Welcome back to the USA

Well peeps, we finally made it back to the good old United States. After leaving our housing we boarded the first buss back to the Sydney International Airport. When we got there, we were ushered off to baggage check where we waited about 45 min for people to show up and take our luggage. Angelica went and sniffed out a Starbucks (that girl can find a Starbucks anywhere in the world, I swear) and got me a Mcdonalds BigMac. We waited, checked our luggage and hurried off to security and customs. We found our gate and sat for about an hour and a half then boarded the plane. We were scheduled to leave at 3pm, however we taxied to the runway at 2:45. The flight to Honolulu was uneventful, and I grabbed some sleep. Arriving in Honolulu was great, but we had to take everything, claim our checked baggage and go through customs. This took very little time considering how many people that went through. Angelica found another Starbucks and so graciously bought me a blueberry (my favorite) muffin and an apple juice. She got a "tall iced white mocha in a grande cup with extra whip." If you know Angelica, you know that its the only thing she gets there and is completely obsessed with it. I can't knock her for it, because she likes it and it makes her happy. We both went shopping in the terminal for some gifts and took a pic or two of us in Hawaii. We both bought "lays" even though they were plastic (and I noticed later, made in china). We boarded the plane for the final trip back home. Almost 9 hrs later, we touched down in Pittsburgh and disembarked to a hero's welcome. Coming down the escalator was amazing. There were at least a thousand people there with banners, flags, balloons, and of course tons of hugs. Baggage claim was problematic due to the number of people, however everybody eventually went home, tired and exhausted. My round trip journey to the other side of the world was amazing. I look forward to another World Youth Day, however I do not want to be pilgrim media. One or the other will be fine with me. I want to thank everyone for their love and support thorough out this trip and for being loyal to our blog. Having a strong support system at home only made this trip easier, knowing that all of you were following along every step of the way. Keep checking our blog for more updates and what else is going on "post Sydney" So I say thank you to all in the typical Australian style: "Cheers Mate"

G'day Sydney Australia

Well, today, it is with deep regret that I leave Sydney. This town has been wonderful. The people, the places, the events, the sights, the sounds all have been amazing. I was truly blessed to be given this opportunity to travel to a far off country to do what I do. I want to thank everyone for their continuing support thoughout the week, and say that I look forward to telling each and every one of you how my travels were. I do miss home, however leaving this city is bitter sweet. I had such a good time here, and had such a great experience that it is hard to leave. So I say to Sydney, good bye, but not forever. I will return. Next time I will kite fly and windsurf on Bondi Beach, and windsurf and scuba dive on the great barrier reef. Please keep us in mind as we take the long flight back home. And as always, keep checking the blog in the future to see the progress of the documentary and how its turning out. I will post some video segments on here for your viewing pleasure.

Yours
~Jamey

Cheers, Sydney!

Well, today is the last day of our trip in Sydney. I am excited to go home, not going to lie. Lots of packing to do this morning and lots to get ready. So I will make this short and sweet. Talk to you when we get back into the States!

G'day!

Our Accomodations video tour

Here's the video tour of our living quarters. hehe, very informal. Hope you enjoy. This is the first time we got home before 9pm australia time and I had a few moments to goof off. For your viewing pleasure, a Jamey Stewart Production, I present to you: "The Tour" (various orchestral blasts are heard, along with a choir singing ahhhh)

Pilgrims and Pictures and Pope Mobiles - Oh, My!

Today was the last day for World Youth Day week. It was the final mass with Pope Benedict. I got a great shot of him in the Pope-mobile waving to the crowd. It was fabulous. Also, when we were leaving we saw the Pope-mobile up close and personal. It is really neat. Has an icon towards where the Pope faces of Mary and the infant. AND it's a Mercedes. The Pope rides in style. The pilgrims all seemed in good spirits from freezing in the cold last night. There was a lot of strys still sleeping when we got there. Most were glad to be a part of the experience.
I am very hungry right now. Got a lot of work done this morning. So, for now I will say adieu and try to find some food! Benedetto!!!!

