Paige Hansen

Bakersfield to Tucson

2012-01-03T20:39:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe I was only in Bakersfield one year. I met so many wonderful people while I worked and lived in Kern County. It is truly a place I'll never forget. One of the last stories I did while with KGET-TV was one of my favorite. A friend told me about an art show centered around mental illness going up at Cal State Bakersfield. Mental illness is a topic I believe doesn't get enough coverage, and it is one of my goals as a journalist to help reduce the stigma surrounding it by offering more stories on the topic. Upon more research into the art show, I discovered it was actually about substance abuse. Three wonderful ladies were putting on the show, and each had a very personal story to tell in relation to their work. It is a story I will never forget. Please watch, if you have the time:

From the Central Valley to the Southwest, I am beyond happy to call Tucson, AZ my new home. After a little more than two months here, I am completely in love with the city, specifically the food, people, mountains and my new job as a multimedia journalist at KOLD News 13.

This is the view from my back deck. I feel spoiled everyday!

My job is a bit different here than it was in Bakersfield. At KOLD, I am a "one-man-band" and shoot, write, and edit all my own work. I can even set up my own live shot using our "mini live cars." I recently did my own live shot for a breaking news story. There was a shooting in Midtown, and we got word of it about an hour before our 10 o'clock newscast. Here's the story:

I have also had more light-hearted assignments. Tucson has a huge "4th Avenue Street Fair" twice a year and I got to cover the Winter Fair with our chief meteorologist, Chuck George. We had too much fun during our live shots!

I think the most interesting story I've covered so far was last week, when a series of meetings and press conferences were held throughout the city, all surrounding the possible closure of Tucson's mail distribution and processing center, the Cherrybell Post Office. USPS is attempting to save money by closing about 250 facilities nationwide, but people in Tucson are worried about how the closure will impact the city's ability to recruit new businesses to town, and of course how jobs will be impacted. Here's one of my live shots:

A typical "holiday travel" story turned into much more when I met some interesting people at Tucson's airport. I also caught the one "glitch" of the day on camera. This is a fun favorite:

This weekend is the one-year anniversary of the tragic January 8th shootings that happened here last year. It is surreal to now live in a city I learned so much about because of that horrific day. I drive by the Safeway where the shooting happened every day, and have even been inside a couple times. I never pass it without thinking about what happened there and how it has forever changed this community.

Please "Like" my professional Facebook Page for more updates and stories from Tucson: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paige-Hansen/303892782970391?sk=info

Aglio e Olio

2011-08-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

There is not much else I enjoy more than experimentation cooking. It's a challenge, a surprise, and hopefully a success. I was organizing old photos last night and came across some of my pictures from when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. That was midday. Shortly after, I headed to the grocery store in preparation to make a meal, reminiscent of my time in Italia.

Every good dish begins with a healthy amount of garlic and onion. That's three cloves, minced. Half a yellow onion. And EVOO.

Low heat. Coat in the olive oil, and let them sweat, simmer and start to smell.

I halved a pint or so of organic cherry tomatoes.

Perfect for light summer pasta.

I recently grew some basil, and other herbs, in my backyard. Basil was a must for this dish.

For added color and texture, I diced one small yellow squash.

I added tomatoes first, and waited until the centers became soft, and the skin began to separate from the core. Onions were translucent when I added the tomatoes.

Diced yellow squash. I added sea salt at this stage, too.

A little dry white wine never hurt anything.

Whole wheat, organic fusilli.

Finely chopped fresh basil.

The ever-important "tester" bite.

Freshly grated pecorino cheese. Very salty sheep's milk cheese, compared with parmesan reggiano, which is more "peppery."

Before I drained the pasta (when it was al dente), I took a few ladles of the starchy pasta water and added it to my sauce.

The result: healthy, organic pasta with hearty vegetables and yummy cheese, plus fresh basil. The best part: leftovers, and tasty Italy memories.

"Food is the most primitive form of comfort." - Sheilah Graham

Night Vision Goggles: Flying High With Kern County Fire

2011-03-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

I was up way past my bedtime Tuesday night. But it was worth it. Admittedly, my 6:30pm bedtime is a bit strange, but when you wake up at 2am, the timing is about right!

Some the Kern County Fire Department Helicopter team and me.

On Tuesday, just as the sun went down, I took off in a helicopter with the Kern County Fire Department to find out about their unique night vision goggles. Few fire agencies in the state have the technology; it's expensive and controversial. The goggles amplify available light 5,000 times, turning night into day for firefighters. But, while wearing the goggles, you lose depth perception and are staring out of a 40 degree field of view. It's tricky, but the pilots commandeering helicopter 407 have extensive training. Both learned night vision techniques while serving in the military.

Here is my story:

Live from Bakersfield

2011-01-31T12:11:00.001-07:00

It's been months since I last wrote, and I miss blogging! After a whirlwind summer--graduating from Mizzou, walking down the aisle (well, as a bridesmaid in my stepsister's wedding!) and traveling to Africa with my family, I am happy to say I've settled into my new, very "real-world" life.

I am a reporter at the NBC affiliate in Bakersfield, KGET-TV. Every day I wake up well before the sun even shows signs of rising (2AM) and head to the job I pinch myself each day for even having. As the morning live reporter, my stories are different from those of a dayside reporter. I plan them in advance, which means I'm always digging for unique angles to stories impacting people in Kern County. At the grocery store, gym or wherever I am, I talk to people and ask them for ideas. News is what people are talking about so how would I know what to cover unless I talked to the people I'm hoping to inform?

This weekend I updated my website with some of my new work. I can't believe I've already been in Bakersfield four months! Time is flying by. Here's a little montage of some recent live shots and stand-ups:

I've already done some stories I am proud of, but recently I looked into a team called "MET" or the Mobile Evaluation Team. The MET team responds to "5150" code calls, a call from law enforcement indicating a person is suicidal. The MET team works to bring that person from their lowest point to a place where they can turn their life around, simply with words. I interviewed a woman who says she was saved by MET four years ago. She opened up to me and I hope the piece sheds light on the impact of mental illness and the need for it to be addressed regularly in our society. Here's the story:

I am certainly keeping busy, learning something every day and can feel myself improving. As always, I love to hear feedback about my work, so please send your thoughts my way!

A Glimpse of Africa

2010-08-21T17:14:00.003-07:00

One of my favorite parts of traveling is going through immigration in a new country and seeing what kind of stamp I will get on my passport. For whatever reason I see the stamps as a sort of sacred proof that, yes, I have been to Africa.

Children of Simogan Village.

Elephant crossing in Botswana.

It has just been a few days since I returned from Africa and I wonder if it was real. The stamps and thousands of photographs prove to me that I was actually there. Now, it seems like a hazy dream, one where the Lion King and news and travel articles I have read about Africa, came to life in a genuine, unforgettable way.

Zambia

We flew into Johannesburg and left the next morning for Zambia. We stayed at an intimate lodge just outside Livingstone called “The River Club.” We arrived by boat.

If you look closely you can see the brown chalets of The River Club.

It was enchanting to speed along the Zambezi River and pull up to a little wooden dock where we then climbed a rustic staircase that took us to a beautiful, classic British Colonial style lodge.

My stepsister, Emma and her husband, James in their chalet.

Each chalet has a thatched roof and a floor to ceiling see-through screen overlooking the Zambezi River. During the night I would wake to the gentle groaning of hippos in the river below my room, or the sound of velvet baboons jumping from tree-to-tree, and occasionally landing on the rooftop. A mosquito net over my bed provided protection from the pesky bugs, but I enjoyed the net more for the reminder that I was someplace exotic, someplace which needed a net in the first place.

Victoria Falls. You can see why they call it, "The smoke that Thunders."

We made a trip to the Victoria Falls, known as “the smoke that thunders” and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The highlight was riding out on a small boat through rapids to a tiny island about 150 feet from the edge of the falls.

Walking through rapids to get a better view of the falls.

We covered ourselves with large, hooded ponchos and climbed barefoot over rocks and through the mud and water to get to the edge. Two guides, Felix and Collins, held my hands as I peered over the falls, 300 feet down. Without the ponchos, we would have been drenched as the dense “smoke” was more like rain.

Playing an afternoon game of croquet on the River Club lawn.

Our three nights at River Club were filled with lots of croquet, delicious dinners served at a long table with the other River Club guests, and an eye-opening visit to a local village called “Simonga Village.”

Playing "high-five" with an an adorable village boy.

Much of the River Club staff comes from this village and it was a pleasure to get to know them throughout our stay. The people in the Simonga Village use a mud mixture to make their huts; old car batteries generate power for the few homes with electronic appliances.

He is adorable.

The River Club started a partnership with the village aiming to increase the quality of life there. Examples of their projects include installing water pumps, pipes and storage tanks and establishing a small health post in the village.

I met a little boy in the Simonga Village who was anxious to show off his hand-made toy.

Botswana

We traveled by car, then boat, then open-air Jeep to cross the border from Zambia to Botswana.

The Botswana-Zambia border is the Zambezi River. Truck drivers wait for days to cross to the other side because there is just one ferry that can handle one truck at a time. It was quite a scene.

Boarding a boat for a five minute ride across the Zambezi River to get to Botswana.

We spent the first three nights at The Chobe Game Lodge, which is located in a National Park. For that reason, on our 6AM "game drives" we often saw almost as many Land Rovers with tourists as wild animals. It was still worth our while because Chobe is home to several herds of elephants, families of giraffes, lions, hippos and countless lone, slithery and scaly crocodiles.

Male Lion... Mufasa?

He never took his eyes of the herd of buffalo in the distance.

Hippos out of water--a rare sighting.

Elephants drinking, playing.

So peaceful, when thirsty.

The first night, we stopped during our evening game drive for cocktails in the company of elephants. It was surreal to be standing so close to the majestic creatures, all while enjoying a glass of wine and watching the African sunset.

Me, Dana, James, Emma, and John.

Buffet dinners drew hotel guests each night and the charismatic cooks, waiters and bus boys liked to show off their dance moves. Worlds away, people are the same.

Our friends, Prince and Rich, showing off their moves!

From Chobe we boarded a 12-seater plane and headed south to the Okavango Delta. Though I was tense for the hour-long flight, once we began descending into the Delta I loosened up and grew more and more excited as I saw the maze of waterways below.

Descending into the Okavango Delta.

The only way to get to our camp, Xigera Camp, is via boat. We were met by our guide, named Ace who, by the end of our three nights there became part of our family.

Drinks on a sandbar in the middle of the Okavango Delta. Ace is in the center.

Xigera Camp is much more remote than Chobe Camp. We followed tracks, tested the strength of the Land Rover and powered over trees, branches and bushes and drove through water that nearly reached our elevated seats. I wondered if the Land Rover was really Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in disguise.

Our trusty Land Rover in Botswana.

One of my favorite animals is the zebra. They are stunning, interesting animals and I was so excited when I spotted one while out on a game drive in the Delta!

One day, at sunset, we took a mokoro ride through the narrow "hippo highways" of the Delta. Surrounded by lily pads and tall grass, we glided silently over crystal clear water.

My mom and me in a mokoro canoe.

Though many events on my trip to Africa were unique, one stands out as utterly unforgettable. On our way to breakfast in the morning, there was a bit of a hold up: an elephant decided to feed on plants right next to the wooden walkway that connects the rooms of Xigera Camp. Despite Disney's depiction of elephants like "Dumbo," elephants are actually very dangerous animals. They are known for stampeding anything they see as a threat. If you steer clear of them, they are generally peaceful, but at up to a powerful 15-tons in size, there is no room for risk. Ace waited with us and kept his eye on the elephant while we waited 15 minutes for him to finish feeding. My heart was racing the entire time. One misstep, one frightening sound, and I thought I would surely be a goner.

Just your usual morning hold-up.

Luckily this elephant ate his breakfast and turned around, headed back for the jungle. It was unreal to be mere feet from this elephant, but I have to admit I was happy to get into the open breakfast room where we were safe!

Boarding our plane and saying goodbye to Ace.

I cried when we left Xigera Camp. There was something magical about being alone with nature, hearing nothing but jungle noises. One night at dinner, the entire Xigera staff came out by the fire and sang a song. Though it was in their native tongue, I could not stop trying to hum and sing along. I ran a quick search on YouTube, and turns out someone recorded a "show" in 2009. I have included it below:

South Africa
Our flight from Botswana to Cape Town was a few hours, but it seemed like another world. Striking cliffs, monstrous waves and 5-star restaurants, shops and hotels awaited us. We stayed on the Waterfront at the One&Only Resort near the working harbor.

Cape Town harbor.

We spent one morning hiking two hours to the top of Table Mountain. Though steep and strenuous, the view from the top is worth every leg-shaking, sweat-dripping moment.

On the way to the top.

At the top of Table Mountain.

To get a feel for the city in the brief time we were there, just three nights, we drove around quite a bit. Perhaps it is effective marketing to sell something to people at their car window. In San Francisco, people make signs asking for money, a reminder of the issue of homelessness. On the bustling streets of Cape Town, people walk in between taxis, trucks and private cars selling trinkets ranging from yo-yos to my favorite, melon-sized, rotating globes. Staring out the window of our awkwardly shaped white Nissan rental car, I spotted Africa on the map spinning in the hand of an African man, and it hit me: I was on the other side of the world, one where I could not help but wonder if sighting stray elephants is as mundane as sighting a stray dog in the U.S.? I doubt it.

For our final night we went to the winelands about an hour outside of Cape Town. We stayed at a bed and breakfast in Franschhoek and did some wine tasting.

Wine tasting in Franschhoek, South Africa.

South African wines have grown in popularity over the past couple decades, really taking off after the end of apartheid in 1994. Today, South Africa exports 500 million liters of wine around the world each year, compared with just 50 million liters in 1992. If you have never tried "Pinotage" a distinctively South African grape, which is a combination of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, I highly recommend the curiously delicious blend.

View of Franschhoek and the Bed&Breakfast cottage where we stayed.

This may be one of few blogs where I rarely mention food. Well, that changes now! In Franschhoek we went to a restaurant called "Ryan's Kitchen." Chef Ryan serves South African cuisine with a modern, fusion twist. The food was simply delectable, but my favorite part was the restaurant setting.

You can see how close our table was to the kitchen.

Located inside the dining room of a house, the restaurant has just seven tables and each had a very intimate view of Chef Ryan and his sous chefs preparing the food. I was surprised how calm and quiet it was. Kitchens I have been in seem to be chaotic with chefs and waiters shouting orders constantly. Watching them prepare built anticipation. I wish more restaurants were set up like Ryan's.

Sous chefs cooking up a storm.

There is really no way I can sum up my trip to Africa. It was a taste and a tease. I have just had a bite and I cannot wait to have more. Despite Africa's problems, the people are warm with contagious smiles. Guide books warn about how dangerous certain places can be, and while I am sure there are places unsafe for tourists, I never once felt afraid. Well, except for the time I thought an elephant was going to stampede.

Now that I am back home, back to warm showers, gadgets galore and paved roadways, I sometimes find myself longing for the simplicity of the African wild. I feel thankful and fortunate to have had the chance to see so many amazing things and meet people that I will remember forever. I only hope one day I can give back to the welcoming people of Africa.

Beautiful African sunset.

*For more photos visit my Facebook page.*

Guess Where I'll Be in a Flash?

2010-07-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

I am up late loading a small-sized duffle with long sleeved t-shirts, pants that can zip off into shorts and lots of bug spray. Everything I am packing has to fit into a 10x12x24 duffle that can weigh no more than 44 pounds. That's because my family is going on a two week safari in Africa and we will be flying on a few small planes where I can only assume every pound counts. I have been on small planes before where someone has to get kicked off to balance the weight of the plane!

I am excited for the trip because my stepsister and her new husband are joining us. They are on their honeymoon right now in the Maldives and are meeting us in Johannesburg tomorrow, well technically Monday since the flight is overnight. Below is a picture of Emma, my stepsister, getting a little help from her husband, James, and me and my two siblings on her big day!

To find out where we are headed in Africa, check out this Flash Graphic I made.

I used Mega SWF to upload the graphic for free. Flash is pretty new to me, but it was so much fun to make! Look forward to a blog post when I return from my trip. We will be taking tons of photos, I can assure you!

