This may be a much-delayed post, but it’s better late than never. If you’ve been reading previous posts in this blog, you should know that I went to Indonesia twice to speak at a training of selected journalists who belong to member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
My first trip to Jakarta in July prompted me to write a column article for Pinoy Weekly titled “Jakarta sa aking utak” (loose translation: Jakarta in my mind). On the other hand, my second trip in August motivated me to repackage and slightly revise the paper I presented in Jakarta into a “Reporting the ASEAN” three-part series published by the weekly Bulatlat Online Magazine where I serve as a member of the Board of Editors.
Alexandra Klawitter of the German-based KLATEXT Consulting sent me some photographs after I requested my friends at the International Institute for Journalism (IIJ) of InWEnt-Germany (organizer of the two training) for a photo documentation of the August activity and a written evaluation of my “performance.”
How did they find me as a speaker? Let’s just say that they were satisfied enough to invite me again for another training scheduled in the next few months!
It’s not just the opportunity to travel again that I look forward to; it’s also reconnecting with friends and allies in the journalism profession and making new ones. While I am in a position to share whatever knowledge I have as a practicing journalist and a journalism educator, you should know I also learn a lot interacting with participants, most especially outside the session room.
In my two trips to Jakarta, I realized that, regardless of nationality, responsible journalists are often direct to the point, opinionated and brutally frank. The participants’ socio-political background may vary (quite expected given the diversity of cultures within ASEAN), but you could see their commitment to be responsible in their chosen profession, an indication that they all want to help change the ASEAN and their respective countries for the better.
Without much delay, here are some of the pictures sent by my friend Alexandra.
That’s me with Dr. Martin Löffelholz (Ilmenau University of Technology in Germany)
and Wuri Parmaitri (The ASEAN Secretariat in Indonesia) at a welcome dinner last August 25.
That’s me making my presentation on the state of the ASEAN press
and ASEAN as a news topic last August 26.
The lights at the Kutilang Room of Ambhara Hotel were not that bright,
hence the poor color quality.
Yes, I know. It’s seldom that I smile, but there is something in Jakarta that makes me do so.
I will be uploading more pictures, this time “unofficial,” in the days to come. Thank you for reading.