Avery's Travels: 2011

November 5, 2011

What I've been up to this week

short week this week but still was kept busy as ever.
Gay marriage debate in Chile to move to court of appeals
Chile's Daily News: Nov. 4
New case of Hanta virus found in southern Chile
Chile's Evening News: November 3
Juan Fernandez crash investigation indicates Mallea Lagos as pilot

November 2, 2011

What I've been up to for the past month (there's a lot)

October 30, 2011

And...the border run

There's a tradition among many ex-pats who are allowed to stay here in Chile on a tourist visa for three months, and want to stay longer. It's called the border run. The usual destination is Mendoza, Argentina and it's just CLP$26,000 -- (USD$53) -- round trip by bus.

Well, one of my friends, Kayla, had to make said border run about a month ago, and you know, a border run just isn't as fun solo, so who was I to say no to Argentina, especially if a couple of my closest friends here were going?

So we packed our bags, bought our tickets, booked a hostel and took the long weekend to basically eat our way through Argentina.

Yes, you read that right. We made a list before we left of what we wanted to do over the weekend. There was the usual girl stuff: shopping, sightseeing, dancing, and flirting with cute Argentinian boys, but a large part of our trip was food-centered.

We were told that the beef is amazing, the pasta is delicious (because said Argentinian boys have Italian ancestors), the wine is the best, cute cafes are everywhere, and the chocolate was to die for.

Any girl who can think of a better girls weekend than that, I will give you $20.

So that was the plan. We had only three days and we were going to make the most of them.

Getting there

The trip started out a bit rocky. We left at 10 p.m. There was an unfortunate incident with a key, a locked out girl, and a boy who refused to bring said key to said person because he was watching a soccer match. The jerk made his girlfriend bike to said person's house...so much for that knight-in-shining armor. So, for awhile I thought I'd be going solo to Argentina but everyone made it, the bus drivers waited, and all was good.

The bus ride was a new experience for me. there was lots of room to stretch out. The service was quite good. But the couple practically having sex with each other in the seat diagonally across the aisle from me was a bit disturbing. I can only imagine how Barbara felt sitting directly across from them.

Around 1 a.m. we arrived at immigration. The place is outside, it's up in the Andes and it's a bus terminal without doors. My teeth were literally chattering in my head, and this is coming from a Minnesota chick. That's when you know it's cold. To add to that they had only two people working and stamping passports, one from Chile the other from Argentina, and we showed up with about five other buses. Ugh. But hey at least we could have tea when we got back on the bus.

We rolled into Mendoza around 6 a.m., found our hostel, and met our first drop-dead gorgeous Argentinian boy.

That was fun.

He was really nice, he worked the hostel night-shift, and he filled us in about all the things we should do while we were there.

After he made some toast for breakfast for us in this little kitchen.

So we ate, talked, and then went to our room and crashed for the next five hours. We slept like logs, because you don't get much sleep on those buses.

Mendoza day 1: Biking
After waking up around noon we rented bikes from this place called Bike Cool Tours and were surprised to find that our friends from Bicicleta Verde had "gone international" since some of their brochures were in this guy's office.

The rental was relatively cheap, USD$45, for the whole day which was great because we rented from noon until 7 p.m. The city is very bicycle-friendly and it's such a chill place that we never wanted to leave.

We biked around town for a couple hours and then decided that it was time to stop for lunch. What did we want? Pasta of course. Unfortunately the first plate of past we had wasn't all that delicious but the staff were nice, and the place was very pretty. It seemed like more a local place than a touristy one since a large majority of people were all speaking Spanish well.

What I discovered while I was here was that I could actually understand what people were saying which is something I've struggled with while I've been in Chile. Being used to hearing Spain style Spanish did not prepare me for Chilean Spanish. I felt that Argentinian Spanish was a lot closer to Spain Spanish. It was kind of a relief.

Anyway, back to the story and the stuff you touristy types all care about.

After Lunch we rode around the city a little more and found our way to the local park which is huge. The park is called Parque General San Martin. It reminded me of Parque Retiro in Madrid. It's big and beautiful with surprises lurking around every corner. We especially liked the river area of the park, because it was just so peaceful and pretty.

We loved it and we went back there a couple more times during the weekend.

The place has it all. There's a soccer stadium, a shuttle that will take to you Cerro Concepcion that you can climb up if you're feeling adventurous, a zoo, an open air theater, a mini-history museum, an art gallery and lots of paths and gardens to take in.

Admission's free people, you don't have to pay a cent. Put it on your to do list.

We kept biking around for a bit longer and stopped at some shops along the way. Then we went to the candy shop, Fabrica de Alfajores Chocolezza. Of course we had to buy chocolate there. We found Plaza de Chile, decided to let our inner-child out then we decided the spinning disk was not a good escape. How kids can still do that amazes me.

After returning our bikes and getting some more shut-eye we headed out to find dinner. If you go to Mendoza don't go out for dinner at 10 p.m. on a Saturday you will not find a place to eat. It's better to go an hour before or an hour after as we discovered as we walked around for an hour looking for a seat in a restaurant that wouldn't make us wait for a half-hour.

We did eventually find a place to eat. The beef and the wine were really good too, they measured up to all expectations.

Though we had tried to get some sleep so that we could go out after dinner we were so dead tired that we ended up paying our check, heading back to the hostel at 1 a.m. and crashing hardcore.

But overall it was a sucessful day. We had a good time, saw a lot of the city and managed to do almost everything that was on our list. The only thing left was dancing and shopping. And that's what day two was dedicated too.

Mendoza day 2

I went solo shopping on this day because the girls weren't feeling all that great the next morning. We think it may have been the pasta at lunch. Thankfully they felt a lot better during the afternoon so we were able to do some things together.

