This course has probably been the most challenging three units I have ever taken (math g.e. excluded), and it has been a grind every week to get out of my comfort zone, talk to people, and ask intelligent questions to put together stories. Part of the challenge has been with my neighborhood itself: Though I set out to cover both Russian and Nob hills, most of my stories were centered in the smaller, more affluent and distinct area of Nob Hill. This presented many issues, and getting people to agree to interviews and talked to me proved to be the biggest of all. I became accustomed to getting the runaround from business owners, cops and random people around the neighborhood. However, from this I learned that part of being a journalist is dealing with these kinds of people and working through the adversity. Instead of going with what I had planned for a particular story, I had to go with the information I could get from whatever sources that would speak with me and, often, the story would take a completely different direction and angle than what I had anticipated. This helped me in letting the story write itself, rather than trying to guide I found that city supervisors and their aides were some of the most receptive to my queries and provided lots of information on which I could formulate intelligent questions and base future interviews. Finally, I found that, despite the majority of people in Nob Hill that didn't have the time of day for a student journalist, there were many that were extremely receptive and willing to help me and provide valuable insight. These interviews effectively made up for those that I couldn't get and probably benefited from not having to twist an arm to get them.
I also have grown to appreciate the neighborhood for what it is: Nob Hill is a relic of old San Francisco, filled with people with old money and a seemingly antiquated view of high society. Despite the stuffiness that has traditionally filled the air, there is a certain beauty to the towering architecture and sweeping views from atop the luxury hotels that illustrate the grandeur of the city when one rises from the often-gritty streets. The neighborhood also offers a sharp contrast to its downtown neighbors' graphic realities. In class discussions, hearing some of the "real" issues raised in neighborhoods like the Tenderloin made Nob Hill's problems pale in comparison. But that is essentially the state of the city: The very rich share these 49 square miles with the very poor, and rarely do their problems overlap. This dichotomy is something that affects every aspect of life on the peninsula, and it is important to recognize the impact. It has been a very valuable experience reading and hearing all of these different stories and, though I am glad to be done with my time in the city's uber-affluent area, it has been a challenge and great point of reference for future journalism endeavors.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Reflections
Having a few days to reflect back on reporting has been nice. Over the semester, I really enjoyed myself. I feel like this class pushed me to actually do the work harder than any other journalism class ever has. I put my heart into all the stories I wrote, and essentially did my best to care about the community I was covering. I met and got to talk to some really cool people (even a lifelong contact or two) while also improving my skills as a reporter/interviewer. I feel so much more confident after this class in my abilities to write and report effectively.
What I struggled with the most during the semester were the skills that are needed for effective interviewing. I feel like I am definitely worlds better than where I started at the beginning of the semester, but I know that over my career it will be something I will work on and develop. And of course part of me wished I had picked a more enthralling neighborhood, for the crime and actual injustices happening in the 'Set seemed pretty limited to things of petty nature. But, like most things I attack in life, I take no regrets away from here.
I love the Sunset now. On a day with good weather you can skate down Lincoln, cruise through GG Park, check out the waves at Ocean Beach, go visit funny-looking animals at the San Francisco Zoo, get one of my favorite sandwiches at Gene's on Taraval and then get a drink at The Spot up the street and make a fool of yourself singing karaoke in the back room. I've done it all, and I owe it all to 300.
I've said it once, and I'll say it again: most enjoyable class in this department (so far). Thanks to Yvonne for really going out of her way to engage us in the material we were covering.
I hope everyone has a truly fantastic Summer, I know I'm planning on it!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Response to BLOG BLOG BLOG
RESPONSE TO BLOG BLOG BLOG- it wont let me post comments there so here it is:
Just reading your story made me want to talk to him and hear his story. Yes, at first really even i thought that SF was only for clubs, and bars, and night life (possibly because those were mainly the only times i crossed over the bridge from the east bay)
After living in the city and exploring it from various lenses and people, i also feel that there is still soooo much to this city that I must see.
"I found a passion for people, and rediscovered a connection with the rest of humanity." I only felt this many times through out the semester while approaching people that i would have never other wise noticed.
Just reading your story made me want to talk to him and hear his story. Yes, at first really even i thought that SF was only for clubs, and bars, and night life (possibly because those were mainly the only times i crossed over the bridge from the east bay)
After living in the city and exploring it from various lenses and people, i also feel that there is still soooo much to this city that I must see.
"I found a passion for people, and rediscovered a connection with the rest of humanity." I only felt this many times through out the semester while approaching people that i would have never other wise noticed.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Sunset
So, I am a senior in college and have dreaded having to take reporting my entire college career. I have categorized myself as a photographer, I take pictures that's it. Writing is something I can do but really don't want to. This semester I had to just suck it up and take it. But to my suprise, I came out of this class writing things I didn't think could ever come out of me.
