| |
 |
Weekend Durbury
Persoonlijk | persoonlijk
|
09 Februari 2007 | 11:49:41
|
Weekend Durbury
 The week ended in fun and fare as the whole family took off to Durbury, a small town about 150 km from Heist.We left Heist at around four o’clock and arrived in Durbury at around six o’clock. The little house was freezing cold and Luc immediately put on the central heating. Soon the place was homely and warm. Ingrid, Luc´s mum quickly put together a hot meal for us and I must say I was very impressed. I mean, we had been travelling together for 2 hours but she still managed to come up with a beautiful meal. I always look forward to her meals. They are the best so far that I have had here in Belgium.
 Nothing much that night, just reading, playing games and just talking. It was all so relaxing. Saturday was the day. After another hearty meal from Ingrid we went off to see the smallest city of the world. We had to climb up some 200 to 300 steps ( it’s a euphemism). Everyone else did it so easily except I. by the middle of the climb I was huffing and puffing and I thought my chest was going to explode. My legs were killing me and I could not go on. But I had to go on because everyone else was waiting for me at the top and they were all singing Come Agnes, Come on Agnes……. So up I trudged this seemingly insurmountable hurdle. I reached the top and there were Hurrahs, hallelujah, praise the Lord shouted in the air.
The climb begins in earnest So far so good
  My heart is beginning to pop out Almost there but …. Will need mouth
to mouth resuscitation
 
Everyone else is already up there waiting for me
When I finally reached the others, they let me rest for a few minutes and then off we went to see what lay on top of the mountain. What do you know? A beautiful village lay on top of the mountain. We all enjoyed the walk around the village and breathed in clean fresh air.
We all enjoy the walk I am beginning to get left behind
One of the beautiful houses on top of the mountain
Then just before we started our descent down we watched in awe, the smallest city in the whole whorld.
The smallest city in the entire world.
We began our descent and I enjoyed it better because it was so much easier and fun. Peter was unfortunately caught up in the middle of a falling tree and he had to try and save his dear life.
Going down was easy Even Sieglinde enjoyed it.
Oh no right in the middle of our path. Our hero saves us all
We managed to reach the bottom of the mountain still in one piece. We had a look at the town from this lower position. It still looked just as good as it looked from up there. Once more Peter and Yochen entertained us with their Charlie Chaplin dance. The boys also had fun at the spring. We were all impressed by the city’s court of arms artistically designed with broken glass on the ground.
Charlie Chaplin reincarnated Even Bartje was playing little boys´games
The city’s court of arms
The city’s court of arms
A tour of the small city yielded magnificent and surprising views for us. One of the surprises for us was the Zimbabwe stone art shop. We were just passing through the shop and I just happened to look at the stone work displayed in the window. One piece of work caught my attention and it looked so familiar and I wondered why. I looked at the other stone works and they had a familiarity about them. I knew then that this had to be Zimbabwe art work. Just as I was about to turn round, I saw a stack of magazines written Zimbabwe Stone work. I said to Christel that this was a Zimbabwe shop.
 We looked up and for sure, it was written Zimbabwe Art;I was nostalgic. But I also felt embarrassed that I am quick to feel proud of my country man’s work when I am here abroad. But when I am at home, I see these guys selling their work, but I never bother to look at it. Even in my town, Kwekwe, there is actually a stonework village but I have never been there. I learnt a valuable lesson then and I promised myself that as soon as I got home, I shall buy one of the stone works.
 
The Zimbabwe Stone work The Zimbabwe magazines
The tour of the city in pictures
City Durbuy A curio shop, we visited
He gets his hand cut off He no longer has any use for his hand
Love in the air….. Sieglinde He painfully sits on a spike
could not wait for Valentine’s day
Saturday ended and we went home to eat a nice warm hearty meal.
Sunday the boys woke up for an early morning walk; I was content to stay in bed and read. They called me later for a hearty breakfast. The breakfast table was not without its treats
Bartje makes and eats a gigantic sandwhich
Because I had not taken an early morning walk with the others in the morning, I was invited to take one with the more active members of the family. Boy they were so active, playing soccer throughout the walk and Bartje climbing trees and getting tangled up in the undergrowth just to retrieve the ball.
I try to join them end try....
I soon give up Bartje trying to retrieve the ball
He tries to throw the ball to Yochen, He still goes to retrieve it
but it ends up in this undergrowth
But that was not the end
The ball disappeared behind a fence and Bartje had to climb over
Finally the ball is rescued
After a few more kilometres it was time to go back home where a nice warm soup was waiting for us
 
Ingrid, doing what she knows best The sauce waiting our stomachs
The day ended in style with us visiting an ancient sacred place of the Gauls.
