Cafe Abroad InPrint Winter 2007

8/14/2019 Cafe Abroad InPrint Winter 2007

1/19

Issue3

Winter

2007

InsideInsideBuenos AiresBuenos Aires

Into the JuInto the Jungngle:le:Navigating NicaraguaNavigating NicaraguaTunneling theTunneling theBosporusBosporus


2/19

2 Caf Abroad InPrint Winter 2007


CONTENTS

MUSIC

DJ Curro Riera chats with Caf Abroadcorrespondent Jacqui Davis about lifebehind the turntables in Seville.

MUSP06

FOOD

Ordering a meal in a small restaurantalong Chinas storied Silk Road can beas much of an adventure as the sight-seeing. As Sarah Markenson explains,Chinese food takes on an entirely differ-ent meaning in its native land.

FP08

FILM

Power up the DVD player and plug inthe popcorn maker for a little cinemato-graphic predeparture orientation cour-tesy of Jamie Andrew.

FP09

COVER SHOTTransportation into Bosaws, Nicaragua. Withthe closest road miles away, traveling is done byriver using large dugout canoes or pipantes.

Here on the Rio Coco it is deep enough for theprovero or pole-man to take a break andobserve some of the scenery. Photograph byScott Travers.

SOUTHERNCONE CAPITAL

Get some rest before you arrive; thenightlife down here starts early andends earlier. Welcome to one of theworlds hippest cities the kissingcapital of South America. CafAbroad Team Buenos Aires offers to-tal cultural immersion in 3,000 words.Lesson one: pucker up.

P15

niewcAtL

P

FROM THEUNDERGROUND

Lindsay Trice unearths facts and arti-facts, digging deep into the brewingcontroversy involving one of Turkeyslargest public works projects and ahistorical archeological discovery.

P04

BOSAWSBIOSPHERE RESERVE

I awoke at 2 a.m. to shouting. A fer-de-lance, the deadliest snake in thewestern hemisphere, had slitheredinto camp and one of the indigenousguides had almost stepped on it,writes Scott Travers, a University ofFlorida junior and aspiring herpetolo-gist. If this sounds intense, wait til you

hear about the crocodile.

P12

STELLENBOSCHSTUDY CENTER

Having led programs on five conti-nents, Bradley Rink is well preparedto set up a new study center in SouthAfrica. See Africa through Rinks eyesand experience his passion for thecontinents culture and spirit.

P14

GABORONEMEDICAL CLINIC

Steven Friedman returns to Botswanawhere the sophomore already hasbeen prescribed a double dose ofAfrica. Friedman visits remote villagesand reflects on the partnership be-tween the Hospital of the Universityof Pennsylvania and its HIV/AIDShealth clinic in Botswanas capital.

P10

Popol VuhMorning Sun (Germany)PumiceEyebath (New Zealand)

Shonen KnifeJackalope (Japan)

Neu!Hal logallo (Germany)

Yura Yura TeikokuSoft Death (Japan)

Fela KutiGo Show (Nigeria)

Music > Caf Abroad

Pre-Departure Playlist


3/19

www.cafeabroad.com 3

www.cafeabroad.com

PUBLISHER

Mark Travers

MANAGING EDITORDan Schwartzman

ART DIRECTOR

Adrian Antonio

STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS

Jamie Andrew, Maryland Institute of ArtSamantha Bradley, Central Michigan U.Julie Jane Capel, North Park University

Jasmin Chang, Northwestern UniversityJacqui Davis, Indiana University

Daniel Franken, Georgetown UniversitySteven Friedman, U. of PennsylvaniaDestiny Graber, University of GeorgiaNicole Katze, Wittenberg UniversityDina Magaril, Middlebury College

Sarah Markenson, St. Louis UniversityJessica Rettig, Georgetown University

Scott Travers, University of FloridaLindsay Trice, Georgetown University

Abby Wambaugh, Long Island U.

Nicole Wong, UCLA

FACULTY CONTRIBUTOR

Bradley Rink, CIEE Stellenbosch

Caf Abroad InPRINT is a student-generated magazine distributed to 300

university abroad offices.