Final Mass and final WYD event

Well.. its over. We just left the final mass for wyd 2008. The pope flew over us all in his private helicopter and then arrived via the pope-mobile (which is a Mercedes Benz btw). We sat in the media section due to all pilgrim sections being closed off. We just couldn't get to our group before the mass started, then we would be stuck. When the pope arrived, he drove through the crowd in his pope-mobile. I got a pretty good view of him, however angelica won the battle of shots with her little camera, it has a longer zoom.. We stuck around for a while then bugged out of mass, trying to avoid the 1/2 million people rush out of there. On the walk out, we happened upon the pope-mobile. It was on its way out, so we followed it. We ended up walking basically right up to it and took some video. It was empty none the less, but as I got a good shot of the seat, I thought, "so this is what its like to be the pope..." :p We took our transportation back (being media, we get special shuttle buses to and from the venue) to the Media Center, and here I sit, writing my blog so all of my faithful readers can keep up with my travels. In a few minutes I will lock up my camera and 45lb bag in a locker and us three will go eat lunch together as people, not journalists. After, we will get or things from IMC, then head back to housing to get some sit down interviews. THEN WE LEAVE! I suppose I should try to say something deep here.. When I was offered this trip to Australia, I thought, "wow, what a great place to go," however I didn't realize it was a pilgrimage for myself. Being media, we got some special privileges however it still was a journey, spiritually, for me. Being in the presence of the Holy Father was inspiring. Sitting in a crowd of 1/2 million people to celebrate mass was inspiring. Sydney itself was inspiring. I come back tomorrow with a different view of people, the world, and of course my faith. I didn't expect to come back with any experience, but what I learned is that even though you don't come for an experience, you have one no matter what. The trip, pilgrimage, was the experience.

One more day to go...

Today was quite the eventful one. Got to walk across the Harbour Bridge and see the multitudes of flags waved proudly by their native people. VERY COOL! There are so many languages here but all saying the same prayers. also, very interesting. We are at the media center waiting to go to the Vigil. Not very talkative today, EXTREMELY tired from this whirlwind week. Here is a cheer for all of you to learn that the Australians say incesently:

One Person: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

All: OIY! OIY! OIY!

One Person: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

All: OIY! OIY! OIY!

One Person: Aussie!

All: OIY!

One Person: Aussie!

All: OIY!

One Person: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

All: OIY! OIY! OIY!

Cheers, Mate!

More Aussie Activities

Well, today has been pretty eventful. We started off by having the usual breakfast of granola cereal, a piece of riasen bread, butter, and jam, a fruit and nut bar and some water. We packed all of the gear we needed for the day and headed out. Luckily we got on a buss from our housing with a group from South Africa. They were nice enough to let us onto their charter buss to the train station. From there we took the long ride to Central Station, Transferred and went to North Sydney station to get onto the Bay Harbor Bridge to start video taping the pilgrims on the pilgrimage walk. We walked all the way across the bridge and waited a few hours for a small group to walk across. Everyone else took a shortcut because they were already on the right side of the bridge. We then walked down to the HUGE dock where the big ocean liners come in. Angelica did a few stand ups for her resume tape with the Sydney Opera House in the bg. We got lunch (pizza that was fancy, but was not that great tasting) and the headed to our hotel for the night. We cannot stay at the vigil tonight due to the equipment that we have to carry. Our housing is locked tonight. We were up a creek without a paddle. The hotel is small, but only a 15min walk to the IMC where we can get transportation to the venue tonight and tomorrow. We asked politely at the information desk and then said we're American media. That phrase seems to open doors, and of course i used my good looks and charm to win over the lady! :p The preview for the next few days: Tomorrow is final mass with Papa, then back to housing for some sit-down interviews. Monday afternoon we leave Sydney. Our plane has been delayed 3 hrs already due to the pope's plane departing. Hopefully it won't be delayed much more, however I fear it will be. We disembark the plane, grab all of our baggage in Honolulu for customs and then re-board. WHAT A PAIN! Hope everyone liked the video i posted, however it looks MUCH better in person. Likewise the video was compressed and blogger doesn't like to have high quality video. Guess you'll just have to see the documentary. Maybe some pictures tonight or tomorrow. Again, thanks to all who have read my blogs and commented or sent me e-mails. Its nice to know people are thinking of you when you're on the other side of the world. Sydney is absolutely amazing and this expereience has affected me. I can't to come home tho. DPI is just around the corner. I'm getting very excited for that!! See everyone sooner than later.