It was a place where they are believed to have buried their priests. It was pity
none of my companions could tell me much about the place. Guess it was not
their fault because nobody really knows much about these ancient people as
there seem to be not much recorded history.
The first group of stones we saw Yordi goes inside the stones
The second group of stones But so did we all
then ………… as the sun set
It was time to go back home……..And thus the week ended.
Agnes |
|
|
|
|
Newsletter 6
Persoonlijk | persoonlijk
|
09 Februari 2007 | 03:25:05
|
Newsletter 6
A heavy week this has been. But all the same exciting. My only worry now is will I sufficiently put it down just as it happened????? Or maybe I shall leave out some things. No matter. I shall try to the best of my ability to say the truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God. I also worry about the size of the document…..
 The week began in earnest with visit to the basic school that I talked about in the last newsletter. I was a hit as soon as I entered the school gates. I was greeted by the chant, Allez Allez Zimbabwe. One small boy who obviously follows the Zimbabwe show on VTM every Thursday evening was happy to sing as I entered the school premisesThe pupils I was to address were eagerly waiting for me in their classroom and I did not waste their time either. The kids wanted to know everything about my country and about myself.. The questions they asked ranged from what kind of music do you like?, What is your favourite movie?
I understood their curiosity, they wanted to empathize with the other side of the world, which they had heard very little or nothing about. Secondly a live black skin is a rare specie in this part of Belgium and I don’t blame the kids at all.
We talked about the typical day in the life of a Zimbabwean school child. I told them how life was far more difficult for the children in the rural areas than for those in the towns. The children in the rural areas, for example, have long distances to walk to school, sometimes they are sharing one text book for more than ten people, they dont normally have a lunchbox of bread or a cool drink bottle with them and they also have to study but they don’t have electricity at home and so forth.
 The children were immediately touched and they could not understand how someone can walk to school and not catch a bus, how is it possible that one spends the whole day without a packed lunch, things that they get so easily. I think the children then realised how lucky they are and maybe they will start appreciating the things that they have always taken for granted.We were then joined by another class to watch the 15 minutes Zimbabwe Theatre Festival movie, made by Luc in 2003. After the movie, the children still had many questions. Unfortunately I could only answer a few because it was time for them to move on to the next activity.
All the same I was impressed by their intelligent questions, their enthusiasm and I also thought they were very well behaved.
But soon it was time to go
Vlaamse Radio & Television (VRT).
 The other major highlight of the week was the visit to the Vlaamse Radio & Television (VRT). Who could have thought I could have had such a major experience in my life? A visit to one of the largest radio and television stations, not only here in Belgium but also throughout Europe. It is a million thanks to Louis, one of Luc`s close friends and whom I have also come to regard as one of my friends.
We were greeted, right before we entered the station’s premises, by VRT`s symbolic broadcast tower which can be seen just before you enter Brussels from the south. The tower, built in 1952, stands majestically by the entrance of the station and it immediately catches your attention.
The majestic VRT building
Right from the beginning the whole tour was educative, informative, and entertaining. What you can really call EDUTAINMENT
The tour begins in earnest, Louis and I
 Our first port of call was the radio stations department. There we saw the various studios for the different radio stations. The little studios contained state of the art equipment and I was surprised every time Louis or someone told me that some the equipment was old fashioned. To me it was all awesome. I suppose that’s where the Shona saying Chitsaru cheumwe, chitsva cheumwe ( literally translated, Someone’s old item may be a new item for someone else)All in all, there are six radio stations but of course we could not visit them all. So we went into one studio where there was no broadcasting taking place. Having no technical background, I did not understand the nitty gritties of the technical equipment Louis showed me, but I am learned enough to appreciate the sheer magnificence of the equipment. So we went first into a studio, which Louis explained was still using the old model machinery and then we went into one with the more modern equipment.
Studio Louis and I in the studio
 You might be wondering how come we were able to get in the studios when broadcasting was taking place. Well, the studios that we entered were not broadcasting at that particular time. Louis explained that most radio stations have regional studios all over the country and hence could have been broadcasting from there. Also, it was possible that they could have been broadcasting from an expo or a recorded tape.As we walked along the corridors I noticed that the place was full of people and Louis explained that over 3 000 people are employed by the station People were busy, some in their offices, other having meetings and so forth.
After the radio studios, we went into the television department and Louis was quite happy here because he knows more about television than radio. Our first port of call was the editing rooms where again, technically, I was lost. Also, we visited two types of edit rooms; One with the old model equipment and one with the new equipment.
