It's not for certain, but anyways...

My school (feels like another promo for my school but it's not!) has this 'Going Overseas For Advanced Reporting' module, in short GO-FAR, that has just opened its applications today.

Students will head to a country to report for two weeks on an event, and come back to Singapore to collate content, package it.

Every year, only 12 Print/Photo Journalists and 4 (or 3) Broadcast Journalists will be chosen in the pool of applicants.

It is highly competitive and everyone has to take a particular journalism module to be qualified to take that course.

And I must say, I've been PREPARING for this for ONE YEAR. ONE BLOOODYYY YEAR. I've always wanted to go for it. As usual, when I was Year 1/2, I showed sparse interest coz, well it's so damn long before I need to think about it anyway. Only Year 3s who are going on Year 4 can apply for it.

But after seeing my seniors' work and the many different places they went, my interest started to gain traction. Actually before entering wkwsci I kinda know and heard that wkwsci does these things and there's opportunity to GO FARRR. Woah my school is really great at puns huh? There was one year an overseas team went to freakin NORTH KOREA. Omfg how cool is that?

This year is the 10th anniversary of GO-FAR and the first few years have been trips to regional countries such as Philippines and Laos. In fact, only last year, it was the first time they went pretty far. They went to Japan. It was to cover the Fukushima Earthquake disaster that happened a year before the team went to report in Japan.

So, usually, the team goes overseas to report in places stricken with disasters.

And yes, my title has revealed which country this year's team will be heading to.


SWEDEN. Of all places. It is not regional and it is not wrought with disaster.

So when I heard from a senior who gave me insider info before news broke out today about the destination, I was ecstatic... then... I became puzzled.

Why Sweden?

My senior said, "To report on the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony"

To be honest, when I first heard that, I was like "oh". I wasn't very keen on the idea. I mean, it's like just one of those highly rated events that's just ballroom and snazzy shazam bam wam. One of those events that occur every year and whenever it comes on on the news my mind just goes to a blank. Oh, just another nobel peace prize winner. Unless it was the time when Aung San Suu Kyi and Barack Obama won, yeah I sat up. But other than that... The adventurer in me shouts NO. Bring me to Afghanistan! Hahahah ok I kid.

But a friend who's gonna sign up as well is excited. Because it is a prestigious event and to have a chance to attend it is a big deal. What's more, we get to see how the winners are picked? Cool.

So I kinda got influenced. Not as like WHOOPWHOOP HURRAY yet but, yeah ok, I'm on board.


The fact that there's a question mark behind my "here I come" title is because, I'm not 100% definite I'll be chosen to do this. What's more, I'm competing for one of the FOUR spots in Broadcast. FOUR. Or maybe just THREE. Dude, that's gonna be difficult. But I strongly believe... I'VE A HIGH CHANCE OF GETTING IT. Muahahaha. Maybe coz I've been preparing myself for it. One year.

You know why I say one year?

Coz, to get into this GO-FAR module, you have to meet the pre-requisites. And one of the pre-requisites, or more like, the ONLY pre-requisite, is to have attended one of the most talked about module in the entire school. COM221. It is a journalism course taught by one of the most FIERCEST, BRUTAL teachers I was told about. Since Year 1, this teacher's name has been whispered amongst students, feared amongst students and just the thought of her can make some students whimper. In fact some students have cried whilst being taught by her.

I thought... nah, I'm not gonna take that course. Anyway, I'm not a journ student. So, it doesn't matter.

Until, my friend convinced me that if you don't take that course, you've not undertaken the rite of passage in wkwsci. You've not gotten the best education in wkw. 

Bloody hell, it struck me at that point.

And I thought to myself, what a waste. What a waste not to take that module just coz I'm scared of that teacher. Damn right you are, after hearing so much dreadful things about her, I feared her. I feared this lady I had never met before. I hadn't even known how she LOOKED like. She had been judged. Lawl.

But then again, I really wanted to go for GO-FAR. And to go for GO-FAR, I HAVE to take that well-known dreadful module. I had to. Otherwise I don't fulfill the requirements. And I don't want to risk not taking it. Apparently, broadcast students have the exception of not needing to take that module.

I did toy with the idea of taking that chance. But in the end, I was like nah, I'm gonna GO FOR IT. Just to be certain that I'd be qualified and that I stand a good chance of getting picked.

And so, Ms H (let's call her that, just in case I get into trouble hehe) it was. My teacher for that module.

After 5 months of gruelling sessions of making sure I made a point to read the newspapers everyday, frantically trying to critically analyse every article before class, making sure I get noticed by speaking up during class as much as I can, I realised....

She's not as scary as I thought she'd be. People say she's toned down. Others say it's because I'm a Year 3 (she's a softer stance towards more senior students in the school apparently) Or maybe I just expected she'd be this monster of a teacher so much so that I thought her true self was just a fraction of what we all had made her out to be...

She's really funny actually.

What was supposed to be a "alright I'll do this module for the sake of it", turned out to be a class that I enjoyed very much. In fact, I enjoyed the class the most out of all the other mods that I took last year, last semester. Plus... I scored the best out of all my pathetic mods hahaha! It actually helped pull up my grades for that semester, and helped me maintain my overall GPA. Otherwise it'd probably have fallen. Thank God.


Back to GO-FAR,

I remember on my first day of lecture with her, I signed up for her class late coz I was still sitting on the fence on whether I wanted to do the module, and when I eventually did, she asked me why I wanted to sign up for the class.

And I remembered I just told her honestly that I signed up for it, "Because I want to go for GO-FAR". And she threw me an incredulous look and kind of repeated what I said "you want to go go-far is it...." with her signature smirk. Hahah, I kinda gave a not-so-sure-of-myself laugh and said, "yeah!"

That was that, and my journey towards this damn overseas module began.


Now here I am, gonna apply for it. I'm quite excited for it... actually very excited lah. Been waiting for the application to be open ya know. Been waitingggg, and checking email.

Closing deadline for submission is 18th April.

The application form needs me to state my grades and ideas I must think of.



Help me leh~~~

Maybe, my answers will make or break my chance of getting in haha.

I am really stokedddd.

OH I forgot to tell you one more thing about GO-FAR.

It's an ALL-EXPENSES PAID TRIP!!!!!!!!! Ok not all, I think living expenses might have to fork out on my own. But air tix... all paid for. That's awesome lah. Sweden is so damn bloody far up north. I can only dream of paying. Haha.

I'll definitely apply for it. One of my worries is that this will take up the bulk of my time in school and FYP might be affected coz I have to do these 2 things concurrently.

But for the experience, I'm all in.

Will definitely report to y'all if I got my placing!!!!!! It'll be out in early May. That's just next month. I can't help but be excited for it really. Ahh! Hope I get great team mates too if I get selected. Then working together will be both productive and FUN.

I'mma devote my whole Saturday today just thinking about it. Catcha lata!