Shopping on a Sunday is rather difficult in Mendoza, like it is almost everywhere else in Latin America. There are some touristy shops open around 10 a.m. but the rest of the shops don't open until noon or 1 so plan accordingly. I did find some very cool shops where I bought some gifts for my family when I get home but I can't tell you what since they read this too.

There are feria's--artisan shops like you'd find at art and culture celebrations in the U.S.-- there. Go to them if you can. We didn't know they existed so we missed out on the Argentinian feria experience but you can usually find handmade items here for pretty cheap. Buying beautiful things without breaking your bank account is always great.

There is a road in Mendoza that is reserved only for pedestrians. Nothing with wheels is allowed on or near this place and it's a great place to eat lunch and people watch. It's called Pasaje Peatonal, near Plaza de Independencia. This is where Kayla and I went and had lunch. The place we ate at had much better pasta than the day before.

After that we walked back to the hostel to see if Barbara was feeling better. She was so we went for coffee, to the park again, and then walked around the city for a little bit longer.

We were starting to get hungry when we came across this cute little cafe with a wonderful patio out back...I figured the name was appropriate, Kato Cafe.

We had our once, which is the meal between 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. that people have in Chile. It was delicious. You can't go wrong with a Baguette and some tea. Then we went back to the hostel to get some shut eye before going dancing.

And...the Tango

The Tango is originally from Argentina so I wanted to learn. We found a place that gave lessons for free in a plaza just outside of the main part of town. We later found out that these lessons happen every Saturday night during the summer at 10 p.m.

It's softly-lit, surrounded by trees, the place couldn't have better ambiance. We were late, and there wasn't any room on the stage for us, but a very nice man named Don Pedro, who was former Tango teacher, helped us learn.

It was fun, he taught me the basic step, and then we were passed around to various other people in the plaza throughout the night.

It was a great experience. It was a great trip.

We got up the next morning at 10:30 a.m. so we could check out and catch our bus back to Santiago at noon.

Sorry about the delay

I apologize for being extremely lax about my blog this time around. I was so much better at it in Spain, but I've been kept busy with work, getting everything done that I want to before I go back home, and also making as many memories as I can here before time runs out. It's a long weekend this weekend, so I'm hoping to get some updates in over the next couple of days, when I really get the urge to write. Since there's no work on Monday or Tuesday I'm going to say I'll be suffering withdrawal and will need to do something. Stay Tuned!

Until next time,
Avery Cropp

October 22, 2011

October 7, 2011

What you won't hear in the news

When it comes to protests there are a few things you will never hear in the news. Sure, you'll hear about masked delinquents who throw rocks and paint at police, you'll hear about the occassional fire, the general news count about how many have been detained, how many people and police were injured, and the extent of those injuries.

Cut.

Dried.

Facts only.

As journalists we go to these events, we cover them, we're right in thick of it. We collect photos, sound, video, and observations of what is going on around us.

I was told in many classes when we watched films about journalists working in the field that we make a separation between ourself and the subject, especially if it's an intense moment. I didn't understand what that meant until yesterday when I was covering the unauthorized student march route at Plaza Italia with Kayla.

It's our job as journalists to act against the usual instincts: To stay in one place or run forward as crowds are running at you, to face confrontation head on, and yes, sometimes get arrested for doing our jobs, like the reporters from Chilevision, CNN Chile and Mega did yesterday while they covered the same protest I was at.

We learn to see the event through a camera lens or through observations without letting our emotions get the best of us. We rush back to the office, do our write-ups and then go on to collect more information. There is no time for processing, until you get home.

What you don't read or see in the news is the story about the old man in his wheelchair being helped by five or six students down the stairs of a bank that would not let them in due to the chaos in the street. You do not hear that they helped him down the stairs and then pushed him as fast as they could to get him away from the tear gas as it permeated down Alameda while a combination of masked little cowards and protesters start to fill up any available exit for him, simply to find safety.

You don't hear about the girl and her boyfriend who were standing on a street corner in a neighborhood away from the chaos, overcome by tear gas, unable to breathe, tears blinding them, begging in a hoarsened voice "Solomente un limon. Por favor, un limon." looking for even the slightest relief from the tear gas, that was launched immediately as the group began marching peacefully forward causing the aforementioned masked little cowards to appear out of thin air as chaos erupted.

Thankfully you have lemons, and thankfully you can help them and another lady as you're walking down the street.

You don't hear this because in a world of sanitized numbers, figures, and facts, we've found it easier to manage than the in-your-face stories we saw during wars such as Vietnam. There is no place for emotion today when you deal in destruction, delinquents and dollars. Because honestly, I don't think the real world could handle it.

Until next time,
Avery

October 3, 2011

What I've been up to this week

I was promoted to assistant online editor this week!
Chile's Daily News: Sept. 26
Mucho Chile to raise indigenous cultural awareness
Bill for Chilean low-income families enacted
Minister inspects El Teniente mine
Chile's Daily News Sept. 28
De-municipalization of schools in the works
Chile's Daily News: Sept. 29
CONFECH denied access to education budget proposal
Chile's Daily News: Sept. 30
Education major topic for Chile's budget proposal
Chile's Daily News: Oct. 3

September 23, 2011

What I've been up to this week

It's been another busy one at the office:

Chile's Daily News: September 19
Fiestas Patrias: Travel, transit and traffic jams
UN agencies meet with the student leaders of CONES
Chile's Daily News: September 21
Victims of domestic violence receive housing subsidy from government
Chile's Daily News: September 22
Chile's Daily News: September 23
Cancellation of Rod Stewart concert sparks controversy in Santiago
Comic expo comes to Santiago
Minister inspects CODELCO mine next week

Other than these I did a lot of editing this week. I think it's helped my writing out. Now that I'm being forced to look at other writer's work I know what to watch out for in my own.