Just a short video from Sydney harbor and Sydney Australia. Hope you enjoy the scene as much as i did.

Today's Pictures!!

Sydney harbor from the ferry -- Angelica and Jamey in front of the Sydney Opera House -- the crew at work -- Manley Beach

Yet another day.

Lets walk through my day today. First, I got up really early to get shots of our pilgrims getting up. It was really funny getting a camera in somebody's face as soon as they wake up. :p some are mad and some just roll back over.. Breakfast was the usual, then we did about 4 sit down interviews outside. These were AWESOME!! We got some really good interviews. After this, I opted to stay with a group of pilgrims (and friends) from Duquesne for lunch. I had the weirdest combination yet, tuna with corn. I love tuna, but it was just weird with corn mixed in. Angelica and Dr. Dillon went to Mc D's for lunch. Neither like tuna... more for me! we took the long buss ride and train ride into Sydney where we took the boat ferry to Manley Beach! You didn't really think I'd get out of Sydney without going to the other beach here! We went right by the opera house which was absolutely amazing. I never thought I'd see this in my lifetime. Manley beach was a great little town with a cool shopping plaza, similar to a boardwalk. I got a few presents there, but this is where I had the highlight of my day! We went into an aboriginal store which sold indigenous Australian goods, all hand made and REALLY expensive. I got a really awesome Boomerang, genuine hand made, and looked at the Didgeridoo's. I REALLY WANT ONE! they are really expensive. Maybe I'll get one for my birthday. They guy behind the desk had one and knew how to play it! Of course i asked if he would play for me... So i ended up getting a fake Dige (Aussie Slang for Didgeridoo) and will save up for the real one. We go to somewhere else in Sydney to celebrate mass with Bishop Zubic tonight at 8 Sydney time. This is over around 9 and we will get back to housing by 11 or so.. possibly later. Tomorrow we wake up at 3 to be on buses by 4am. They take us to the starting point for the LONG walk to randwick for the vigil mass. I have no clue how long this walk is, however I'll tell you tomorrow. Our time here in Sydney is coming to a close quickly, and I have been really blessed to be here in this beautiful city. I leave here on Monday with a completely different view of people and especially the future of the Catholic Church. People here in Sydney are very nice and helpful. It has made my really consider how i have things in my life now, and how to change my life for the better.

Smelly Journalists

Well, after four days on this pilgrimige, I believe it is safe to say all three of us will need to be fumagated upon returning to the U.S. We stink!!! The shower situation isn't exactly great. They are basically wooden boxes with three shower heads. The tough part is it is about 35 degrees at night and in the morning so either way, you freeze when you get out of the shower. A fabulous way to get incredibly sick. So, it is safe to say that no one is taking regular showers unless you want pnemonia. So I guess if everyone stinks, then no one stinks. All the better for our noses!
We went to Manly Beach today. It was really nice just to relax for a bit. On the ferry ride over here, we got to see the opera house and harbour bridge - fabulous views! We went in an aboriginal shop and the one guy started playign the digiridoo for us. It was really cool.
There are so many people around no matter where you go. No matter wher you are or what you do, ther are always at least hundreds of people around you at all times. It's quite insane.
Anyway, I think that is all. Until tomorrow.

Pending Death: Jamey's View..

ok so from the sounds of Angelica's post below, the world was coming to and end. Ya, I'll agree that the two bangs were really loud, and somewhat scary, but the ride wasn't all bad. Angelica jumped like a twitchy squirl at every bump in the tracks, small noise, or light. At least we got back to where we were staying. I also saw three kids today that had hoodies on. They weren't American hoodies, but Aussie hoodies. The zippers come all the way up to the top of the hood. How weird. Likewise I just found out that we might be getting some new readers due to an e-mail blast from my mother. Welcome new readers! Please read some of our previous posts to see what was going on. Australia has been wonderful and I can't believe its still just getting started. We've only been on the ground for a few days now and we still have a few more days to go. I'm gonna work on posting a video somewhere for you all to watch.. just something small. maybe tomorrow if i have some time and a little energy left. Night'

Pending Death: Third Time's the Charm

We all had a rather interesting train ride back to our living quarters tonight. First, there was a great, loud boom and the lights went out. Then there was another boom and the lights went out. Finally, a giant bang caused screams and all of us to duck. After the last one, Jamey, Dr. Dillon and myself led the charge out of the train car and ran towards the conductor car. After we told him (and he thought we were insane) we went back into the car where at any noise, I flinched and ducked like the girl I am. So much for a quiet ride back to the school house. We all will never ride planes, trains and automobiles the same way again.

