Day 2 PART 2

PART 2

      The leadership seminar was about 8 hours. We started our seminar by introducing ourselves to the crowd. After the introduction, we split into groups where no one was familiar with each other and then discussed about different problems publications have or face, and ways to fix them. We have done several activities, like the color activity that showed how everyone is different and how we shouldn't force people to follow the methods that one believes is right. Instead we were taught to just sit down calmly and work it out together through communication about what we believe is right or wrong. We learned that there won't any merit through yelling, being mad, or forcing them to follow one's idea that they don't feel right about it. We also did other activities that demonstrated how teamwork is the most important factor in the publication.
      Throughout the session, we felt that all the concept felt like a review to us but we thought that the activities we have done there were interesting. So, we didn't learn much from the sessions because Mr. Smalley already taught us most of the concept. Jasmin and Yash also commented that everything felt like review. However, we found the activities very helpful and interesting that we might sometimes, the days when everyone is stressed at everything, use these activities help our team to take a break for a while and then get back to work.
      Also, I, Seo Young, personally found the group discussion the most interesting and helpful throughout the whole session. I have met different editors, mostly yearbook EICs which was good and easy for me to talk about and relate, and we got to discuss and relate to different problems that each of us face and how each publication (yearbook team) solves these problems. We discussed among each other about different problems and ways to solve them like deadlines, communication, responsibility, and conflicts with staffs, other editors, or advisers. It was really interesting to know how different editors from different places/schools try out different methods and think about ways to solve problems.

Day 1: America Here We Come - The AIS Takeover

PART  1: THE FIGHT WITH CUSTOMS

Waking up at 2 o’clock in the morning is obviously something I looked forward to. It’s not like I have a set sleeping schedule like most normal human beings, who usually sleep from twelve to at least five in the morning, but nevertheless it was challenging. I started packing my bags, taking only the necessities and leaving space for all the new things I’m hoping to purchase in the United States. In between putting clothes and presents into my suitcase, I would snapchat and text Katie and Harsha to solidify our plans – it is not everyday that you get to go see your best friends who live all the way across the world. I finished at around four and took a nap. I was to be out of the house at 6:30 and I gave myself half an hour to get ready and finish up packing. The second I woke up,  I remembered that I had to register for the SAT Subject Tests – because there is no better time to register for an exam than in the midst of one of the most important trips of your life. Anyhow, that failed and I scrambled to get out of the house in time to get to the airport at seven.  

Good news in the morning is wonderful and nearly impossible. At 7:15 we found out that there would be a one and a half hour delay. This happened because of the plane’s previous route – wonderful isn’t it? Our layover in London was already barely enough to get to the connecting flight to Baltimore, now we literally had no time. Mr. Smalley, who always has every single detail planned out six weeks in advance, was on the verge of a breakdown. A breakdown on the first day would be one of the least favorable outcomes, so thankfully he made everyone believe that he was O.K, and that everything would end up fine. Everyone went along, except for me, because I have known Smalley for too long, and I am accustomed to his moods and changes. He called our tour company and settled some issues that we might have if we were to miss our flight. Registration began at 10 and it seemed as if things began taking a turn for the better.

Maybe for some people they did, but I was not destined to have a wonderful morning today. Customs in Kazakhstan is usually very relaxed and almost nonexistent. I guess I haven’t traveled in a long time because now they are extremely meticulous. I turned 16 a little over a month ago and apparently according to the Kazakh law, within a month after a child turns 16, they have to permanently register in the country. Passport control took about fifteen minutes and after it I was taken to the administrators office. My heart started beating faster and faster because I wasn’t even supposed to go to passport control until everyone was registered for the flight. My inner rebel self went back into hiding, and as I was escorted into the dark hounds of the airport, Jasmin and the team all had eyes as big as those of owls.

I spent another 20 minutes with the customs administrators filling out my name and date of birth on ten different forms. And then they told me I had to pay a $100 fine. I was “16 and responsible for my actions now.” Being old and responsible sucks. I called Mr. Smalley to explain the situation to him and so the customs officer, Smalley and I went to the bank to pay the fine. We decided to pay with the emergency money on Mr. Smalley’s credit card, but that didn’t work. The woman working didn’t understand that there was absolutely no pin on the credit card and that the transaction could go through if she just pressed “enter.” The lack of communicational methods between Smalley and the locals is astonishingly low, so he just started laughing in the faces of the customs officer and bank woman. I got tired of trying to negotiate anything that would wave the fine and paid the $100 in cash.