September 19, 2011

Fiestas Patrias, Chilean style

So, I'm pretty sure that over the weekend I experienced the most amazing Fiestas Patrias celebration ever.
No I didn't go to a fonda, I didn't overdo the Chilean wine, and I don't have any crazy stories to report but I did do this.

1. I learned how to do Cueca, the national dance of Chile
2. I heard some beautiful folk music
3. I spent time with the coolest family ever

I went with Josefina to one of her friend's houses on Saturday, and my friend Barbara invited me to her house on the 18th, which is Chile's Independence day, and I had an amazing time.

Que linda! (how beautiful) There's no other way to describe it. It's one of those "you had to be there" moments.

The weather was fabulous, the people were friendly, and the music was entrancing.

Cueca is much more difficult than any other dance I've ever learned. I'm not very good at it. The steps seem simple but they're not. You tap step from side to side and then you move in a figure-eight direction. Then you spin, and come back together. I've been told it was modeled after a chicken's courting dance. But it's very beautiful. It's much easier to watch then explain. So check out the Youtube link below:
La Cueca Chilena

Barbara's whole family is very musically talented so everyone was singing folk songs at the same time. One of her uncles plays the guitar and some other members of the family do too. Whether it was the cold air that was giving me goosebumps or if it was the family unity and harmony that was layered in the songs is unimportant, what matters is that the music was beautiful, and having my own private concert wasn't too shabby either.

So, that was my Fiestas Patrias. There's no other way to describe it but Chilean. It was perfect. I wouldn't have done it any other way.

Until next time,
Avery Cropp

September 16, 2011

What I've been up to this week

Fiestas Patrias from North to South
Government encourages responsibility and safety during Fiestas Patrias
Chile's Daily News: September 16
Transantiago increases routes during Fiestas Patrias
Honoring Chile's cultural traditions
Chile's Daily News: September 15
Contemporary art fair finishes up in Santiago
Chile's Daily News: September 14
The last goodbye to Felipe Camiroaga on the streets of Santiago
Coming soon: Sanctions against those who harm Chile's police officers
280 people detained for disturbances over the weekend
Chile's Daily News: September 12
Remains of Felipe Camiroaga, Felipe Cubillos, and 3 others recovered

September 11, 2011

A Moment Captured in Time

(originally written last year)
By: Avery Cropp

There is a picture from one of my trips that has always haunted me. Of course right now it is at my parents place in one of our many photo albums, but it has always been there in the back of my mind especially on today's date.

Ten years and three months ago in June 2001, a moment was captured on film on our grand East Coast Tour (18 states in 17 days) that I will never forget:

My sisters and I standing on a walkway in New York. The WTC is behind us

Three months later on Tuesday Sept. 11, 2001 I was in--of all places--Mr. Miller's 7th grade U.S. history class waiting for a fellow student to get back from the cafeteria with a news question. All of a sudden that student burst into the room and said "The World Trade Center is on fire!"

The classroom television was immediately turned on, and Mr. Miller left the room to alert the rest of the staff. He came back shortly.

We watched the replay of the plane hitting the tower, over, and over, and over again, and just as we were getting the information that we needed more breaking news came on: The Pentagon had been hit. There were kids crying because they had uncles and aunts in those towers and at the Pentagon on the east coast. Cell phones were taken out of backpacks, lines were formed at the phones in the classrooms, and I noticed that throughout the day some students didn't come to class because their parents had picked them up.

I just sat there immovable as a stone. It was like a bad horror movie, it was so surreal that I didn't even believe that it could be happening. My family and I had just been there. We had stayed with friends all over the East Coast.

My thoughts flashed through the list,
Where did they work?
Were they okay?
Did my dad's friend, Dave Peterson, who was stationed in Baltimore work at the Pentagon? He only lived a half-hour drive away.
Was my friend Elizabeth Kaplan in Pennsylvania alright?
Did I know anyone who was flying that day?
What was going on in DC?
Would the statue of liberty be next? I had been up to the crown when we were there.

Then I thought of the people we had met in New York: the nice lady on the subway; the taxi cab driver that drove really fast through Times Square that one night; were they safe? Did they have friends or family in the towers?

Then I prayed. I prayed that Dave was safe at home with Colby and Janine. I prayed that the lady and the cabbie would escape the day unscathed. I prayed that the firefighters and the policemen would get everyone they could out of those towers safely. I prayed that one of the girls in my class, whose dad worked in the towers, would call her tonight when she got home from school.

In second period there were no televisions on except for in Mr. Miller's room. I think he might have defied the administration. We heard all of our information from those classes. We didn't do anything in our classes. It would've been too hard to concentrate. We were given pens, pencils, notebooks, talked and were told to do what we wished. I think it was all that the teachers knew to do. I can still remember the silence of the classrooms that day, so palpable with uncertainty that just sitting in it made you scared.

The announcement came over the intercom at 11:00am that the towers had collapsed.
My heart dropped to my feet as my thoughts flashed to the people of New York who had made a family from Minnesota feel so welcome in their amazing city.

I didn't find out about the crash in Pennsylvania until I got home that afternoon and hugged my mom. Everyone we had visited was present and accounted for. Thank god.

We were some of the lucky ones. I never found out if the girl's dad had called her that night; I was too scared to ask. I still wonder sometimes what happened to the lady from the subway and the cabbie.