Pilgrims Progress

Some stills of Pittsburgh pilgrims from today's activities, which started with kids of different nations discussing their faith at a morning gathering at our housing site and ended with a celebration of the Pope's arrival . . .

Some Pics of the Crew . . .

Jamey and Angelica in action at the Pope's arrival in Barangaroo. Following the Pittsburgh contingent as it scatters through a crowd of 150,000 is daunting, but we got good footage and stills today.

The Australians are very helpful and gracious people and we've enjoyed talking with them and, when need be, double-talking around them to get through checkpoints, lock-downs, restricted areas etc. We just say "We're American Media" and doors open. Then we walk away as fast as possible before they can ask 'Which American media?'"

The Aussies are also admirably plain-spoken folks and do not pussyfoot around in their civic communication, as you can see from the last pic, which is ubiquitous on public transport. Tell it like it is, Mate!

Viva la Papa!

Getting to be near the Pope was the most awesome experience anyone could ever be given in one lifetime - and I've already experienced it. Some people cried, others cheered in adulation. The reactions were as vast as the countries present.
Today we stayed at Catechises with the Youthtowne group at the place where we are staying - St. Mark's Church in Stanhope Gardens. The discussion centered around the Holy Spirit and learning to know that part of the Trinity better.
I am still confused as to what day and time it is here, forget trying to figure out what time it is at home. Currently, it is 6:12 p.m. on Thursday.
The montage of flags waved proudly by their respective native people was astonishing. I have never seen so many countries at a single location. There was Croatia, Slovakia, Spain, Ireland, Italy, United States, Canada, Poland - and these were the ones I actually knew! I should have taken a course in country flags before I came here, it would have helped. I am still wondering what country has a red and white flag with a green tree in the middle (I have just Googled it, it is Lebanon).
The day was pretty full and I am excited that I got to see the Pope in the Pope-mobile. He had a HUGE entourage - boats, helicopters, security guards. It was unreal!
I think that's all, tomorrow we are to see the Stations of the Cross and do some sit down interviews. Pray it all goes well!

Papal Arrival Day

Today has been very busy. I started out this morning early, getting some shots of pilgrims eating their rations, then ate my rations. After this, we all filmed in church for catechises sessions. Leaving early to get down to the papal arrival in time, we took the LONG train ride downtown to get to the International Media Center and check mail and blog. because the train ride was so long and we were starving, we skipped IMC and went to get lunch at Darling Harbor. From there we hiked to Barangaroo to see the Papal Arrival. It was very touching seeing the Pope, and many people were overcome with emotion. Some of our pilgrims broke down into tears seeing him. Very powerful. When Pope Benedict spoke, not a single noise was heard from the crowd. At first, we were VERY far away but we used our good looks (and my charm) to get through some gates on the way out to the media area. We got a better view of the Pope as he made his way to the Pope-mobile. Then it was all over, and we hiked back to the International Media Center. All this hiking really adds up. I'm carrying a 20lb camera back with me everywhere along with a large production waist pack full of tapes, batteries, wireless mics and such. I'm starting to get some shin splints from all of the hiking. Likewise I'm starting to get a sore throat from the airplane ride. All in all, the experience of today was amazing. I can now say that I saw the holy father in Barangaroo, Sydney, Australia, July 17th, 2008. I can't say that I was overcome with emotion, however I felt his presence. Tomorrow leads us to more of the same: Commuting, hiking, filming, and trying to figure out what we are doing. I'm going to add some more to the slang list. Check it out. Now many of you may be wondering how I could have gone to a beautiful beach and not fly a kite or windsurf..... I KNOW!!! Believe me, I tried. There was not a single kite in the sky however it was blowing directly on-shore 5mph. There was nowhere to be found any kites, kites for sale, kites for borrow or even for steal. Now surfing was available, however not the wind variety. There is a windsurf shop about 2hrs drive north of Sydney. That's out of the question. Since I struck out on all fun at the beach, i stuck my feet in the water. So now i can say i was in the South Pacific! Thanks for all of your comments. I look forward to reading everyone's comments. G'day