Surprise surprise. I was not the only one who had problems at passport control. After I paid my fine, my boarding passes were stamped and I was granted my freedom On my way back into the main hall of the airport I noticed Nastya and Mrs. Lawrence standing waiting for something. That something was Smalley, He is needed everywhere 24/7. It turns out that Nastya’s Kazakh visa was in her mother’s passport, and since she only had a digital copy of it, customs wasn’t letting her out of the country. After some “peaceful” discussions and yelling, she was let through. Mr. Smalley probably had a couple heart attacks, but he looks stable enough, because there are many more to come.

Customs was not the only meticulous station at the airport. Everyone seemingly went through security without trouble. Everyone was in the waiting hall or roaming the Duty Free, except Mrs. Lawrence. Another 20 minutes passed and she comes out of security with the most annoyed face I have ever seen. “They thought I was carrying steroids,” she exclaims. Of course, how could she not pack a couple pills to go?

Finally, four hours later they announced boarding. We were off to London. I got on the plane, stuck my bags on the top shelf, yelled “AHHH I AM SO EXCITED,” and passed out into deep sleep. A Wonderful morning that couldn’t get any more wonderful!

PART 2: THE RACE WITH TIME

Landing in London was pretty great until they opened the doors for us to get out of the plane. The opening of the airplane doors marked the beginning of the most important race of the trip. We had less than an hour to get to our connecting flight to Baltimore, which British Airways was holding up for us. We ran down the stairs and through the airport to security, getting angry glares from the passengers that had just gotten off of the Shanghai flight. We had no time to worry about that, our greatest obstacle was the security line and procedure. Boots and flats were flying everywhere and laptops and liquids were being taken out of bags. It was hectic to keep track of our passports and not losing our belongings. I ended up getting ahead and met up with Mrs. Lawrence and Sophia to finish our last sprint to the plane. We were in the wrong terminal so we had to take a train to get to the one where our plane was leaving from. Scurrying through duty free and escalator, we got closer and closer to our gate and there was hope that we would actually make it to our final destination. Mrs. Lawrence, Sophia, and I were the second group to make it on the plane. The flight attendants warned us that if Mr. Smalley and his group didn't hurry up, the plane would leave without them. Thankfully, they hopped on right before the doors closed and we were set to go. Our adventure through Heathrow came to an end but the trip and all the fun was only about to begin. I knew that there was no way I could survive three days of intense journalism sessions without being properly rested, so I decided to sleep a little more, some 8 hours.

PART 3: THE GREETING WITH AMERICA

Finally! We made it! I never thought I would make it this far. There are no words to express how happy and excited I am to explore the WEST. We got off the plane and that is when my happiness level started decreasing. First off, the line to passport control was like the last level of the game snake. Not only was it infinite, but it was also full of very many rude people. Everyone was pushing and shoving and when everything settled down, the guard yelled at us for using our phones. Then, we found out that our luggage was lost. Every single bag was left in London and we would only receive it the next day because there is only one flight from London to Baltimore. This really sucked because I was going to a pre convention workshop at the Newseum the next day and I wanted to look professional. We had to file baggage descriptions so they could find the right bags, which took about an hour and a half. I wanted to get out of the airport. I was exhausted and jet lagged and dirty. My friends were scared to approach me because I had such a horrible and mad face. British Airways gave each person $50 to get all the necessities for the night so the plan was to go to Walmart.

Walmart is a surreal place. Anything you could ever want or dream of is sold there for an unrealistically cheap price. Jasmin and I united forces and in 30 minutes we had half of the store in our cart. We got everything from clothes and underwear to orange juice to sharpies. We felt as if we had just participated in an episode of the show "Extreme Couponing." Mr. Smalley was super happy that Walmart was my first real American experience, because it is the nations greatest and most popular store.