That day was the day my generation grew up. It was our Pearl Harbor, our Kennedy Assassination, and our Challenger explosion, all rolled into one. Everyone I talk to knows where they were, who they were with, and what they were thinking on that day. The change in our world changed us. Some people grew less friendly, some people who were so outspoken clammed up, some people who had been quiet became more vocal, and some people, like me, found our calling.

I remember sitting and watching Peter Jennings constantly for the next week. He was trying to help everyone, as well as himself, make sense of this horrible tragedy. That's when I knew that I wanted to help people make sense of the senseless, inform people of things they needed to know, and tell the stories of those that are affected by their life experiences. I wanted to be a journalist, and today I am.

In the mean time, and today especially, I will always hold 9/11 in my heart. As I've learned over the past year, it's not just the places you go, but it's the experiences you have that shape who you are. They run the gamut of horribly awful to amazing it's how you react to them which shapes yourself.

**I learned in my Latin American history and literature class this past school year that 9/11 is also a date in Chile that will never be forgotten. It was the day that Augusto Pinochet overthrew the democratically-elected marxist government of Salvador Allende. For more information on this please read my latest article on I Love Chile: Sept. 11 in Chile: its history and what to expect **

September 9, 2011

What I've been up to this week

Chile's daily news sept. 5
Jose Cifuentes: A Great Chilean Air Force Journalist
Review: Spicy Chile, free walking tour in Santiago
Contemporary art fair to return to Chile
DNA profiles of family members taken of "The 21"
Chile's Daily News, Sept. 7
Workers given day off on Sept. 19
Your guide to the celebrations during Fiestas Patrias
Chile's Daily News: Sept. 8
Dramatic profits reported from ISAPRES
Sept. 11 in Chile: its history and what to expect

September 3, 2011

The best memory of the week

I had an amazing opportunity to go on assignment to the Andes this Wednesday so that I could cover a story about a group of students here for work. It was an early morning after a fun night of hanging out with the rest of the online writing team at a local restaurant.

Despite dog fights going on in the street outside my house, and cats yowling like they were wolves all night, at 6 a.m. sharp my alarm goes off and it's time to get up. Having had the worst day ever the day before, this was not something that I wanted to do. But it's exactly what I needed. Funny how that works huh?

The view from Pat's house

Since I hadn't expected to go to the mountains at all while I was here, at least while it was still "winter," I pulled on layer after layer of clothes: 2 jeans, 1 sweat pant, a cami, a tank top, a short sleeve shirt, a jean jacket, a coat I borrowed from my host mom, and my hat. I felt like the abominable snowman, but it's cold enough in the city (40-50F lately), I didn't know what to expect from the mountains.

I took the bus to a random street in Las Condes, the barrio where I'm living, and then I walked to this address at 7:00 a.m. since Pat, my contact person for this story, told me I had to be there by 8 or she'd leave. Not knowing how long it would take, especially with my poor luck with the transportation system this past week, I wasn't going to risk it. I showed up earlier than expected but she seemed to be okay with that.

After about a half hour talking with her and hanging out in her apartment, which had a gorgeous view of the city (see above picture). We hopped in the car, picked up her friend Janet, and started the hour and a half trip to this ski place.

After going up very winding and narrow roads in a jerky manner (the cars here are all stick shifts) I finally arrived at La Parva, albeit a little light-headed, though I eventually adjusted to the altitude. Not too long after that a group of volunteers showed up from the International Association of Chile and The Friends of Helen Keller with lunch. They're all ex-pats so it was cool to spend the day a ski place with people from Holland, Germany, The US, and Britain.

Not too long after that the students showed up.

You'd think it was a typical class trip, with the way the kids were laughing, talking and playing in the snow but this one was different. These students from El Colegio de Hellen Keller are blind and they were here for their fourth and final day of learning to ski.

Yes, you read that right.

Ski instructor Fernanda helps Eric with his skis
Copyright: Avery Cropp

So how do blind children ski? Well it depends on how advanced they are with their skills. Some have their hands held by their instructor, some hold on to poles, and some can go by themselves while only responding to verbal commands to go left or go right.

AMAZING!

Francisca plays in the snow
Copyright: Avery Cropp

They were so happy. They had snowball fights, made snow angels, tasted snow, built snowmen, petted the ski center dog, all before they were even starting their lessons. My favorite was a little girl named Francisca, she was adorable. So chatty, funny, and very talented when it comes to singing. She opted for snowshoes because she is unable to go skiing. And she was also wise beyond her years.

It was a good reminder of why I do this, when the week before, I admit rather shamefully, that I was wondering

"Why the hell did I even come here?"
I can tell this story. That's why I've come here.

I've had a rough start here. It's been lonely. Being in a foreign country not knowing a single soul other than your host mom, and being a bit shy around new people at first, makes the experience rather difficult. But my rough start is nothing compared to what these inspiring children have dealt with and overcome throughout their lifetime. I re-learned to not take things for granted that day.

If you've come this far thanks for sticking with me. Please check out my story, if you haven't already:

Overcoming obstacles at Chile's La Parva ski center

Until next time,
Avery Cropp

What I've been up to this week

Collahuasi copper mine workers won't go on strike
Chile's evening news: Sept. 1
Overcoming obstacles at Chile's La Parva ski center
Make-A-Wish "Shopping for a dream" event this weekend
Chile's daily news: Sept. 1
Chile's evening news: Aug. 29
Health care tax in Chile eliminated for retirees

August 27, 2011

the latest

Chile's Daily News: Aug. 25, 2011
Timeline day 2
Chile's Daily News Aug. 26, 2011
A summary of the 2-day strike in Chile

August 24, 2011

So there's this thing called an internship...and it rules my life

Hey all!

As I expected my internship rules my life while I'm here. But what I've experienced in just three days has been pretty awesome.