Media Coverage of WYD

World Youth Day is getting HUGE media coverage in Sydney; full front page in the racier Telegraph, whose story today about the Pope's visit to the zoo is headline "Bennie and the Pets;" and pretty big play in the more sedate Morning Herald. And in the states coverage is pretty much a big yawn, at least in the New York Times.
Just for some perspective, here are links to stories from those 3 papers:

• The Daily Telegraph: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,24027444-5001030,00.html and http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,24016157-5001021,00.html

• The Sydney Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/news/world-youth-day/rules-would-ban-giving-water-to-faithful/2008/07/11/1215658130129.html and http://news.smh.com.au/business/pilgrims-bring-business-boom-to-sydney-20080713-3edk.html and http://www.smh.com.au/news/world-youth-day/pope-on-the-water/2008/07/11/1215658103605.html
• New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/world/asia/16pope.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=world%20youth%20day&st=cse&oref=slogin
  

No need for comment. Just a demonstration of the seemingly infinite number of perceptions that can frame one event.

Australian Slang

Ok.. Australians speak english, but somehow their version doesn't exactly translate well. Can you guess some of the United States' English translations to these words? I will add to this so keep checking back! Leave a comment and I'll post the answer later.

Cheers?

Sunnies?

G' Day?

Walk-about?

Mate?

Burger and Salad?

Tomato Sauce?

Wedges?

Queue?

Pinch?

Lift?

Loo?

Oi?

Walkabout Sydney

B-Roll Day:
Today went very well. We saw a lot of Sydney, including Darling Harbor and Bondi Beach. Both were beautiful. We are still waiting to go to the opera house and the Harbor Bridge - the landmarks of Sydney. We got some great shots from Darling Harbor. It is such a picturesque location. After that, we went to a great little cafe overlooking Darling Harbor where we got food that actually tasted familiar to us, WOW! One small problem - they don't use ketchup, they use tomato sauce...whatever that is suppose to mean. After our bellies were full, we went to Bondi Beach - the most beautiful scene I have ever looked at in my life. The breach was brilliantly white and the water was a clear, light blue. After we all took turns running into the ocean, we moved on to the rapping priest event (we didn't stay for the rapping, the monk wasn't going on for a long time). We met a few pilgrims from Youthtowne and grabbed some interviews. After being incredibly tired after our 'walkabout' around Sydney, here we are at the media center again. They are serving wine and cheese so we all are indulging ourselves in some bubbly. Cheers!

Our day in Sydney

So we explored this very beautiful city today. We went all around the harbor, doing some standups, walked down to barangaroo park, across the harbor bridge, and bondai beach. We walked right by the house where MTV's the Real World Sydney was filmed. COOL! Stopped at this awesome restaurant which had a view of the harbor. What was cool was every meal costs under $10.00. Now back in the states, it would have costs us alot more. We explored the city today by taking trains and buses. The magic of this event is that there are these WYD volunteers that pop up right at the perfect moment, when you think you are lost, to help guide you in the right direction. We now look for these "people in purple" to get us everywhere. The beach was perfect, and the water was cool, but still bearable. I met a girl from Argentina on the long ride to Bondi Beach. Her flight was twice as long as mine and what really surprised me was that she spoke perfect English. They learn Spanish and English from kindergarden. Also at Bondi Beach I met two young men from Qatar. We exchanged pins and spoke for a while. Their flight was shorter than ours. It is very interesting speaking with people from all around the world, not knowing if they speak english, but yet still communicating even if they do not. Its wonderful what a simple smile and a wave can do. What i find completely amazing is that fact that everyone here is very happy, courteous, kind, agreeable, and mostly holy. There is something about being here that is different. I don't know if its the pilgrims, the events, the people of Australia or maybe just the fact that we're lonely in a far off country, but I find the experience here amazing. I am at a loss of words at how things are here, but I can say now that you have to be here to experience it. I have a completely different view on people, society, and the future of the Catholic religion.