Why I Care About Food

2010-06-22T10:33:00.004-07:00

I often get made fun of for my obsession with food. As I munch on organic carrots dipped in all-natural almond butter, friends of mine lick brightly-colored, sodium-rich powder from highly-processed cheese puffs or Doritos from their fingers. I don't judge, I just prefer my orange snack to be a naturally-occurring color.

It isn't that I am obsessed with all food, but those who know me know that I have a true passion for food that delivers more than flavor. I like knowing where my food comes from, and thanks to the growing number of Farmers' Markets, it is easy to find out straight from the source.

Michael Pollan recently wrote an article in The New York Review of Books. In The Food Movement, Rising Pollan discusses that food is moving "beyond the barcode" and talks about who is responsible for encouraging real-fresh over freshly-sealed food.

The main point is summed up in the first section of the article:

"But although cheap food is good politics, it turns out there are significant costs—to the environment, to public health, to the public purse, even to the culture—and as these became impossible to ignore in recent years, food has come back into view."

Food-borne illnesses like E. coli, debate over safety of manufactured food products like margarine, and studies linking what we eat to what diseases we contract are all concerning. People like cheap, but when it comes to food, cheap is not always good. When I grocery shop or pick up produce from the farmers market, I do wince at spending a dollar or more for something that's organic. It is a difference you can't necessarily see and sometimes, can't really taste, but I am willing to pay for food grown without the use of chemicals. In fact, a recent study found pesticides used on foods, "boost the chances that children will be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder."

Last week I covered the Farm to Table event in Columbia. The event attracted chefs from across the country, including "renegade lunch lady" Ann Cooper. In light of the upcoming decision on the 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, I decided to focus on school lunches. To localize the story, I spoke with Columbia Public Schools Superintendent, Chris Belcher. The Board of Education recently decided to raise prices of school lunches by 35 cents in order to improve food quality. Watch my story below:

Farm to Table from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

Food used to be the centerfold of our culture, and many others. Ronald Reagan once said, "All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Was that dinner table one filled with microwaveable meals that came straight from the freezer section? In The Food Movement, Rising Pollan points out the disparity between then and now:

"Americans spend a smaller percentage of their income on food than any people in history—slightly less than 10 percent—and a smaller amount of their time preparing it: a mere thirty-one minutes a day on average, including clean-up."

In my opinion, a shift needs to occur. We need to stop equating cheap, fast food with good food. In fact, it be more effective to have labels read, "made with pesticides" instead of "organic." Maybe foods with high fructose corn syrup should say so right on the front label?

The good news is that things are changing. Between Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" program, television shows like Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" and vocal authors and activists like Michael Pollan, it is clear awareness is rising. I think it is great that Wal Mart is starting to carry organic food. People want to make conscious decisions about what they're putting in their bodies, and that is the first step.

Sabotaged Jet Remembered After 48 Years

2010-05-31T15:24:00.003-07:00

On Saturday, May 22, 1962 Continental Flight 11 crashed into a field in the small town of Unionville, which is located in Northern Missouri. The tragedy killed all 45 passengers and crew on board. If the same incident happened today, the news media would cover it nonstop. But in 1962 plane crashes like this one were not common. In fact, the crash of this Boeing 707 marked the first tragedy of its kind. Watch my story for KOMU 8 News below.

Sabotaged Jet Remembered After 48 Years from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

For more information on Flight 11, visit the blog that helped unite the families of those who lost loved ones in the crash.

Highlights, from the city filled "With Glowing Hearts"

2010-02-06T19:20:00.002-07:00

I have been in Vancouver for just over three weeks but it did not take me more than a few days to understand why the Vancouver Organizing Committee selected “With Glowing Hearts” as the motto for the 21^st Winter Olympic Games.

Looking out over Vancouver from Grouse Mountain.

Canadians, and specifically Vancouverites, have proven to be a welcoming bunch. Every day when I ride the bus to and from work I never cease to be amazed by how nicely everyone treats one another—it almost seems like people want to give up their seats, and not just for the elderly. The interaction between the bus driver and the passengers is also noted—those exiting in the back always yell, “thank you” up to the driver in the front, and he or she almost always replies, “you’re welcome.”

I feel spoiled with the views I have at home in San Francisco, but crossing Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge is a whole other experience. Not even a gloomy sky could possibly detract from the utter beauty that enlivens this gorgeous city.

A view from the Lions Gate Bridge.

The drive to Whistler is phenomenal. The highway to get there is called the Sea to Sky highway, for good reason. Even though we were driving I was nearly out of breath when I reached the top of the climb the first time; I kept gasping because of sheer shock by the sheer beauty of my surroundings.

The road up to Whistler Mountain.

The air is different, and there are signs of environmental efficiency everywhere I turn. Take these pasta straws at a little café in Whistler Village, for example:

A trend I hope to spread.

I left mine in my soy latte a little too long and had a strand of partially cooked noodle at the end.

Local restaurant, Finche's served up the tastiest salad I've ever had.

Other than the gorgeous views, Vancouver boasts some of the best cuisine I have tasted. Scents of hot dogs (and veggie hot dogs, wow!) loft through downtown streets and down by the water, a shack that serves up fish ‘n chips draws crowds from all over the city, even though there are just a few seats outside. The view from the restaurant is like the food served: beautiful, crisp and fresh.

Diners bear the cool weather to enjoy "Go Fish's" famous fish 'n chips.

Whether chowing down on a $6 bowl of noodles from a trendy noodle house on Robson Street,

My friend Travis, eagerly eating his noodles.

or using fancy chopsticks to politely grasp the $25 mango-lobster sushi wrapped in an omelet crepe my parents treated me to when they came to visit, Vancouver has everything a pescetarian foodie, like me, could want.

Sushi at Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown.

Check out this dessert from my favorite restaurant in Vancouver: the Blue Water Café in the über hip Yaletown. It’s a carrot cake with cinnamon nutmeg ice cream.

Dessert at Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown.

With the Olympic Games just a few days away, excitement is definitely building in the city. Media from around the world have arrived, and I love hearing all the different languages when I walk through the International Broadcast Center.

If you have not seen these advertisements for the Vancouver Olympics on The TODAY Show, you have to watch:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A view of the Burrard Bridge and Granville Island at night.

Vancouver

2010-01-17T00:21:00.001-07:00

The excitement surrounding the Olympics here in Vancouver was apparent from the moment I stepped off the plane yesterday. Volunteer security guards wearing bright green vests smiled from ear-to-ear as passengers on my flight from San Francisco gathered luggage from the carousel. Security was a breeze and the family I am staying with here picked me up from the airport, so I instantly felt like a local.

Me on Granville Island.

Yesterday was the first sunny day Vancouverites have seen in about a week, and I decided to take advantage of the rare weather. I went for a long run and got my bearings. The neighborhood I am staying in is just one block from the bus that takes me directly to the Olympic Village, five blocks from an organic grocery store, and a ten minute walk from bakeries, restaurants and coffee shops.

Since I did not change time zones coming here, I have not had to deal with jetlag. Today I had a full day. I went straight downtown this morning to activate my Today Show accreditation and get city maps from the Visitor Information center.

Canada Place Street, where I will be working the next six weeks.

On the way, I met the most adorable Greek man named George on the street. He talked my ear off about his excitement for the games to be held in his city, but also his concern about parking during the events. He must have welcomed me at least five times and when he shook my hand as we said 'goodbye' I felt I was leaving a friend I'd known for years. I had a similar experience on the bus back to the house where I am staying. I met a guy, around my age, named Paul who just got back from living in Japan for seven years. He told me about the Botanical Gardens at the University of British Columbia, which is located in Vancouver. We talked all about the city's transition to making Vancouver "Olympic-ready."

View from Downtown Vancouver.

The city itself is absolutely stunning. The views of the water and mountains are unbelievable. Today we walked around Granville Island.

Granville Island.

It felt like a small fishing village, but right across the water you see city skyscrapers. There is a public market that carries everything from fresh bread and pasta, caramel apples and whole salmon.

Despite how crowded the market was, everyone was very orderly and extremely friendly. No one seemed rushed or annoyed to wait in line, the chocolate vendor did not mind people staring at the delectable truffles and then walking away without buying one.

The first two days in Vancouver have been a success so far, but I am so excited to start working for the Today Show on Monday!

No time but the present

2010-01-01T19:56:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been working nonstop. When I say nonstop, I mean that very literally. For example, yesterday I woke up at 2AM to anchor KOMU 8 News Today, the morning show that runs from 4:30AM until 7AM, when the TODAY Show begins. Two and a half hours gave me a lot of time to mess up, and to improve. I will post clips from the show this weekend.

Last week I anchored two 10 o'clock shows for KOMU. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Anchor, KOMU 8 News @ 10, 12/18/09 from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.
Clips from Co-Anchoring the 10 o'clock newscast with Angie Bailey.

10PM Anchor 12/23/09 from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

Last week I worked on a story about the health care reform bill. This story aired before it officially passed. I wanted to get a sense of what Missourians thought about the reform bill. Their views were pretty divided:

On Set: Health Care Reform Bill in Mid-Missouri 12/21/09 from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

I have been reporting every day for the last week. My first day off will be this Sunday and I have never been more excited to sleep in, work out and stay inside where it's warm! It's been really cold in Missouri. Tomorrow the "high" is 18 degrees!!!

World View Report

2009-12-07T21:00:00.001-07:00

Here is my World View report from December 2, 2009:

Anchor, World View Report 12/2/09 from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

Talking about TASERs in Columbia

2009-12-07T20:54:00.002-07:00

A local Columbia organization called "The TASER-Free Columbia Campaign" wants all TASERs banned within Columbia city limits, including use by police officers. TASER use in Missouri has become controversial ever since Stanley Harlan, a 23-year-old Moberly man, died after being tased by Moberly Police.

On Friday, November 20 I covered a question-answer forum where The TASER-Free Columbia Campaign sought to raise awareness about the dangers of TASERs. They want to get the ban on the November 2010 ballot.

This is a TASER that Columbia Police currently carry with them.

The meeting did not start until 6:30 PM and I was doing this story for the 10 o'clock newscast. I interviewed Officer Jeff Westbrook of the Columbia Police Department and he told me that removing TASERs from officers "tool belts" would be removing a "valuable tool." After a TASER the next step in force for officers is a handgun.

Police Disagree With Taser Ban Proposal - PKG 11/20/09 from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

As you can see from my story, the audio from the middle, where Stanley Harlan's mother, Athena Bachtel is speaking to the crowd, is barely audible. Just to clarify, she says, "Murder is murder, whether you have a badge or not. I believe these TASERs are a torture device and should be listed as so." I should have interviewed Athena after the meeting, but unfortunately I did not have time to stay until the end because I had to head back to KOMU to upload my video and edit my story.

The story of Stanley Harlan drew nationwide attention. Here is the story CBS News reporter, Jeff Glor, did on the case:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Two Mediums, One Newsroom

2009-12-07T20:27:00.001-07:00

In Hartford, Connecticut the way journalism is done is changing. My friend Sarah French, who is an alum of the Missouri School of Journalism, works at Fox 61 News in Hartford. She posted an article on her blog that caught my attention: "News Operations of TV's Fox 61 And The Courant Are Sharing Space And Resources." The article explains that, "Reporters, producers and videographers for Fox 61 will work side by side with reporters, editors and photographers at The Courant." The two are also sharing a newsroom now.

The Courant is the country's oldest newspaper. It started as a weekly paper in 1764.

Journalism is changing across all mediums, and is converging. New information is available at every minute of the day from just about anywhere in the world, and people have come to expect their information to be accurate and presented in a way that demonstrates quality journalism, but people also expect to be able to upload, download and share the information they are reading, listening to, or watching instantly.

From left, Logan Byrnes, Sarah French and Rich Coppola rehearse in the new studio. (STEPHEN DUNN / HARTFORD COURANT / December 3, 2009)

The article suggests that, "Print and television journalists will help one another on stories," and despite the fact that federal broadcast regulators have not made a decision on whether or not media companies, like Tribune Company, who owns Fox 61, are allowed to own both a TV station and a newspaper in one market, $6 million has been spent on this project. The Tribune Company has received a temporary waiver and Richard Gremillion, the Tribune executive Vice President, is confident that federal broadcast regulators will allow this merger to occur.

A merger like this one might be the future of journalism. Reporters at TV stations in several markets are already expected to write a print story for the web. When viewers watch a broadcast story on their local news, oftentimes, there is more to the minute-long story than was presented. Executives in charge of the Courant-Fox 61 project say their goal is "to produce great journalism," and want to focus on utilizing resources from both mediums without compromising what print and broadcast offer individually.

From the perspective of a broadcast journalism student, still trying to improve my broadcast writing, I have to wonder how reporters will adapt from writing print stories to TV stories and visa versa? Print journalists and broadcast journalists think differently and write differently. Writing for television is concise and written in a manner that is easy-to-understand, whereas writing for a newspaper or magazine is often more explanatory and, especially when published online, has no real limitations in terms of length.

My question is, will both a print and a television reporter cover the same stories? If so, who will do the interviewing? Will the same sources be used in both stories? Will different angles be taken? Jonathan F. Kellogg, the executive editor of the Republic-American newspaper in Waterbury, CT thinks that if just one reporter is sent to cover a story for both mediums, "There is a chance that you might not get the full story."

No one knows for sure what's to come for journalism, but change is needed in order to keep public interest and to encourage advertisers, both of which are necessary for financial success. The Courant-Fox 61 model is an interesting one and, "While experts say the venture is fraught with risk if not executed properly, Tribune executives say they envision more, not less, coverage."

NEW Photos: Inside FOX 61 & The Courant

Alpaca Fashion

2009-11-17T00:01:00.002-07:00

The thing I like best about reporting is that every day is different. On Friday when I woke up, I never thought my story would lead to me holding a baby alpaca that was born just six hours before I held it in my arms! Here is a picture of me holding this adorable little alpaca on an alpaca farm in Mexico, MO.

Here I am holding a baby alpaca!

So why was I at an alpaca farm in the first place? As always, I'm looking for story ideas. My roommate Anna had been working on a fashion story board and told me about a competition she was entering called the "Alpaca Fashion Student Design Competition." I soon learned that there are 47 alpaca farms in Missouri.

Before my reporting shift, I called a couple alpaca breeders and found one in Mexico, MO that was actually sponsoring one of the five University of Missouri Textile and Apparel Management students entering the competition. From there, I contacted the professor responsible for entering the students. She told me she could meet with me the following day, so I figured I was all set! Luckily the assignment manager liked my idea and I got to get started a little early on Friday. I had so much fun tracking down the alpaca farm. I learned what "CR" stood for on my MapQuest directions (Country Road, if you didn't know) and discovered that the KOMU cars (Toyota Scions) are able to handle gravel roads, thank goodness. Here is my story that aired on the 10 o'clock newscast for Friday, November 13.

Alpaca Fashion in Mid-Missouri from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

Though this is not the most "newsworthy" story, I had a blast shooting it and learned a lot about fashion fiber, and alpacas. It is amazing to me that this little farm in Mid-Missouri produces alpaca fiber, which is used to make pretty expensive clothing that is sold worldwide. The average sweater is about $100. Alpaca fleece, as it is called, is so soft and I think I may ask for an alpaca sweater for Christmas! If you're interested in alpaca products, I found this website, "Purely Alpaca" that sells cute clothes!

"IN BOCCA AL LUPO"

2009-11-12T07:55:00.004-07:00

In Italian, "in bocca al lupo" means "good luck." I've realized that a lot of being a reporter depends on luck: luck in finding a good story idea, luck in finding a good parking spot, and luck in getting succinct sound bites from sources, just to name a few areas where good luck would really help me out while reporting! I received an e-mail from my wonderful cooking teacher, Marcella, from Florence wishing me good luck in Italian. It reminded me about fate and that things generally work out. Those who know me, know that sometimes I over-stress about school. Last semester in Europe, I was much more relaxed so Marcella's e-mail meant so much to me and reminded me to breathe! On a side note, Marcella recently started her own cooking school so if you're headed to Florence, definitely take a class from her at Giglio Cooking.

Marcella is the one on the far left.

