When in high school, you have dreams and aspirations for what you may want
to do for the future. If you are interested in theatre, you join the theatre
club or if you want to try a sport there are many to choose from. I took part
in a few extracurricular clubs after school but there was one thing that I
really wanted to do which my school did not truly have: Media and news
broadcasting.
Now fast forward to college: one of
the sayings people always say about college is about all the opportunities available.
During, my freshman year, I made a big mistake in not being a part of the clubs
and organizations available because I was worried about being too busy with my
classes. Now as a sophomore, I have managed to find a better balance of class
work and an organization. What club is this now?...The Rambler Sports
Locker.
With the Rambler Sports Locker newscast, I am finally doing what I have had
an interest in for so long now. Just a few days ago, I began using video
editing software and was working behind camera 1 during our first show. I admit
that I was nervous about messing up because I have never used such a large
camera or done anything like this before, but I managed.
Now that I am a part of this organization, I have a better idea of what I
may now be interested for in the future. As a freshman, I stepped into college
with a head full of jumbled thoughts about the future and now with this new
opportunity, I believe that I am am taking a step in the right direction.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Family History
In the early 1980s, Germany was being still separated by the Berlin Wall. However, it was the Cold War that had brought my parents together.
Before meeting my father, my mother was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the late 1970s, my mother became a diplomat for the Swedish Embassy based in Stockholm, Sweden. As a diplomat, my mother had to plan functions while working for the ambassador. In addition, all diplomats must take part in working abroad. Thus, for my mothers' first posting abroad, she was sent to Berlin, Germany where the shadow of the Berlin Wall loomed over everyone's head.
Born in Kenya, Africa but raised in London, England my father became a British army officer after graduating from the University of Newcastle. In the mid-1980s, my father's regiment was stationed in Berlin, Germany.
The details of what my parents had to do continue to remain blurry. My mother is still not allowed to say what it is that she had to do. I can only assume that her assignments had to be kept in absolute secrecy if it meant that on a few occasions she had been followed around by spies. The same can be said about my father's military business. The only detail that he has told my siblings and I are that he spent a lot of time around Checkpoint Charlie, the crossing point between East and West Berlin.
My parents had met in a bar somewhere in Berlin. I guess you can call it "love at first sight" when my father saw my mother sitting inside. Together, they both witnessed history as President Ronald Reagan called for the tear down of the wall in 1987. In addition, my family also possesses a piece from the wall after it was finally torn down. When my mother and father wanted to get married, my mother's occupation would not allow it. As a result, she had to leave her job and my parents have been happily married for 24 years.
I had decided to dedicate a blog entry to my parents because I always enjoy listening when they reminisce about their time in Berlin during the Cold War. What makes it more fascinating is that it has been nearly 30 years and I am still not able to learn what it is that my mother had to do.
Before meeting my father, my mother was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the late 1970s, my mother became a diplomat for the Swedish Embassy based in Stockholm, Sweden. As a diplomat, my mother had to plan functions while working for the ambassador. In addition, all diplomats must take part in working abroad. Thus, for my mothers' first posting abroad, she was sent to Berlin, Germany where the shadow of the Berlin Wall loomed over everyone's head.
Born in Kenya, Africa but raised in London, England my father became a British army officer after graduating from the University of Newcastle. In the mid-1980s, my father's regiment was stationed in Berlin, Germany.
The details of what my parents had to do continue to remain blurry. My mother is still not allowed to say what it is that she had to do. I can only assume that her assignments had to be kept in absolute secrecy if it meant that on a few occasions she had been followed around by spies. The same can be said about my father's military business. The only detail that he has told my siblings and I are that he spent a lot of time around Checkpoint Charlie, the crossing point between East and West Berlin.
My parents had met in a bar somewhere in Berlin. I guess you can call it "love at first sight" when my father saw my mother sitting inside. Together, they both witnessed history as President Ronald Reagan called for the tear down of the wall in 1987. In addition, my family also possesses a piece from the wall after it was finally torn down. When my mother and father wanted to get married, my mother's occupation would not allow it. As a result, she had to leave her job and my parents have been happily married for 24 years.
I had decided to dedicate a blog entry to my parents because I always enjoy listening when they reminisce about their time in Berlin during the Cold War. What makes it more fascinating is that it has been nearly 30 years and I am still not able to learn what it is that my mother had to do.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Poland's Unknown Auschwitz Hero
History has always been my favorite subject. I have gotten a lot of odd stares in the past when I say that I really enjoy the subject. WWI and WWII are the eras that I find the most intriguing. It just so happened that as I went onto Yahoo news, I found an article relating to WWII about a Polish resistance hero whom people do not know about.
Recently this summer, a mass grave had been discovered in Poland that contained more then 100 skeletons, mainly men, who were resistance fighters. It has been six decades but hopes remain high to find the remains of Witold Pilecki.
Millions of European Jews were forcibly put into concentration camps. However, Pilecki infiltrated Auschwitz on his own accord in order to smuggle out news of the atrocities being committed. For three years, he managed to sneak out thin slips of paper to the outside world while surviving hard labor, beatings, the cold, and typhoid fever. In April 1943, Pilecki escaped and sent off three more detailed reports. Unfortunately, Pilecki was arrested by the communist regime, imposed on Poland after the war, and falsely accused of planning to assassinate dignitaries. He found communist prison more difficult to endure than Auschwitz because of torture. His cause of death was a bullet to the head and he was thrown into a mass grave.
What I find extraordinary about this news is that it has been nearly 70 years since the end of WWII and new information on the people involved and the events that had occurred continues to be discovered. However, I believe that it is important to identity these people who had scarified their lives and to not forget the brave actions they underwent.
http://news.yahoo.com/poland-hopes-identify-remains-auschwitz-hero-095939471.html
While it is important to not forget those who lost their lives, it still remains imperative to continue recognizing our WWII veterans...
Recently this summer, a mass grave had been discovered in Poland that contained more then 100 skeletons, mainly men, who were resistance fighters. It has been six decades but hopes remain high to find the remains of Witold Pilecki.
Millions of European Jews were forcibly put into concentration camps. However, Pilecki infiltrated Auschwitz on his own accord in order to smuggle out news of the atrocities being committed. For three years, he managed to sneak out thin slips of paper to the outside world while surviving hard labor, beatings, the cold, and typhoid fever. In April 1943, Pilecki escaped and sent off three more detailed reports. Unfortunately, Pilecki was arrested by the communist regime, imposed on Poland after the war, and falsely accused of planning to assassinate dignitaries. He found communist prison more difficult to endure than Auschwitz because of torture. His cause of death was a bullet to the head and he was thrown into a mass grave.
What I find extraordinary about this news is that it has been nearly 70 years since the end of WWII and new information on the people involved and the events that had occurred continues to be discovered. However, I believe that it is important to identity these people who had scarified their lives and to not forget the brave actions they underwent.
http://news.yahoo.com/poland-hopes-identify-remains-auschwitz-hero-095939471.html
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