Since the San Jose Mercury News story, I've done two more interviews with local TV stations thinking the attention might help to bring the story home to people in order to take action with the relief effort, but I'm done with press interviews at the moment.
Too much of what I want to say is getting edited out including things like thanking the people of Thailand or my suggestions for the US Embassy. Perhaps I don't have the proper media training, but all the attention seems to be what it felt like to be in the middle of the tsunami (the thrill part) which seems to me secondary to the larger story as a whole. I knew that going in, but I thought there were be a few seconds to slip in some important issues as well. In general there is not much airtime nor column-inches (although the original interview may take 30-60 minutes) to flesh out the real story behind the story.
The blog seems to be far more powerful way to communicate as I have control what I say. And there are four ways I think the blog has been useful as well:
1. Information exchange. I was able to help out with information on Maprao bungalows staff on Phi Phi and general state of Ko Jum to emailers that wrote me offline. I am still looking for more first-hand information on Ko Jum. If anyone knows first-hand knowledge about Seasons Bungalows staff at Ko Jum, please email me at crossroadsdispatches -at- gmail [dot] com. And another emailer asked if I could collect information on the island of Rodriguez near Mauritius since when you Google "Rodriguez" and "tsunami" you get this blog - so if you have it, please send it my way.
2. Change Agent. To say I've been unhappy with US Embassy and government would be an understatement, but I think writing about it (separate post) might (yup, I'm skeptical) be useful information to prevent similar situations from occuring in future.
3. Bringing Story Closer. I didn't realize on Monday when I wrote from Phuket Hospital that scale of the tsunami and numbers of people affected as I only got very sparse news at the time. I didn't intend to blog so much about it except I felt a responsibility to bring the story home. Perhaps many people, especially Americans, could not relate to an event halfway around the world I thought. You might be moved for a few minutes, but eventually you sip your morning coffee and go back to work and the daily routine. In order to help with the relief effort, I thought it was important to bring the story closer to home by sharing the my own story (regular readers already know me and could relate to me) and those I'd met. I'm particularly motivated to help the local people whom have often lost families, their homes and their livelihoods - even though most of the folks I've mentioned thus far are foreigners.
4. Public cc: Emails and Thank You's. Even friends that don't regularly read my blog are using to check up on progress as I don't have time for individual emails at times. And it will also be a good way to give public thanks to those who have been extremely generous, including the people and government of Thailand.
Happy New Years Evelyn. I'm so glad your back and recovering as well as updating your blog.
I just wanted to cry when you stated in the newspaper article that you could see your bone. I can't even imagine how hard this is.
Your a role model for all of us and I hope your boyfriend is back asap. Thank God you are so Resilent and so much more in 2004. I thought you were in your late 20's but the newspaper made a mistake - this must be a typo. Happy Holidays just the same and God Bless You.
Posted by: Bill Van Loan | Dec 31, 2004 at 05:51 PM
Bill,
Thanks so much for your concern. I know the press likes to hear that sort of stuff (I did not exaggerate though), but I guess I'm not that squeamish around blood, etc.
Went to the doc today, and it appears to be healing fine, just watching it for blood clots, etc.
I'm trying to "use" this as it's newsworthy as a opportunity to discuss what REALLY matters to people and what's important in life and get folks to take action to contribute to those that live in the tsunami areas. Nothing happened to me physically that stitches can't take care of. Emotionally I'm a bit more of a wreck since I feel so close to all the affected people I've met and everyone on the Indian Ocean coasts and my heart has cracked open. But in the end, I think that will be a good thing.
Posted by: Evelyn Rodriguez | Dec 31, 2004 at 06:53 PM
Evelyn,
I picked up the paper and could hardly believe my eyes when I came across your story in the San Jose Mercury. While we have never met, at least face-to-face, I feel I know you from your blogs. I was amazed to learn that you were in the midst of the tsunami, and delighted to learn that you escaped. I so agree with the importance of the larger issues in the face of real disaster and the importance of our contributing relief. I wish to express my sympathy for all those affected and our prayers for your and their recovery. Robin
Posted by: Robin Stavisky | Dec 31, 2004 at 09:51 PM
Welcome home, Evelyn, safe and (almost) sound. And a Happy New Year to you.
You've done a tremendous job with your posts during such an horrific time. Thanks for writing about what you saw and experienced, difficult though it clearly was.
Bringing the story closer to home, as you say, is indeed a great way of helping people get a better sense of the scale of this disaster. I've seen so many blogs commenting in many different ways about the tragedy. I've been doing that, too, in a small way.
One big risk now is that the 'story' will vanish from our TV screens and newspapers as relief efforts get underway. It then just becomes another page 8 story, away from the front page.
Maybe that's where blogs can help, by keeping momentum going in commenting on what's going on or perhaps with some kind of visual means on a blog to keep the issue in front of everyone's eyes. I have a couple of graphics with links at the top right of my blog which I will keep there for as long as it helps. Just as you have done with the Amazon donate graphic and link.
A very small contribution, perhaps, but every little will help.
Posted by: Neville Hobson | Jan 01, 2005 at 06:10 AM