I did have some luck on Friday when I reported at KOMU-8 News. But before I had good luck, I had a little bit of bad luck. My story was about an MU graduate student named Yirui Wei, who is from China. In June, Wei nearly drowned and lost the ability to walk and talk. Through physical therapy and rehabilitation, she has now regained both of those skills, but at a high financial expense. Members of the Columbia community and the International student community at MU stepped up to help on Friday (November 6) to hold a benefit called the "Melting Pot Concert." Watch my story below:

Friends Raise Money for MU Grad Student After Accident from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

I learned a huge lesson, twice on Friday: check with the marketing department about interviewing their employees or customers on-site. I called Wei directly to setup an interview and she gave me permission to come meet her at her physical therapy class. When I arrived, the center's marketing department met me and said that because of Wei's broken English, without a third-party translator, I could not interview Wei anywhere on their grounds. Luckily, I knew Wei would be at the benefit later that night so I would be able to interview her there. My second issue arose when I went to the Boone County National Bank to interview Wei's banker who has taken a big hand in raising awareness and money for Wei. Again, he said he'd be happy to answer questions for me, but I had to wait for the "OK" from the bank's marketing department. After waiting for far too long, the marketing department decided it wouldn't be a good idea for this particular banker to discuss Wei's situation.

When I left the bank, I was frustrated and worried about getting my story done on time. This is where the good luck or "in bocca al lupo" came in. I arrived at the church where the concert was being held only to find it empty. The event began at 7PM but the organizer said she would meet me at 5:30 so I could interview her. Unfortunately, she was running late. I wanted to be back at the station by 7:30 to start editing my video, so I was beginning to get nervous. The pastor at the church walked into the Cathedral and pointed me to the back of the church where he said he thought some performers were getting ready. I went back to check it out and found a group of beautiful Indian women preparing to perform a traditional Indian dance. After interviewing them, a few of the other performers began to arrive and so did the event organizer. Everything finally began to come together. My last struggle came when I got back to the station and had to rush to get my video uploaded, my script written and my package completed. I got everything done on time, but I wish I could have had more time to make my story a little smoother and flow a little bit better. Next time, I'm going to follow the advice of my Broadcast professor and utilize a mini tape recorder so I can find my sound bites a bit easier when I'm editing.

Last week I anchored the "Around-the-State" report for KOMU-8 News Today, the morning show. Be sure to listen for a funny story about a surge in births in Southern Missouri ...

Anchor, Around the State Report, 10/28/09 from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

My next reporting shift is tomorrow (Friday) so if you have any story ideas, be sure and let me know!

"Meat" me in the produce section

2009-10-26T22:11:00.006-07:00

About two years ago I became a vegetarian. Well, more accurately, a pescetarian, or one who eats fish, egg and dairy products. I did this after reading a book on an airplane titled, "Skinny Bitch." Despite the title it is not so much a "diet" book as it is a "lifestyle" book.

The book discusses serious matters such as findings from a study by Gail Eisnitz, the chief investigator for the Humane Farming Association, and author of Slaughterhouse. Eisnitz "... exposed the U.S.D.A.'s blatant tolerance for allowing contaminated meat into the human food supply." This study, and others noted in the book, convinced me to stop eating meat all together. Ever since I've had an interest in food safety and inspection. I came across this article, "Ground beef safety in spotlight following news story" in Food Business News.

On Sunday, Oct. 3 the New York Times published an article that found E. Coli was the cause of one woman's "severe form of a food-borne illness." The illness was so severe that it left her in a nine week coma and eventually paralyzed her body from the waist down. The article, "E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection," sparked investigation into the ground beef industry. The Secretary of Agriculture and the president of the American Meat Institute decided to take a closer look into the "safety of the ground beef supply" in America.

The New York Times investigation found that this particular strain of E. coli, 0157:H7 is still present in the U.S. even though it was first discovered and barred in 1994 after it was found in meat at Jack in the Box. The woman highlighted in the article is a rare case, but it was enough to prompt reform within the U.S.D.A., as discussed in the Food Business News article. Senator Kirstin Gillibrand of New York is even proposing new legislation called the "E. Coli eradication act." This is what good journalism should do: inform the public and prompt change.

The article identifies "a lack of testing by processors, packers refusing to sell trimmings to the processors who do test, cost-cutting that also cut safety corners, and ineffective U.S.D.A. inspection and trace-back systems as the key areas where the U.S.D.A. needs to make improvements.

Anchoring, a Parade, and a Courtroom

2009-10-25T19:24:00.002-07:00

Last week I spent a lot of time out at the station, and I loved every minute! I got to anchor the Around the State Report for the morning show on Wednesday:

10/21/09 Anchor, Around the State report from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

This was my first time anchoring something other than the morning cut-ins and it was fun to change it up a little.

On Friday I anchored the First View Around the World segment of the 5 o'clock newscast. I liked talking about international news and learning to use the touch screen. The producers pick and write the stories, I create the maps and anchor the segment. Even though I practiced using the screen a few times before my hit time, the touch screen didn't really cooperate with me once I was live. As you'll see below, I stumbled a little but think I did OK for my first time!

10/23/09 Anchor, First View World News, KOMU 8 from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

Saturday I did my first reporting shift. Usually Saturday is a slow news day but since it was Mizzou's Homecoming I got to cover the parade in the morning. It was a really fun story to shoot and I talked to so many passionate alumni that came back just for Homecoming. Once the parade was over I headed back to the station to edit my package for the 6 o'clock news.

10/24/09 MU Homecoming Parade PKG from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

I had to finish editing early so I could go help another reporter, my friend Beth, who was covering the Clinch murder trial at the Courthouse in downtown Columbia. She was doing a live on-set for the 6 so I went to sit in at the trial and sent her updates via text message so she could have the latest news for her report. A verdict wasn't reached by the time the 6 o'clock news started, but we had breaking news for the 10 o'clock as the defendant was found guilty of first degree murder.

Saturday is just an example of why I love the reporting profession. One minute I am interviewing alumni about why Homecoming is an important tradition, and the next I'm sitting in a court room listening to the prosecuting attorney make her closing argument in a murder case. So much excitement!

Could students save newsrooms?

2009-10-20T05:39:00.002-07:00

On October 18, the New York Times announced it will be cutting 100 newsroom jobs due to "industrywide declines in advertising revenue." The announcement came today from a number of sources, like this article from the Huffington Post: "New York Times To Cut 100 Newsroom Jobs." The Times has the largest staff of reporters and editors of any newspaper, but now 8 percent of jobs will be cut.

Photo Courtesy George H. Mow at AMEC Construction Management

The announcement came on the same day that David Carr, of the New York Times wrote an article about options for newsrooms to survive the current crisis. Carr's article, "A Newsroom Subsidized? Minds Reel" discusses six recommendations made by Leonard Downie Jr., executive editor of the Washington Post for 17 years, and Michael Schudson, a professor at the Columbia University Journalism School, to save newsrooms. The report is called, "The Reconstruction of American Journalism" which they say is necessary since, "the current advertising model won't continue to support the so-called accountability of journalism."

A shocking statistic brings light to just how bad a turn newsrooms have taken: in 1971 there were 40,000 newspaper editorial employees in the United States. Now, almost 40 years later and after newsroom positions reached 60,000 in 1992, newspaper editorial employee numbers are "back to 40,000 in 2009, with no real bottom in sight."

Because newspapers can't earn the same amount of money from advertising on the web as in print, profits are nonexistent and more and more people are unsubscribing, instead turning to the web for free news.

That's why Downie and Schudson propose these six solutions:
1. tinker with the tax structure to accommodate nonprofit status for news-gathering organizations
2. persuade philanthropic foundations to fill the funding gap in more permanent ways
3. involve universities in news gathering
4. open up databases to make them more useful for both pro and pro-am efforts
5. reorienting public radio and television to provide local news
6. government could fund local news

The last two suggestions are the most shocking to me, while the idea of involving universities in the news gathering process seems like a pretty solid idea. I know firsthand that journalism students are eager and competitive. Even though the numbers show we may not have jobs to apply for when we graduate, journalism remains a desirable major full of passionate students. Upper level students could compete for internships that would allow them a more hands-on experience than some internships offer. Instead of getting coffee and simply witnessing, student interns could serve as real, temporary employees, working for free but trying to impress the newsroom for a chance at one of the rare available jobs. This is similar to the competition that already exists, but newsrooms would be able to select candidates based on their samples and could work with them for a semester or even a year, instead of just a summer. Real-world experience is extremely valuable for the student and the employer would benefit too by getting essentially free labor.

Students in the newsroom could work for both the print medium and the broadcast medium. I think this option is a lot better than having the government financially support local broadcast news, even if Downie says, "it can be done with safeguards to ensure that the government doesn't become the yard boss of what constitutes worthy news."

VO Patrol: Columbia Man Stabbed After Jukebox Dispute

2009-10-18T20:59:00.002-07:00

On Wednesday I completed my first shift at KOMU. Although I arrived with three stories to pitch for my VO Patrol, overnight breaking news happened: a man in Columbia was stabbed 6 or 7 times before being taken to the hospital. 50-year-old Mark Hamlett stabbed the unnamed victim and was taken into custody by the Columbia Police Department at the scene. I called the Columbia PD for more information before I headed out the newsroom door. The stabbing happened at a bar called the Black and Gold Bar. I had never heard of it and couldn't find an exact address online and nobody answered the phone at the bar, probably since it was only 9AM. I hopped into a KOMU car after carefully checking that all of my camera equipment worked properly, and went to the area where the bar was supposed to be. I spotted a small building that had no sign, but was painted black and gold. I assumed this was the building but first checked with the Police Department to be sure. After getting some shots of the outside of the building, I went to the police station to interview Detective Jeff Westbrook. You can watch Angie Bailey and Sarah Hill anchor the story I wrote and edited for the 5 o'clock newscast:

Columbia Man Stabbed After Jukebox Disagreement from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.
This is from my first VO Patrol shift at KOMU-8 News.

My web story from KOMU.com

An unnamed Columbia man ended up in the hospital this morning after being stabbed in a bar fight.

Columbia Police arrived at the Black and Gold Bar around 1 o’clock this morning. The Black and Gold Bar is located on the East end of the Business Loop.

According to Detective Jeff Westbrook, a fight broke out after two men began arguing over music playing out of the jukebox. Mark Hamlett, a 50-year-old Columbia man stabbed the victim six to seven times, police say.

When police did arrive on the scene, witnesses pointed to Hamlett who was sitting in his car in the parking lot next to the bar.

Hamlett was arrested and charged with three counts, including first and second-degree assault and armed criminal action.

The victim is currently in stable condition.

---------------

This week I also anchored the morning cut-ins on Friday, October 16:

KOMU-8 News, Cut-Ins Anchor 10/16/09 from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

Proposal forcing homeless into shelters causes controversy in Vancouver

2009-10-05T21:17:00.001-07:00

In January I will head to Vancouver, Canada to work for NBC's TODAY Show during the Winter Olympics. After a fabulous summer with TODAY in New York, I am ecstatic to be joining them once again.

I've never been to Vancouver, but have been reading the Vancouver 2010 Blog to stay updated on what is going on in preparation for the games. After reading a post titled, "Homeless to be jailed for Olympics?" I decided to read the article attached.

The article is from The Globe and Mail and is titled, "B.C. wants to force homeless into shelters in extreme weather." My first thought: OK, not as harsh sounding as "jailed" but after reading the article and the comments from the public, I realized many in Vancouver were not pleased with this potential legislation.

A homeless person sleeps on a Vancouver street as the temperature

dips well below freezing in this December, 2008, file photo.

Lyle Stafford for The Globe and Mail

The legislation would allow authorities in British Columbia "to compel homeless people to go to shelters or even jail during extreme cold- or wet-weather periods." The Olympics will be from February 12 to 28, typically a chilly time in Vancouver. David Eby, the executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, feels that the problem of homelessness has been ignored for seven years, and now that the Olympics are around the corner, Housing Minister Rich Coleman is trying to change things.

The law would essentially give police officers the authority to force homeless people into shelters during extreme weather, constituted by "low temperatures or extensive rain." Although I would guess people sleeping on the streets would be happy to escape the cold, the article points out "the Charter of Rights issue of whether you can force into a shelter someone who chooses to stay out on the street." Technically, people have a right to stay on the streets if they so desire.

Homelessness is a problem in many cities, including Mizzou's home, Columbia, MO. Sometimes I wish I could offer the people curled in a ball on the sidewalk a place to sleep. The article does a good job of raising both sides of a controversial issue. Yes, it seems fair that a city should be able to offer a place for their citizens to sleep, but is it too forceful for the officials to be able to jail them? The article left me with questions about crime in Vancouver. Do the homeless contribute to crime rates? Are they causing any problems in the city, or just taking up room?

The proposed bill is an "exposure bill," or a bill that will be tabled until responses are gathered from people in the community. The article points to several issues that could raise controversy, such as police liability and ensuring citizens' rights are upheld, which is why British Columbia's Housing Minister, Rich Coleman, has his work cut out for him in the coming months. Although Coleman says the proposal has nothing to do with the upcoming Olympics, people have questioned the timing of the announcement.

Cutting-In

2009-10-04T15:52:00.002-07:00

On Wednesday I anchored the morning cut-ins during the breaks of NBC's TODAY Show. Here they are:

Anchor, KOMU-8 News, Cut-Ins, 9/30/09 from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

How do you like my new blue jacket? Is it sad that I now get more excited about buying a great pant suit than anything else?

Safety, efficiency encouraged in trash pickup proposal

2009-10-04T15:20:00.002-07:00

Finding a story that affects people emotionally is difficult, and oftentimes that is what I look to do. But, I have learned that a good story is not always about making people laugh or cry, it is about informing. I stumbled upon a "Trash Pickup Survey" on the city website for Kirksville, MO. After looking through the survey and learning that the city was considering changing to a tiered pricing for trash pickup, I thought it may be something worth investigating. Plus, people are always concerned about how their wallet will be affected.

So, last week I drove two hours North of Columbia to Kirksville. I interviewed Brad Selby, the Code Administrator for Kirksville, and the author of the new trash proposal. I pre-interviewed him in his office so I could get the facts straight before flipping the camera to record. In the past, I would just record an entire interview, making it difficult to sift through for good soundbites in the editing phase. Pre-interviewing made it much easier for me during the editing phase, and I took detailed notes during the pre-interview so I could use that information to rephrase questions while I recorded.

After I left Brad's office I went to meet up with Friday's trash collectors. Kendall Williams is the driver and route manager for Veolia Environmental Services. He's been collecting trash for 23 years and was full of information. I tried to narrow my focus with him, too. I wanted to ask him about his opinion on Brad's proposal. Essentially, Brad wants to offer two trash cans, a large (96 gallon) and a small (36 gallon) at two different prices. As my conversation with Kendall went on, I realized he was interested in the proposal because of the safety benefits it would offer his drivers and trash collectors. The new cans will be able to be lifted automatically into the back of trash trucks. Currently, residents in Kirksville may have any type of can in the 30-gallon range, but they cannot be lifted automatically into the trucks. Therefore, drivers have to jump on and off the back to make the collection process efficient. The new cans would have wheels and handles, but it's the automatic lifting that would make it easier on the drivers.

When I got back to the broadcast lab, I struggled putting into words what I had seen and heard in Kirksville. My best video was of the trash collectors in action. I had wonderful sound and pictures; it was morningtime so the lighting was great. I did not want to just outline Brad's proposal in my package because I did not have video to match.

Instead, I opted to tell the trash story through the eyes of the trash collectors. I had spoken with a couple residents, but truthfully, none of them seemed to know or care much about their trash system. When I told them the prices would increase, they seemed to care more, but, since the proposal hasn't passed I had no exact numbers and could only say something to the effect of: "Prices would increase...".

This story taught me the power of finding a good CCC (central compelling character) from which to tell a story through. If I could show viewers why these new trash cans would be safer for trash collectors, maybe they would be inclined to go to their city's website and take the survey. As a journalist, that is my job: to give people information so they can make informed decisions.

Here is my story. Please, leave your comments below!

Trash Pick-Up Proposal in Kirksville from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

While this story is not necessarily exciting, I think it demonstrated to my professor (and myself) that I am capable of being a reporter. After this story (my third for the class) I have been cleared to work at KOMU-8 as a reporter. When I found out I was uncontrollably happy, excited, relieved and every emotion in between. Though I'll be reporting "for real" now, I still want to take with me what I've learned in class: research good story ideas well in advance, give people the time they deserve, and understand the main point of a story. In class, we technically had a week to turn our stories, but at KOMU we have one day. With that in mind, I want to be sure I take my foundation from the classroom to the newsroom.

