I am too much of a last minute person for my own good or my own health.
I spent so much time doing research on The Jukskei project that I didn't leave enough time for production. I get so carried away with finding out info because I love research, that I don't always leave adequate time for the crafting of my work. I almost feel I did too much work and spoke to too many people.
Although my Bruma Lake story is almost done! Yaaaaaay!
But I am still anxious because Monday 9 am is the final deadline. How do I always finish everything at the last minute? I don't start it at the last minute but I always get it all finished 5 seconds before deadline. My poor nerves and heart and housemates who who have to live with this wide-eyed panicked looking girl.
This is how my next four days will go: I am editing a sound clip on Bruma today and finishing my written piece. Then after work tomorrow, I edit my video with Alistair because we didn't finish it on Tuesday and then on Sunday I finish editing my sound for my audio slide-show about the graslands near the Jukskei. I have so much audio and I have no idea how I am going to fit 40 minutes of speaking into one 3 minute piece.
It is probably easier to edit work if one does less. I am somewhat overwhelmed by all my material. I have too much of it!
But this project has been fun and I know I made the right choice to study Journalism and it makes moving my life to Jo'burg worth it even though I miss home and my old salary terribly.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Communicating with the government
If you want a reply from government have a friend who works there, otherwise expect your email to be ignored. If you want a reply that shows intelligence and an attempt to answer your questions, then don't email the government.
So 2 weeks ago I emailed government employee, Jane Eagle, who has been managing the sewerage and litter problem at Bruma Lake for more than ten years. Jane works for Jo'burg's Environmental Management Department. Jane promised an email reply by Thursday, a week and a half ago. I have given up waiting.
So today I emailed Eagle's boss, Flora. Flora is the head of the Environmental Management Department which is the Dept that has some responsibilty towards Bruma Lake. In other words the EM Dept needs to deal with the terrible smell and all the sewerage in the lake.
Anyway, Flora did not reply to the direct email I sent to her. But a friend of mine in the City Council forwarded her the email. She replied to him and he forwarded her answer to me. I guess I need more friends in the Joburg council.
Not that Flora's reply was helpful.
I titled the message: "Bruma Lake media query"
She wrote: Is this a media query or a query to help you with your studies.
I wrote: My name is Katharine Child. I am writing a story for a Wits website on Bruma Lake. I have some questions about the lake. As I will be writing about what people say about Joburg water and the Environmental Management department, I need to give you a right to reply
She wrote: We report on Bruma on a quarterly basis where you can get more information from Council reports. It is difficult for us to manage such queries as and when they come and we rather refer questions to be based on our own reports
She can only answer questions from her reports. Wow!
I wrote: My research shows that various attempts to clean the lake have failed over the last few years. First there were litter nets used to catch litter but these were often full and broken, according to people involved with keeping the lake clean in 2002 and 2003. The litter nets were not well maintained and did not work. Then the litter trap was built but now the gate is not kept down properly, due to the sewerage, so litter gets into Bruma lake anyway under the gate that was open.
She wrote: It would appear you got briefing from someone else that you are not disclosing and now want us to respond on a matter we have no context about.
She has no context about what her department is in charge of ?
I asked her about what she said and what was discussed at a meeting, she attended a week ago. The questions came from the minutes of the meeting and she was there. Has she forgotton?
She wrote: Please clarify your context before we provide you with info
I feel I am getting nowhere with them.
So 2 weeks ago I emailed government employee, Jane Eagle, who has been managing the sewerage and litter problem at Bruma Lake for more than ten years. Jane works for Jo'burg's Environmental Management Department. Jane promised an email reply by Thursday, a week and a half ago. I have given up waiting.
So today I emailed Eagle's boss, Flora. Flora is the head of the Environmental Management Department which is the Dept that has some responsibilty towards Bruma Lake. In other words the EM Dept needs to deal with the terrible smell and all the sewerage in the lake.
Anyway, Flora did not reply to the direct email I sent to her. But a friend of mine in the City Council forwarded her the email. She replied to him and he forwarded her answer to me. I guess I need more friends in the Joburg council.
Not that Flora's reply was helpful.
I titled the message: "Bruma Lake media query"
She wrote: Is this a media query or a query to help you with your studies.
I wrote: My name is Katharine Child. I am writing a story for a Wits website on Bruma Lake. I have some questions about the lake. As I will be writing about what people say about Joburg water and the Environmental Management department, I need to give you a right to reply
She wrote: We report on Bruma on a quarterly basis where you can get more information from Council reports. It is difficult for us to manage such queries as and when they come and we rather refer questions to be based on our own reports
She can only answer questions from her reports. Wow!
I wrote: My research shows that various attempts to clean the lake have failed over the last few years. First there were litter nets used to catch litter but these were often full and broken, according to people involved with keeping the lake clean in 2002 and 2003. The litter nets were not well maintained and did not work. Then the litter trap was built but now the gate is not kept down properly, due to the sewerage, so litter gets into Bruma lake anyway under the gate that was open.
She wrote: It would appear you got briefing from someone else that you are not disclosing and now want us to respond on a matter we have no context about.
She has no context about what her department is in charge of ?
I asked her about what she said and what was discussed at a meeting, she attended a week ago. The questions came from the minutes of the meeting and she was there. Has she forgotton?
