In the last three and a half years I have been blessed with the arrival of several hurricanes. In fact, when I first arrived at Lynn in August 2004, Frances graced us with her presence, after her came Ivan, then Jeanne… and I suppose the rest is history! I think the storm that left the largest impact was Wilma. I was an RA (resident assistant) when Wilma hit around this time two years ago. School was canceled, the residence halls went into lock down and we all held tight for the storm. Below are some photos from Wilma.

Wilma’s damage outside cafeteria

After the clean up a few days later

Students helping clean up the debris

Students collecting their lunch during the lockdown

Being an RA during a storm is quite a difficult task. Someone has to be on duty all the time, so the RAs end up getting very little sleep and having to work long hours. Additionally, during the lock down, the campus becomes a dry campus - thus the RAs have to confiscate any alcohol and ensure that no one (regardless of age) consumes alcohol. The lock down can be rather fun. During Wilma we played a mass game of man hunt in E M Lynn! It is so bizarre how natural disasters seem to bring people together. It was wonderful to see every one roll up their sleeves after the storm had passed, and begin helping with the campus clean up.

During the Summer, I left my boyfriend in charge of shopping for hurricane supplies. This afternoon I went to our ‘hurricane supply cupboard’ to check that we had enough supplies and to see what exactly he had bought. Well, it was a typical man shop. Clearly he has never experienced a hurricane, and did a quick run around Walmart at the last minute. Our Hurricane Supply Cupboard looked extremely bleak, with ten cans of tuna (no mayo), four cans of baked beans, a can of fruit, a can of chickpeas, a can of kidney beans … well so far this seems like a concoction for serious stomach trouble! And then there was a bag of doritos and a box of crackers. How are we to survive on that? Firstly, he didn’t buy any chocolate - the most important supply!!! However, we do have a cupboard full of gallon bottles of water. Clearly, we are going to have to revise our supply cupboard!

This afternoon I went down to the beach. I love going to a windy beach and watching the stormy ocean. I find that when you stand, open to the elements, you realize how powerless you are in comparison to nature.

I love the feeling of the wind whipping through my hair, and the sand beating against my face. It probably sounds awful, but it makes me feel alive.

As you can imagine, there were very few people on the beach, except for a few adventurous surfers. We forget how fortunate we are having such a beautiful beach so close by… I really must start going down there more often.

If you have a look at the Lynn Events Calendar, you’ll notice that on November 13th that we’ll be having Carl Hiaasen visit the university, as a guest speaker. In the past, we have had speakers, such as Anderson Cooper, Soledad O Brien, David Gergen and many more. I have had the opportunity to interview both Soledad O Brien and David Gergen. They were both experiences I will never forget, and which I am so grateful for.

I believe its so important to have opportunities, such as these. I know that I would not have received such opportunities at any other university. Currently, I am preparing to interview Carl Hiaasen in November. Preparing for such an interview is rather stressful. It takes a lot of research work, and a fair amount of reading. I have been reading reviews on the internet, the scripts of past interviews with him, and also excerpts from his work.
Once I feel competent with the amount of information I have gathered, I begin formulating questions. I also contacted a friend of mine (Jena - who has a great deal of expertise in this area) and asked her to come up with a few questions. I then met with Jena and went over the questions that we had come up with. In many cases, our questions were similar, but it’s always important to have someone else look over your questions and help you better formulate them, as to ensure that you ask the right sort of questions. As an international student, I some times say things differently. Thus, having Jena review my questions is a must and a huge help! (Thank you!) Be sure to always know what your interviewee’s answer will be to your questions. Never ask something you don’t know the answer to.

My next step is to put my questions onto note cards. If you are using a teleprompter, you’d generally not need note cards (depending on how reliable the teleprompter operator is). I will be making the note cards as I feel more comfortable knowing I have a backup plan.

After that, I will be writing the intro and exit to the interview. I will also prepare for the interview by reviewing my questions until I know them.

Finally, I always recommend arriving at the studio an hour or two before the interview time. Help set up, get to know who you will be working with, and familiarize yourself with the studio surroundings.

The actual interview can be daunting, but I always try to remember that I am the one in control, and that the person sitting before me, no matter how famous they may be or what they may have achieved, they were once sitting in the same seat I am.