The bus ride from Baltimore to DC was an hour long and when we got to the hotel we were relieved. We toppled into the hotel with our Walmart bags and the first couch we saw, we conquered. Smalley checked us in and apparently we were registered in the system as Almaty, Missouri. We got our room keys and the second we made it to our beds, we fell asleep. The next day was set to be magnificent and everyone had a countless amount of plans, activities, and places they had to be at!

DAY 2 PART 1

PART 1 

      We, the snufflebunnies (Seo Young, Linda, and Liza's blog group name), started our day at 6:30 a.m. Regardless the large time differences and long flights, we somehow managed to wake up and eat our breakfast. After we ate, we looked over our schedules and the map of the hotel. While preparing, looking over the maps and dressing up for our sessions, we felt nervous. We felt nervous because first of all, we did not have proper formal clothes to wear for the sessions due to the delay of our luggage.  We were worried that people won't take us seriously due to our attire. However, despite the fact that we weren't prepared for the convention, we were looking forward to learn new things.
      Since Liza had to go to the Newseum on a taxi, she had to leave earlier than us, Seo Young and Linda. Few minutes after Liza left, we went to our session, the Leadership Seminar. Us and the others who went to the Writer's Workshop and to other photo sessions all were looking forward to it.

Day 3: Emotions Running Wild

When I thought to myself, “Could this convention get any more intense than it already is?” I had no idea how little I have actually explored. The second day of the convention was probably the most intense and emotionally diverse day I have had in a long time. As always, Seo Young, Linda, and I woke up at 6:30 planning to write our blogs. This never works out because getting ready, physically and mentally, poses a challenge for us. I had an had an extremely important activity to go to today – Lunch with the JEA President – so I decided to do some research and from interview questions with which I would go in. At first, it was extremely productive. It was extremely early in the morning and there was no one in the lobby so I could use the computers there. I was diligently researching, working hard and not bothering anyone, but of course there had to be something that disturbed the perfect balance of my morning. It was not the 6,000 high school students from around America all coming to the lobby and being loud, it was even worse – it was Mr. Smalley. He came, all happy and ecstatic for the day to begin and started rambling about how his first day went and what his plans were. Then he started asking me questions about my experiences at the convention, and I just totally lost focus. Don’t get me wrong, I love to hear about other peoples days and chit chat with them, but not so early in the morning when I’m trying to get work done. There was a small amount benefit to this encounter. He helped me form my questions in a more professional way and guide me towards asking questions more specific to scholastic journalism rather than journalism in general. The lobby and computer area started filling up as more and more people woke up so I went back to my room to get dressed.

The first session I had was called “The Issues of Covering Religion at Schools.” The thing I liked most about it, is that they gathered a panel of people of all different religions and job areas to present the topic. There was a boy from a Jewish day school, a Washington Post writer who covers religion all over the world, a Hinduism expert, a school board adviser and a PTA representative. The two hour session consisted of two parts. In the first part, Charles Haney asked the panel questions on the basics of religion in schools. He said a very interesting thing – “Student journalists have the civic obligation to cover religion. Accurate and fair coverage helps overcome the ignorance and fear associated with religion.” I liked this statement because it summarizes the key objectives of a journalist and relates it to the issues and negative emotion the world faces. I also liked how the panel gave their opinions on specific case studies of religion at schools. I learn best when I am exposed to particular cases from which I can take the benefits and mistakes, and that’s what we did. The second part of the activity was Q and A, where the audience could ask the panel questions. It was extremely interesting to see how different regions of America react to religious issues and topics in general. Even though the country is a melting pot, the religious aspect of it is very rigid and gives off an uncomfortable vibe.

Next was Lunch with the JEA president. There are no words to describe how extremely excited I was for this. I thought that it was going to be a very formal thing and consequently I dressed up really nicely and brought my notebook and questions and was ready to interview Mark Newton. The event ended up being quite different than I pictured it to be. It was very informal and structured more as a conversation than an interview. There were four students there in total and we all go to compare and discuss the journalism programs at our schools. Two girls were from Tampa, Florida and one was from Omaha, Nebraska. Everyone had different experiences, but what fascinated me most was the journalism program at the school where Mr. Newton works. Instead of having a separate yearbook and newspaper staff, he has a media team. The media students are good at many different things and they produce different mediums for the topic they are assigned. In addition, I got a lot of good advice for the Almaty Voice. It was a very productive lunch, despite the fact that one of the participants wouldn’t shut her mouth and thought that she was the president herself.

