By: Faye Margarette L. Tallow, student-producer
Episode aired last August 20, 2014
Guests: Ms. Julie Reyes
Dr. Karen Ubana
“What am I doing here?” These were my thoughts when I was
preparing for my radio episode. I had no idea of what I have to do first, what
I should prepare next… I had no idea about anything for that matter. I kept
telling myself that this is not what I signed up for, at least not for now. You
see, I just transferred from UPLB to Diliman. Though my course was somehow
related, I had no background on radio productions and the likes. So, everything
I did was all from scratch.
I was given less than a week time frame to be ready for my
episode; and every single day that passed, the thought of what a failure it
will turn out just kept dawning on me. However, I can consider myself one of
the lucky ones; because for that day, I already had a topic which was about the
use of herbal remedy for animals. Plus, I already had a guest too, Ms. Julie
Reyes. In addition to that, my professor and the host of the program, Prof.
Khrysta Imperial Rara, was there to guide me and help me throughout the
process. So, the biggest challenge for me was to find a second guest for the
show, a veterinarian, given the short notice. For the first few days, I
e-mailed everyone I found online, from professors to experts regarding the
topic, but all of them couldn’t make it. When I was really desperate already, I
called all the clinics that were registered in the directory along Katipunan.
Unfortunately, all of them couldn’t make it nor had any knowledge on the topic.
Then, I browsed on Facebook and again, messaged every vet clinic I could get my
hands on; this was a day before my episode schedule. You wouldn’t believe
what happened next. Someone replied to my Facebook message and
referred me to one of their vets, and I swear if I couldn’t compose myself at
that time, I would have never put the phone down and stop thanking her. That
was it; I got a veterinarian to appear on our show, Dr. Karen Ubana of House of
Pets.
Then, the radio episode schedule came. This would be my
first time to be on-air, produce an episode, and write a script for it. I was
really, really nervous that day. I didn’t know what to expect. When we went
on-air, we talked about two perspectives in the herbal medicine, the maker and
the user, with Ms. Julie Reyes as the maker, specifically of an ointment out of madre de
cacao or locally known as “kakawate” and Dr. Karen Ubana as the user. We got a
lot of insights on how to use alternative medicine for our pets. Ms. Julie
shared how she was able to create the ointment. It was because of her love to
her pet cat who was suffering from a skin disease that the madre de cacao came
to be. We were also able to know some of the different plants that could be
used for certain ailments and also the guidelines on using them, as which was
eagerly given to us by Dr. Ubana. I am surprised that in a time of modern age
we are going back to the basics and a few veterinarians are open to the idea of
using it.
Along the way, Prof. Khrysta would remind me of how I
should perform. Then, all of a sudden, I got lost on-air. I was overwhelmed by
what was unfolding before me. I got lost, and if I would quote my professor, I
became more of a listener than a co-host. I really could attest here the importance of research as a guide and weapon for a good discourse. Fortunately, the program ended with
me still in one piece.
I would never forget this experience in my life. Though, I
would admit it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to be, at least I gained a
lot from it. I guess it is true that we do learn from our mistakes. I hope I
would be ready for my next productions after this. I also gained a lot of
information on treating certain ailments of our pets especially for my dog,
Toby, who is suffering from a skin disease. I hope that from what I learned, I
could help him get better. Herbal medicines would be a good alternative
especially if you don’t have the money to bring your pet to a vet clinic; but,
as Dr. Karen would say, a vet’s professional opinion is much needed before
starting treatment for the benefit of our pets and for us too. Anyway, you
could suggest to your vet if you want to use the natural remedy or alternative
medicines and hear what they have to say about it.
If you missed the show or want to learn more of the topic we
had for that day, just click on the links below:
Episode:
Transcription:
News:
No comments:
Post a Comment