also be contributing on Live Wire, a blog kept by the MU news service, Mizzou Wire. They are at livewire.missouri.edu.
Well, that’s the end of my shameless plug. The blogging starts NOW!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