Jay Harris was the keynote speaker that we had to see at 2:00, but I was so exhausted I couldn’t get myself to go. Instead Jasmin and I decided to grab lunch on the street adjacent to the hotel. We chose a shady Indian restaurant, which had the most delicious food we’ve had in a long time. This was actually our first meal since we came to the states. There is no time to eat whatsoever because you are always running from one session to another and taking power naps during breaks. At 4:00, I had a yearbook body copy write off. It is a contest in which we had to write body copy and two captions for the topic of performing arts at George Washington High School. Two hours were given to us for this activity and I thought I didn’t do as well as I could of. I was very very very tired and it felt as if I forgot how to write. I’ll just have to wait and see how I did.

After my tedious two hours I started making my way to the elevator. I hoped I wouldn’t see anyone, that I could just slip past everyone I know and climb into my bed. Surprise – this didn’t happen. Right as I walked out of the elevator on the fourth floor, Mr. Smalley’s face pops out from around the corner. We sat down and chatted about my day. I was tired, annoyed at myself for not writing an extraordinary body copy, irritated at the girl who wouldn’t shut up at the lunch, and physically dead. I started crying, and laughing at myself for crying, and the world just started falling apart.

THE NEXT MOMENT, was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’m sitting on a couch crying and the elevator doors open. Harsha, who walked me to my write off contest and supposedly left, walks out. I wasn’t surprised because I saw her the day before and thought maybe she had just forgotten something. BUT THEN, Katie and Laurie walk out of the elevator as well. I tackle Katie because I haven’t seen my best friend in over six months and we fall over. I’m sobbing, I’m laughing. The love, excitement, surprise, and joy is so overwhelming that I have no words to say. I later found out that they had been planning this for two weeks and that they have both been lying about not being able to come see me because of school work. They booked a room at the same hotel as us and are staying for two days! I think I have the BESTEST friends on the planet and I am so glad I get to see them,  even for a little bit.

The surprises weren’t over just yet. Adrian and Claire, who I haven’t seen in ages, were sitting down stairs, waiting to go to dinner with us. I changed my clothes as fast as I could and ran downstairs to meet them. We went back to the shady Indian restaurant and had a marvelous time catching up. I took no naps that day, so I was falling asleep, but just being with the people I love and seeing them was remarkable. We spent about two hours there and then made our way back to the hotel, where I crashed. It was nostalgic, all the memories and experiences we have lived through together rushed into my body. Overfilled with happiness and love, I descended into deep sleep in Katie and Harsha's suite. 

The reason for delays

The reason for our tardiness in posting is due to our lost luggage and schedule so busy that we barely have time to sleep let alone blog.

Today, several blog posts will be published. If you are new to blogs, there are two ways to see all the posts.

1. Scroll down (posts are always in the order in which they were posted). At the bottom you can select "older" posts.

2. Look immediately to the right and navigate directly to posts underneath"November" in the "Blog Archive" section.

Things are going smoothly. The learning is so pervasive that it's impossible to track. Thousands upon thousands of people here in a collision of learning, competitions, and fun.

-Smalley

Day 3 Morning

Just like the night before, everyone woke up tired and went to bed tired. The jetlag didn't seem to want to wear off, but that made the day more interesting than if we weren't. We all ate breakfast, some in the hotels restaurant and others ate products from Walmart. Having countless things to do from 8:00 to 22:00, we were all separated and took parts in many sessions to improve our skills and come back to increase the quality of our work. Although many of us knew the basics we were able to learn things we didn't know about before.

The Purposes of this Blog...

Colleagues, parents, students, friends, and family,

The purposes of this blog are many:

-to communicate our experiences with those who are invested in or intrigued by our trip

-to communicate growth and learning that occurs throughout

-to keep updates going for the trip

-to practice journalistic skills/integrity/writing/etc. while on the trip via this blog (put things into practice that are being learned while there)

-to provide a place where we will reference as an archive of learning tools/tips/content. The staff who remain in Almaty will peruse our blog entries and begin putting into practice the very things we are posting.

-to just have fun documenting what should be an astounding trip

-to allow for feedback (via comments on posts) from each of you who will follow our blog

-for generic documentation purposes