I will still post all my stories here on my blog, but if you live in Mid-Missouri, be sure to watch KOMU-8 News at 5, 6 and 10.

Botox Party Hits Mid-Missouri

2009-09-22T00:17:00.005-07:00

PACKAGE REFLECTION
One of the most difficult parts of the broadcast process for me is finding a good story idea. I often find the best stories when I’m not looking for them. Last week I was getting my hair done by a new hairstylist named Steve. Being a journalist, I love talking to people even when I have foils in my hair. Steve is easy to talk to and quickly told me about his love for Botox. I was shocked! Isn’t Botox taboo? Isn’t Botox for women? Steve said no to both. He told me “everyone” gets Botox. I am from California where Botox is prevalent, and noticeably so. Here in mid-Missouri I didn’t think it was so common.

I was proven wrong when I attended a Botox Party in Columbia. I found out about the party while listening to a local radio station. Once I decided this would be my story, I started making phone calls. I contacted the party host, Dr. Mica Newman and asked for permission to attend the party and film the event. I was surprised when she told me she would be doing two Botox injections in the Stoney Creek Hotel conference room, where the party would be held. But, I also knew I would have great video. I knew I would hear a lot of positives about Botox from Dr. Newman, and probably from the people who would be at the event. So, I called other dermatologists and plastic surgeons in Columbia. Dr. Lindall Perry agreed to meet with me. I arranged my interview with Dr. Perry after the Botox Party so I could describe what I had seen and ask what his opinion on the topic was.

After finishing all my interviews, I thought about what topic I wanted to center my story around. I had several options: 1) Nationally, Botox has increased every year since 2000 and is currently the number one aesthetic procedure in the country. 2) Dr. Mica Newman is trained as an OBGYN, yet she's giving Botox injections and has a two Cosmetic Enhancement offices in Missouri. 3) Safety aspects of Botox Cosmetic and how Botox is used for both cosmetic and medical reasons. In the end I decided to emphasize the fact that this was a Botox Party, not something you hear about everyday, especially not in Mid-Missouri. I was able to incorporate some of the other topics, without going into too much detail.

Check out my package below, and let me know what you think:

Botox Party Hits Mid-Missouri from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.

Package #2 for Broadcast News

In the future, I want to do a story on doctors that train in one field and switch to another. I find it very interesting that a doctor who once delivered babies is now giving Botox injections. I think I will need longer than 1:30 for that story, so I am considering researching the topic for a long-form story.

JOURNALISTIC REFLECTION
Sometimes I wonder what it is that makes me want to be a journalist, especially at a time when the profession is become less and less stable by the day. I came across this article ("A Blogger Makes a Pitch for Supporting Print" by Stephanie Clifford) in the New York Times. It discusses Andrew Sullivan's recent blog post on The Atlantic website. Sullivan wrote how he was thankful publications like The Atlantic still existed after the magazine published the word "Torture" on it's cover, referencing an article Sullivan wrote where he makes the claim, "... that someone at some point needs to take full responsibility for the torture and abuse era of 2002 - 2009." The topic is controversial and as Sullivan states, "In this economic climate, especially with old media in crisis, a decision like that is understandably making some general interest magazines an endangered species."

Sullivan made a request: he asked his readers to buy a copy of the magazine, or order a subscription, instead of reading the article for free online, which he graciously provided a link for. The New York Times reported that, "Within two days after last Monday's post, Mr. Sullivan's appeal pulled in 75 percent of the subscriptions that the Web site draws in a typical month..." I found this to be interesting, and quite frankly, surprising. But, it gave me hope for my future as a journalist, it made me realize people to listen, read, watch and want to know about the news. Sullivan agrees and points out people are willing to care enough about the media, if the media, "... say the hard things and do the uncommercial things." While I do not think the media should do "uncommercial things" just for the sake of doing them, I do believe journalists of all mediums have a responsibility to the public to not only give a voice to the voiceless and analyze health care bills, but media people need to critique, or more accurately, provide an outlet for common people to critique.

When I watch the news today, it is hard to tell sometimes what the point of a story really is, or why a certain person is being interviewed. There is so much going on every day, and a lot of it is very complex. The media has several mediums through which to explain difficult topics, and it is our job to help the audience understand the issues so they can make informed decisions on their own. This article made me think about the role of journalists in the wake of so much change, especially with the internet. The internet can be used to the media's advantage, as proven by Sullivan's granted blog request.

The People's Kitchen

2009-09-16T13:13:00.002-07:00

As a journalist it is important to not get too involved, or too attached to a story. As a person, it is hard not to sometimes. In class we are reading "It Takes More Than Good Looks" by Wayne Freedman. Wayne is an exceptional reporter for the ABC affiliate in San Francisco, KGO and happens to live in my hometown of Marin County. In his book, he writes, "The people in our stories speak to the viewers through us [journalists]." This is something I tried to succeed in doing for my first package of the year. As you'll see, I have room for improvement.

My story is centered around Eduardo Crespi, a man from Argentina who now lives here in Columbia, Missouri. He founded the Centro Latino, which aims to provide "... Assistance to immigrants as they become acclimated to their new environment with its different laws customs, and language." As an extension of the Centro, and in the interest of health, Eduardo decided to open a vegan restaurant in the neighborhood where many immigrants and low-income families live. There are two twists to the story: the restaurant will double as a teaching kitchen where customers can learn about vegan food and how to cook it. The second twist, and what I focus my story on, is that the community has played a role in helping Eduardo open up his dream business. It's called the Comedor Popular, which in Spanish translates to the "People's Kitchen/Diner." Watch my package below:

The People's Kitchen - 9/14/09 from Paige Hansen on Vimeo.
Broadcast News: Package #1

My main problem with this story was fitting all the information into the allotted one minute and thirty seconds. My professor, Greeley Kyle, gave me some great tips yesterday when he critiqued my package in class. Some of the criticism I knew was coming. For example, a lot of my shots were shaky and my video was not the most appealing. I am not making excuses for myself, but as you can tell from my story, there was not much video I could get. I was thankful that Eduardo likes to take pictures and took some during the renovation process when volunteers helped to gut the building because I was able to add them into my story (thanks for the suggestion, Mom!).

I know I have a lot to learn, which is why I am excited to get started on my next package. All I am going to say is that it's a story on Botox ... you'll have to check back next week to see how it pans out!

"If Facebook were a country ...

2009-09-14T22:52:00.004-07:00

... it would be the fourth largest in the world." I learned this today in one of my classes and thought it pertained to my life, my generation, and my major. Lately I have been living, dreaming, breathing and sleeping broadcast, but I love it! I thought I would have trouble adjusting to being back in school after being gone for so long, but truthfully it has been easier than I anticipated. That being said, I am working extremely hard and sleeping very little. Thank goodness for coffee!

This morning I woke up at 5AM to head to the KOMU8 News station. I love anchoring the morning cut-ins, which air during the breaks of the Today Show. On Mondays I also anchor the Noon Show online. It is posted to www.KOMU.com everyday from noon until 3PM central time. Be sure and check the site on Mondays when I anchor.

Here are my cut-ins from September 14, 2009:

Check my blog tomorrow to watch my first package for Broadcast II. It's about a local man who is opening up a vegan restaurant that has a little something extra for the community ...

XOXO,

Back to Broadcast

2009-08-26T20:40:00.008-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I am finally back at Mizzou after being gone for nine months. Now that I am back, I almost feel like I never left. I have to pinch myself to remember all the places I've been and all the experiences I've had the past few months. But, being a student at Mizzou again feels great! It has been so nice to see all my friends and I'm loving getting more involved in my broadcast news classes.

This morning I anchored the local news, called "cut-ins," during the breaks of NBC's TODAY Show for KOMU-8, our NBC affiliate here in Columbia. I have so much fun being on camera but know I have a lot of work to do in terms of improving to a professional level. I wanted to share my first one of the semester with you. Let me know what you think!

Starting next week I will be writing reflections about different stories I see or read for my Broadcast 2 class. I'll also be posting my own stories I do both for class and for KOMU-8 News. If you have any story ideas regarding Mid-Missouri, be sure and let me know!

My Last Days at TODAY

2009-08-12T19:25:00.011-07:00

All of the TODAY interns with Matt Lauer.

My last day at The TODAY Show was filled with both smiles and tears, but I truthfully did not have enough time to realize I was actually leaving New York. I feel like I have been on a high speed train since last summer when I traveled to Beijing, China to work as a media volunteer during the Summer Olympics. After just one semester at good ole Mizzou, I headed home to the Bay Area to be with my family and friends, and to intern for the CBS affiliate in San Francisco, KPIX. From there I flew to Florence, Italy to study Italian language, culture and culinary arts. My time in Europe was full of adventurous travels, great food and wonderful new friends, but I was anxious to hear about where I would end up interning that summer. I have never been more excited than when I first got the e-mail from Adam Miller, then just an unknown link to the world of The TODAY Show, and now one of my dear friends. My summer at TODAY was everything I anticipated it to be and more. I had my days where I really struggled and questioned why I really wanted to be in broadcast journalism, but I would always be quickly reminded just how much I wanted to be a part of the crazy media world when I would answer a call at the TODAY front desk phones and listen to a viewer tell me how a segment changed his or her life. I was inspired again while helping coordinate guests to come from the other side of the country to share their story with the one and only, Matt Lauer, and the rest of America.

I cannot exactly pinpoint just one highlight from my summer internship. It could have been the first shoot I got to go on, which was shot at Kathie Lee Gifford's home in Connecticut and featured chef, Curtis Stone. Cooking is one of my passions and it was wonderful to see the behind-the-scenes of a cooking segment. Or maybe it was while screening footage for a producer. I came across a story I remember watching several years back when Ann Curry grew her hair out to donate for Locks of Love. I remember nearly crying watching it when it originally aired in 2005 while Katie Couric was still hosting the show. When I watched it again this time, tears filled my eyes once more. While I was watching, my friend Jennie, a producer for the show walked in and asked if I liked the segment, and I told her that I did. She then told me that she had done that piece. It was so amazing to me to be sitting next to the producer who had made such a touching and emotional piece. I have attached the segment below and if you've never seen it, definitely take a look:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Another highlight was getting an e-mail from A.M. in the A.M. the other day telling me to check out the allDay Blog. I have been helping all summer with the Getting To Know Today segments which are posted weekly on TODAY's website. I am particularly proud of this week's posting because I really got to have a heavy hand in crafting it and in writing the blog. Adam even posted my name next to his at the bottom:

Getting to Know Today: "Which TODAY Anchor Would You Bring With You to a Deserted Island?"

It was very hard for me to leave New York and The TODAY Show, but I feel like my whirlwind journey is coming full circle now as I just found out that I will be joining the NBC team again to work as an intern and runner at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which are just six months away. If you missed the revealing of TODAY's home during the games, I attached the video, which aired yesterday, below:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

So even though I have left TODAY for now, I know I am not gone for long. And I am beyond excited to get back to Mizzou and see all of my great friends and start up with my classes. I will be taking Broadcast II and Broadcast III, which means I will get the chance to report from the station, KOMU-8 News.

Beside my internship this summer, I also took a class from a Mizzou professor who was staying in New York. Her sister helped start a new radio station called AIR: Art International Radio. I did a podcast for the station where I interviewed my TODAY Show advisor, and friend, Bei Aixinjueluo. Check it out below:

My Podcast for Art International Radio

Bei and me doing our interview at Art International Radio studios in SoHo.

My summer has been fabulous and I am enjoying the last few days of it with my family in Lake Tahoe. I will be sure and put up some stories from my backpacking experience in Desolation Wilderness and from our week of water skiing and wake boarding!

Missing New York but eager to get back to the Midwest :)
XOXO,
P

Early Morning Extravaganzas

2009-08-01T14:15:00.005-07:00

Hi Everybody!

This past week was one of the best weeks I've had at TODAY this summer. It was jam-packed with early mornings, which meant I got to see more of the live production side of the show. Tuesday I shadowed in the control room. Aside from my task of getting coffee for the producers and controllers in the room, I got to listen and watch as producers made quick decisions, changed segment timing or prepped a reporter on location for their upcoming live shot. It is a very exciting room to be in during the broadcast, especially!

Me, Patrick Young, and Carly Green in the TODAY Show offices.

Thursday was another exciting day because I got to help with a live segment out on the Plaza. It was so muggy out and the segment was a rib cook-off. I felt so badly for the chefs standing over their BBQ's, sweating. But, it was so much fun to see the whole segment come together. The chefs arrived at 4:45AM to start prepping all their food and by the time I arrived around 6:30 they had already finished a lot and were getting their makeup done to be camera-ready. I helped by informing them of their hit times, when they would be on camera and assisting the producer, Sarah Clagett, with any last minute changes. Check out the segment below:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Friday was the earliest day of the whole week, but also the most fun. I arrived at 4:15AM and headed straight for the main green room, which had been completely closed off for the Kings of Leon. They performed on the plaza yesterday and were quite a hit. In fact, there were more ticket requests than any other band all summer. I felt lucky to be a part of the production. I mostly helped get the band anything they needed and ran around with the producer MaryAnn Zoellner to be sure everything ran smoothly. I couldn't get over all the fans on the plaza, standing and waiting for the Kings of Leon to perform, even through the rain! It was a great performance though, here is part of the concert from Friday's show.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

After work finished, I went with some of my fellow interns and our supervisor, Bei, to a karaoke restaurant. We had a private room and sang our hearts out to everything from Britney Spears to Journey. Some of the interns left yesterday but most of us, including me, don't leave until next week. This summer has just gone by too fast!

Me and Patrick at karaoke with our intern supervisor, Bei (left).

Something I work on every week is this online segment called "Know Today" available on the allDay Blog. I assist "A.M. in the AM," the producer and creator of the segment by pulling clips, editing it all together on Avid and putting on the final touches, such as selecting music. The segment is a wonderful way for TODAY's audience to get to know the anchors. Check out our most recent segment where the anchors answered the question: If you could have a cup of coffee with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I will be sure to keep everyone posted about my last week in New York. In exactly a week from today I will be back in San Francisco. I can't believe it's been eight months since I've been home, and over nine months since I'e been in Columbia, MO for school!

Here I am with Bryan West, another intern for TODAY on Studio 1A at the main anchor desk.

XOXO,

Blatantly Blading

2009-07-25T21:35:00.004-07:00

Last week I was asked to do something I haven't done since fourth grade, and do it on live TV: rollerblade. Tori Spelling guest hosted with Kathie Lee Gifford and they played a "quiz-show" style game about calories consumed and calories burned. Apparently, you have to rollerblade for three hours to burn off a chocolate milkshake. I donned a pair of rollerblades to make the point:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

In other news, I am really looking forward to next week because I get to shadow the control room. I will be getting picked up for work around 5:30 almost everyday this week so I'm trying to lay low this weekend. On Thursday my job will be to help out the producer for "Ambush Makeover," one of my favorite segments where beauty expert, Jill Martin, completely revamps two TODAY audience members from head to toe. Be sure to tune in to see how it all turns out.

XOXO,
P

I'll Sign Autographs Later

2009-07-11T09:43:00.006-07:00

Happy Weekend!

Yesterday I had a great day at The Today Show ... I got to be on camera AGAIN! This time, it was live and another intern and I got to model "smocks," or stylish aprons, during the hour with Hoda and Kathie Lee. It was so much fun being up there with the two of them. I thought I would be nervous on live television but the studio is small and filled with people I see around the office everyday, so I actually felt pretty calm. And, Hoda and Kathie Lee make everyone feel at ease with their humor!

Enjoy the clip below:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Every week at Today I work on a fun project with a producer named Adam. He developed the "Getting to Know Today" series for the Today Family Blog. It has become very popular and I am so happy to be a part of the process. Check out our latest one below. It answers the question: How did Matt Lauer really hurt his arm?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

On another note, it is finally sunny in New York, so I'm off to enjoy some shopping in SoHo and maybe a picnic in Central Park later in the day! Have a good weekend, everyone.

XOXO,
P

Check me out on TODAY ...

2009-07-09T13:10:00.007-07:00

Hi Everyone!

First off, I apologize for not updating in a while. Between working five days a week and trying to catch up on sleep and explore New York on the weekends, I haven't had much time to fill my loved ones in about my life. To sum things up, everything is absolutely wonderful. I cannot believe I only have one month left in New York, but I am putting that thought out of my mind and trying to enjoy every last New York minute.

