Ferry Follies

The most fun part of coaching the newscaster trainees is going out into the field. We headed for the ferry to Villingilli, an island that is a suburb of Male. There are reserved seats for seniors, disabled people and pregnant women, but we found plenty of able-bodied people sitting in the seats while those who needed them had to walk to the back of the boat. The weather was very choppy, but this crew was willing to try anything to get a good shot. We confronted the people who were sitting in the reserved seats, including a police officer. The problem, however, was getting any seniors, disabled people or pregnant women to talk to us. Everyone said no. In fact, disabled people are invisible in Male. It is so difficult for them to get around that most rarely go out.Another problem is that the ferry does not have a ramp to allow the disabled to board. Koki did an excellent standup about that. It is so rewarding to see these students putting their training into practice. They have one more week here in Male before being assigned to bureaus where they will have to do it alone.