To receive InPRINT at your school, or torequest additional copies, email us at

[email protected].

Caf Abroad welcomes student sub-missions. Send stories and photographsto [email protected]. Find

more detailed submission guidelines atcafeabroad.com.

4 Bayshore RoadLong Beach Township

New Jersey 08008

www.cafeabroad.com

Advertise with Caf Abroad

As a newsmagazine, online networkand city guide, Caf Abroad is po-sitioned as the next development instudy abroad. If youre interested inpromoting your organization to the

study abroad community, contact usat [email protected].

Join the global caf of ideas. Caf Abroad 2007

Aew sta members rom last semester are now applying or jobs and

graduate programs and weve been asked to write letters o recommen-

dation. So ar Ive ound this experience to be both fattering and hum-bling or two reasons. First, why would anyone want our opinion? Our publisher

isnt old enough to rent a car. Second, why would anyone rom an MBA program

want our opinion? We wouldnt get accepted even i we cheated on the GREs.

Regardless, we were happy to oblige. We might as well help our riends suc-

ceed and go places in their young careers. By the same token, weve spent the

past year living vicariously through students adventures as budding world trav-

elers.

Its always a little surprising when the phone rings and its someone rom an

esteemed organization whos called to hear our opinion. And its starting to

happen too requently to shrug it o as a fuke. Still, at this point, we preer to

be the ones doing the listening instead o the talking.

To this end, issue 3 marks the creation o InPRINTs letters section, where

weve devoted an open orum or our readers to share their thoughts about any

aspect o the international education community. Weve started this edition

with three upbeat comments, because, ater all, our egos are ragile. But in the

uture, we hope to inspire students and educators alike to voice a diversity o

opinions with Ca Abroad. Email [email protected].

Behold I have set beore thee an open door. Book o Revelation

Dan Schwartzman

managing editor

- By Abby Wambaugh

Cartooning rom New Zealand

Hey Dan,

Congratulations to you, Mark, and the rest o theCA team. I was visiting a campus last week and sa wa big stack o Ca Abroad displayed prominently! Ialso hear rom my Italian colleagues that there arefve students helping with Perugia, Italy.

In bocca al lupo, as we would say!

Best,

Mark ShreveAssociate Director o US RelationsThe Umbra Institute

Letters

Dear Dan,

Congratulations, guys! Your site looks great.You are making a useul contributionto the feld. I wish you continued success.

Regards,

Annagene Yucas, Ph.D.DirectorStudy Abroad OfceUniversity Center or International StudiesUniversity o Pittsburgh

Hi Dan,

This is a wonderul looking site - you have anincredible team.

Congratulations,

Angel CardecAssociate DirectorOfce o International StudiesUniversity o Central Florida

Cartoons

CARDINAL

DIRECTIONS

[email protected]


4/19


By Lindsay Trice

One hundred and fty yearsago the Ottoman SultanAbdlmecid dreamt o anunderwater tunnel to link the Europeanand Anatolian sides o Istanbul, anambitious aspiration only now fnallybeing realized as The Marmaray

Project. Since it broke ground inMay 2004, this engineering marvelhas encountered every imaginablechallenge. Earthquake ears have calledor creative construction measures.In 2005, the project unearthed theremains o Portus Theodosiacus, the4th century Byzantine port now beingcalled the archaeological fnd o thecentury. Add a healthy dose o politicsto the mix, and its not hard to imaginewhy the $3 billion project has been ahotbed o controversy. With a current

estimated completion date o 2012,two years behind schedule, its beenreported that the delays will cost thecity an added $1 million per day.

