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Capturing stories around the worldPutting pen to paper and camera to eye was what she was good atand she

crossed boundaries to see what else the world had to offer.By Arynah Bte Aminuddin

Dressed in a white blouse, black pants and her hair neatly tied into a bun, Alexandra

Dawn Westcott looked like your typical 9-6, desk-job worker. Preferred to be addressed as

Alex, the South African journalist for Today has travelled around the world and is constantly

seeking adventure.

I chose photojournalism because I dont like to work with people, she laughed. I

loved print media, and I wanted something to complement my writing.

Upon graduating from Rhodes University with a Bachelor of Journalism degree, Alex

interned at a major publishing company. To her disappointment, it was not as exciting as she

had envisioned it to be.

They told me it was a writing internship and I had these great delusions of grandeur

that I was going to be writing these hard-hitting pieces, but I really was not, recalled Alex. I

was editing for the room decoration magazine. I was basically a human dictionary, I just had

to make sure the copy was clean.

Despite the letdown, the internship was useful in other ways. The great thing about

internship is that it opens a lot of doors to making contacts and getting a full time position

after you complete your internship, she conceded.

After working as a subeditor for a magazine in Dubai for 2 years, she packed her desk

up and took up a position as a journalist at a newspaper in Abu Dhabi. I went from a desk job

from 9-6 to working with a newspaper which you could get phoned any time and you had to

be in your car, she said.But the exposure was amazing.

She spent the next few years working in various parts of Middle East and eventually

ventured out to Southeast Asia. This invariably brought about challenges in the course of her

career, such as language barriers, cultural shock and a limited grasp of political issues.

Youve got to tune in to what the issues are and how youre going to fit in withthat,

she advised. I have to acknowledge myself as a foreigner and thats why Im a

correspondent, not a journalist.

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She also had to get used to the different environments. In the Middle East, most of the

information for articles was presented to them through press conferences, while in Singapore,

journalists have to find their own stories. Still, she continues to work in Singapore because

she is not ready to go home. Centrality is such a great place to work, she enthused. She is

currently living here with her boyfriend of 7 years, who is very supportive of her ambitions.

Needless to say, she has a lot of job experiences tucked under her belt. Journalism,

photo editing, copywriting, freelancingshe has done it all. A specially memorable piece to

her was one on social dementia in Riebeek East, South Africa, where she had to interview a

98-year-old woman who had lost 7 children to AIDS.

These kind of experiences are really humbling, she said. Im always touched most

by people that have come out of tremendous hardshiphow theyre so upbeat and theyrestill such positive people, and thats probably the most rewarding aspect of my job.

All work and no play would make Alex a dull journalist, so she often explored

whatever country she was in, avoiding tourist attractions. Tourist attractions are not an

accurate portrayal of a country, she said. She would go to where all the locals were and get

herself surrounded by culture. I went to watch soccer with a whole bunch of Kenyans, and it

was the best experience ever. Obviously language was a factor but I realised, gosh, were all

the same, we all just want to have some cold beer and watch sports.

Steffi Chua, a student taking a Diploma in Media and Communication in Singapore

Polytechnic, was intrigued by what Alex does for a living. Its interesting and you get to

travel to places that you never would have thought of.

Interesting as it was, it also meant that Alex was often away from her friends and

family. Last year, she celebrated Christmas without her family in Singapore. Its a

melancholy day, being away from home. Theres always a Skype session with a bottle of

champagne on both sides and thats pretty much it.

Despite not being home to celebrate Christmas together, being away from her family

also had its positive sides.I actually end up having more quality time with them living

overseas because they can come over or I could go home for three weeks, she said.In South

Africa, I wouldnt be able to live with them because they live in the sticks in the middle of

nowhere. Maybe I would see them more frequently but it would still be for shorter bursts, so

we end up spending the same amount of time together.

Whatever the case, one should always make the most out of what one gets. As Alexsays, When you get an opportunity, go for it. Carpe diem (seize the day) and all that.

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