Insider Info

Maria Trombly remembers how Michael Jordan saved her life. She and two colleagues were trying to escape from a war zone. The rebels had already captured and killed two others.

A friendly police officer smuggled the three to the front line and dropped them off. They had to walk the rest of the way across the main area of fighting to reach the other side. After a couple of hours, a truck full of rebel soldiers stopped and made them get in the back. Trombly thought the rebels would take them to a field and execute them.

Then one of the soldiers asked where they were from. Trombly said, "I'm from Chicago."

And the soldiers said, "Oh, yeah, we know Chicago. Al Capone, bang, bang!"

And she said, "No, that was years ago. Chicago is a nice city now. We have the Chicago Bulls."

And they talked about basketball. They loved Michael Jordan. But this was when Michael Jordan had temporarily quit the team.

"What will the Bulls do without Michael Jordan?" she complained. "He was lead scorer! He was the heart of the team!"

The soldiers felt sorry for them and let them go on a path that avoided the worst of the fighting. A couple of hours later, thanks to Michael Jordan, they were safe!

Trombly was a foreign correspondent in Russia in the mid-'90s and later in Chechnya and Afghanistan. She says she chose the career because she wanted to be a female Ernest Hemingway.

"When I was a war correspondent, I was often the only person reporting on really bad things that were happening, drawing international attention to events," she says. "That was really important."

Today, the journalist owns a business that provides content to international publications. She lives in Hong Kong. She says she is covering the single biggest economic transformation the world has ever seen. She is helping chronicle all the changes.

"I feel that I'm doing the most important job on the planet," she comments.

However, it is stressful being away from family and friends for long periods. Foreign correspondents have to be really adaptable, she says. You have to like different kinds of people and you must be willing to try new things.

You must have a high tolerance for risk. At first, you have to be willing to work hard for few rewards.

Trombly suggests traveling overseas in an exchange program or on vacation. Then write about your experiences for a high school paper or your blog. She says you can also cover a foreign country without leaving home.

For example, you could find an interesting story such as a local company finding a Chinese partner and e-mail or call the people overseas with your questions.

"I routinely cover foreign countries from outside the country," Trombly adds. She covers Japan from China and wrote about India for years without going there. "You can make contacts and build up a story portfolio without ever getting on an airplane."

The Middle East attracts a lot of foreign correspondents. Chris Mitchell is a foreign correspondent in Israel.

Mitchell started as a researcher in 1989. He then became a producer and then spent about 15 years in his network's news division. He wasn't really looking for a job as a foreign correspondent but he volunteered when one became available.

Mitchell, his wife and three children moved to Jerusalem in 2000. The work was dangerous then. Suicide attacks and terror attacks became part of everyday life. Some happened close to his home.

Mitchell recalls a narrow escape. One morning, his son begged for pancakes before school. Mitchell went ahead and made the pancakes, although it made them late. A suicide bombing occurred at a spot where Mitchell and his son would have been, if they were on time. "Because we made those pancakes and were late for school, we missed it," he remembers.

Another dangerous time happened in the summer of 2006. Rockets were being fired. "There was an element of danger where we were," he remembers.

The work is stressful. Regular family responsibilities and pressures are compounded by the intense situation they live in. Then of course, working under a deadline and getting things done on time poses other stressors.

To anyone wanting to work as a foreign correspondent, Mitchell suggests talking to some foreign correspondents, visiting newsrooms and talking to news directors. He thinks most would be willing to speak with curious high school students.

"Get wise advice," he counsels. Get different opinions from people like teachers, parents or a relative whose judgment you value. Then, he cautions that you must be patient. Things don't happen quickly. You can't necessarily become a foreign correspondent right away. It might take a while.

"A wise man once said, 'Don't despise a day of small beginnings'," he finishes.