Some Pics from Sydney

Here a few pics. We shot a lot of B-roll today; sights and textures of Sydney. We roamed Darling Harbor, Hyde Park and Bondi Beach, where the seashore pictures were taken. What a gorgeous place this. But, we're here to work and we did that to, shooting a good deal of footage and interviewing Pittsburgh pilgrims. Tomorrow the Pope arrives and we hope to get a good position for his boat-cade into the city.

one last thing

OH!! I forgot to add that the three years of Spanish I took in high school FINALLY paid off. A group of dancers/musicians from Spain were impromptu performing outside of the airport. Some of our pilgrims joined in. After they finished, I used my horrible Spanish to talk to them and obtain information about the song/dance.

and Sydney is absolutely an amazing city. Very clean, attractive, technologically advanced, and yet, so closely resembles home. I still can't get over the whole driving on the Left side of the road... Almost got smashed because i looked the wrong way crossing the road..

Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?

Greetings from the future. As I write this it is 11 a.m. on Wed. in Sydney and 9 p.m. on Tuesday in the burgh. Crossing the International Dateline is a trip in itself -- in the sense that by the time we figure out what time it is here relative to what time it is in Pittsburgh, we'll be back in Pittsburgh, 22, yet only six, hours after we've left. Got all that?
If you are following our journey, here's a useful link to a graphical world clock that gives the current time in each zone around the globe.
http://www.worldtimezone.com/
Well . . . . back to the future.

Day 2 in Sydney Australia

Well, I haven't had the time to blog in the last day or two. Things yesterday were really busy. Angelica and Mike had time to blog but I was trying to get a pool feed from the press. No luck yet. Still trying. We never made it to the opening mass, but nobody from Youthtowne did either. Some people never made it out of the housing until after the mass ended. We can do only what we can do, and because of our extreme delay in PGH, we lost valuable time here in Sydney. Equipment and video wise, we have gotten some great shots and are giving our pilgrims some time today to take in WYD. We will be starting sit down interviews tomorrow and have about 10 good candidates. There is a recently ordained priest who was converted a few WYD's ago. He is on a mission of vocation right now, and even tried to convert me. I quote "I looked into your heart yesterday.... Its in your heart to enter the priesthood." If you really know me, i don't think its in me to do that.... but funny never the less. :p Our living arrangements are not first class but we have a nice classroom to stay in. The floor is carpeted and we have plenty of space to spread out. The facilities are less than ideal for over 500 people. For showers, there is a very small shed outside.. Food also isn't ideal and portions are very small. McDonalds here in Australia will be getting a workout from me. Well I'm off to get B-roll of Sydney and get some interviews in the field. Miss everyone back at home and thank you for all of your support

Worth the Trip

Certainly when Youthtowne and Bishop Zubik made plans for the Pittsburgh contingent's visit to World Youth Day they hoped the young people attending would bond at the event. But they may have realized that goal even before the 500+ people traveling on the Youthtowne Charter left Pittsburgh. During a 14-hour flight delay at the Pittsburgh airport, kids tossed frisbees, hit beach balls, played cards -- and judging by overheard conversations had some pretty heady discussions about life, dreams, parents, etc. Their comportment and patience during the long day were remarkable. The Bishop heard confessions and circulated and talked to many participants during the long wait -- connections that likely made lasting impressions on the young people he spent time with and on the Bishop himself.
Despite exhaustion, arriving in Sydney was exhilirating and as they waited for buses to take them to their lodgings, Pittsburgh's young people joined in dance and song with pilgrims from all over the world. As I write this in the media center -- trying to obtain a video feed of WYD events -- the Bishop of Sydney is presiding over a mass for thousands of pilgrims on the rim of the harbor. An amazing sight.
The city is stunning, and the section where the media center is located is grittier than the tourish images one typically seems of Sydney, which adds to its texture. There is a vortex of ethnicities and nationalities that demonstrates that Australia is less an extension of British culture than a vital hub of the Pacific Rim and South Asia.

Land at Last

We are finally in Sydney after a long 10+ hour flight from Honolulu. Spirits were high until we waited for at least two hours for the shuttle buses to take us to our accomodations that are 45 minutes away from Sydney. Since we arrived late to our school and everything was so haphazard, we missed the opening mass. We are working on getting the close up video from the main company in Sydney. I did manage, however, to do some stand-ups for the video and get great footage of the Youthtowne kids occupying their time with spiritual songs and joining a group of Spainiards who were dancing and singing spiritual hymns as well. So much to do and so little time. Jet lag isn't helping the situation any either. Hopefully tomorrow we can get some great B-roll of Sydney and get some awesome footage. From Sydney - signing off.