But the project plows orward a necessary endeavor to serve thesprawling mega-city o 15 millionspanning Asia and Europe. Istanbul is acrossroads o East and West, located onthe long-traveled path o the Bosporus(also known as the Istanbul Strait),which connects the Black Sea withthe Mediterranean Sea. The city has

grown up organically over thousandso years, with new generations building

layer-upon-layer over the history opast empires. And Istanbul is growing:an estimated 500 people per daymove rom the country to the city.Transportation methods cannot copewith this volume, and are limited to anaboveground tramway, a small subwaysystem, a vast network o public buses

and taxis, and a erry system over theBosporus. With public transportationoverloaded during peak hours, mostpeople drive their own cars rather thancram into crowded buses. The twobridges that connect the European sideto the Anatolian side cannot handle thistrafc, and there is no room to build athird bridge. The inevitable result isbumper-to-bumper trafc, a veritableree-or-all that ignores most trafclaws and incites ample use o horns.Auto exhaust oats into the air, settling

on and eroding ancient mosques andpalaces, and drivers, passengers andpedestrians become increasinglyrustrated as they attempt to navigatethe citys labyrinthine and sometimesintensely vertical streets. The MarmarayProject encompasses and embodiesthe cynical hopes o Istanbulites or asolution to the worsening problem.

Named or a combination oMarmara (or the Sea o Marmaralocated at the mouth o the strait) andthe Turkish word or rail, the Marmaray

Project includes plans to rebuild 37 newrail stations above ground, construct

three new ones below ground, and linkall o this with 48 miles o new railway,including an eight-mile tunnel beneaththe Bosporus to connect the Europeanand Asian sides o the city. Eventuallythis system will be integrated intoa planned railway through Turkey,Azerbaijan and Georgia, and will allow

passengers to travel rom London toBeijing without any transers . AgathaChristies amed Orient Express willbe reinvented. The rail will have thecapacity to carry 75,000 passengers perhour on approximately 440 vehiclesbuilt to travel up to 100 kilometersper hour (60 mph). Additionally, it willbe more environmentally riendly,running on electrical energy ratherthan imported uel. I constructionproceeds as planned, the percentage oIstanbulites who use rail transport could

increase rom 3 percent to 28 percent,putting Istanbuls percentage just araction behind Tokyo and New YorkCity. Furthermore, it could alleviate thegridlock and pollution caused by the12 million people who travel into andaround Istanbul each day.

The tunnel under the strait will becomposed o 11 sections o 440-oot-long steel and concrete tube, eachweighing up to 18,000 tons. This willbe constructed 56 meters below sealevel, beneath 180 eet o water and 15

eet o shiting soil and silt, making it thedeepest immersed tunnel in the world.

Additionally, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbashas said another tunnel (and possiblyanother bridge over the Bosporus) will bebuilt in the uture to handle vehicles withrubber tires, though there is no timetableset or the project. Already, Marmarayis a challenge or the most talented oengineers. However, it has seismologists

equally atigued. Construc tion o thetunnel runs only 12 miles rom the activeNorth Anatolian Fault.

Since a.d. 342 the North AnatolianFault has witnessed more than a dozenearthquakes that have claimed morethe 10,000 lives, and it is predictedthat there is a 77 percent chance that aquake o more than a 7.0 on the Richterscale will hit Istanbul in the next 30

years. The city still has memories othe two quakes in 1999 that killed18,000 people. As quakes occur in the

current westward pattern, the stresson the ault line is transerred artherdown the line and inches ever closer toIstanbul. In the event o a quake, thesot sandy soil in the strait above thetunnel would turn to something akin toquicksand. Engineers have taken intoaccount these statistics and respondedby injecting grout up to 80 eet deep inthe soil where the tunnel will run. Thetube itsel will have two independentlywaterproo layers: a steel shell, popularin the United States, and a concrete

layer, common in Europe. The tunnelshould be long and exible enough

A Public Works Mission Impossible in Istanbul?


5/19


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Fill out NYU study abroad application.

Submit and go to class.

6 months from Monday.Wave goodbye to family.

Board plane.

Be there.

www.nyu.edu/abroad/where

New York University

NewY

orkUniversityisanaffirmativeaction/equalop

portunityinstitution.

NYU StudyAbroad. Be there.

apply now and experience abroad

to withstand an earthquake o largemagnitude thanks to joints constructedo rubber and steel. Furthermore, ia quake hits and the tunnel cracks,foodgates will slam down and stopwater rom inundating the undergroundtrain stations.