Above is a picture of me with my fellow Today Show interns. I feel so lucky to be making great friends while I am having these wonderful opportunities at NBC.

One such opportunity happened today: A segment aired on the fourth hour of TODAY and I got to be a part of the pre-production! The piece featured a new purse that is equipped with a built-in DVD player, of all things. Adam Miller was the producer for the segment and asked me and a couple other interns to fill in alongside Sara Haines.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Filming the segment in the TODAY Show offices was a blast and seeing myself on TV today was such a rush! It was very exciting for me and I wanted to share my moment with you all!

XOXO,
P

Subways of "Today"

2009-06-14T09:37:00.011-07:00

I am quickly learning that being in New York is improving my skills as a journalist more than I could have imagined, and I'm not just talking about while I am interning at The Today Show. New York is full of different types of people from all over the world, which has made my transition from Europe to the city unbelievably smooth. When I miss that delicious homemade pasta I enjoyed for five months in Italy, I just hop on the subway to Little Italy ... vuala! I'm back. Sometimes while riding the subway I forget where I am. Standing in the dimly lit trains, surrounded by strangers bopping their heads to their personal beats, gripping the same cold, dirty metal pole that I am, swaying uncomfortably to the strong forces of the screeching subway remind me of the power of humanity, the undeniably similar problems faced by all people, no matter if they're from Harlem or the Upper East Side. Though I have a love-hate relationships with getting onto the subways in the morning, I instantly switch from hate to love when I stride through the smelly underground pathways right past a talented musician who probably belongs more in a concert hall than a filthy tiled subway floor. The music is real in New York and even when I can't hear it, I try and remember the guy in the 14th Street-Union Square station who plays his guitar and sings because he has nothing to lose.

I try and think of all the people on the subway, making the same movements I do as the train comes to a harsh halt, when I am working at The Today Show. Part of the reason I am so drawn to journalism is because it reaches people everywhere and allows everyone with an opinion to respond, something I learned Friday after The Today Show invited Sarah Palin for an interview (see below) with Matt Lauer to discuss her recent feud with David Letterman concerning "inappropriate" comments he made regarding her family. Some of my fellow interns were working the desk and received a number of phone calls where people expressed their anger, happiness, frustration or concern for the story. It is a wonderful learning experience for us to be able to be the ones to handle our viewers' opinions because it teaches us about who the viewer audience is, and what is important to them.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Thursday of this week was a very exciting day for me. I woke up at 4AM because I was responsible for picking up guests who were going to be interviewed on the show that day. The story came out of Seattle and was being produced by NBC in Burbank, so I was responsible for corresponding with the guests and the producers in Burbank and in Seattle. I was so excited to be involved in the story about a mother and son who were separated 43 years ago and finally reunited. Watch the segment by Lee Cowan and the interview with Matt Lauer on the show below:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The best part for me was that I got to know the family before they were interviewed and then I got to stand in Studio 1A while Matt interviewed them. I am so impressed and inspired by his interviewing skills and loved watching as he made them feel comfortable with all the cameras and people around. His conversation with them seemed to flow effortlessly from the time they sat down to the time the cameras started and then stopped rolling.

During the 10 o'clock hour on Thursday, the story I helped with, which was filmed at Kathie Lee Gifford's home in Connecticut, aired. Check it out here:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

On Friday I arrived at The Today Show at 4:45AM, but I had no complaints because I got to help out with the Black Eyed Peas concert. My main role was to help escort guests to the right standing area, but I did get the chance to watch part of the concert and meet some of the band. They were incredibly nice and I loved listening to their music. If you haven't checked out the Peas' new album, be sure and download my favorite song, called, "I Gotta Feeling."

I still cannot get over all the amazing opportunities I've had in my first two weeks at Today. I can only dream about what the rest of the summer will bring!

XOXO,
P

New York, New York

2009-06-07T19:58:00.004-07:00

Ever since I landed in the states over a week ago I feel like I have been on a high speed whirlwind of adventures. I am just finally starting to settle into my life in New York and cannot begin to describe how much I love it here.

My friend Eliza, who is working for Dateline, and me in front of Rockefeller Plaza.

I started interning at The Today Show on Tuesday, June 2 so I wanted to give you some highlights from my week. The first day seems somewhat of a blur. I met the other interns, got a tour of Today's newsroom and even got to sit (or stand, rather) in on the story meeting for the next days show. It was so surreal for me being surrounded by the people that create America's #1 morning news show. The vibe in Jim Bell's office where the meeting was being held was strangely relaxed but when Mr. Bell called out a producers name for his or her story idea, they were ready.

On Wednesday I continued learning how to dub tapes. I thought that is what I would be doing for the remainder of the day until my supervisor, Bei told me I was going on a shoot with a producer. I had no idea what the shoot would be about and was beyond excited when I found out I was helping out with a segment featuring Curtis Stone, a contributor to the Today Show and star of the TLC show "Take Home Chef," one of my all-time favorites. Cooking is one of my greatest passions and to be able to work on a segment about cooking was more than exciting for me.

Thursday is when I truly fell in love with my job at Today. I got to go with another intern named Patrick to Kathie Lee Gifford's home in Connecticut to help shoot the second part of the segment with Curtis Stone. I don't want to spoil any surprises but be sure and tune into Today on Friday, June 12 during the 10 o'clock hour to check out the segment I got to help with.

I work five days a week at Today so by the time Friday rolled around I was ready to go to bed without having to set my alarm clock. Sleeping in isn't always an option in my apartment though; the city is always bustling with sounds of sirens, loud cars and voices. I absolutely love it though and am already dreading the day I have to say goodbye to the new friends I have already made and part ways with my cozy apartment that I have come to appreciate.

Here is a picture I took while walking in Central Park.

XOXO,
P

London Calling

2009-05-14T07:49:00.012-07:00

Sorry this post is so late, but I have to tell you all about one of my favorite weekends out of the four months I have been in Europe. I went to London (May 7-11), a city I had been to before but did not get to experience fully because I arrived with my family the day before the July 5, 2007 attack on London occurred. Nonetheless, I remember it as a beautiful city full of parks and good Indian food. This time, I enjoyed the parks a little bit more and took advantage of both the theater and nightlife, not to mention more Indian food.

After arriving late on Thursday night we took it slow on Friday mostly taking a walking tour of the city and going to the Tate Modern (so cool!) and getting soy lattes at Starbucks, something I miss more than I should.

We were able to snag some fairly cheap tickets to Les Miserables for Friday night. I was pleasantly surprised by our mezzanine level seats but I think Les Miserables would have been enjoyable and touching from any seat in the theater, it was just incredible.

Saturday we watched the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and strolled down Bond Street but the highlight of the day didn’t come until night. We had a great Indian dinner in Mayfair at Chor Bizarre and then headed for London’s Ice Bar called Below Zero.

Each reservation is just 45 minutes because it’s too cold to stay in any longer. The bar is not very big, which makes sense because the room is completely made of ice, including the tables and glasses. Before entering the bouncers place warm capes with fur over each person, which I found only help a little. We only stayed in for a half an hour but it was worth every lip-chattering moment.

On Sunday we woke up early and headed to Westminster Abbey for the Protestant service. The Abbey was stunning and I felt like I was transported back in time when the choir boys came out in their white and red robes and then the pastor followed by his assisting ministers. Having never been a very religious person, I was intrigued by the sermon on “new faith” because it really pertained to me. The singing and organ music gave me chills but it was truly the whole experience of being in such an historical place that was amazing.

After church, we hopped on the tube and went to Notting Hill for brunch and a little shopping at the Portobello Market. We ended up walking all the way back to Hyde Park before stopping to get some fruit at the Whole Foods Market (I miss it, too!) and lay out in the park. We got so lucky with the weather in London—I couldn’t believe I was warm in a skirt!

Dinner Sunday night was the best. It’s been four months since I have had my beloved sushi. Don’t get me wrong, I love Italian food, but how much pasta can a girl really eat? Sushi on the other hand, I could eat forever. We decided to go to Roka, a modern restaurant centered around a Robata grill. We were lucky to be seated at the smooth oak-topped bar with a perfect view of the sushi-rolling and fish-grilling. Everything at Roka was melt in my mouth yummy yet surprising and exotic all at once. We ordered a tuna tataki salad with apple mustard dressing to start and once the rolls started coming, we just couldn’t get enough. We had an adorable waiter from Poland who was nice enough to send us over some complimentary wine and sake. Later on he even sent us a kobe beef sushi. This may have been the best thing I have ever tasted. It was beef wrapped in typical sushi style with caviar on top. I’m not sure of the exact flavoring, I just know I couldn’t get enough of it, and that’s coming from a vegetarian.

I have never wanted to “accidentally” miss my flight more and stay in London forever, or at least for another few hours. But, this week I have had my finals and my mom and sister just arrived two days ago so it was back on the plane for me. London was perfect though and I cannot wait to return again one day. On Saturday I am joining the rest of my family in Barcelona where we are going to travel throughout Spain until May 25. Then it’s back to the states for me.

Ciao!
P

Cannoli-Munching and Cliff-Jumping

2009-05-06T00:49:00.020-07:00

This past weekend I went to Sicily with the Academic Field Trips program through my university here. I love going on the school-organized trips because it means that I get to sit back, relax and just enjoy the vacation. We did have two very long (about 13 hours!) overnight train rides, which weren't all that relaxing. Luckily I slept for most of it and when I woke up the next morning, I forgot about my sore back from sleeping on no more than a sheet-covered plastic board, and looked out at the beautiful ocean view right out my window.

Our first stop of the day was Taormina. After having an almond croissant and espresso at the train station our guide, Francesco, took us to a bakery famous for their excellent cannolis.

We even got to step inside the kitchen and watch them put the finishing touches on the creamy pastries. They were delicious, though I think the group was on a bit of a sugar high for the rest of the morning.

We walked around the town and saw the fountain in Piazza Duomo. I really liked the architecture of this hilly, seaside town. The fountain is Barocco style and was built in 1635.

The Public Gardens were very impressive mostly because of the massive Mediterranean vegetation that turned a typical park into a perfumed paradise complete with the most incredible view: miles of clear Mediterranean Sea and a stunning image of Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano. There was even smoke coming out from the top of the snow-capped mountain when we were there.

Afterwards we drove to a local public beach and got to soak up a little sun. I didn’t have a towel so I just laid down my dress and made-do. It was a little windy and slightly overcast, but some were brave enough to dive into the water amidst the jelly-fish ridden water! We once again loaded the double decker bus and headed for our hotel in Siracusa. All 40 of us had dinner at the hotel restaurant and went to bed early to get ready for the next days sightseeing.

On Saturday we woke up early and headed straight for the Neapolis Archeological Park where we saw the Greek Theater (Teatro Greco). The Italian Institute of Ancient Drama still performs classical plays in the theater during the summer months. Francesco said that any actor who is serious about drama comes here to train, including Al Pacino.

It was only 10AM by the time we left, but it was already getting pretty warm so we stopped at a “spremuta” stand for some fresh squeezed orange juice.

We kept walking and ended up at the Catacombs of San Giovanni where there are an estimated 20,000 different remains or tombs. It was sort of eerie heading down the stone staircase into the dirt-floored, stone-arched ceiling walkways. If I had been down there alone I would have been pretty afraid. It seemed like everywhere I turned there was another long, dark hallway that had ancient tombs molded into the sides. There were even bones just laying in crevices of the walls. I was really interested to learn that during Roman times in Siracusa Christians could not be buried within city limits, so they decided to sneak around the system and bury their dead underneath city lines. Clever.

After a lot of sightseeing we headed toward the water to get lunch in Siracusa’s old city. It was a beautiful town with a huge fish market.

I loved walking around and hearing old men yelling, “Fragole! Fragole!” (“Strawberries! Strawberries!”) at no one in particular or simultaneously smoking a cigarette and chopping fresh fish bare-handed. It was a smelly, yet amazing sight.

The highlight of my trip came after lunch and a granite dessert. I was hot and my feet were beginning to drag from walking all day but once Francesco told us we could get on a boat and go cliff jumping in the sea I perked up immediately. I didn’t have a bathing suit so I popped into a tourist store and bought a 5 Euro oversized t-shirt and changed into it on the boat. I started to get nervous riding out onto the water and seeing cliffs towering into the sky in the distance. The views were beautiful and the sky was clear, none of my surrounding felt real!

We pulled up near the cliff that we were to jump off of and taking the plunge off the boat may have been the hardest part. I leapt through the air into the chilly water in my giant t-shirt. Once I was in I knew there was no turning back. My breathing got fast-paced and heaving as I did a mixture of doggy-paddle and breast stroke to the sharp rocks. About 20 of us were climbing the rocks, and we all helped each other reach the top, an estimated 40 feet high.

When I reached the top I was shaking. I looked over the cliff and didn’t know if I could really free fall from the top of this cliff! Somehow I found the courage and plugged my nose and headed for the end of the rock. I can actually remember looking down into the water and thinking, “Why am I so high up!? Why am I doing this?” But then, my fear left and before I knew it I was under water trying to reach the surface. It was the best rush of my life!

When I got back to the boat I looked at the picture my friend took of me and could not help but laugh at my scrunched face and expanded t-shirt. It is just too funny to not share with you all!

I could not wait to get back and shower before heading out for dinner. We walked back into town and went to an outdoor lounge. I was surprised at how many people were out, young and old. It seemed as though the entire city was having a party.

The next morning we got to sleep in a little before heading to the beach again. Being extremely sensitive to the sun, I opted to go to the “famous fish lunch” I had been hearing about since arriving in Sicily. I am so glad I did. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had, seriously, how many times have I said that!?

Apertif: An assortment of seafood. My faves were the octopus salad and pistachio crusted cod!

Primo piatti: Orechiette pasta with sea urchin sauce.

Secondo piatti: King Prawns, Cod and Swordfish.

Dessert: White cake filled with a typical cannoli filling.

After lunch we headed back to Messina to board our train for Florence. A mere 13 hours later we arrived. Sicily was absolutely amazing and I’m thankful I have been able to spend my last three weekends in different parts of Italy. This weekend I am going to London for my last weekend trip of the semester. I really can’t believe it is coming to an end already.

Ciao!
P

Handmade Shoes and Beautiful Views

2009-04-27T10:21:00.017-07:00

This weekend was full of beautiful sights and early mornings, two things I love. On Friday morning three of my friends and I met 60 other students and five of our teachers to head to southern Italy. We loaded the bus and I almost instantly fell asleep, it was still dark outside, after all. Six hours later we arrived in Naples to see a few sights and eat pizza since Naples is home to the best in Italy. My first impression of Naples was just that it was a big, fairly dirty city with extraordinary views. I am definitely glad to have seen Naples but think it is was a perfect day-trip stop.

From Naples our big bus wound through the narrow roads surrounded by the lush, green hills of the Amalfi Coastline. We passed through lemon tree orchards and white wine vineyards. The white of the rocky coast withstood the harsh waves of the clear, blue water, creating a perfect picture that will forever remain in my memory. The road was a little bit scary, however my eyes were fixated on the sun melting into the blue horizon and my surroundings were just too beautiful for me to feel any fear.

When we arrived at our hotel in Maori we had only an hour to shower and change for dinner. All 60 of us paraded down the sidewalks of Maori and huddled into a restaurant where I’m pretty sure we took up almost every seat in the house. The food was nothing special, but the dessert was excellent: a tiramisu cake! YUM.

After dinner we wandered the town in search of some sort of bar or discotec where we could all hangout. To our surprise, there was just one bar open in the whole town. Luckily it was nice enough to sit outside because the bar was not big enough for even half of us. I didn’t stay very long because the next morning we had to be ready to go by 7:30AM.

Saturday morning I woke up around 6:30AM and got ready to head to Capri by ferry. It was nice being up early because I got to witness the beautiful view from our balcony.

After breakfast we loaded onto a small boat and rode on the crystal blue water to catch another ferry, which would take us to Capri. The views on the way were too beautiful for words, so here are some pictures I took along the way:

We arrived in Capri at 11AM and got right onto another boat, this time a smaller one with a tour guide who was going to show us the caves of the island. The Blue Grotto was the most impressive; there was a hole in the bottom of the misshapen rock, allowing you to see a bright blue, almost turquoise light shining beneath. We rode under the archway of the huge rocks that form the symbol of Capri.