The first assignment of the class as you all may remember was to go to our neighbohood and talk to ten strangers. This was absolutely terrifying to me, I had to be a journalist without the comfort of my camera. I felt like that set the tone for the rest of the semester but I was wrong.
I hated the Sunset before this class. I thought it was just a residential place with absolutely nothing to do except go to the freezing cold beach. Little to my knowledge, there are so many cool places that have the exact feeling I try to find all over the city. The overall "feeling" of the Sunset is really laid back and homely. There are tons of hole in the wall type places that have been around forever, which are my favorite. It's a nice break from the hustle of the city.
My favorite place I found was the Jazz Quarter. I went back three times, staying and talking with the owner for hours at a time. I just could not get enough. He showed me all different styles of jazz and made me listen to artists I have never heard before. It was probably the most fun I have ever had on an interview. He shared small stories of his life which made him the person he is today. He's exactly what I think about when I think of San Francisco.
In the end, I still do prefer the photo side of journalism, but fully appreciate what it takes to be a good reporter. I learned a lot of important skills that I will use for my journalism career, and really enjoyed the class.
The first assignment of the class as you all may remember was to go to our neighbohood and talk to ten strangers. This was absolutely terrifying to me, I had to be a journalist without the comfort of my camera. I felt like that set the tone for the rest of the semester but I was wrong.
I hated the Sunset before this class. I thought it was just a residential place with absolutely nothing to do except go to the freezing cold beach. Little to my knowledge, there are so many cool places that have the exact feeling I try to find all over the city. The overall "feeling" of the Sunset is really laid back and homely. There are tons of hole in the wall type places that have been around forever, which are my favorite. It's a nice break from the hustle of the city.
My favorite place I found was the Jazz Quarter. I went back three times, staying and talking with the owner for hours at a time. I just could not get enough. He showed me all different styles of jazz and made me listen to artists I have never heard before. It was probably the most fun I have ever had on an interview. He shared small stories of his life which made him the person he is today. He's exactly what I think about when I think of San Francisco.
In the end, I still do prefer the photo side of journalism, but fully appreciate what it takes to be a good reporter. I learned a lot of important skills that I will use for my journalism career, and really enjoyed the class.
Gettin' Craze for Hayes
Reporting is not as easy as I thought it would be. To be honest, when I came into this class I was petrified. When I had signed up for Yvonne’s class some random guy said. “Oh you’re taking with Yvonne? Are you good with drill sergeants?”
Crap.
I tend to think of the worst possible scenario even when I have no credible information. I blame this on growing up in Fresno and having an overactive imagination. So I have to admit that when I went into class I was really really scared of Yvonne, even though I only had one really bad source. I laugh thinking about how little I spoke in class those first few days. My thought process was something like: If I don’t talk she can’t yell at me.
I quickly came to realize that Yvonne is a non-scary professor. I deeply prefer these professors because it’s difficult for me to really learn or expand in a tense, hostile environment.
I feel like with Yvonne’s help and the stories I found in Hayes Valley I really got to explore a more creative side of writing that I am not so used to. I mean being creative is scary. Someone could easily look at your anecdotal lead and say NO! That’s cheesy! That’s not very funny, you’re not making sense, why are you using so many onomatopoeias? But I felt really encouraged because there was a really welcoming and accepting energy radiating from this class since the start. Yvonne really created an environment for us to explore, evaluate and learn!
Hayes Valley irritated me a lot. The Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association had me nearly tearing my hair out. They were so interested in keeping the undesirable away. I kept thinking why don’t they use their wealth for something other planting all these gardens. Not saying that Hayes Valley Farm was a bad idea, but this group was seriously preoccupied with how many trees and flowers they can plant for the purpose of beautification and nothing much else.
However, I found a really awesome gem: Judah. Judah runs the African Outlet on Octavia and I have seriously sparked a friendship with this woman. It seems like those people sipping their cappuccinos at La Boulange (who say they know everyone in the neighborhood) cower into their iPads when she walks by. She is such a unique character and has beautiful views on life, and those people are missing out. All those “undesirables” come to her shop to hang out and feel welcomed in a neighborhood that doesn’t welcome many who don’t have a steady platinum income. But the greatest thing about Judah is she invited me to be on the African Outlet float for Carnival and I am so doing it!
I am going to miss our little news meetings so much!
Thank you everyone!
Blog Blog Blog
I went into this thinking I'd fall behind. I didn't expect to take as many courses as I got caught up in, and thought that would reflect most in this course. I even planned to repeat it when thinking about picking summer courses. And then it clicked.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF IT ALL? Stress it. Prove it. Present your point in the most authoritative sense, but really understand it. Most the time I under researched and over opinionated and stopped making sense all together.