Having worked out the complexengineering equation with constructionwell underway, builders then ran intothe next problem. While excavatingYenikapi, the area about a mile rom thehistoric Blue Mosque on the Europeanside, where the underground tunnel

and sections o city walls dating romthe reign o Constantine I all o whichhave been preserved thanks to the deeplayers o oxygen-poor sand. Onceuncovered, the artiacts must quickly becoated with polymer to prevent themrom drying out and dissolving into dust.As the archaeologists work to uncoverthe 4th century port, contractorslabor in specic areas, trying to keepconstruction o the 21st century railwayhub somewhat on schedule. Tensionsbetween the camps are understandablyhigh, and the Yenikapi site has had tobe redesigned, orcing the delay othe entire project. A witchs brew oconfict, the site itsel has been closedto reporters or some time.

Meanwhile, there is the lingeringquestion o Turkeys bid to join theEuropean Union, which has beenheld up or years in large part due toquestions about Turkeys commitmentto democracy, and its track record withhuman rights issues. By showing respector its heritage and ancient culturesthrough the careul preservation oPortus Theodosiacus, Turkey gainsavor with the EU. But the railway cantremain unnished or much longer. Andthe engineering project also representsTurkeys ability to modernize and

will start, they uncovered PortusTheodosiacus (known in historicalrecords as Eleutherios harbour), thehuge Byzantine port that had beenlost or 1,000 years. Multiple teamso archaeologists have uncovered anawe-inspiring number o artiacts, withsome dating back to the 6th century b.c.There are shells, bone ragments, horseskulls, pottery shards, a passenger shiprom the 9th century, a commercial shiprom the 11th century, dishes, coins,leather sandals, hairbrushes, candleholders, anchors, rope, the stone pier,

MARMARAY NIGHT SHIFT: Workers toil around the clock at the Yenikapi dig site ineorts to fnish the tunnel by 2012. The blue bins seen above temporarily hold an-cient and priceless artiacts recovered while digging. Photographs by Lindsay Trice.

westernize, boosting its standing in theinternational community.

Upon completion o the project,Turkey, a country predominantly in Asia,will be as directly connected to Europeas the United Kingdom, negating thatgeographic argument to exclude thecountry rom the EU. The countryremains caught between the past anduture, and the East and the West: itcant ignore the archaeological nd othe century, but the tunnel must benished. At the moment, the outcomeremains uncertain, and the cars continueto turn the streets into parking lots. Inthe middle o the Bosporus, huge oiltankers regularly pass the small shatthat is the only surace link to thealready submerged sections o tunnel.As this tug-o-war between history,technology and politics persists, onlytime will tell i Turkey will be able tosuccessully orge a path o historicallysensitive modernization.

Lindsay Trice is a junior at GeorgetownUniversity double majoring in governmentand theology. She is studying at BogaziiUniversity in Istanbul, Turkey, bringing theuniversity's population of Ultimate Frisbee-playing redheads to approximately one. Hergoals for the semester include learning enoughTurkish to order from the menu, and becominga world-class backgammon player.


6/19

SEVILLE SPINNER: Pictured above working the turntables at Bauhaus club in hishometown, DJ Curro is a rising star in Sevilles popular electronica movement.


By Jacqui Davis

Known or traditional culture,Sevilles nightlie is likely to frstevoke thoughts o authenticmusic or dance. These notions are notunwarranted there are several placesin the city to catch a colorul amencoshow. Still, the image o very traditionalperormances sharply contrasts with theabundance o ree-owing DJs spinningEuropes ever-popular electronicathroughout Sevilles distinctivediscotecas.

The popularity o electronica inEurope has been strong or several years,and continues to expand. Nightlie inSpanish cities like Barcelona and Madridhas been synonymous with the genreor years. The visceral sound long agospread to Seville, where it pervadesthe vibrant dance scene. Its long-timeestablishment has allowed homegrowntalent to come o age under the brightlights and ascend to the turntablesthroughout the city.