She wrote: Please clarify your context before we provide you with info
I feel I am getting nowhere with them.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Friday - Sunday
Friday was hilarious. Alistair and I filmed a guy called Andrew, drinking out of the Jukskei river with a water purifier called Life straw. Andrew is working with an NGO called Vertical life. Vertical life wants to take this water purifer through Africa because it is easy to use, small and has no working parts. But it only lasts a year and is very expensive. It is a temporary solution to bad water and the problem with handouts is that they create a beggar mentality. However Vertical life wants to teach people about digging wells and accessing clean water, as a more long term solution. They are doing anything for publicity to raise money for their projects, even drinking out of the Jukskei wth their product. I don't want to do PR for the company, Vertical Life, but I do want a short video of Andrew drinking from the river for the website. It will be something light hearted.
To get to the river Andrew followed my car and I was so self consicous about being followed, I managed to drive in the wrong lane and hit the curb when trying to park. It was all very embarrassing, but I laughed all the way home. Before going home Andrew got pulled over by the cops for having no licence plates- his licence plate fell off on the way to the river. The other one was already missing.
So he is this crazy licence plateless guy who drinks out of toilet bowls and the Jukskei with his water purifier. Alistair called him "a river crazy". The whole experience was somewhat amusing even if I was a "woman" driver.
On Saturday, I got quite stressed when I got up at 5:30 in the morning and couldn't find my Jukskei project notebook. I got up early to prepare for my English class but then panicked when I imagined my notes were gone. I was so happy to find my book in the Wits lab at 9 o'clock on Saturday morning. I may have been happier sleeping-in, but finding my stuff was a close second.
Today, Sunday, was somewhat overwhelming - environmentalist, Marian Laserson gave me piles of material about the Sizwe grasslands, that the Jukskei is part of. She has such high hopes for my project. But to really investigate things I need more time. If I were to look into the grasslands, the plans to develop them and the fact they haven't been developed, in the way Marian wants me to, I would take 2 months. I feel I will disappoint her because I cannot study them in so much depth.
Just to explain why I am doing an audio piece on the grasslands- The Juskei river is an essential part of these grasslands and the lack of development, so, far has been good for the river. But the grasslands are prime development material due to their size and location, so who knows what is next. The Public Works Agency owns the land and may want to develop it. The grasslands help clean the river, and prevent flooding as they absorb rain water. The river would fill up with more water in summer should the grasslands surrounding it be developed into housing or office blocks.
I have so many people still to speak to about the grasslands, but so little time. I really am stressed.
Jo'burg water still has not returned my emails.
I now have the MD of Joburg water, Gerald Duma's cell phone number so perhaps it is time to start making some personal calls.
I am really grateful for Marian's help despite her hopes. Her 80-year husband is ill and is facing an op this week. He may have cancer but doctors think it is more likely a benign growth. I feel bad bothering her at this time but she seems eager. I arrived there at 2 and left at 5:30 when I pretty much just got up to leave. I didn't want to be late for church and I think Marian may have talked all night if I hadn't just left.
I hope her husband is ok. I hope I can live up to her expectations with my audio project on the preservation of the Sizwe grasslands and the Jukskei river- in Linksfield. I hope I can include a funny video on the site of Andrew drinking from the Jukskei without being a PR agent. I hope I can stay sane in the next two crazy weeks of madness, deadlines and production.
To get to the river Andrew followed my car and I was so self consicous about being followed, I managed to drive in the wrong lane and hit the curb when trying to park. It was all very embarrassing, but I laughed all the way home. Before going home Andrew got pulled over by the cops for having no licence plates- his licence plate fell off on the way to the river. The other one was already missing.
So he is this crazy licence plateless guy who drinks out of toilet bowls and the Jukskei with his water purifier. Alistair called him "a river crazy". The whole experience was somewhat amusing even if I was a "woman" driver.
On Saturday, I got quite stressed when I got up at 5:30 in the morning and couldn't find my Jukskei project notebook. I got up early to prepare for my English class but then panicked when I imagined my notes were gone. I was so happy to find my book in the Wits lab at 9 o'clock on Saturday morning. I may have been happier sleeping-in, but finding my stuff was a close second.
Today, Sunday, was somewhat overwhelming - environmentalist, Marian Laserson gave me piles of material about the Sizwe grasslands, that the Jukskei is part of. She has such high hopes for my project. But to really investigate things I need more time. If I were to look into the grasslands, the plans to develop them and the fact they haven't been developed, in the way Marian wants me to, I would take 2 months. I feel I will disappoint her because I cannot study them in so much depth.
Just to explain why I am doing an audio piece on the grasslands- The Juskei river is an essential part of these grasslands and the lack of development, so, far has been good for the river. But the grasslands are prime development material due to their size and location, so who knows what is next. The Public Works Agency owns the land and may want to develop it. The grasslands help clean the river, and prevent flooding as they absorb rain water. The river would fill up with more water in summer should the grasslands surrounding it be developed into housing or office blocks.
I have so many people still to speak to about the grasslands, but so little time. I really am stressed.
Jo'burg water still has not returned my emails.
I now have the MD of Joburg water, Gerald Duma's cell phone number so perhaps it is time to start making some personal calls.
I am really grateful for Marian's help despite her hopes. Her 80-year husband is ill and is facing an op this week. He may have cancer but doctors think it is more likely a benign growth. I feel bad bothering her at this time but she seems eager. I arrived there at 2 and left at 5:30 when I pretty much just got up to leave. I didn't want to be late for church and I think Marian may have talked all night if I hadn't just left.
I hope her husband is ok. I hope I can live up to her expectations with my audio project on the preservation of the Sizwe grasslands and the Jukskei river- in Linksfield. I hope I can include a funny video on the site of Andrew drinking from the Jukskei without being a PR agent. I hope I can stay sane in the next two crazy weeks of madness, deadlines and production.
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