And then I met Lucky. He approached me at the Brainwash Cafe the first time I had ever been, and gave me this unique perspective on the place. He had just gotten out of jail, for what he never quite said, and couldn't believe how different life had become since his eight years of incarceration. Very few of his observations were positive. He was shocked at all the cell phones, a point he would reiterate time and again.
He learned how to cut hair, and said he would work for a family member's hair shop. But the gentrification of the SOMA changed that. The shop didn't need the extra help, and getting rehired elsewhere with a stain on his record hadn't been easy. But he was always on the hustle.
And I saw how he didn't want to hustle, but it was the only thing he could do to keep living.
Putting a face to gentrification drove me to an epiphany. Explaining people to one another allowed me to be concise.
Lucky showed me his streets, and introduced me to staples of the community. And he let me feel confident about my right to know. He never kept appointments with me and our relationship fell through the cracks, as they say. But the few times we spoke changed any and all stereotypes of my neighborhood I previously had.
I really expected to write about nightlife, and bar hopping. Maybe some art gallery openings, or a fashion show. I wanted the glitz of San Francisco, which seems so shallow in retrospect. But I'm glad I found something much different. And in doing so, found something I actually care about. I found a passion for people, and rediscovered a connection with the rest of humanity.
Oh goodness, I'm sucha cheez bahl.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF IT ALL? Stress it. Prove it. Present your point in the most authoritative sense, but really understand it. Most the time I under researched and over opinionated and stopped making sense all together.
And then I met Lucky. He approached me at the Brainwash Cafe the first time I had ever been, and gave me this unique perspective on the place. He had just gotten out of jail, for what he never quite said, and couldn't believe how different life had become since his eight years of incarceration. Very few of his observations were positive. He was shocked at all the cell phones, a point he would reiterate time and again.
He learned how to cut hair, and said he would work for a family member's hair shop. But the gentrification of the SOMA changed that. The shop didn't need the extra help, and getting rehired elsewhere with a stain on his record hadn't been easy. But he was always on the hustle.
And I saw how he didn't want to hustle, but it was the only thing he could do to keep living.
Putting a face to gentrification drove me to an epiphany. Explaining people to one another allowed me to be concise.
Lucky showed me his streets, and introduced me to staples of the community. And he let me feel confident about my right to know. He never kept appointments with me and our relationship fell through the cracks, as they say. But the few times we spoke changed any and all stereotypes of my neighborhood I previously had.
I really expected to write about nightlife, and bar hopping. Maybe some art gallery openings, or a fashion show. I wanted the glitz of San Francisco, which seems so shallow in retrospect. But I'm glad I found something much different. And in doing so, found something I actually care about. I found a passion for people, and rediscovered a connection with the rest of humanity.
Oh goodness, I'm sucha cheez bahl.
Berkeley High and Ethnic Studies
So honestly, this story took forever to unravel and still even after sending in the final, i feel as though there's more to it. My main reason for writing about the Berkeley Ethnic Studies program at the Berkeley High School was because it was astonishing to learn that Berkeley was one of the first high schools in the 60's to have a African American department and mandate its students to enroll in at least one Ethnic Studies course that will win them up to 6 units into college, all at the age of 14. What i learned during the course of investigating the program was that it falls short on funding due to state budget cuts since the year 2000. I was trying to get the numbers on how much it actually costs to carry this program through and what is the budget for this program currently but the person designated to answer these questions was not responding to me at all, despite the numerous attempts with voicemails and urgent emails. It really was a lesson learned because even now i don't have a response to the numbers from this person and all the counselors and the front desk people keep transferring me to him. Bureaucracy- i hate it!
Al though i feel short on the numbers, i did get to speak to a lot of students and was even allowed to attend a Parents Teachers Students Association meeting to gain information.
It seems that the teachers, students and parents all appreciate the work BHS does in allowing students to explore their identity through courses such as La Raza studies and African American history (courses freshmen students at college usually explore).
I enjoyed this particular story the most because it designated with my own desire to study Tibetan history which is not provided at SFSU and definitely was no where available during my high school years.
The semester is at an end and i still feel as though i am catching up, honestly the work load this semester with school and 40 hours work and sitting as a board member on a non-profit organization was a bit overwhelming for me and a hard lesson to learn; overloading many things at one time can make accomplishing everything very difficult.
Next semester, less work hours, less volunteering, and more school school school, time to graduate already!
This class has been enormously fun and i appreciate all the discussions that we had during and after class. Memorable experience for sure! Moments to last. Have a good summer you all and for those taking Magazine Writing over summer, lets prepare for another fun class right? Crossing my fingers!
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