If I could earn money every single time I listened to my inner voice, I would maybe compete with Bill Gates’ net worth. I think half of my problems are caused by the little devil on my shoulder. She keeps telling me that it’s going to be fine. I can do it later, just like when I was in school. Normally, I never have time to study but when I do, I don’t. I feel like I’m a procrastinator? ask-hole? error-ist? akrasia? Or maybe flawsome? It’s quite tricky to choose the best word to describe yourself, when you don’t understand yourself. I have been studying about myself for a long time, but I don’t think I have graduated yet.
Getting lost is the perfect recipe for disaster; apparently, I just experienced it again. Luckily, I’m not alone this time but with my best partners in crime, Theavy and Khema. It is the last chance to work in a group before each of us do the work individually, so the three of us hereby decided to jump in the same boat. After a long discussion, we decided to write a news feature about female journalists in Cambodia, which we didn’t really know what it would look like. Hell yes! I listened to little devil on my shoulder again; consequently, we couldn’t finish on time. I thought it would not take us long to finish, but in reality, this topic turned me upside down in surprising ways.
First of all, understanding more about journalism gives me mixed feelings. Working in the journalism industry is kind of brave yet admirable. They must make sure that everything is a fact and concrete; an independent journalist will try to disclose all untold truths or news, no matter how risky they might put themselves in. Independent journalists are the best example of the so-called “Not all heroes wear capes,” which I can use to explain to my kids now. Additionally, it is a well-informed message for me to recognize how important journalism is in society. This job needs to be valued and freed from unreasonable restrictions.
Secondly, I’ve noticed that it seems like a global phenomenon that male journalists outnumber female journalists, and there are many reasons contributing to this issue. On the other hand, having interviewed some of Cambodia’s female journalists, I have learned that those external and internal barriers are real and somehow overlooked. It’s such a shame to hear some say that this job is not for women; instead of carrying this mindset, I really hope that we can do something to remove all those fences and create a safe environment for female journalists. However, getting a chance to listen to their stories was an honor; I was moved and inspired by their commitment and guidance.
Last but not least, working as a team is great if you can finish the task on time; and it’s even greater if you cannot finish the work on time, but your team still managed to joke around and make our bond even stronger. Salute to my considerate teammates — they are the greatest alive, and apologies to our tireless teachers who never fail to save us.