  He was editing using old equipment I did not understand the technical jargon
but I appreciated the equipment
  The modern technology for editing
It was at this point that I realised the vast differences between the old and the new. The old is heavier and more and big. The new is smaller, lighter and more compact Our next stop was in the broadcasting rooms. We went into just one of these and we saw, a cartoon series being broadcasted. The guys in the studio were very busy so we did not talk to them much but they allowed us to look around.
It was all so fascinating that it was from these small rooms that the whole nation was receiving television broadcast. Well haven’t they always said, ´Dynamite comes in small packages`
There was a lot of work going on in these small rooms and from what I learnt from Louis, no one is treading on anyone’s foot. Everyone has got a job to do. Someone is taking care of the sound mix, another person is seeing to the pictures, another is doing this and so on. And when the job is done everyone is satisfied and goes home.
Louis trying to make me understand a lot of technical jargon
I also had a chance to see myself as a continuity presenter. I think I looked cool. I must say I am photogenic. Yes, I am blowing my own trumpet very loud, but who will blow it for me when everyone else is blowing their own. Anyway I did enjoy my moment of glory. This how it is like to be on TV.
Louis explains that the television in front of me reflects how I would appear on national television
Me as a television presenter
It was time to move on and move on we did. We went to the part of the station which I think makes the whole of Belgium tick. This is the news production! The men and women who work in this part of station have got a lot on their hands than any other part of the station. They have to keep the Belgian nation informed of what is going on not only in the country but also in the world.
However, the tricky part then is what is newsworthy???? It reminds me of my time at college when I was doing my Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies. One of the things that I learnt and proved for myself was that If a dog bites a man, that is not news. But if a MAN BITES A DOG that is a hell lot of news.
So I figured as Louis took me around that these men and women have to go North, East, West, South to bring NEWS
We toured the news production area an hour before it was due to become a hive of activity. It has amazing equipment, cameras in the ceiling, big screen, various television sets and so forth. Many people are working at the same time. Just like in the production rooms, one is taking care of sound, another of the pictures and so forth. However here there are other people not found in the other production rooms
First Louis explained what goes on behind the scenes and then we moved on to the studio itself which is exactly what people see everyday on their television sets.
  This is behind the scenes just before the one o’clock news
The news desk just before the one o’clock news.
In no time at all the place was trickling in with the men and women who were about to tell it all. We waited and watched them get ready for the one o’clock news. The news presenter was there, already seated in her place and we could see her from behind the scenes. The sound guy was there, the boss of the place was there, the vision mixer was there, the lady responsible for the subtitles was also there, the journalists out in the field were waiting patiently and we could see them via satellite, relevant pictures were trickling in. Everything was in place. And so we waited as the clock slowly ticked away and at exactly one o’clock the news began. We watches for some ten minutes and I must say I was mesmerised by the synchronicity of everything. Everything was falling neatly into place and everybody knew what they were doing and the nation was watching the news.
 Louis, Luc and I left the newsroom and went to yet another part of the newsroom where all the journalists then present were seated working. There we met Peter Verlinden who took over from Louis and took me across this part of the station. There were many people there but each person was doing a different kind of job. He however noted three distinct categories of the people in the department. There were people dealing with the production of documentaries, another group was responsible for short documentaries and the other group was responsible for the daily news. We talked much about the daily news and Peter explained to me how news is made. The one disappointing thing that he and I agreed on was that it was sad that little or no African news made news in the western media. If ever any news found its way in the western media, it is sadly about, famine, a dictator leader who refuses to leave power, the scourge of HIV/ AIDS, disasters and so forth. All the negative things. As a result, most Europeans regard Africa a very dark continent even in the day of digitalization and globalisation. Even my friend Luc, admits that his trip to Africa was an eye opener for him, because he now sees the beauty of Africa and he still wants to experience it more. I hope many other European people will also see the same in Africa.
  Peter gives me an overview his department
end he shows me news items on the agenda
We were all hungry and tired that at around two o’clock we broke for lunch and Louis treated us to the best VRT French fries.
Oh My God....Scrumptious! I think Luc is enjoying his meal
After the meal,
After the meal, we took a ten minutes walk to the back of the VRT building where we were to meet Peter once again. Peter was taking a course with two other guys. They were being taught about new ways of editing, combining various media, just to make the production process better
Peter takes me though it all.... There was so much to learn and time was as usual, the jealous lover because quite soon………
It was time to go back home
What a Day!
Agnes |
|
|
|
|
|
