Today I paid homage to the journalism gods and took a tour of the BBC. I woke up early, brought my mini notebook, and scribbled down some good, in depth media related questions. I didn't really know what to expect. Was I going to be given a private tour? Would I be able to use my charm and intelligence to land a job? Was I going to be asked my opinion on the current state of the news media? I arrived at the massive complex (which I learn on the tour, the building was designed in the shape of a question mark!) and I instantly felt at home. There is an unspoken code that journalists share that travels beyond borders and nationalities. It's a code that shares jargon like 'inverted pyramid' and 'pubic service model'. It's an understanding and a feeling of shared fear of the shrinking media ownership. It's a mutual loathing of Rupert Murdoch. It's an understanding of deadlines, crabby editors, and the proverbial 'ocean' that runs between the 'ad' side and the 'news' side. This tour gave me a little dose of much needed familiarity to sooth my lingering fever of lonely homesickness. I was taken on a tour with a group of Dutch high school kids, whose English was not the greatest, but we made due. Our two guides, Abby and John, made the tour an absolute pleasure. They took us to the bowels of the news room, the depths of the studios, and at the end, a few of the Dutch kids got to play 'the weakest link'. It was really funny. The most interesting thing I noticed was that the BBC had an in house ticket agent for flights any where around the world. If only American journalists could be so luxurious. Of course the tour ended in the gift shop and I decided to get a mug and cloth bag. Overall, I left feeling a little prouder of being a part of this chaotic world of words.