Anne Paige Austin: BootsnAll Photojournalist

Anne Paige Austin
BootsnAll Photojournalist

Anne, after a pint. You ought to see her when she’s been hitting the sidra!

Anne is a mountain-loving Colorado native, who in the last three years of her 21-year-long life has become a loyal Oregon Duck and aficionado of the Pacific, and just recently begun her solo traveling adventures in Europe.

An avid journal keeper, she’s pretty much in heaven anywhere she can scribble down a little anecdote, a silly thought, a childlike sketch, or simply something new she’s picked up on that day. This must have been where her love for writing started, and her first trips abroad only made her realize that there was so much more to scribble about beyond the Colorado suburb in which she lived.

With this on her mind after graduating from high school, she traded in her snow gear for a rain jacket and headed northwest to study journalism at the University of Oregon. Although it was tough at first to separate herself from the Rockies and the guaranteed annual snow, she soon discovered that the rain too had a certain charm.

She studied for two years in Eugene, Oregon, pursuing a double major in magazine journalism and Spanish, and is currently spending a year abroad in Oviedo, Spain, in an attempt to improve on her Spanish and, of course, travel. Not surprisingly, the traveling part has proved a lot easier than learning the language. Since September of 2000 she has been able to travel to numerous Spanish cities, as well as Portugal and France. She even braved Switzerland in the middle of winter to take advantage of the skiing, see the snow, and surround herself with the beautiful mountain scenery she had missed so much from home.

Aside from missing the snow-capped Rockies, living and studying in Oviedo has been a great experience. Among other things, she has gained a Spanish mom, sidra-pouring skills, an affinity to the siesta and afternoon café con leche and, yes, a few pounds from all the delicious Spanish food. She hopes that upon her return to Eugene she doesn’t lose any of these… except maybe those pounds. But the year hasn’t ended yet and Anne still has plans to see more of Spain, Germany and wherever else the remaining funds will take her.

In July, Anne will return to Eugene as she still has one year left to finish her degree. Spending a year abroad has truly inspired her to pursue a career in travel writing, or at least to do as much traveling as the college-student budget permits. After graduating, she plans to move to Portland and get started working in the magazine world, but she would eventually like to move back to Colorado, or Spain, whichever proves easiest.

Feel free to email Anne at annepaigeaustin@yahoo.com. Click on her name below for links to all of Anne’s BootsnAll articles.

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