Since coming home for Christmas, I realized just how different doing journalism at uni versus doing journalism at home was. When I am at uni, even when I'm not physically at the uni, it feels so much more different than writing sitting in my bedroom at home. Neither is necessarily bad, but it is noticeable that when I don't have people around me also doing journalism, it isn't as easy to come up with ideas.
As I said before, I don't live in a city when I'm not in Birmingham. While it may still be true that there isn't a day without news, the news feels a lot slower at home. Maybe it's because I'm not out as much noticing things, or maybe it's because city life is much more different than I anticipated, but it really does feel like a divide. I am glad to be back home and not always be as busy and bustling as I was in Birmingham (most of the time), but I do miss the goings-on of the city, even just from a journalistic point of view. I never really understood that you really wouldn't turn off the journalism head, but now I get it. I'm always looking around and thinking what I would and wouldn't report on, but there's not really a great deal to take into consideration here. I'm not complaining, of course. It's Christmas, I'm glad for the break. I am fine doing the assignments and keeping my skills sharp without being bombarded by twenty different stories that I want to be on top of, but I do also miss the interesting part of sifting through all those ideas for a news story to be excited about.
When I go back to Birmingham in the new year, I am sure I'll miss the relaxation and quiet of living in a town, because it is nowhere near the same. But from a journalism point of view, I do really miss the city.
Thinking about the city, so a photo from the Birmingham Christmas Market felt right.
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