CharlieG

Working and witnessing in the media world

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:10:48 -0700

So as you know I'm out at the far south of Cape Town by the sea in a harbour village called Kalk Bay learning about the basics of video production. Amidst this time of preparing for a PSA pitch, I feel like blogging again and thought I'd say some news, actually from a big email I wrote a week ago:

SVP Kalk Bay

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:40:37 -0700

Yo,

Thought I'd write, its been a while. I'm way down South in the Cape at Kalk Bay doing a three month school of video production. I always knew I would be doing this course either as a launching pad for entering into the media industry or just grounding me in the basics for peripheral media work and projects. I know I will always be interested in it. Have learnt loads. Its a blessing to have such great room-mates who I get along so well with. At first I thought sharing with four other people (than having had a room to myself for the last course) would be a bit hectic (a common word in these parts), but actually its great. -An English computer scientist who actually happens to go to St. Marks Battersea Rise! -An actor from Zimbabwe. -A South-African kite boarder and worship leader and another funny and chilled out Zimbabwean. Listening to their stories really brings home the really terrible situation in Zimbabwe...

Expensive Art

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 06:54:12 -0700

I still don't get how art is valued and probably never will. I guess Damien Hirst is simply very renowned indeed for a 'medicine cabinet' to be auctioned off at Sotheby's for 9,652,000 pounds!!

Hong Kong!

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:34:43 -0700

Am in a particularly communicative mood tonight, well this morning being 2:30am - still don't seem to have got over the jet lag.

Thought I'd quickly update. The Global China Alpha Conference seems to have gone very well. Great to have so many people out here from HTB and Alpha. I've been filming loads for Angela who does such an excellent job with HTB news! Still to come is the youth conference which takes place tomorrow. Was filming clips of the pastors lunch and it was exciting what was being said.

An evening of the 12th of the 3rd

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:48:07 -0700

Ermm, hmm, thought I'd just write a post. I was looking through aboutlife after a long time and just to say I'm excited to see that my blog is working again! (Internet here has been, lets just say very secure indeed). So I thought I'd just send a post. Certainly had no time to be blogging doing this course though! Am learning loads and loads which is totally marvellous. Not sure who will read this but I thought I'd just make a mark out of the rather long period of quiet.

Back from the Middle East

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:53:26 -0700

(Well as I said, I'm back from the Middle East. Had a great time and it is great to be so more informed. Would love to return there and see more and meet more people.)

>I tried to expand this log a month ago but lost it. At last here is an extension to it. Just feel I haven't done those three months of my outreach justice.

So its early July, Philipp and myself are living in the poorer East Amman, Jordan. It is late evening on the day of our arrival. After a minute of walking down the street from our lodging, the first people that we approach offer us into their shop for coffee and tea! The Jordanian hospitality is truly astounding. "Welcome to Jordan!" is said to us constantly (principally in Amman), though when you have been within the country for 2 months, you really feel you are definitely not a tourist anymore.

An outreach for a fortnight in Paris

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 16:34:09 -0700

Situation of Burtigny

Good morning,

So, before I refrain from posts till I return from the Middle East due to security confidentiality reasons, I thought that having not shown anyone where I actually live, that I would, with no further ado, do so. So here is a scene of Burtigny looking westwards. Burtigny is actually on the far left of the photo (looking minute here but it is there). Burtigny sits on a sloping mountain in lovely countryside. So I feel pretty at home here. Having just got back from Paris though, it really is so very quiet and I do miss the shops being close by, of which there are none around here at all.

Second part (laid back news of May, & early June en Suisse)

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 15:28:08 -0700

I meant to say that the second-half of my post will be posted the week after next (rather than 'today' which was nine days ago! - when I left a note saying I would write whereas actually I have now just written and the real today is infact Monday 12th June).

Truth

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 15:21:58 -0700

Bonjour!

Its been a while since I posted! Can’t believe it was so long ago - May 8th! I think I am one who likes to write less often, though when I do, I write in depth and certainly that is what I feel I could do, at least write expansively in topical breadth.

I continue to be really enjoying my time out here in Burtigny, the quiet farming town high up north above Lac Leman. Yes one can say that these are a highly ordered, organised, hard-working people of integrity. However, I feel it true to say that this positive aspect is marred by the general individualistic culture. One of the speakers for the week here was giving a talk to the whole base on Wednesday evening. He was just saying how having been brought up in US city life, for him here in Burtigny, it felt as though there was noone here; that he could just go into any house and live there. It does feel like that a lot. Reminds me of when I changed over to my culture of living from India (with the world's second largest population and ever-growing) to Worthing and I was like, where are all the people?! Okay fair do’s, this place is a farming village up a hill, still it is very quiet. I feel everyone travel in cars a lot and there is very little walking (the opposite for instance as somewhere like Africa). Of course it is a very rich country and the nearest towns to Burtigny are not so close, but I still think it is a very closed culture. It is great that the reformation had such a great affect here but there is, I feel, still that need for the natural opening up from the self to other people out of love. I know this is very general but do feel this to be true in many places.

My news upto early May

Mon, 08 May 2006 09:00:44 -0700

Good afternoon,

and welcome to a third edition of Charlie G's web log. Its been a while, been rather busy I guess.

So to continue with where I left off, there was something amazing when during our week at Lausanne, we worshipped together, video-linking live with Taiwan and Kiev, all singing together, and I knew all the songs very well except just one. (When Taiwan were leading worship and started singing that one song I didn't know, the Koreans we were with in Lausanne started to belt it out - they knew it all right!). So yes a great sense, well when I say that in this situation I don't just mean sense but a reality, fact of being in unity as well as a sense of that - sensation of that more like.

Second week in Burtigny

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 08:48:18 -0700

Ok, at last I have a good deal of time to write!

First to wish you all a very HAPPY EASTER! Hope you had a good one and didn't eat as much chocolate as this Bunny seen here standing by Meredith.

...First week in Switzerland concluded

Sat, 08 Apr 2006 08:07:35 -0700

Oh dear ran out of space there. I have just been writing so much out here. This is not something I feel like writing a short email about. I apologise to those who think this is far too long and just want concisive information but I feel like pouring out a lot of my heart here. By the way big it up huge time, to the likes of Simon Burger and co. and Mike Tufnell and co. and all you amazing people who have worked and are working on this 'about life' site. It really looks great and I look forward to reading the other stories in the very near future.

First week in Switzerland

Sat, 08 Apr 2006 06:59:22 -0700

Hello all,

I have finally got my blog sorted and will share news from Switzerland once and a while to keep you updated with how things are going during my time here at Ywam. I could spend a very long time telling you everything, I'll just write and what happens, happens. First though, let me introduce you to my Discipleship Training School team.