I recently interviewed DJ CurroRiera, one o the citys best localDJs. Curro, native to Seville, says hiselectronica inuences incorporate avariety o styles, mixing into his setstechno, electro, house, trance and evenbreakbeat.

Caf Abroad: Why do you think

electronica is so popular in Spain and inother European countries?

DJ Curro: Well, music is universal.But throughout the years, Europe hasbeen the origin o the most importantnames in music history. Beethoven,Bach, Mozart, The Beatles, The RollingStones, U2 They call Europe TheOld Continent, and or centuries it hasproduced diverse cultural movements.And music is culture. Its also un, andthat helps, right? You dont have to bea student or a lawyer or a judge to enjoyit.

CA: How would you describe thedierence between the genres o techno,breakbeat and house?

DJC: Each style transmits a dierentenergy and has a very distinct sound.Although, nowadays it is difcult tospeak o the dierent styles, sinceelectronica evolves so rapidly. Itsalmost impossible to classiy the stylesthat existed fve or six years ago.

CA: Which do you most work with?DJC: I have worked with all o them,

but the one I least use when spinningis breakbeat. However, it was actuallywhat sparked my interest in electronicain the frst place. My beginnings werewith techno and house, which I usetoday, but with a new twist.

CA:When did you frst take an interest

in electronica?DJC: 1997 1998 I dont

really remember.CA: How long have you been a

DJ?DJC: Really, you could say that I

havent been spinning long. I used towork in a record store, which is where Ilearned. This store is associated with thetwo most important DJs in the city, whoare very well known throughout Spain:Javy Unin (and) Lady K. Its calledUnin Records and its one o the oldestin Spain in terms o electronica. I spentcountless hours there comparing thedierences between American, German,British and Spanish discographies.

CA: Who have been your maininuences?

DJC: Without a doubt, Lady K andJavy Unin are those I ollowed mostclosely. But there are other artists whoinuence you, and I have been inuenceda great deal by an artist rom Barcelonawho I knew personally and had a lot ogood times with: DJ Sideral. Sadly, hepassed away just over a year ago. He

was very well known in Spain and hispieces were o the most bold andinnovative. And, outside o Spain,the inuence o music that comesrom Berlin or Detroit, which is

the birthplace o techno. In theUnited States, there are true

electronica legends.CA:What makes your sound

unique?DJC: I tend to be quite archaic

and play various styles in the same set.But thats something that you acquireover the years as you learn more about

yoursel and what it is that you reallylike and how you like it.

CA:Have you collaborated with manyother DJs? Any big names?

DJC: Well, Ive been lucky to workand perorm with great Spanish artists

such as my riend Javy Unin, OscarMulero, Christian Varela, Lady K, andother international artists such as RichieHawtin, Gaiser, Luke Slater, Sven Vath,Stean Goldmann and Carl Craig. Itsgreat to work with artists o this level ina club or a big estival. However, thereare other lesser-known artists who

I enjoy working with just as much, inot more: Fonsi Arjona, Ramiro Lpez,Javier Algarra, Octavio Gares thereare so many!

CA:Who has been your avorite personto work with?

DJC: With those who are my riends,clearly! I couldnt choose just one.

CA: Who are the best or most popularDJs in the area?

DJC: I always say Javy Unin, who isthe one I grew up listening to. But asiderom him, there are many others. Thereis a lot o talent in southern Spain.Octavio Gares, Gonalo, Isaak Lozano,Fonsi Argona, Oskitin, Peter Paul,Brunetto, Bread & Butter, the peopleo umo.com, Nomadas Urbanos, DubElements there are a lot.

CA:Where are the best places to workas a DJ in Seville?

DJC: Seville has really become astrong city in terms o electronica,so its not difcult to fnd artists oan international level in local clubslike Emporio, Kaka and Aduana. Still,the best in my opinion is Bahaus. Its arestaurant that transorms into a clubat night and over the last ew years hasbecome known or its innovative anddaring electronica. Its a small but verycharming club with the best music inthe city.

CA: Do your plans or the utureinclude spinning?

