Taking Back Sunday Takes Me Back In Time

Hanging out with Taking Back Sunday at Fox News

Fox News Entertainment anchor, Ashley Dvorkin, always brings some awesome people on set. And although meeting Taking Back Sunday was a middle school/MySpace era throwback, I was excited nonetheless.

Although I’m hardly a music buff, I enjoyed watching them perform a song off their new self-titled album, ‘Taking Back Sunday.’ Plus, it didn’t send me reeling back to green lockers and 4th period.

I might just start listening to them again.

Watch them perform “Faith (When I break You Down)”

I also met Jonah Bobo today, who plays Steve Carell’s son in the new movie “Crazy, Stupid Love.” Jonah Bobo is such a sweet kid and reported that Steve Carell is nothing like his famous TV personality Michael Scott. I was a little disappointed to hear that.

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Meeting Neville Longbottom

Part of my internship duties include greeting the guests when they arrive. This can be a very fun responsibility because we often have exciting people on the show. The other day I got to meet actor, Matthew Lewis, who plays the character of Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter series.

Since tonight is the premiere of the final movie and all the crazy HP fans are probably experiencing an emotional meltdown between excitement and complete depression, I figured I would post the interview with Neville Longbottom as he talks about the beginning of his career and the end of Harry Potter!

Walk on Top of New York City

The High Line Park is a long walkway suspended above New York City. Once old train tracks that were built to keep dangerous trains away from the Manhattan streets, the High Line is now a place for New Yorkers to escape the cement. This boardwalk is lined with flowers and even some patches of grass, a shocking find in the city. The High Line even has deck chairs, ice cream stands and a great view-perfect ingredients for a sunny Saturday.

This website will give you the full history of the High Line and directions on how to get there.

Below the High Line between Little W 12th St. & 13th St. is a restaurant called the Beer Garden. I love this place because it is spacious and has big glass windows that let in floods of day light. And it truly is a garden, complete with flowered vines and trees.

I ate some of the best calamari here. And that’s coming from someone who has eaten a lot of calamari from a lot of different places. I definitely recommend this as a post-walk stop!

From Spain to New York

Life is exciting. Four months in Spain followed by a summer in NYC is the definition of adventure, travel and learning.

I tried to blog in Spain as you might see from my attempt below. But about a month into my European adventures I decided that I would rather fill my time with more experiences rather than spend my time reflecting on those already had.

But now, as I spend my days in the fast paced, highly technological environment of Fox News I have caught the blog bug again.

This summer I am interning for FoxNews.com Live at Fox News in NYC. The energy of the news station and the city is all the same. Fast paced, hectic, always going, going, going. And I love it.

FoxNews.com Live is Fox News Channel’s live web show that airs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day. So I am there from 7:30 a.m. to about 5:00 p.m. every day. I have learned so much already. I can now quickly navigate the program iNews and can speedily cut elements using Ardome Precut and Easycut. I write headlines, greet and book guests, help manage social media, help the Line Producer in the control room and sometimes work on set with the cameras. I have even had the chance to produce a couple segments, which has been very exciting.

And while every day I learn more and more about the field of journalism, I am also learning a lot about growing up and living on my own.

I am living in my first apartment and for the first time am taking on the grown-up challenges of grocery shopping, COOKING, and trying to being thrifty (which is especially hard in the city).

So this blog will be a place where I will post my journalism ventures and projects, but may it also serve to track my emergence into the scary, but inevitable real world.

Nerja

I touched the Mediterranean Sea for the first time the other day! My friends and I went to a beach in Nerja, a small town on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain. It was warm enough to tan and go swimming!

One of the best things about Granada is it’s location. In one weekend, you can travel to the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains for a day of skiing and the next day take a two hour bus ride to a sunny beach on the Mediterranean!

Little shops line the beach side where you can buy helado (ice cream) and supposedly the best paella you will ever have! I opted for the ice cream, of course, but I plan to return soon to experience more of this picturesque town and beach!

Festividad de San Cecilio

Yesterday, my friends and I took part in a traditional Granada festival, celebrating the patron saint of Granada, San Cecilio. At noon, hundreds of Granada residents walked uphill to the Abadía del Sacromonte for the celebration.

The walk up the mountain was so beautiful. Little white houses, called “carmens,” are perched on the mountain sides and the Alhambra is directly across from where we stood.

At the top of the mountain we were given beans, cod and salaíllas (a type of salty bread). We sat in the sun in t-shirts and watched traditional Granada dancing!

After the festival, we walked up to el Albaicín, a small neighborhood in Granada, where you can see a perfect view of the Alhambra, the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the entire city of Granada. There were people playing music and enjoying the sunny day. Everything about el Albaicín was so beautiful, I couldn’t believe it was real!

Photo Credit: Seonaid McNabb

Culture Shock Cures

Adjusting to a new language and new culture has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It’s easy to get frustrated and feel out of place at first. My first night here I was asking myself, “What am I doing in this random house in this little town in Spain?”

When preparing for this trip, “culture shock” was a word  I just browsed over and ignored. But it’s  definitely a very real thing. However, I’ve found that just giving yourself time to get used to your situation and knowing that it’s okay to feel frustrated can help. I’ve only been here for one week and I’m beginning to feel more acclimated. Here are some things that have helped me so far:

This sign is hanging on a bridge near my house. I can’t translate it perfectly, but in essence it says:

“No one talks bad about the day until the night arrives

I have seen sad mornings to have happy afternoons”

I really like this concept because it doesn’t have to apply just to one day. It can apply to days or weeks or months. You shouldn’t give up on a day or an experience because it’s hard at first. Have an open mind, try to stay positive, and your initial frustration can turn into a wonderful adventure.

Go for a run! This is right outside my front door. When I went for a run, my mind wandered to a place where I didn’t have to think in Spanish or English. It was such a nice relief and I really got to enjoy the scenery around me. Working out isn’t miserable when you have so many beautiful things to look at. And you can’t underestimate the power of endorphins either!

Go out for cafe y postres!! Granada is overflowing with cafes and pastelerias! Chocolate + coffee + friends can fix any frustration. And it’s definitely a part of the culture you won’t hesitate to embrace!