When we got off the boat, my body was covered in sea salt and I could even taste it in my hair when I showered later that night! We went for a late-ish lunch in Capri where I had a very delicious seafood spaghetti, my new favorite food

and a plate of paranza, deep fried fish, calamari and shrimp.

Some of them were a little scary looking and I swear one of them had to have been a lizard! But, I was very proud that I cleaned the fish off its bones myself.

It is impossible to not fall in love with Capri just walking around its narrow, quaint and elegant streets. The shops there, like the people that filled them were incredibly posh and sophisticated. Fresh lemon granita was everywhere and the gardens overlooking the water smelled like Heaven on Earth. I felt like I just couldn’t soak everything up in time!

Capri is famous for their handmade sandals and I decided I just had to have a pair of their leather, gladiator-style flats that lace halfway up my calves. The family-owned sandal shop was tiny and filled to the brim with various types of sandals and different colored leather straps. I picked a brown and a bronze color and then had them specially fit to my foot and handcrafted right in front of me. I love them!

With my new shoes on, I headed back to the ferry terminal to go back to Maori. We had to rush to get ready for dinner and by the time we got to the restaurant I was starving. For the second time that day, I had seafood pasta. I just can’t get enough of it! I’m pretty sure being a mussel-lover runs in my family.

The next morning we woke up early again and boarded the bus for Pompeii. The drive was beautiful, even though it was a bit overcast. Pompeii was absolutely incredible. The city was uncovered after being covered in lava and ash. It remains pretty much intact after undergoing massive preservation. The most interesting things were the mummified bodies and the ancient baths. I was really surprised to learn that there were lead pipes in the ground even before Christ. The Pompeian’s were much more advanced than I would have surmised.

Overall, I saw a lot in such a short time and experienced a little of everything: great seafood, beautiful views, handcrafted shopping, the beach and ancient ruins. I would name this my number one trip, however, next weekend I am heading to Sicily, which I’ve heard is even more amazing than the Amalfi Coast! Can’t wait!

Ciao!
P

Seafood and Coffee... For Breakfast?

2009-04-20T10:02:00.017-07:00

The last time I went to the Cinque Terre was four years ago with my family. It was July and it was incredibly hot and crowded, but beautiful nonetheless. This time, however, my Cinque Terre experience was cooler, calmer and even a little tastier.

My trip started on Saturday morning, bright and early. My two friends and I took the train from Florence to Vernazza and arrived by 10:30AM. We walked around searching for a hotel, but instead found a room to rent with the most beautiful view of the colored buildings, wooden boats and the water, which provided me with the perfect sound to fall asleep to that night.

We decided to hike from Vernazza to Monterosso even though it was a little overcast and potentially rainy. We bought ponchos and ate pesto pizza before we left for our hike.

The hike from Vernazza to Monterosso took about two and a half hours but it really didn’t even feel like a hike; there was a nice breeze and around every corner there was an even more beautiful view than the one before.

Once we reached Monterosso we treated ourselves to a big cone of gelato—this was the best I’ve had! There were so many flavor options and I always have trouble deciding so I asked the guy behind the counter to pick two flavors for me. I ended up with yogurt and mint chocolate chip, something I never would have picked for myself but was absolutely delectable!

We took the train back to Vernazza and showered before going out to dinner at Ristorante Belaforte, which is located up on a hill overlooking the beautiful ocean. When my dish arrived, I was so eager to eat it: a pile of thin spaghetti sparsely colored by red tomatoes and bright green parsley. On top of it all and hidden under some noodles was fresh seafood, including shrimp, clams and mussels. After my first bite, I fell in love with the simple, fresh flavor that required no cheese or salt.

I liked my dish so much that I returned the restaurant the next day to request the recipe. Instead of just handing me the recipe, the manager, Andrea, took me back into the kitchen and introduced me to the chef who in turn gave me a step-by-step lesson of how to make the “Spaghetti Bruno,” named after the owner. I asked if I could film it and they let me, so now I have the recipe to recreate forever! (Watch the video below.)

After he made it, they decided to give it to us, for breakfast! They made three cappuccinos and sliced some fresh bread for us to enjoy our seafood dish at 11AM. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me.

After our seafood and coffee breakfast, we took the train to Riomaggiore and explored the small shops in the quaint hillside village. We had to wear our ponchos all day because it was so rainy, but we managed to still have a great time. We went out to lunch before taking the train back to Florence and I can honestly say that the pesto I had in Cinque Terre deserves its' title of best pesto in Italy.

The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend for my trip to the Amalfi Coast, so I hope the weatherman is right!

Ciao!
P

Must be Springtime ... I have a flower in my hair!

2009-04-14T12:53:00.011-07:00

This past weekend was may have been the most relaxing I’ve had in a while, which was nice because it gave me time to reflect on the three months I have spent in Europe thus far. I cannot believe how fast my time here is going by and though there have been times that I have longed for a normal shower, one where I can spread my arms out or know that there will undoubtedly be hot water when I turn the faucet on, there has not yet been a day where I have wished to be back home. Of course, I have missed my family and friends, but with so much modern communication, I have never felt too far away from my loved ones.

Things I already know that I will miss about Florence are the simple daily challenges, like finding fresh tomatoes without being scammed just because I’m an American or walking past the Duomo on my way to class every morning. One of my favorite things about being in Europe is the ability I have to just hop on a train and be in a new city or even a new country in a few short hours. I love having the prospect of meeting someone in a restaurant that is from nowhere I have ever been or heard of before.

This weekend, four of my friends and I took a two hour train ride to Castelnuovo, a small town in the hills of Tuscany where we rented a villa in the mountains. I don’t know if I’ve ever witnessed greater beauty. The five of us stocked up on pasta, garlic, tomatoes and cheese and planned to spend our Easter weekend relaxing under the Tuscan sun with nothing but good food and wine to draw us into the house.

We slept in, went for long walks and even made Easter brunch. I whipped up some berry scones and we scrambled eggs to go along with our blood orange mimosas. The two oversized windows in our living/dining room let us look out over a little lake and part of the Alps that were still snowcapped. Our backyard was practically a vineyard with a pool, green grass, and a swing set complete with a seesaw.

One of my favorite things I did the whole time was go on a run by myself. I love getting lost and just exploring the new, unknown territory that surrounds me. With my iPod band on, I jogged through rolling green hills spotted with beautiful purple flowers. We were planning on making dinner all three nights, but when I stumbled upon probably the only restaurant in town, I decided to go in and look at the menu. The second I saw the chestnut ravioli for just six euros, I knew we would have to go to Villa delle Rose for dinner that night. It ended up being one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

My last four weeks in Europe are going to be busy, but I am going to try my best to not let them pass me by too quickly. I have so much to look forward to: Sicily, the Amalfi Coast, Pompei and London for my last weekend. Even though I get tired of packing my backpack and trying to navigate my way through a new city each weekend, I know there will never be another time in my life where I can say I went to Germany and Greece in the same week, just for fun.

Ciao a tutti!
Paige

We sought love, but found fish and chips

2009-04-09T07:35:00.016-07:00

This is long overdue, but I suffered some technical problems all last week, so here is my post from my weekend in Ireland (April 3-6). Better late than never!

Seeing pictures of a place before seeing it with your own eyes often sets one up for disappointment. Ireland had the reverse effect for me. Pictures of Ireland do not do the abnormally green hills and wide, dramatic sky justice. My weekend in Ireland was definitely a highlight of my entire trip so far. I traveled with a total of seven girls and I was a little worried that it would be difficult traveling with such a large group, but it seemed we were the lucky seven because everything just worked out for us.

We arrived on Friday morning after taking a bus from our apartment to the Pisa airport at 3:30AM. To be honest, Dublin did not impress me too much; it is a city by any other name. But, it was very comforting to hear people speaking English. We walked around Dublin in the morning and walked to the Guinness Factory, probably the main attraction in Dublin.

As we boarded the train to Kilkenny, just a two-hour ride from Dublin, it began to rain. All seven of us got off the train, opened our umbrellas and searched desperately for the Dunromin Bed and Breakfast. I was about to breakdown from carrying my heavy shoulder suitcase while simultaneously shielding myself against the rain, when out of nowhere we saw the sign for Dunromin. I knocked on the door and the most adorable woman named Val opened up the door and introduced herself. After discussing where to eat and what to do in Kilkenny over tea and crumpets with Val, we went upstairs to our bedrooms. The rooms were decorated with bright floral prints and when I sat down on the comfortable quilted bed top, I knew I would like Kilkenny.

The first night we went out to dinner for traditional fish and chips, so yummy! We stayed out late and went to three of the 78 pubs in Kilkenny, a high number for such a little town.

On Saturday morning we woke up and ate a delicious traditional Irish breakfast complete with homemade brown soda bread, baked tomatoes, fruit and eggs. After breakfast we went for a tour at Kilkenny Castle, a beautiful medieval castle set on 40 acres of the greenest grass I have ever seen. The Castle has an interesting history and is still very much a part of Kilkenny. When the Butler family had to sell the castle (for 50 pounds in 1967) they held an auction of some of the artwork and furniture in the castle. I asked Val about it and she said many people in Kilkenny still have original castle pieces in their homes.

After touring the castle we took a taxi to the countryside to go horseback riding. I have been horseback riding before, but never English-style. English-style riding is different from Western-style because it actually requires that you straighten your legs to rise off the saddle while galloping, not an easy task. The countryside was so beautiful and it was peaceful to be out of a bustling city for an afternoon. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the cobblestone streets of downtown Kilkenny.

At night we went out for a late dinner before going out for another night of pubs, Irish accents and live music.

The next morning Val made traditional Irish porridge for us and told us there was a hurling match and that the Kilkenny team is the hurling champion. None of us knew what hurling was but she said it is a very big deal to all Irish people and that that day’s match was a qualifying one. So we decided to stay a little later and go see the match.

I am so glad we stayed because it was so much fun. The 70 minute game was so exciting and the Irish were very entertaining observers. Fans of all ages cheered from the bleachers as the players ran with helmets and sticks, strategically picking the small ball up with their hand before hitting it with their sticks and aiming for the goal.

By the time 6PM rolled around, I was happy to have a nice, relaxing train ride back to Dublin. We went to a local grocery store before leaving Kilkenny and bought bread and a few different cheeses to have a picnic on the train.

It was a good thing we ate on the train because we did not get to our hotel in Dublin until 9PM. Even though we were beyond exhausted, we decided that we needed to enjoy our last night in Ireland to the fullest, so we went to a pub down the street from our hotel. I think going out at night in different countries is one of the best ways I have learned about all the different cultures I’ve been exposed to.

On Monday we had breakfast at our hotel and walked the streets of Dublin with our umbrellas open. I already miss the distinctive accents of the Irish people, the welcoming smiles you get everywhere you go and the yummy Irish soda bread served at every meal.

Cheers!
P

"You look like Feta cheese"

2009-03-30T08:20:00.023-07:00

For my spring break, I was imagining white beaches, clear blue water and a sunburn. I guess the Greek Gods had a little something different in mind. But, who says islands need to be warm to be fun?

On Monday afternoon my friend Kayla and I arrived in Athens, Greece and were greeted by some pretty chilly wind. But, we put on our unnecessary sunglasses and boarded the X95 bus that would take us right to the city center. After about an hour we disembarked and wheeled our suitcases around Athens until we finally decided to get a taxi to get to our hotel.

Our first day in Athens consisted of Greek salad, vegetarian gyros and a walk to the Acropolis. We asked a random man to take a picture of us from the top and he told me I looked like "feta cheese," hence the title of my blog.

My friend Mandy joined us in the evening and we all had dinner at a Greek restaurant and tried stuffed vine leaves, now one of my new faves!

The next morning we headed to Pireaus, the Port of Athens. We got a lot of funny looks on the subway because we wore sundresses, even though it was cold. We were insistent that the sun would come out and it would be warm! Having not planned exactly what islands we would go to once we got to Greece, we decided on Aegina.

We arrived to the beautiful, but mostly empty island and walked around before starting our search for a hotel, another thing we didn’t plan before leaving. It wasn’t hard to find one, but we wanted to find a decent one at a decent price. So we went to three before choosing one that offered three beds, a waterfront view and a balcony for 50Euro total. It was a steal!

The night on Aegina was probably the most fun. The Greeks eat very late at night and we followed suit, not heading out for dinner until 10 PM. One thing that truly bothered me about Greece: smoking. Cigarette smoking is still allowed indoors, including restaurants and bars, and it seemed like everyone in Greece was an addict. Despite the smoke, we enjoyed more Greek salad and the sounds of the Greek people next to us laughing and taking shots of Ouzo.

After dinner we went to one of the two bars open in Aegina. We walked in and immediately stood out as tourists. We looked around and saw nothing but Greeks of all ages, drinking beers, smoking cigarettes, dancing and laughing. March 25 marked Greece’s Independence from Turkey. It was a good night for us to be out because people were definitely celebrating. People bought us shots as we witnessed a circle form around one dancer at a time. Each dancer would do a little jig, then slide onto their knees, slam their hands down and then take a shot of ouzo. The high light was watching them smash a lit cigarette with their bare hands! Sparks would fly everywhere, the crowd would applaud and someone would pour champagne. It was like nothing I had ever seen before and was really cool to watch how excited and proud they were of their country.

The next day we headed for Poros, a beautiful island that reminded me a little of Sausalito, California (near where I am from). It was a little overcast so we checked into a hotel and went out for lunch. By the time we had finished some tzatziki and courgette balls, the rain had come and gone. The streets were empty and we were ready to explore. We passed by several cafes filled with locals smoking cigarettes and drinking Greek coffee, but the best views were of the water and surrounding mountains. The lighting was just perfect and made the buildings in the hills seem unreal.

For dinner we went to “Nektar,” a Spanish tapas restaurant with live music. We were expecting a little more of a crowd, but when we entered there was just one other table filled. The owner, Lamprou, came over and talked us through the menu, which was all in Greek.

I picked the seafood paella and we split some fried eggplant stuffed with goat cheese, yum! The guitarist sat on a stool in the corner of the restaurant and had the most beautiful singing voice ever.

Lamprou ran the restaurant with his girlfriend and the two gave us a tour of their kitchen and then asked me for advice on their website. Lamprou spoke Spanish (he is from Spain) so we communicated easily that way.

On Thursday we woke up early and bought our tickets to Hydra island, the only island without any cars.

Before leaving Poros we stopped for breakfast at a café and had the best thing ever: waffles with Greek yogurt, honey, nuts and fresh fruit. It was delicious and we were full for hours.

The first thing we saw on Hydra were the donkeys, which are used mainly for transporting luggage to hotels in the hills. However, we learned that they also gave rides to people. So, we hopped onto our donkeys and got led around Hydra by an old Greek man who spoke very little English. It was very relaxing and gave us a chance to see some of the hillsides without getting tired.

After our ride we walked up a hill and around a few bends before ending up in a tiny fishing village on the other side of the island. It was so silent that it was near eerie. The only noise came from an old man cleaning his boat on the small harbor, preparing for spring.

At the end of the day I was happy to get to relax on our one and a half hour ride back to Athens on the Flying Dolphin high-speed ferry.

The next morning we woke up early to go and see the Acropolis. I think it’s the most amazing monument I’ve seen thus far in Europe. I looked up “Acropolis” and it means “city on the edge” for a reason. From the expansive views to the centuries of history, I can safely say my 12 Euros spent to get into the Acropolis was well worth it. I also learned that the Parthenon was part of the Greek Panathenaea, basically the predecessor to the Olympic Games. That was really cool for me to see since I got to be involved with the Olympics this summer in Beijing.

After we saw the Acropolis we rushed back to our hotel, grabbed our suitcases and headed for the airport. We slid into our seats and were eager to spend the day in Rome. On the plane I sat next to the nicest woman ever, named Manuela. She lives in Rome but goes back and forth between Rome and Athens for work. After talking to her almost the entire plane ride about politics and economics she asked if we wanted a ride to the Coliseum. At first I said it was fine, but she said her company pays for it and before I knew it Kayla and I were in the back of a chauffeured Mercedes.

She dropped us off right in front of the Coliseum and from there we rushed around to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. We only had five hours total in Rome and after sightseeing for three of them we were ready for an early dinner.