DJC: Yeah, I will continue or sure.I also hope to begin working as aproducer and try to develop my sound.Apart rom this, I have other projects,which Ive just started, such as thecreation o a new promotion companycalled 954 Producciones with whichwed like to contribute something moreto the scene o our city and support thediverse cultural expressions, which she(Seville) oers.

For DJ Curros show dates, visit www.

myspace.com/Curroriera954 or check outhis crew at www.union-prod.com.

Jacqui Davis is a recent graduate o IndianaUniversity who spent Spring 2007, her fnalcollege semester, in Seville, Spain. She hasnow returned to the city or the year, teachingEnglish in a Spanish high school and working ininternational marketing.


7/19


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8/19


By Sarah Markenson

The myth that cats and dogs are usedin Chinese ood is actually quiteaccurate in Beijing. An abundance

o stray cats and dogs roam the streets,oering a protein source that manycooks take advantage o. And, althoughits rare to see a dog dish at an upscalerestaurant, many hole-in-the-wallplaces may serve dog.

When I was traveling along the SilkRoad recently, my riends and I ate lunchat a small restaurant in Jiayuguan. We

knew we were going to have difcultiesthe moment we walked in the door.Because it was lunchtime, the place waspacked as most establishments are inChina. As the waiter made space or us,the people stared at us with blank aces.It was as i we pushed the pause buttonon a movie. They gawked at us out osimple curiosity; obviously we wererom out o town.

The menu in Chinese characterswas impossible to read, but we knewenough spoken Chinese to order

noodles. We also asked or pork chowmein (ju rou chow mian). The waiterseemed to understand and let toenter our order. Soon he returned witha bowl o noodles or each o us. Myriend looked into the broth and askedor clarifcation that the meat was pork.The waiter look conused and then saidin agreement, Ah, gourou. Gourou inChinese means dog. With this response,my riend pushed the bowl aside, as i tosay, thats not what I ordered. Comingto his senses, the waiter assured her, Ah,

jurou! Jurou! and eventually convincedmy riend it was pork. As she ate thenoodles, the waiter stood tablesideand chuckled with a smirk on his ace.I believe we ate dog and noodles inJiayuguan.

Beore I arrived in China, I enjoyedwhat I thought was Chinese ood: P.F.Chang's, Panda Express and otherChinese buets. But dishes like PandaExpress crab rangoon scrumptiouscream cheese and crab flled snacks are unheard o in mainland China.

The Chinese ood that mostAmericans eat in the United States is

quite dierent rom the Chinese oodI have tasted in Beijing. Keep in mind,too, that Americans link togetherCantonese, Mongolian and Szechuanood all as Chinese ood. In reality,these ethnic oods have very dierentavors and ingredients. American-style Chinese ood generally consistso chicken or pork dishes served withrice, such as sweet and sour pork orGeneral Tsos chicken. And, while thewesternized avorites are all availablein Beijing, Chinese people generally do

not eat them.Instead o appetizers like egg rolls

or spare ribs, the Chinese enjoy colddishes beore a meal such as tou andseaweed, cabbage salad with peanuts,pig ears, and pickled cucumbers. Dinnerconsists o a vegetable such as eggplantor Chinese broccoli, a meat dish thatcontains pork or bee, noodles and rice.I one is eating alone, then just a bowl onoodles or ried rice with bee usuallysufces.

Chow mein is one o several amous

oods in Beijing. Another avorite is riednoodles, which ordinarily come veryspicy, but i you just ask or no spices(bu la), then they are very tasty. Friednoodles are thicker and more square like egg noodles.

Peking Roast Duck is probably themost amous o Beijings cuisine. Here,roast duck is served with slivers ocucumber, garlic pieces and a thicker,richer soy sauce that is all wrapped in asmall, thin Chinese pancake very similarto a French crpe.

For an inexpensive snack, trydumplings in one o two dierent styles,

jiaozi or baozi. Baozi is a wheat steamedbun with pork and cabbage inside, while

jiaozi is a thinner style o dough. I yourestill hungry, street vendors also sell livecrickets, dried scorpions, lizards andrabbits.