Here are the interviews with Soledad O Brien and David Gergen:

Last night I watched Anderson Cooper’s Planet in Peril. It is the most amazing documentary special I have seen. I recommend that not only all budding journalists, but all students (who want to educate themselves on the environmental state of our world) should make an effort to watch this. It was on last night at 9 PM on CNN. It’s on tonight at 9 PM as well! Basically Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Jeff Corwin (Animal Planet biologist) cover aspects of climate change, vanishing habitats, disappearing species and human population growth across the globe. The documentary visits remote places, such as Madagascar and opens the viewers eyes to our planet in peril.

Do yourself a favor and watch this… I promise you won’t be disappointed. For those of you who know me, I think Anderson Cooper is the luckiest man alive… his job is my dream job! What more could you ask for: traveling around the world, visiting remote and untouched places, and at the same time making a difference (in his case, a significant difference).

I vote for Anderson Cooper’s return to Lynn University! To anyone arranging the upcoming May Graduation, may I just say that I think Anderson Cooper would be a fantastic candidate for guest speaker (again). He has achieved so much more since his last visit to Lynn University, and I think, given his international knowledge of global warming (keeping in mind our university is a very diverse and international melting pot of cultures and people) (and also how important environmental awareness is), he is the perfect match! Additionally, for all those English majors, his recent book - Dispatches from the edge - was a phenomenal success. For all those Fashion Majors, his mother is Gloria Vanderbilt. For all those Film students, his father was a Hollywood Actor. For all those Biology and Science students, Planet in Peril (need I say more). For all those International Relations students, he’s been throughout Africa, throughout the Middle East etc. And most obviously, for all those Journalism students.

And if he is unable to be a guest speaker at graduation, then he is most definitely a fine candidate for Dively Frontiers! But I would settle for Sanjay Gupta or Jeff Corwin, if push came to shove!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#

So, on Saturday it was the Rugby World Cup! England against South Africa…
Tom and I made our way down to Neighborhoods where they were showing the rugby…
There were quite a few people from Lynn there and somehow there was an obvious division: South African supporters on one side and the English supporters on the other. The game was quite close and unfortunately South Africa didn’t score any tries… but we won! For the first time since I’ve been in the USA, I experienced the patriotism of a mass group of South African’s abroad. Every one wore their rugby shirts, and we even brought our flag along. It was great fun and South Africa is now the champions of the 2007 Rugby World Cup! I am so proud!

Bridget and Ashleigh Fowles singing the Anthem

Dean Walters

Moment of glory

An extremely happy president - Thabo Mbeki

There’s a saying in South Africa, ‘my blood is green and my heart is gold’.

So, I am writing a story for the Ipulse on where Lynn alumni are now. It’s rather fun getting in contact with everyone and seeing what they have done since graduating, where they are living now, and what they miss most about Lynn. I think it’s a fantastic idea, as students can get a picture of what they should appreciate at Lynn, and what sort of opportunities a degree at Lynn may present.

So, keep your eyes open for this new Ipulse feature - it should be coming soon!

Families weekend on campus always seems like a blast! In all the years I have been here, I honestly haven’t attended the event. It’s not because I am lazy, or have no desire to go, but rather because I fear I may start crying if I do!
Do you remember when you were in the school play as a child, and you’re searching the audience for your mom and dad, and they’re not there (my parents always run late! I hope they don’t read this!) …then that lump develops in your throat and you can’t hold back the tears… oh, and there is goes, you’re crying. Well, I fear that feeling. Perhaps I’m just melodramatic!

As an international student, my parents always seem to miss Families Weekend. It infuriates me! Now I’m truly going to sound like a baby, but I want my mommy and daddy there too! I don’t want to watch other families reunited and having fun! It would make me miss my family even more.
For those of you who’s family will be down for this fantastic event on campus, you should appreciate every minute of it! This tradition at Lynn is one of the events that makes Lynn the community it is.

And on that note, if anybody wants to adopt me for the weekend… just let me know!

Perhaps we should have a stand at the event, adopt a parent for the day. Teachers and staff could volunteer as families weekend parents, and perhaps ‘parentless’ students could make a small donation for their ‘adopted parent’, which could go towards a cause, such as an orphanage in the area?