We sort of lost track of time and had to run to catch a bus, to catch our train, to catch our plane. Unfortunately, we missed our train and thought we might miss our plane. We arrived at the Rome Airport at 9PM and our flight was supposed to leave at 9:30PM. Luckily (and unluckily) our flight was delayed. The problem was that it was delayed for four hours! We ended up not getting back to my apartment in Florence until 3:30AM. Needless to say, we were exhausted, but we had such a wonderful time and made so many great memories from our days in Greece.

Ciao!
P

Beer, pretzels and a little culture.

2009-03-21T23:36:00.016-07:00

I think back to when I was packing for Europe and how I pondered whether or not to bring my heaviest jacket. If I had not brought my fluffy black coat, I’m pretty sure I would have frozen in Munich, Germany this weekend, despite the fact that the day we arrived (Friday) marked the first day of spring.

When I got off of the overnight train in Munich my two friends and I had been on since 10PM the night before, we bought yet another train ticket to get onto yet another train. It was 6:30AM, dark and cold. Still, we could not contain our excitement as we walked to our hostel, Muenchen 4 You, and realized that we were actually in Germany.

We just had time to drop our backpacks before we went back to the train station (just a two minute walk away) and boarded the train for Fussen, home of the Neuschwanstein Castle.

Fussen was so beautiful and very snowy! I felt like we jumped right back into winter. But, the snow actually made the castle on the hill seem more majestic than it already is.

On our way up to Neushwanstein castle we went by the Hohenschwangau castle. Since we had an hour to kill before the next English tour started, we hiked up to the top, a 30-minute hike through the snow.

It was so cold that we walked extremely fast and passed horse-drawn carriages carrying other tourists up to the castle. I was almost sweating by the time we got to the top.

The castle was amazing, definitely one of the highlights of the trip. It was so different from the castles I saw in Vienna. King Ludwig II built the castle in the 19th Century even though he did not have enough money to build the castle. After 17 years, the castle was still incomplete and after just 176 days of living in his castle, Ludwig II died. Seven weeks later, the unfinished castle was opened as a museum.

The castle is not very grand inside but has the most amazing views and an artificial grotto cave. Neushwanstein is the castle I picture when I think of fairytales and that is because Disney’s Sleeping Beauty is modeled after it.

After our tour we had a quick lunch of cheese spetzel and Paulaner beer and headed back.

When we got back to Munich we went to check out our hostel room. This was my first time staying in a dorm-style, shared room hostel, and I have to admit, it wasn’t bad at all. The beds were decently comfortable and we had two adorable German roommates. The bathroom was down the hall but was very clean and the next morning we enjoyed a yummy buffet breakfast, all included in the 16 Euro a night price!

Munich is the beer capital of the world and the Hofbrauhaus is its most famous beer hall. We arrived at 7PM and found the place to be packed-full of mostly German men drinking the biggest mugs of beer I have ever seen.

After walking around the Hofbrauhaus for 20 minutes looking for a table, we finally squeezed in with a table of three German men and two guys our age from New York. It was nice to be able to speak English with our new friends who were very knowledgeable about Munich having studied there during college.

On Saturday we woke up early and went on a free walking tour of the city. Marienplatz was so beautiful and has a very interesting history. The building was made to look as if it was built in the Middle Ages but it was actually constructed in the 19th Century. That is because much of Munich, including Marienplatz was bombed during WWII. The people of Munich went out with their cameras before the bombing occurred and reconstructed the entire city to look exactly as it had before and Marienplatz was built to fit in with the Middle Age style of the city.

We walked around to Alter Peter or Petersplatz, which has one pre-WWII building, complete with a canon ball stuck in one of the window ledges.

The Munich maypole is in the center of the Viktualienmarkt, a local market that smells like bratwurst and salty pretzels and is dotted with men and women drinking beer at all hours of the day and night.

After passing through the market we went through the Karlstor, Munich’s old western city gate, and onto the Residence, the former palace of the Bavarian monarchs.

When our tour was over we went to the Munich City history museum and grabbed some chocolate covered dried fruit at the market before heading back to the train station for another overnight train home.

Munich is definitely a city I plan to return to one day, maybe when it is a little warmer! Tomorrow I am going to Greece for spring break and am so excited to be in a warm climate.

Ciao!
P

A Video from Verona

2009-03-13T03:26:00.004-07:00

Hi everyone. Sorry I've been so busy this week with school and everything, but here is a video I made from my weekend in Verona. Tomorrow I am going to Rimini, a small town on the Italian coast. I am so excited to see the water and to just relax! I'll let you know how it is.

Ciao!!
P

One festival at a time, please.

2009-03-09T14:53:00.012-07:00

I have a few more freckles on my nose from my very sunny Italian weekend. On Thursday I took the train to Venice with two of my friends. We arrived late and rolled our suitcases through the dark and narrow cobblestone alleyways. I have been to Venice once before with my family, but the experience this time was completely different.

First off, we stayed in a tiny, one-star hotel run by an adorable Italian woman and her very handsome son. We got in at 11 at night and Gina (the owner of the hotel) told us that we had to be back by midnight. So we hurried around the corner for a late night panini and dessert before coming back to the Doni Hotel.

The next day we woke early and walked all around Venice. We went to San Marco Square and stopped in just about every Murano glass store we saw. Lunch was the best; I had been craving fish so I was really excited to enjoy a whole grilled sea bass for lunch. The waiter even de-boned the fish for me right at our table.

After lunch I left my friends and headed for the train station via water taxi. This was my first time traveling completely alone in Europe and I’m proud to say I was successful and encountered no major problems. I arrived in Verona at 4PM and since my friend Leah (a Kappa friend from Mizzou) had not arrived yet, I headed straight for the city center. Once again I wheeled my suitcase through another unknown city and after asking four different people where Hotel Torcolo was located, I arrived at the quaint, pink colored hotel.

After talking to the charming woman at the front desk for a half an hour and learning about her daughter who lives in Florida and a Mozart concert in Verona the next night, she told me about something I was very excited about: a Chocolate Festival. Not only were different chocolate manufacturers from across Italy setting up shop two-minutes from my hotel but this weekend marked the first ever chocolate festival in Verona. I think they must’ve known I was coming.

All weekend, sweets were everywhere and everyone in the streets seemed to be munching on chocolate covered hazelnuts and white chocolate dipped candied oranges (my favorite). The booths were set up steps away from The Arena where Shakespearean plays used to be performed.

Overall, Verona proved to be a lively yet small, inviting but not touristy city. On Saturday night we went to the Mozart concert and sat in a private box on the first floor with a perfect view of the stage. When the concert was over, we headed to Piazza Erbe for a less formal affair … a free concert by a popular Italian pop singer named Syria. The Piazza was filled with people of all ages singing along to Syria’s lyrics. Even though we couldn’t understand a word she was saying I found myself bopping my head and tapping my feet the whole time.

Sunday came too quickly and since it was Woman’s Day all the museums in Verona were free for ladies. That means I went to a ton of museums on Sunday. My friend had to leave earlier than me so I wandered the streets and stopped at the Castelvecchio, the Torre dei Lamberti, Juliet’s house and the Modern Art Gallery.

My feet hurt so badly by the time I had to walk to the train station. I bought one last piece of chocolate before boarding the train and slept the whole way home.

Ciao!
P

A Milan Movie

2009-03-01T05:42:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone!
Here is a video from my short, but sweet day trip to Milan. It's amazing how different Milan is from Florence and the two cities are just two hours apart by train!

Ciao!
P

Falling for Florence

2009-02-27T14:08:00.011-07:00

Today was the most beautiful day I’ve seen in Florence. I cannot believe I’ve already been living here for a month. I have become so close with my roommates, my teachers and even David, the guy who makes me a dopio cappuccino every morning before class. Even though I had two tests this week, I was surprisingly not stressed at all. Somehow walking streets studded with beautiful statues and countless churches makes studying for my History of the European Union class seem like such a small task.

On Wednesday I made a great discovery, a vegetarian restaurant, appropriately called: il vegetariano. It was a wonderful restaurant packed with Italians. My two friends and I were the only Americans (and English-speakers) there, which made figuring out the ordering and seating system a little difficult. The restaurant is cafeteria style but you have to pay for what you want before you can pick out your food, which means we had to trust the crowded room as a sign that everything at il vegetariano was tasty.

We were definitely not let down. I had a salad from the salad bar and shared a polenta con I’ funghi with my friends. After we finished we decided to share a vegan chocolate cake. It was delicious! My friend Emily has a dairy allergy so she was extremely excited to have the normally dairy-filled dessert!

Today we all slept in a little bit and then decided to explore the “Oltrano” or the other side of the river. We strolled across the Ponte Vecchio and wandered up into the hills a little until we found a restaurant I had heard of called La Beppa Fioraia. I feel like I keep saying this, but this truly was one of the greatest meals ever! We spent almost two hours at this beautiful, local restaurant set on a tree-lined street surrounded by rolling hills. I felt I was miles from bustling Florence and it was nice to get a little break.

After lunch we got gelato and sat on the stone wall that lines the River Arno and soaked up some sun. I am officially in love … with Florence. Walking around today I tried not to take the sights that I see every day for granted. Tomorrow I am going to Milan just for the day. Miss everyone back home!

Ciao!
Paige

A video from Siena, Italy

2009-02-22T16:07:00.006-07:00

Enjoy this short video from Siena, a beautiful town located in Tuscany and just an hour from Florence by train.

Siesta in Siena

2009-02-22T14:57:00.011-07:00

I have learned planning trips can be quite strenuous. So, this weekend two of my friends and I decided to not plan anything but ended up having a wonderfully relaxing day in a city not far from Florence. We woke up and packed an overnight backpack, just in case, and headed to the Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence. We arrived around 9AM and by 9:10AM we were on our way to Siena. We did not know where we would be going when we got to the train station that morning, but once we got onto the train we were anxious and excited to arrive in a completely new city, just an hour away.

It has been pretty cold in Florence and in Europe in general. So when we arrived in Siena we were happily surprised to feel the warmth of the sun spreading over our bodies, at last some Vitamin D! I even removed my big jacket while we were walking for the first time since I’ve been here!

None of us knew anything about Siena so we bought a guidebook at the train station and started walking. We ended up in the Piazza del Campo, which is famous for its curved shape and its vicinity to the Palazzo Publico and Torre del Mangia.

For a while we just stood there, staring at the Palazzo Publico, the beautiful building that houses the Torre del Mangia, a 400-step tower that has a view of the entire city and Tuscan countryside. We climbed our way to the top and although my thighs were burning, it proved to be one of the most beautiful views I have seen in my life.

From the Piazza del Campo we headed for the Duomo, a beautiful black and white Gothic home to statues created by Michelangelo. The church is located directly across from an art exhibit we learned about from some American students studying abroad in Siena for the semester. The exhibit located in the Santa Maria della Scala Museum Complex focused on the genius in art found only through complete insanity.

The exhibit is called: Genius and Madness create the real artwork. After going through the first floor of the exhibit, which featured torture equipment and brain-normalizing technology, we were a little afraid to enter the floors above. Although some of the art was truly beautiful, the overall mood of the museum was depressing and very dark. We could not even make it through the entire exhibit because it was truly depressing.

After our somewhat traumatic but still educational and eye-opening experience at the Santa Maria della Scala museum, we felt it more than necessary to get some gelato. We sat in the warm sun and enjoyed our cones of the creamy Italian dessert.

After being in Siena for less than 24-hours, I must say that it is a beautiful city, but I could not be happier with my decision to study in Florence. Though it’s just an hour away, it is such an amazing city and so different from Siena. I love being able to call Florence’s narrow, cobble-stoned streets my home, at least for the next three months.

XOXO,
P

P.S. ... Siena video coming soon!

An apfelstrudel a day ...

2009-02-18T01:21:00.016-07:00

Sorry I have not posted in a while. I suffered from some technical difficulties but I wanted to share a couple stories with you from my wonderful weekend in Vienna. To get to Vienna we took an overnight train from Florence. This was my first experience spending the night on a train and to my surprise I loved the ride. The bed was comfortable and the sound of the train was really soothing. In the morning we woke to a knock on our door and a tray of hot chocolate and sweet rolls. The rail is definitely my new choice mode of transportation both for the comfort and for the price.

Once we stepped out from the train we were instantly welcomed with cold Austrian air and snow. The wind was enough to burn my face a little but I did not let my watering eyes and quivering lips stop me from taking in the beautiful scenery.

Dinner the first night was my favorite. We took a 20-minute subway ride into the hills of Vienna and went to a traditional Austrian restaurant where we were the only Americans eating. I have been a vegetarian for a little over a year, but this particular Friday night I was put face to face with nothing but meat, meat and ham.

Our guide, Francesco convinced me that, “Ham is just ham” and that I needed to enjoy the flavors of Vienna. So, I decided to take a bite of the traditional cabbage pasta speckled with ham. As delicious as it tasted, I don’t think I will be eating more meat any time soon.

The restaurant itself was so lively and entertaining. A fiddler who doubled as a singer came by to each table as everyone in the restaurant took a break from their meals to clap and sing along. For once, we did not feel like the loud Americans in Europe.

During the daytime we went to several museums: the Sisi Museum, the Imperial Apartments, Belvedere Museum, the Hapsburg Palace and the Kunst Historic Museum. I don’t know if I have ever been to so many museums in such a short period of time but I never got bored or tired of learning about Austria’s history, a subject which I knew little about prior to coming to Vienna. Francesco was there every step of the way to give us a history lesson.

Vienna struck me as such a culturally diverse and historically rich city. Artists like Beethoven and Mozart came to Vienna to play in their theaters and several artists and writers found Vienna to be the center of the artistic world. There are even “Opera Bathrooms” in the subway stations where you can listen to Mozart while you wash your hands. The first museum that was ever built just to be a museum was built in Vienna and we had the chance to visit it: the Kunst Museum. I particularly enjoyed the section on Egyptian history.

In between museum visits we enjoyed a lot of great food, most notably the apfelstrudel (apple strudel). I love fruit desserts and the apple strudel in Vienna is incredibly delicious. Typically the Viennese surround the strudel in a custard cream, very healthy! Not really, but the flavor is wonderful and I do not regret indulging in the sweet treat a few times while I was in Vienna.

What most amazed me about Vienna and Austria’s history was how lavish things were. We visited the Sisi Museum and the Hapsburg Palace and the jewels, the decorations and the extreme extravagant lifestyle of the royal family astounded me. I also loved the Vienesse people. Everywhere I turned, whether I was walking down Karlsplatz Plaza, or riding the subway, there seemed to be music or singing. The people were so lively, despite the cold weather and I’ve ever seen more beautiful fur hats!

I also made a video of some of the highlights from the trip so please enjoy!

Ciao! XOXO,
P

Basilica di Santa Croce

2009-02-12T07:34:00.010-07:00

Every Wednesday I go on a Florentine adventure with my friend Ali. I don't have any class on Wednesdays so we pick a different museum or church to go to and then try and find a new lunch place, preferably one that is not touristy. Yesterday, we definitely succeeded.

We met in the morning and went to Basilica di Santa Croce, which is conveniently located down the street from my apartment. It is under construction on the inside, but beautiful nonetheless. Many famous Italians are buried in Santa Croce, the largest Franciscan Church in the world. Some names include: Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli.

My favorite thing about Santa Croce was the museum located on the grounds. In 1966 Santa Croce was a victim of a horrible flood that hit Florence (see below).

The museum features many original pieces from the church, including the cross. However, some damage remains and pieces have been replaced inside the church but are on display in the museum. Another notable feature of Santa Croce is that it has 16 different chapels within the church. Some are very small, but all are quite beautiful and feature a lot of fresco painting and stained glass.

Here is a picture of "la Libertà della Poesia" or the Florentine Statue of Liberty. The physical similarities with the Statue of Liberty in the U.S. are obvious but the Florentine one is by Pio Fedi. According to Borsheim Art Studios the Florentine one may have been designed six years before French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi gave the statue to the U.S. in 1976.

After Santa Croce we went looking for good, cheap Italian. The food in Italy is definitely delicious, but I had yet to find a traditional Tuscan restaurant that serves cheaper food to locals, until yesterday.