My first day of work I was given a super quick orientation. I met the other intern who is here right now, her name is Katie and I relearned that the world gets smaller every day. She's from Minnesota, she lived in Rochester, and went to the U of M. How crazy is that! She's studied here before so she's kind of my insider's guide to Chile. She's pretty cool.

After our orientation Katie and I were asked to edit some articles. Then we were given an address, told to go to a press conference, and that was it. "Go do." seems to be the theme at this place which works wonderfully for me. So we go to this press conference, we don't know exactly what we're there for but we were told that we were going to this thing called SANFIC, an international film festival that takes place here every year. It turns out that this press conference is for Willem Dafoe (the guy who plays the Green Goblin in the Spiderman movies) and his wife Giada Colagrande who have made a new movie called "A Woman" that is premiering at this festival. After about an hour we had what we needed, I took the notes, Katie got some sound and pictures on her Iphone and we were ready to go. The writing's all Katie, but it was fun to be there. Like Katie said: that was pretty cool for a first assignment. "A Woman" Press Conference

Yesterday I conducted my first interview in Spanish with Fran Caselli, a chilean designer who is trying to teach people in Santiago the art of the weaving loom so it doesn't get lost to the pages of history. It was a very interesting interview and she understood all that I asked. Rescuing an almost lost art

Today we were told to stay home because there were major protests in the area during this strike of labor workers and the US embassy was concerned that it could get violent, it did. The boss is American so he decided he'd rather keep everyone safe than make us travel across town to the office. So, I played social media specialist all day from home, watching media outlets here, watching twitter, translating information to English and posting it on the site to help keep the public informed. It was hard work but worth it. Chile Timeline Thankfully my editor was able to pick up the timeline after 5 so that I could write my news brief for tomorrow and try to enjoy the rest of my evening.

I've put up one news brief so far and the other one will run tomorrow but below is the one that ran this morning. Chile's Daily News: August 24, 2011

I think I've learned a lot more and done a lot more in three days than other people have done at some of their internships so I think I'm right where I need to be. It's exhausting but it's fun.

Until next time,
Avery Cropp

August 20, 2011

Hola de Santiago!

18 hours.

2 flights.

A sunrise over the Andes that made them look like they were on fire this morning.

3 hours to go through immigration and customs.

Many separate conversations with a multitude of Chileans.

And I am finally all set up at my host mom's house in Santiago.

World fact book

I'll tell you one thing about Chilean's they do love to talk. And the accent is a little hard to pick up on at first as this other blog tells you. I have had conversations with people on my plane; 3 with my host mom, Josefina's, relatives who were picking up another member of the family at the airport; and one very long conversation with the lady that is responsible for leading me to her this afternoon. They've all told me I speak very well, like a Chilean, which makes me pretty proud of myself. Apparently it's better than being told I talk like a Peruvian, which was something my friend Elise told me is meant as an insult here.

Though I needed an english break this afternoon and reached for one of my books I brought with me, talking is good; it's keeping my mouth moving which is helping my body stay warm. It's freezing here right now.I am literally writing to you all right now under the covers on my bed, with a few more extra blankets, a sweater and a jacket and I'm still cold. The Minnesota 54F is a lot different than a Chile 54F. Granted it's about 9 p.m. here and the sun's down so that makes a definite difference, but still, brrrrr. No humidity here to give that extra cushion.

Thankfully though, as you can see in the next link, it's going to warm up soon. There's a shot at 70F people!I was told that tomorrow is the start of spring here. How wierd is that?

I do have an estufa in my room which is kind of like a portable radiator, but I can't seem to find the matches that go with it. Josefina lit it for me earlier, but now I can't find them. She's resting right now since she came to the airport to pick me up early this morning. She's really tired and I don't want to disturb her. The least I can do is let her sleep after she did that for me.

I already love Josefina. She's super sweet and funny too. She loves to cook, she made a wonderful lunch of arroz con pollo which we swapped stories over for awhile, and I've already promised her I'd make her my specialty, Tortilla Espanola, while I'm here. I think we'll get along swimmingly.

Well I've got to go. I'm leaving to go to the mall with Josefina in a little while to buy a local cell phone and a BIP! card that will help me get around the city while I'm here. Our adventure tomorrow is finding out how to get to my internship. Apparently there's a micro route (city bus) that stops close by Josefina's house and takes me all the way to work without having to change buses at all.

I'll mark that down as
Avery Cropp: 1
Directional Dysfunctionality: 0
if that proves to be true.

Until Next Time,
Avery

August 14, 2011

There's a new adventure to report

Hey all!

Apologies for the latest hiatus. Freelancing work, school, and internship prep have been keeping me on my toes this summer so I have been a bit neglectful of this blog. But there is a new adventure to report.

Yes, you read that right, a journalism internship, and one abroad at that.

I will be leaving the U.S. in a few short days to finish my last requirement before college graduation. The internship is at an English-based media group in Santiago, Chile. The media group is called I love Chile and I am extremely excited to get started:

Writing daily news briefs (morning and evening) for online news and radio broadcasts
Writing TV scripts for a weekly newscast
Writing short news articles for online news, on a variety of topics
Attending press conferences and events
Conducting interviews and writing articles for their print edition

If that isn't a journalism intern's version of Nirvana I don't know what is. The other part, the opportunity to use my Spanish on a daily basis and live with another, seemingly wonderful host family, is simply the cherry on top. I couldn't think of a better combination of my majors for my last semester of school, though I will admit the pre-trip jitters have started to kick in today.

Hours of research and planning for this 3-month opportunity over the summer will finally come to fruition on Aug. 19 when I fly out of Minneapolis.