I am so sick and tired of people who don’t understand that a library means quiet!
For those of you who are with me, I say we stand up for our rights!
Last week I specifically made my way to the second floor of the library, to a quiet corner, where I proceeded to write a midterm paper. I went to the second floor, to escape from the noises on the first floor. Just as I was getting into my essay, I was disturbed by a ‘jabberer’! There she was, sitting in the lounge area, beside all the desks, chatting away loudly (and what’s even worse is that it wasn’t about anything educational…but rather about some guy). So, I sat there… my train of thought lost! I waited for a few minutes, to see if she would end the conversation…nothing. So, I cleared my throat…still nothing. So, I cleared it again, and added a little cough on the end…still nothing. My boiling point had been reached; I gave her her chance. So, I jumped up furiously and stormed over to her (although I had lost the guts to say all the things I would have liked to say to this selfish girl) and said, ‘Excuse me, do you mind, I’m trying to work here.’ She just looked up at me and moved around a bit, awkwardly. So, I returned to my desk, but it took her a few minutes to leave!
Why, would you talk on the phone in the library? For those of you who know me, you know how much I despise talking on the phone! I can understand if its something about what you’re working on, but at least whisper! Why would you want everyone else to hear your conversation? It’s not as though we live in a world without text messaging and silent mode!
Personally, I think that the librarians should put their foot down and be forceful about the rules within the library.
But I also believe, that it is our responsibility as well. So, next time you hear it, put your foot down and stand up for all the individuals who go to the library to work!

On Friday, I had the opportunity to help out at the shoot in the studio. Angela Barioli, the secretary of the National Broadcasting Society, interviewed five students that had participated in a program called Project Shell (Soaring High in Language and Literacy), funded by the department of education. The students took classes at Lynn in secondary education, and also participated in after school programs teaching students who needed extra help in learning English as a second language. This project was a five year project that has drawn to and end, and thus Angela interviewed the students in regards to their experiences.

I was in the studio at 10am, but because so few people were there to help set up the studio, we only started rolling cameras around noon. I was there for two reasons, firstly, I was taking photos for the Ipulse story I wrote on the event, and then secondly, I was shooting behind the scenes for the National Broadcasting Society. They will actually be shooting again this coming friday at around eleven am, so if you’re interested in having a peek behind the scenes, make your way to the 3rd floor of the library - there are plenty of seats for guests, and you can always lend a helping hand.

Well, yesterday was my MAT test and I PASSED! yay!

I am so relieved. I still truly have no idea which questions I got correct and which ones I got incorrect. However, I passed and that is what counts!
You have 60 minutes to finish 120 questions…and I ran out of time around question 80! So, I was sure I had failed… but clearly not!

I am so relieved! For the past week my life has revolved solely around that exam! And now my life can revolve around all the papers I have due this coming week! So, I will know shortly if I have been accepted to the Grad Program, and then the Grad assistantship, and then I have t get my visa organized (yes, the trivial issues of an international student!).

Okay, so as I have explained, this week has been mad. Today, I have been running around trying to get my graduation forms and minor declaration forms signed. It is such a mission! You run from one side of the campus to the other and then back again (oh and then you forgot that you actually needed that other persons signature) so you run back…and they’ve already left for the day! and through all of this…I would have managed to wear my most uncomfortable shoes…the ones that dig into your foot leaving you hobbling around for the rest of the week!
So, I’m finally home… not quite relaxed, but ravenous for something to eat. And of course I’ve been too busy to shop for food (and you can’t rely on the men in your house to manage a quick pit stop into publix to stock up) (but somehow they manage to make their way to the golf course!). Any how, here I am, all I could find to eat was a 2 week old flax seed biscuit (which was not as tasty as it may sound) and I’m about to indulge myself by opening an eensey-weensey packet of fruit gummies (which have been neglected for the last month as I had previously over indulged in this specific treat)… Yah, just opened the packet… and was overwhelmed by a previous feeling of over indulgence/nausea…I’ll have to resort to coffee… it’s the only thing that has managed not to deplete in this household. But come on…try a gummy…you know you want to…

…too late, my hunger got the best of me (and the gummies!).