I saw a sign: Trattoria Anita, my mom's name! Once I saw the little yellow sign and a group of Italians heading in the direction for the trattoria, I knew I was on the right track. We walked in to a small, cozy restaurant furnished with dark wood and countless wine bottles. We were immediately seated and given bread and acqua naturale. For three courses it was only 7 Euro. Considering one of my friends paid 5.50 Euro for a diet coke by the Duomo the other day, 7 Euro for a meal seemed like a great deal.

Everything was delicious! At the end, the owner, Johnny brought us over some complementary Florentine biscotti and told us to come back. Between the food, the prices and the menu that changes daily (and is handwritten!) there is no doubt I will return to Trattoria Anita.

Right now I am packing for Vienna. I will be going on a night train with five of my friends and will be arriving in snowy Austria at 8 tomorrow morning! See you next week.

XOXO,
P

A video from Amsterdam

2009-02-10T11:50:00.005-07:00

This is the first video I made on this trip and I promise the next videos will be better! Hopefully you will get a glimpse into what my time was like in Amsterdam. You can look forward to a video from Vienna, Austria next week because I am heading there on an overnight train on Thursday. Enjoy!

Adventures in Amsterdam

2009-02-09T12:10:00.021-07:00

The night before I left for Amsterdam, I only had two hours of sleep. I got into bed at midnight and woke up at 2AM to shower and finish packing. At 3AM a taxi came to take my two roommates and me to the Santa Maria Novella Train Station where we boarded a bus filled with other students.

Even though it was 3 in the morning, the bus was noisy with excitement. More than half the bus was headed to Amsterdam from the Pisa airport.

From the bus, we got onto a Ryan Air flight to Eindhoven, which is approximately an hour and a half outside of Amsterdam. So, from Eindhoven we boarded yet another bus until we arrived at the Central Station in Amsterdam.

I was instantly in awe of the beautiful architecture in the city. I would describe the buildings as a mixture of gothic, industrial and Victorian. The city was so charming that I felt like I was on the set of a movie. We got out of the bus and called Ferdinand, our new friend who we stayed with for three nights. This may seem like a strange and dangerous concept, but the idea of “Couch Surfing” is one I thoroughly agree with. Couchsurfing.com is a website that allows users to find a free place to sleep while traveling. I had never met Ferdinand before he came to pick us up at the train station, but he instantly became a friend when he offered us a cup of strawberry tea and recommended we rent bikes and ride around the city. With no hesitation at all, he handed me a key to his very posh apartment and said to call if we had any questions. He also was kind enough to invite us for dinner later that night.

Happily surprised by our free sleeping arrangement for the weekend we walked in the cold to the nearest bike rental shop where we found old school bikes adorned with loud bells that were much more necessary than one may think. We started riding and within seconds we were in love with our new mode of transportation.

The city was bustling with people walking, riding bikes, playing with fire, playing music and slipping into coffee shops to smoke marijuana or hash. The sound of bicycle bells and the very distinctive Dutch accent rang through my ears as cold wind and light rain fell down from the sky. We decided to stop in for lunch at a café with yellow awnings over-looking a canal.

I had a goat cheese and sun dried tomato sandwich on wheat bread, the first wheat bread I’ve had since being in Europe! Very exciting.

After lunch we rode to the Anne Frank House Museum where a long line of tourists waited to see one of the most depressing and intriguing museums I’ve ever seen. It was set up chronologically by date and had tons of pictures, handwritten letters and different artifacts on display, including whole rooms that were setup just as they were when the Frank family hid from the Nazis during World War II.

Having slept little the night before and being saddened by Anne Frank's story, we headed back of Ferdinand's apartment after a short ride.

He already started making dinner: a delicious shrimp and vegetable curry with rice, another food I have not enjoyed since being in Europe.

On Saturday we slept in a little so we could be refreshed for the Van Gogh museum, definitely a highlight of the trip. We spent two hours sauntering through Van Gogh’s life work. I had seen a few of his pieces before but really felt I got to know him as an artist and a person from the museum. I had never seen any of his Japanese-inspired pieces and loved looking at the evolution from his landscape paintings to his use of pointillism when he moved to Paris.

Sunday came too quickly. I felt there was still so much of the city I had not seen and I had not even tried Dutch french fries yet! We decided to go to the Bijenkorf department store because I read about a café on the top floor with great views and even better food. We were so surprised when we got to the fifth floor and were surrounded by all different types of buffet-style food: sushi, smoothies and sandwiches were a few of the highlights. I had a creamy fruit smoothie and a tuna salad sandwich.

We shared a plate of fries, which were perfectly crunchy and salty. We decided since it was raining that we would stay inside for a little and explore four floors of clothes, shoes, jewelry, books and a dessert café.

We walked around all day outside, taking the tram from one side of the city to the other and by 6:30 we were starving. We went to a Spanish Tapas restaurant near Leidseplein Square and shared spicy mussels, a Spanish omelet and the best, a seafood paella.

After our very satisfying dinner we walked to a canal where we were taking a night canal cruise through the waterways of Amsterdam. This was the absolute highlight. We saw so much that you can’t see on a bike or on foot.

We had a glass of white wine and listened to our Dutch-guide tell us interesting facts about Amsterdam. It was so perfect sitting inside the cozy boat on such a cold night but we decided to venture back into the cold once the ride was over to check out the Red Light District. We just couldn’t leave Amsterdam without seeing the thing that makes Amsterdam famous.

We wandered down the narrow alley-ways where near naked girls stood under red lights beckoning for men (or maybe women, too) to come inside. We were laughing the whole time and could not get over the very orderly scene: people walked around as if window-shopping, police patrolled the area but nothing seemed out of hand. The whole district was very clean and nothing like I expected it to be. We met an older woman from Sweden named Mona who had come to Amsterdam to do research about cannabis. She told us that her daughter is autistic and that the only way she could sleep at night was to smoke marijuana. She had based her whole trip to Amsterdam on finding out what kind is the best.

I know Amsterdam has a party-city reputation, but I truly found it to be a cultural, historic and lively city, even if you don’t want to get high.

XOXO,
P

Florentine routine

2009-02-03T12:22:00.009-07:00

Yesterday was another rainy but nonetheless amazing day in Florence. I had to pinch myself as I was walking, talking on my Italian cell phone trying to give my friend directions saying, “Just meet me by the Duomo.” I mean, who am I to degrade the largest Roman Catholic Church in the world to a mere meeting point? I never thought I would adjust to being constantly surrounded by ancient sculptures and the most gorgeous buildings I’ve ever seen, but it seems I became comfortable on Florence’s stone sidewalks quite quickly.

After getting my morning espresso near the Duomo with my friends we walked to the Ponte Vecchio. I don’t know if it was the lighting or the fact that I am still so excited by the fact that I live in Florence, but the bridge was beautiful. The different colors, the jewelry shops, the people, the graffiti! It is a unique setting with a wonderful history of survival: it was the only bridge not destroyed by the Germans during World War II. The jewelry and art shops along the bridge are reminiscent of the way bridges in Florence used to be yet the Vecchio is the only one of its kind.

From Ponte Vecchio we headed for Piazza Della Signoria where one of my favorite statutes in Florence, The Fountain of Neptune, resides.

We rushed back to our apartment to go to a yoga class offered by Florence University of the Arts. I didn’t think it would be very crowded but it was packed full! The instructor spoke absolutely no English, so it was an interesting challenge to move my body in ways based solely on what I was looking at, as opposed to following oral instructions. Here is a picture of two of my friends at the Odeon Cinema right after yoga class.

We decided to go to the English movie night to see Revolutionary Road. In my opinion, it was a very honest and moving film, despite its utter depressing tone. My six roommates and I were near silence during the walk home, which is a first for us.

Today I had my first day of classes and although the day was long, (my first class was at 9AM and I wasn’t done until 5:30PM) it was a great day. I had Italian for Beginners, History of the European Union and Cuisine and Culture in Europe. Cuisine and Culture was my favorite class of the day for a couple reasons but the main one was because of the food. There are only six people in my class, plus the adorable instructor named Marcella. Our lecture today was on Sicily, so we made a Sicilian pasta called “melanzane” that is made by frying eggplant and mixing into a homemade tomato sauce with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. It is the best meal I’ve had since I have been in Florence and I will have to make it for everyone when I am home!

Here is a funny picture I wanted to share with you. We were sitting at a café having some gelato when an older Italian man asked if he could take a picture with me. I reluctantly agreed and just as his friend was about to take the picture he kissed me on the cheek! I was clearly caught off guard and shrieked slightly, frightening some of the other café-goers. We quickly finished our gelato and headed out! I’m learning how to better turn a blind eye to creepy Italian men.

Ciao! XOXO,
P

Firenze fredo

2009-02-01T10:58:00.015-07:00

This morning was the first time I woke up to gray skies and wet cobblestone streets in Florence. Luckily, the city is so beautiful that the rain only makes it seem more mystifying.

I walked around all day with two of my roommates, Stella and Emily. We stopped in a gorgeous church that had unreal emerald green ceilings with gold accents.

Our plan was to see a movie in the afternoon, but once we arrived at the theater we learned that "Revolutionary Road" was only playing in Italian with no subtitles. Instead, we are going to see it tomorrow night when it will be showing in English. Even though our plan fell through, I did not feel like we wasted a day at all. Around every corner there is something new and beautiful and the smell of wood-fired pizza is never far away.

I love the graffiti on all the buildings, the constant sight of small cars that honk through the narrow cobblestone streets and the elegant men and women that sip espresso and smoke cigarettes inside every cafe.

We stopped for a late lunch and an adoring Italian waiter sent us free pastries and a thick chocolate drink. It tasted like pure melted chocolate and was the perfect treat for such a gloomy day.

Classes start tomorrow and I am actually really excited to get to know my teachers and the other students in my classes.

Ciao! XOXO,
P

From Market to Market

2009-01-31T14:10:00.007-07:00

Today was a laid back day for my roommates and me. I think my jetlag finally caught up with me and I ended up sleeping until 11AM, which is really late for me. Once we were up we decided to walk to Mercato Centrale where fresh fruits and veggies were everywhere.

We walked all around and bought some fruit to take home since our refrigerator was finally replaced! I will never again take for granted seemingly simple utilities like: heat, hot water or refrigerators. Here is a picture of my roommates and me inside the market:

After buying strawberries, bananas, apples, fresh pasta and flowers we went to a late lunch at Za-Za. I had marmi salad that had shrimp, radishes and a truffle dressing. It was so yummy.

We walked around the city for a while and stopped in a shoe store where I spotted a window shopper outside.

It was so cold today that my toes were numb despite the fact I was wearing thick socks under my leather boots. My roommates and I decided to make dinner at home tonight: pesto pasta, green beans and homemade bruschetta.

Tomorrow they are expecting snow flurries in Florence so we think that we might go see Revolutionary Road at a cinema down the street from our apartment.

Ciao! XOXO,
P

a CARBivore lifestyle

2009-01-30T06:00:00.014-07:00

It is my third full day in Florence but we just got the Internet working in our apartment today. However, we still have yet to figure out how to get the hot water and the heat to work. But I have no complaints when it comes to the views, the city and the people. I love my five roommates: Emily, Stella, Traci, Amanda and Lauren. We get along so well and I feel like we have known each other forever. The first night we went out to dinner at Ristorante Semolina after listening to the recommendation of an old woman who has lived in Florence her whole life.

The pasta I had was a papardelle with roasted vegetables and the best parmigiano-reggiano cheese I’ve ever had. When our waitress asked if we wanted “sweet” after we cleared our plates we could not resist her tempting list of tiramisu, pear tart, nutella cheesecake and cannoli. She could tell there was no way we could choose just one so she brought us a platter with a slice of each.

The food is just one part of my life here that is incredible. I love waking up every morning to this view:

Every view seems to be straight out of a movie and just so gorgeous it doesn’t seem to be real. I don’t know how many times I have exclaimed: “This is too beautiful!” since I have been here. Here is the view out of our front window:

After we get dressed we all go down the street to a cafe where they have excellent cappucinos for 1 Euro. Today, the barista gave me one with a foamy heart!

Last night we went to Bacco Nudo, a pasta shop that our new friend Alberta owns. She talked to us for an hour and a half and explained in broken English how to make scallopini and pasta puntanesca. After she sold us pasta, olive oil from Sicily and puntanesca seasoning we went to her sister’s wine shop, conveniently located right next door. This was no ordinary wine shop. Here is Alberta showing us how many different types of wine they have available. I love her orange knit headband!

The family goes to various vineyards throughout Italy and buys barrels of wine and then serves it on tap to their customers. You buy a bottle once and then they refill it for just 2 euros next time. Talk about recycling!

After figuring out how to turn on the oven and light the stove,

setting the table with an old sheet for a table cloth and rinsing off the plates and silverware where the condition of being sanitary was definitely questionable, we sat down to eat. We were all very proud of our first Italian-made meal and it tasted great!

Our friend Nick came over and brought mini-tarts and a chocolate croissant for dessert.

School starts on Monday but thanks to my wonderful schedule, I only have class Tuesdays and Thursdays. Granted, I have class ALL day on those days but it makes for a great travel schedule.

XOXO

a lotta ricotta

2009-01-24T21:50:00.011-07:00

Last night I went to Café Balthazar with my parents and really felt I was in Paris surrounded by Parisians, minus the cigarette smoke.

There are many reasons I love New York, but one of the big ones is that it is so international that you can lose yourself by just going out to dinner. Our waitress was from Paris and recommended the best dessert I’ve ever had, seriously. It was a banana ricotta tart with an almond cookie and banana gelato beneath. After two delectable desserts with ricotta, I am officially in love with the cheese that I used to think was just for lasagna.

The bananas on top were perfectly crystallized and the combination of textures was so satisfying that I got competitive eating it with my parents. I kept wanting to savor the bite already in my mouth but then got worried that it would be gone if I waited too long to take another bite since I was sharing with my parents. I think we finished it in less than three minutes and we were tempted to ask for another. The whole meal was delicious and my second favorite (after the dessert) was the pumpkin ravioli.

The pasta was so thin and the pumpkin inside so sweet that it was like a dessert with its melt-in-your-mouth texture and a surprise walnut every now and then.

Today it was extremely cold but we still walked all around the city. The best parts being: the Palace Hotel

and a very chilly walk through Central Park.

It was so beautiful outside but after about an hour of walking I was starting to lose feeling in my hands, even though I was wearing gloves. We also went to the Meat Packing District where we passed Diane von Furstenberg where Whitney Port works on “The City.”

The Meat Packing District is one of my favorite neighborhoods because it’s a little more out of the way, has a lot of character with its brick streets but is also posh and hip with tons of great restaurants and lots of beautiful people.

I am having so much fun in New York and don’t want to leave on Monday. But I know that Florence is going to be even better and I’ll be back in New York in just four months!

XOXO,
P

Bitterly cold but deliciously tart

2009-01-21T21:08:00.012-07:00

Yesterday I left behind warm, sunny California for the absolutely frigid northeast. We got in around 5 last night and went for a 7 o’clock dinner at a French restaurant on the Upper East Side called Le Perigord.

To be honest, I’ve had better meals, but it was the setting that made this meal memorable. It’s a very old, traditional French restaurant where the host speaks fluent French and complements every lady that walks in as “the most beautiful” and promises an extra dessert at no additional charge, all with a wink and an accent that makes eating chocolate mousse and an apple tart seem okay.

I was surprised when I rolled over this morning to see that it was only 6:30AM, really 3:30AM California time. I wasn’t tired though so I got up and started my day. My mom and I spent a lot of the morning walking around Rockefeller Plaza and catching some of the Today Show.

After a long day of walking in heels in 20-degree weather, I was very thankful to have just turned 21 so I could enjoy a glass of Prosecco at Babbo Ristorante in Greenwich Village with my parents.

It’s so popular that even on a Wednesday night we could only get in at 5:45. But Babbo was already packed. People lined the bar munching on brussel sprouts with pancetta and drinking wine out of elegant glasses. Babbo gave me the best meal I’ve maybe ever had. It all started with the Prosecco and a chickpea bruschetta, complements of the chef (Mario Batali). I had an incredibly moist and flavorful swordfish with grilled eggplant and rapini with roasted garlic for my main course. Those who know me know that I have an enormous sweet tooth. Dessert at Babbo was definitely the best part: a tart cranberry upside down cake that was perfectly offset by a sweet and creamy ricotta gelato.

YUM. It was perfect. We split one between three of us, but I could have easily had the whole thing myself.

XOXO