The Road So Far...

Well, I will keep my word and update you all on my time here in the Grand Canyon State. Sometime back in December I was accepted into the Pulliam Journalism Fellowships as a photographer. I was ecstatic because I had only applied for two internships at that point and got one of the two. This was the one I wanted because there was the option to work in Indianapolis at the Indianapolis Star or in Phoenix at the Arizona Republic. My choice was clearly Phoenix because I have always wanted to see the west coast. I also have a maternal Uncle and Aunt who live in the Phoenix area or the Valley. So I had the opportunity to work an internship without having to worry about rent!-all signs were pointing towards Phoenix.

The Family
So I'm here now. I'm staying in Avondale, which is about 17 miles southwest of Phoenix, with my Uncle, his wife,their 8-year old daughter, and my 19-year old cousin who was living with them before I got to Arizona. My Aunt lives fairly close. I knew them before I got here, but now I am getting to know them beyond the random family picnics, gatherings, or the funerals at which we met before.

My Uncle, Marky, has always been the one uncle of my mother's 18 siblings, that I havehad a chance to meet, I have had more of a connection with. My first memory of meeting him, was at a cookout when I was about 10 or 11. I didn't even know he was my uncle at that point. All I knew is he was a good dancer and he grabbed my hand and started to dance with me on the grass. I remember copying every move he did and when I got it right he would nod in approval and smile and my stomach would flutter. I had so much fun. He is a photographer also. He shoots mostly weddings and events, although he is taking a break right now. He's always smiling and making corny jokes. He loves pool and he has such a good heart. He would do anything to help his family.

His wife, originally from Aruba, is an outspoken, petite woman who loves butterflies and Mariah Carey. She is so cute! She says what she has to say and gets things done.

Cydney, their daughter, is a little ball of energy. She just keeps going and going like the energizer bunny---until she crashes, hard, at night. She's a gymnast and loves to torture their dog, Fluffy. If you've ever seen Finding Nemo, just think about the dentist's daughter in that movie. That is Cydney!! lol

Finally, there is Mallory, my 19-year old cousin, transplanted her from Las Vegas. Her mom, her mom's boyfriend and her two brothers decided to move to Los Angeles and she wasn't ready to leave Vegas until she finished her senior year of high school. So, she stayed in Vegas and ended up here with Uncle Marky a couple of months ago. She's interested in photography and wants to pursue it once she starts school. She's a talker and once you get her going, it's hard to stop her. Love her tho. It's my mission to get her out of the house and motivated.

The Job
I am working my first photography internship for a large daily newspaper. While I am so excited, nerves always find their way into my experiences. Here is what was going through my mind the first week or two of this internship.
This is something I have never experienced before. I am in a new place and expected to find my way to assignments on time- aah I have some issues outside of the job that are taking my focus away from my job. Let's just say, I am on my fourth rental car since I've been here and each is a story within itself. Family drama that I try not to think about, always finds a way to resurface when I have pushed it so far in the back of my brain.
I'm not good enough, I don't know enough...blah blah blah.

I was STRESSED- and it was all my own doing. My mental struggles started to seep into my work and I wasn't showing any creativity. I was getting hella lost going to assignments and showing up late. I would be so mentally drained by the time I got to the assignment, I just wanted to shoot it and get it over with. I barely tried to produce something creative. Since the sun light is so harsh here, strobe (flash) needs to be used for everything and generally in newspapers, it is expected to be used for almost everything. I had minimal experience using a strobe or the camera they gave me, so I basically was turning out crappy pictures, in my opinion.

So now, today, I am so much more relaxed. This past week has been a turnaround week for me. I had a talk with a photo editor and other photographers. They gave me ultra helpful tips on using the strobe. I am turning out higher quality images and I generally feel happier about it. I just need to learn not to let other things outside of work seep into work. I have to keep them separated. I am finding my way and not getting lost as much. I am leaving earlier for assignments in case I do get confused or lost. Stay tuned for more...I will update 1000 Words with some of my work soon.

It's Been A Minute....

...since I've posted on either of the blogs. So much has happened. First, I graduated- enter Erin running and clicking the back of her heels together in mid air, lol. I am now officially an alum of Temple University. Crazy. I've also been vacating and traveling. As a graduation present, my Auntie took me on a cruise. What an experience! First of all, I've never been outside of the United States, not even to Canada, so just doing that was great. Our cruise started in Miami, then off to Grand Cayman,Cayman Islands, to Ochos Rios, Jamaica and back to Miami. It was a five day cruise. Even though I knew that the earth was 75% water, being surrounded by it for a day with no land in sight is an entire different thing. I got a little cabin feverish at one point. I took maddd pictures, so I'm hoping I will have time to post a few of them on 1000 words.

I am currently in the "Grand Canyon State" working this wonderful internship at a huge, daily newspaper. I feel so blessed. I luckily have family here, which not only saves me much mula as far as rent is concerned, but also makes it easier to adjust to the drastic changes. The climate difference, the time difference, the culture shock, and social adjustments. If left alone in this situation, I may have been a little crazy. The climate is the most interesting adjustment. You THINK you know heat...but you really don't until you have come to Phoenix, Arizona. It's HOT. I thought I knew what hot was, but nope. I didn't know black people who use sunscreen could still get sun burn. ONLY in Arizona. lol I'm burned and peeling people. The first weekend I was here, it was unseasonably hot. It hit 117 degrees that weekend consecutively.

I'm enjoying the moment right now. I am taking it all in and praising God the whole way. I'll update this and the other blog with all of my experiences. There is so much to tell, but I'm a bit tired . So, goodnight folks!
~E