After traveling to Windsor the week before for the Queen’s 90th birthday, I prepared for Week 5 to take a backseat and be a little less exciting. What’s better than a cheery old lady promenading from her castle to thousands of adoring fans?
Oh Mel, you silly Canadian.
Tuesday brought Robert to London. All of a sudden, I had someone to do all the romantic-y fun London tourist things that I’d neglected, like going on the London Eye. Continue Reading
This was by far the most fun and most tiring week I’ve had at the bureau.
Before I get to the Queen, I want to mention another great story we got to do on Tuesday. I had made a pitch to cover the unveiling of Palmyra’s Arch of Triumph in Trafalgar Square. The original arch in the ancient UNESCO world heritage site city of Palmyra was destroyed by ISIS during their 10-month siege of the city which ended in March.
I wasn’t the only one with the idea.
When we showed up Tuesday morning, the square quickly filled with media. Having at least two people on site is great because (for example) as the organizers moved the media barricades forward one person could run up and claim a good spot while the other stayed with the gear and brought it up after. Continue Reading
It was quieter in the newsroom this week, which worked out great for me since it afforded me a chance to practice a bit more with iNews, Avid, MOG, Aspire, and all the technical stuff that might seem second to practicing journalism, but actually is what journalists rely on to make their stories happen. I also learned how to contact the Toronto resource desk for help. Possibly my most important lesson this week. Continue Reading
I knew my intern luck couldn’t last. I seemed to have caught the flu. Posters on the tube stating, “British flu season is longer than usual this year” mocked me.
Our bureau producer told me to stay home so I don’t infect the others. In a small office, maintaining everyone’s health is even more important.
I wandered out out of my building once to go to the post office and pick up my Biometric Residence Permit to go with my visa (yay). But other than that, just stayed in bed, read, took ibuprofen, ate bananas and drank tea.
I did do some research though. I was looking for experts we could interview on the Queen’s upcoming 90th birthday. I also watched All the Presidents Men and Spotlight back to back. That counts as work, right? Continue Reading
During the fourth week of September, a meeting was held for students in my journalism program in the alumni hall auditorium to talk about internships – these vague things that happened months down the road in April.
A bunch of faculty got up and spoke, including a Mr. Doug Kirkaldy, who I didn’t know very well yet, having not taken the radio workshop (oh, how much I had to learn). After the talk was over and everyone was filing out I went over and tapped his arm.
“Are there CBC offices abroad we can go to?”
Because he is very kind he mentioned some further places in Canada, and then said, “Well there is the bureau in London.”
I fixated. “I want to go. How do I make that happen?” Continue Reading
The Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa is essentially a working holiday visa for people aged 18-30 who want to travel or live in the UK for up to two years and work at the same time. It’s a perfect way for Canadians to get abroad and get international working experience for a few years, with relatively simple paperwork. Continue Reading