So, keep your eyes peeled and watch for updates, I don't know if I'll have really reliable internet yet so I'll update as much as I can. The goal is to blog at least once a week so you all know that I'm still alive, and I can show you another side of the world from a more personal angle.

Until next time,
Avery Cropp

May 31, 2011

Thanks to Monish for the link. It was cool to check out.
The Most Colorful places on Earth

May 7, 2011

To move forward, you must go back

You come far in four years. You change a lot. Sitting in the halls of my old high school after visiting an old teacher of mine, I realize why this year seemed unfinished. To realize where you've ended up you need to go back where you started, where the changes and realizations began.
I stood where I used to all those years ago in the breezeway between the music wing and the academic side of my high school and put everything into perspective. The worst thing that I thought could ever happen to me turned out to be the best thing. It allowed me to be who I am today.
It helped me to grow, take risks, and take advantage of everything I have in the past four years.
I took up swing dancing. I've met amazing people. I met those who inspired me and those who pushed me back a few steps. But the difference was I learned to realize I was regressing before I fell back into my old ways and found the strength to move forward and onward to bigger and better things.
I set goals. I achieved them. I went to Spain and found my calling. I discovered who I am and what I'm meant to do with my life.
There are no words to describe what changed because I myself don't even know. All I know is whatever happened, whatever change occurred in my life, has made me better than I was four years ago. And for that I will always be grateful.

April 27, 2011

The Last First and the First Last

I texted my mom tonight:
"Last Reporter article
[for the school year] is in.
I'm not quite sure how I
feel about that."

Her response:
"sad bitter sweet old
grown up excited looking
forward to the future?"

"Yeah. That." I answered.

It's a bitter sweet moment for me certainly. Though I only worked at The Reporter for the past year I grew so much as a person. I developed a writing style all my own. I learned about working in an office. I made mistakes, I learned from them, and I worked with an editor who always was there to help. Lately, people have also been recognizing my name from the paper, which has been really cool.

You see, The Reporter is the first paper I have ever worked for. Truly the only legitimate media experience I've had was here. My first byline, my first front page, my first story, my first beat have all been here. I picked Journalism going into college because I had gotten a taste of it in high school when I worked on my school's yearbook during fall semester my senior year and absolutely fell in love with it. The people I met, the stories I was told, the pieces I wrote, taught me more about my high school and the people in it than during my whole four years I was there. The same is true for The Reporter. Though it took me longer to get up the nerve to apply than most people, I'm so glad I did.

Covering events, covering the whole gamut of the University including: Take Back the Night, A Vandalized Snow Sculpture, The Ballroom Renovation, A Blood Drive, various speakers and programs.

Covering community events and organizations: The Southern Minnesota Wedding Expo, Habitat for Humanity, The Apology Day party at the Best Western. Just to name a few.

Covering the MSSA beat, MSU's version of a student council, though some people probably think it's the most boring job on the planet, was completely fascinating to me. Though I grumbled about the meetings some days, seeing things--politics, the inner-workings of the administration, The role of MSSA in the University, referendums passed by the students and vetoed by the President, relationships built with the city--while they're unfolding from an "outsider's" perspective was so interesting to me. Seeing the interaction between people and getting to understand more about this organization was, for lack of a better word, exciting. Yes, I admit once again that I am a complete and total nerd.

42 articles. 18 weeks. Two issues a week. Clips are great and important, the producer is only as good as the product, but what I'll take away from the experience is the people I met and the things I learned while I was there.

Here's to experience, lessons, and learning.
Here's to a future unknown, but exciting all the same.
Cheers!

Until Next Time,
Avery Cropp

April 10, 2011

Relay for Life

We all know someone who has been touched by cancer in some way. I personally know at least seven people who have battled, survived, or lost their lives against this horrible disease. Sadly, I'm sure that I've forgotten some people in that count, which has given me all the more reason to fight back.

As a girl I know from a project I participated in years ago, Stephanie Olson, stated during a section called "I relay because..." where the mic is open to anyone who would like to speak said, after listing off all the of the people in her family that have had cancer, "It's just not fair."

Thankfully, there is an international event called Relay for Life. It's goal is to get people to fundraise money for cancer research. It has been held at my college for a number of years, and I have participated the last two years. This year I teamed up with Habitat for Humanity and my roommate's Pre-Dental club. It is a twelve-hour event. Ours went from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. because the catch phrase of Colleges Against Cancer, the Student Organization in charge of this event, and the American Cancer Society is: "Cancer doesn't sleep and neither should we." I just woke up, a couple of hours ago after getting back at 6:15 this morning.

There are no words to describe the power that this event holds for those who participate in it. During the event people are encouraged to decorate Luminaria Bags in memory of those who have died or in honor of those who have battled cancer. It took place in Myers Field House on my campus and every inch of that track had a bag on the edge.

During the "I relay because..." section, the most moving part of the whole event in my opinion, after people share their stories, and after all the lights are shut off in the field house we were handed glow sticks. Colleges against Cancer then told everyone who was a survivor to crack their glow sticks a few people cracked them. Then they went on to say if you have a family member who has battled cancer, please crack your glow sticks about half of the people cracked them. Finally they said, if you have a friend who has battled cancer please crack your glow sticks. Every single one was lit.

We were instructed to go and place our glow sticks in a bag. I put mine in one of my own losses, my second grade teacher Mrs. J, luminaria bag. We did a lap in silence to honor the memory of those who we had lost. You don't go too long without hearing at least one person crying as you pass them. After about five minutes we were told to celebrate the survivors to the tune of "Celebration" and dance around the track.

Fundraising for ACS goes throughout the night at food stations, craft stations, and other stations that are set up by the participating teams. Colleges Against Cancer organized many events to keep the energy up throughout the night.

