Tuning In

“It's not true I had nothing on, I had the radio on.”
Marilyn Monroe



My Sony World Band short wave radio is my new best friend. Every morning from about 6:30-7:30am, my neighbors in the compound behind me listen to French news radio. While I’m stretching after my morning run, I listen in and sometimes turn on my radio to the same station to follow along while I get ready for school.

To mix things up, last night I decided to finally crack open my radio’s handbook to figure out how to find other international radio stations. After lots of adjusting, I was finally able to hear news in English for the first time in three months!! YAY! Unfortunately, my handbook only had the channels listed for one station in each country, so I ended up listening to the Voice of America, and later, BBC.

Highlights from last night’s news:
• Anticipation and speculation about the televised debate for the U.S. presidential election.(so bummed that I can’t watch this!)
• Rioting in Tehran, Iran’s economic problems, and the rial plunging to record lows.
• The French government’s new anti-terrorism law, making terrorist attacks committed abroad punishable in France.
• The ongoing conflict in Syria and the mortar shelling on the border with Turkey.
• Conflict in Egypt over their new constitution and proposed restrictions on women’s rights.

I tend to get addicted to news stations. In America I think I watched MSNBC more than any other channel, spent more time on the Huffington Post than on Facebook, and at WSU I religiously picked up a free New York Times every morning on my way to class. I’ve completely devoured every news magazine my family has sent me. Yeah, I’m a nerdy news junkie.

Tuning in to the radio here is the best way to get instant updates on what’s going on in the world. It keeps me feeling connected, keeps me sane, and helps cut down on the loneliness. There is also occasionally some entertainment, with special, random stories like the one the BBC aired this morning about a new museum in Croatia that displays things left behind after romantic relationships have ended. Haha. Hey, when it’s all you’ve got, it’s better than nothing.
Hello out there…….