-So, I think I started thinking about investigating
as early as in elementary school.
We had an electric typewriter that was in our play room.
And we would occasionally hear it go "tick, tick, tick, tick,
tick, tick, tick, tick."
So my sister and I were like,
"Well, clearly someone is trying to send us a message."
So we put paper in it.
We never got a message.
I'm Alisa Sickora Kleckner.
I am a resident designer, costume-shop manager,
and adjunct professor at a university --
and a novice ghost hunter.
♪♪
I'm happily identifying as a novice
because I'm still taking all this information in.
I haven't come up with any kind of definitive belief system
around this.
One of my favorite things about going on a ghost hunt
is just experiencing the place itself.
Because likely you're going to be experiencing it after hours,
and so you get to hear the building.
You get to really see the architecture.
I love going to those places
and hearing about the history of those places
outside of the paranormal as well.
What was the cultural importance of this place?
I think that one of the most important things to do
if you're going to investigate or observe
is to know thyself.
All right.
Know that you have allergies.
So make sure that you have allergy pills.
And I'm not a spring chicken,
so make sure you have some pills if you get a little achy.
A water bottle so that you can filter your water.
And then mosquitos love me.
I don't want to be distracted by them.
So just little things that actually keep you comfortable
so that you can experience as much as you can.
Clothes that are black.
And the reason that I choose clothes that are black
is because I don't want to be a means to reflect light.
♪♪
And then I try to wear the quietest shoes that I have
that are also super comfortable.
A voice recorder.
I think that some of the most interesting communication
that can happen
is just with a little simple recorder
that anyone can purchase.
And so, of course, not surprisingly,
you just need to make sure you have all the batteries,
because you know something could get drained.
I don't know what I think of that, but why not be prepared?
I used to carry a DSLR so that if something happened,
I was ready.
And you never are.
Having a little camera, though, even just to remember the day,
because I have a terrible memory.
And then, of course, you need a light source.
I don't want to fall.
I also know myself, and I will trip.
I don't think you have to do this in the dark.
I think it's convenient to do it in the dark 'cause it's quieter.
But most of the experiences, come to think of it,
have been in the middle of the day.
I desperately need maps.
I can get lost just about anywhere.
I do keep my cellphone with me,
and that's more for emergencies than anything.
I also try not to because, depending on
if you're investigating with a group of people,
cellphones can sometimes
mess with other people's equipment,
and I would never want to have anybody have a false positive
because I have my cellphone with me.
I personally don't carry a ton of stuff
because I try to use my eyes and my ears.
I just recently had an experience,
and I was surrounded by ghost hunters,
and I was the only one who saw it
because everybody was looking at their camera,
going through their evidence,
or listening to their recorders or all this kind of stuff.
And I just watched a shadow run across a catwalk
for a good five beats.
I am a novice.
I am a novice. I am a gentle believer.
I have a lot of skepticism about it.
But I think it's just really fun to go and experience the history
and experience the people who have all different types
of commitment to their belief systems.
It's why you should go and explore other places in general.
I'm not searching for proof to share with the world.
I actually have just questions for myself,
and I want to be open to a plethora of potential answers
to those questions.
♪♪