At the end of the night there is a section called messages to heaven where you write a note on a strip of paper to someone you've lost, fold it up, put it in a balloon and let it fly.

Then the grand total is announced after the top teams are announced.
The Grand total for this year's Relay for Life: $36,042 and some odd cents going to cancer research, just from MSU....whoever said one place or person can't make a difference was dead wrong.

Until next time,
Avery

March 27, 2011

Funny Translation for Today

from my Swedish friend Viktoria in a Facebook message: "It's so funny by the way that your word "semester" is the Swedish word for "holiday." (We had been talking about school) Well, it's definitely no holiday, but I'll keep that in mind when I just can't make myself study for one more test as I near the end of the school year. "You're on "holiday" Avery. Enjoy it!" will make me laugh and maybe motivate me to pick up that book again. That's all for today. Until next time, Avery

March 20, 2011

Family Fun in Florida 2011

It's been about a week since I got back from Florida. Upon reflection I've realized that I am probably the only 22-year-old college student who went on Spring Break with her parents and younger sister in the history of students but that's okay, I've got Vegas coming up in May. It was nice to spend some time with them since I'm hoping to find a job and stay in Mankato this summer, and then I enter the real world briefly with an internship before I graduate in December 2011, then I'm really in the real world.

So here's the daily log, as best as I can remember:

DAY 1: From Security to a Ski Show

Sunday March 6th was an early day. We got up at 3:30 to get to the airport in time to catch our 7 a.m. flight to Fort Myers. The roads were deserted. I felt like we were driving in some apocalyptic place as we were driving to the airport. We got to the airport and went through security; we wanted to save some money so we just did a carry-on bag because we were only going to be in Florida for a few days.

We went through, my bag got pulled over and searched because I had been packing the night before around midnight and forgot to put some creams or make-up in the liquids bag. I know that it's their job, but really TSA: is a very tired girl, with glasses and her hair thrown in a ponytail, who looks like she just rolled out of bed, and can barely hold a conversation with you because she hasn't had her coffee yet a significant threat? Of course my bag that I had packed was packed perfectly so that everything could fit. I had to repack it so that I could zip it up before we could get to our gate but my dad's pat-down because of his new hip bought me some time.

Our flight went to Atlanta, and then we caught a connecting flight to Fort Myers. Both the flights were alright. The first flight had some really horrible turbulence but that was because of the rainstorm that was brewing.

We landed in Fort Myers around 10-ish and called our hotel to see if we could check in. Our room wasn't ready yet so we took our rental car and tooled around Fort Myers to check out the places that we wanted to go. We stopped by our hotel, Homewood Suites, around 3 and were told that our room still wasn't ready. It hadn't been cleaned yet. This has never happened to us at this hotel chain before so I'm thinking that the guests that checked out that morning had checked out late. They said it would be done in two hours so we left and went to a water-ski show around 4.

What's cool about this water-ski show was that it's on the edge of an outlet mall called Miromar Outlets. They have a lake with a fountain built in and this group gives shows every day at 4. They're mostly high school and college students so it was fun to see them show off. Below are some photos:

opening piece

killing some time because of boat troubles

lifts

After the show we did some more driving around and then went back to the hotel and went to bed so that we could get up bright and early without crankiness to go to the beach the next day.

DAY 2: Bring on the Sand, Sun, and Surf

Footprints in the sand

Beach day! This was the day that I was looking forward to where I didn't have to do a single thing. I could lay on my towel, read a book for fun, and went swimming and looked for seashells.
Our first stop was Sanibel Island.

We stayed there for most of the morning and it's extremely beautiful. It has perfect sand that feels like silk when it runs through your fingers, and it's a great place to look for seashells. We had bought a small net because one of my parent's friends back home had suggested it. The net's goal is to catch the shells as the waves are cresting by you. It worked pretty well. We found some small but unique shells. It was my dad's favorite activity.

shells my dad collected

At one point there was a huge commotion at the other end of the beach. So, naturally I went to check it out. In the water were three stingrays swimming in the shallows. They were so graceful and they were probably medium-sized. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me to snap a picture but Rianna; my sister, has one on hers. It was kind of cool but after that I didn't exactly feel like swimming anymore.

We noticed we were starting to get a little too much sun so to avoid looking and feeling like lobsters later on we got in our car and went to lunch. We ended up at a local place called The Lazy Flamingo. It was a place that was off the beaten track and the food was delicious, two of the best words to use when it comes to a restaurant in my opinion. It was a small restaurant with two people manning it. One manned the register and took orders and the other cooked. When orders came in the waiter attached them to a clip and slid them along a cable to the kitchen that hung in the restaurant. It was pretty relaxed and the ambience was just what we were looking for after a morning at the beach.

Inside The Lazy Flamingo

We went to one more beach, had dinner and then went mini-golfing at this really cool place that had a renaissance theme to it: castles, moats, knights-in-shining-armor, and the works. It was a weird combination of Disney World and golf.

Day 3: Twins Training Camp Day! Bring on the Boys of Summer.

This is the main reason why we went to Fort Myers. My parents had gotten tickets to Twins Training Camp back in January. This was going to be a good day. Sadly my original favorites, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau did not play in the game we watched. I have new favorites now, Danny Valencia Jeff Manship, and Kevin Slowey. They were the only three players to sign anything for anyone who was standing next to the field before the game when the other players were just standing around for 10 minutes doing nothing.

Hammond Stadium is a very beautiful facility and it was so green that I felt like I was looking at Ireland or something. That was a welcome change from the gray Minnesota Winter. The announcer told us while we were sitting and waiting for the game to start that the current temperature back home was 10 degrees and there I was sitting in 80 degree sunny weather. You don't realize what a different world it is when you're there. My mom said many times over the trip that she couldn't believe that it was snowing in Minnesota and she felt like she was on some other planet.