Trapped at the Airport

If you have already read Jamey's post, you know that we are still in Pittsburgh at the airport. Our plane had many technical difficulties and more than 400 pilgrims are waiting at terminal C61 in Pittsburgh International Airport for our plane to be ready. Now, it looks like we won't depart from Pittsburgh until 8 p.m. and arrive in Sydney at noon on Tuesday (Australia time). One day lost on our journey. I'm beginning to sympathize with Tom Hanks' character Victor Navorski in The Terminal. Bishop Zubik is celebrating mass for us. At least this provides us some hope at the end of a very dark and melancholy tunnel at this point.

Stuck!!!

So because you are reading this post, it is evident that we have not yet left. After getting to the airport at 3am, I made it through security and found the McDonalds for breakfast. Sat there for a little while, then went to the gate. This is where the problems started. We were late in boarding the plane due to the food people not being able to load all of the food quick enough. We finally boarded the plane at 6:45. Getting settled, everything appeared normal. We sat for what seemed like an eternity only to find out that there was an emergency and to depart the plane quickly. There was a fuel problem and fuel was leaking from the belly of the fuselage. Two fire trucks were posted on either side of the plane, and people dressed in Haz-Mat suits worked on the plane. We now sit in the airport, only to hear that we possibly won't be leaving until 8pm. This is just a reminder of the blue collar comedy skit by Bill Engval, they didn't put enough gas in the plane...

Almost time to go...

Ok. Here's what happening on my end of things. I was up really late last night preparing and packing for the trip. After going to bed around 1:30, my alarm woke me up at 4:00 to go to the airport. I went to video tape the departures of two commercial planes that left today. Security did not give me any hassle and was a very easy procedure. Hopefully it will be this easy when we leave. I got 6 or so good interviews along with good shots of the airport and some b-roll. I'm off to pack and re-pack and get ready for our flight which leaves at 6am on Sunday. Our call, 2:45am. good grief. I'll sleep on the plane. Well, this will be my last post until I get to Ausieland. Keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.

So Much to Do!

D-day (departure day) is almost here and there is so much to accomplish! I found a lot of maps online for the metro as well as street maps so we can figure out how to get to and from places without too much hassle (I hope). I am going to have a lot of writing to do in the 24+ hour plane trip to Australia. 2 days to go...

Equipment and video'n update

Well, I just received permission to video tape the departure of flights 1 and 2 from Pittsburgh International Airport on this Saturday. I received security clearances to video in the airport and accompany the groups to their gate to tape interviews and watch the planes leave. I put together a LONG list of equipment that we need to take. I am completely amazed at how much equipment one needs to take to produce a documentary, especially one in Australia. I have been working very closely with our airlines to make sure everything gets on the plane that we need. They have been very helpful. That's all for now. 7 days to go...

Greetings!

Hi, I'm Mike Dillon, a Duquesne University Journalism professor accompanying Jamey and Angelica to WYD in Sydney. We've been planning logistics and storyboarding in anticipation of covering events all over Sydney -- no small task! We'll all be updating this blog before departure and once we hit the ground. I hope you'll post so we can hear a few voices from home while we are overseas.
Here's a link to the World Youth Day site if you're interested in learning more about the event and the itinerary: http://www.wyd2008.org/

The Idea

Since World Youth Day is a Catholic experience meant to revitalize youths, it only makes sense that our documentary focuses on the youths of the Pittsburgh area. By interviewing them before, during and after their religious pilgrimage, we intend to get a view into the minds of those young persons. We also intend on showing WYD as an event, along with the experience of WYD.

Salutations!

Hi! My name is Angelica Patterson and I am the broadcast journalist going to World Youth Day in Australia. Thank you for viewing our blog and come back soon for updates!!!

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the World Youth Day 2008 Blog for Duquesne's Journalism and Multimedia Arts Deparment Media Team. My name is Jamey Stewart and I am the Photographer for our journey. Please stay tuned for more information about what we are doing, what are plans are, where we are at and more.