After some technical difficulties with the national anthem that resulted in the whole stadium singing it together, the Twins took on the Pirates. Unfortunately, they lost by two runs but it was a really cool experience.

That evening we went down to Fort Myers Beach and caught the sunset. I forgot how beautiful they could be. I haven't been able to see many lately. There was also a street magician that we saw perform after the sunset too. He was pretty good.

Day 4: The Everglades and Alligator "Hunting"

Sadly, this was our last day in Florida. My parents only had so much vacation time. We took ourselves down to the Everglades and had it planned out so that we could come back with time to spare to catch our flight.

We took an Air Boat ride through the Everglades which was pretty cool but very loud. It was a good time and we had a lot of fun. I knew when a Pelican landed on our boat and stayed there that it was going to be an interesting tour.

We saw raccoons, catfish, and an alligator, which my dad and sister were really excited about. They had been looking for alligators for the whole trip and had yet to see one. So the fact that there was this gigantic alligator sitting on the shore totally made their day. Our tour guide was really good and he liked to speed around corners and do donuts with the air boat in the middle of larger areas of water. It was a lot of fun and I saw a lot of things I normally wouldn't have seen.

I did not like the fact that the guide told me that snakes have fallen out of the trees onto the air boats in the past. *shivers* That would not have been cool. I hate snakes.

After one last tour of the island in our rental we headed back to the airport and flew home, back to the frozen tundra.

Until Next Time,
Avery

March 4, 2011

People wonder why I do this

"Why did you choose journalism? You could be anything, you're smart enough to be whatever you want to be: doctor, lawyer, rocket scientist. Why journalism, when you could be in any one of those professions that could allow you to make more money."

This seems to have been a common theme in the past month. Why they're choosing to not believe in me now, or sway me away from my chosen profession as I'm getting ready to start a journalism internship, and am about to graduate I don't know. This is the worst time for the people around me to start questioning why I went in to the major that I went in to.

They may not understand me or my choices but every time I write a new article for The Reporter I know that it's what I want to do with my life. I want to talk to people every day, I want to learn new things every day, I want to have an office but never be there because I'm out in the field talking to people and telling their stories.

I have had the honor of meeting so many amazing people through my interviews and it's something that I never want to stop doing. I don't care about the money. I've never cared about money. I think that as long as I'm in a profession that makes me want to get up in the morning and go to work every day that I have successfully led my life.

It's not the easiest life choice, but those of you who know me know that I've never taken the easy way out. I know that I'll have to be extremely frugal, and I know that competition is stiff in the field, but if it makes me happy I don't see why I should go anywhere else.

I've been writing my whole life. Writing is a familiar comfort to me, like the two-year-old who always drags their favorite stuffed animal around with them.

When I write my articles I have the power to touch someone's life, change someone's world-view, tell someone's story, open people's eyes to a problem in the world that needs to be solved, raise awareness about different cultures, and motivate people to do something about an issue.

When I write for fun I have the power to create worlds, form pictures in my reader's minds, and make them experience empathy for my characters.

We are currently studying works by Isabel Allende in my Spanish Literature class. A while back we watched a lecture that she gave at Georgetown in 1997 about her book, Paula, which is about the death of her daughter.

She's a writer, she always has been, she always will be, and she started out as a journalist and is now one of the most successful Latin-American authors. In fact most of the authors I've been reading in that class started out as journalists. They've changed worlds, they've brought attention to social issues and they have been named some of the most intelligent people of our time. I admire them.

Allende put it better than I ever could:

"I write to sort out the confusion of life,

to make the world more tolerable,

and ultimately to create change."

That is why I want to be a journalist.

Until next time,

Avery

February 15, 2011

I'm sorry...

I'm sorry,
I've been terribly neglectful of this blog, and my New Years Resolution to update this weekly has obviously fallen by the wayside.
I've been quite busy with class, and mid-terms, but I've also been writing for my college newspaper, The Reporter.
Below are some links to my articles that I've worked on that you can check out.

Sculpture Vandalized

Giving More Than Just Love

ASA Shares Culture and Charity

City Meets University

Habitat for Humanity

Until Next Time,
Avery

January 22, 2011

Next Stop

Next stop...Fort Myers, FL.

My parents just called me today and let me know that not only will I be getting out of this snow-cloaked state in March, over my spring break, for five days, but I'll also get to see my Minnesota Twins play a game. I'm so very excited.

I've been researching places to go since.
So much for homework today.

I don't know which part is more fun, the planning stage or the actually getting there stage of a trip.

To be determined I suppose.

Until next time,
Avery

January 11, 2011

My Day

The MSU Reporter front page

My article

above the fold

Hell yes!
Check it out.

http://www.msureporter.com/news/the-quest-to-become-an-intern-1.1837179

January 9, 2011

The beginning

School starts soon, and students everywhere are either homesick, restless, or depressed because the break has ended for them.

Yup, we are officially entering the "school-starts-again" blues part of the year. I know you'll all hate me for this, but I have to say really quickly that if you pine too much for the future or what's just ended you'll miss the beautiful things that are happening in the present.

I've posted this quote recently but it seems fitting today:

"One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering." ~Ida Scott Taylor

Just remember that soon it's going to be just as before. It's the getting back into the swing of things that sucks.

I know. I'm right there with you.

Remember that the sun rises and sets every day and puts on a beautiful show; and when the sky is clear, around here you can see ALL of the stars.
that's what gets me through the hard days.

If it all gets to be too much this semester go for a walk and look up.
That's all you need to remember.

Until next time,
Avery