Beijing is a cosmopolitan city andany type o ood can be ound here,although Western ood is usuallymuch more expensive and not quiteup to par. While in China, try to fnd anoodle restaurant or dumpling placeand order a ew dierent things that

sound good. It might be dierent thanyour typical American steakhouse, but youll fnd something you like and willeventually consider tasty. Just bewareo the special, particularly i you aretraveling with a pet that has strangelydisappeared.

CHOP SHOP: A Beijing chef carves up a Peking Roast Duck (above). Considered one ofChinas national foods and prepared since the Yuan Dynasty, the dish consists of thinstrips of crispy skin and tender chunks of moist meat. (Below) Stacks of dried lizardsprovide a crunchy treat at a street vendors display.

Sarah Markenson is a sophomore at St.Louis University majoring in internationalstudies and economics and participating inthe oreign service certifcate program. She isstudying at The Beijing Center at the Universit y

o International Business and Economics inBeijing. Her interests include yoga, travelingand religious studies.


9/19


By Jamie Andrew

It's inevitable: youll get on the plane,

eat the plastic-wrapped chicken andpasta and crane your neck around the

seat in ront o you to watch the movieyou cant really hear. Your destination ochoice is laid out beore you like somesort o smorgasboard or you to samplewith glee. Its easy to romanticize theidea o traveling and living abroad. Butoten the reality on the ground provesmuch dierent than when you still had

your head in the clouds, imagining theadventure beore you embark.

Get beyond the thought o living ina movie and, instead, dig into a visualeast upon your arrival overseas. Thesetwo flms one new and one old delveinto an age-old topic that never tiresamong travelers: the way we processbeing abroad, and then integrate theexperience into our lives upon return.

So, clear your Netix account, grabsome snacks, and fnd your way to theliving room couch. Its the least youcan do to prepare or your abroad

experience.* * *

There is something about being ina oreign country with the one youlove that tends to change everything.Whether its or bad realizing that

your boyriend is an embarrassinglypathetic French speaker or or worse learning that your girlriend has datedmany sex-obsessed men is revealed inJulie Delpy's new flm, 2 Days in Paris.

When Marion (Julie Delpy) visits herparents and stays in their apartmentin Paris with her neurotic boyriend

Jack (Adam Goldberg), amily drama isinevitable. Even a redeeming quality,

like being well read, is not enoughto excuse Jacks grating personality.He is a bumbling hypochondriac andhopelessly incapable o adjusting to anew setting. So why doesn't Marion justlose him? Quite simply, she too is nuts.The two are a perectly terrible pair.

Ater a slew o altercations withaggressive ex-boyriends who attemptto mark their territory, Jack gets uriousand accuses Marion o infdelity. Hehates Paris and he has no way to ft into

Marions lie in this oreign setting. Hislack o language skills even prohibitshim rom communicating with hisgirlriends parents. Still, Jack dutiullymakes an eort to adapt and to makethe relationship work.

Meanwhile, Marion is rustrated reconciling her American boyriendwith her home proves to be no easytask. Jack cant even complete ashopping trip to the market hesqueamishly runs home ater a quasi-

etal piglet is shoved into his ace.Instead, Jack causes Marion to see Pariswith resh eyes, and not necessarily orthe better. For example, in one scene, aabbergasted Marion almost stranglesa racist cab driver.

2 Days in Paris pokes un at theclichs and stereotypes that exist inmany relationships and, ultimately, asksa humorous question.

Can two insuerable people bemeant to suer one-another?

* * *Jim Jarmuschs Stranger Than Paradise

allows Americans to see the U.S.through the resh eyes o a oreigner.

Released in 1984, and shot entirely inblack and white, the flms protagonist,Eva (Eszter Balint), is a young Hungarianwoman who comes to America,presumably, in search o a better lie.

From the opening shot, whenEva walks down New York sidewalkswith a paper shopping bag and a tapedeck playing I Put a Spell on Youby Screamin' Jay Hawkins, the flm isentrancing. Eva speaks very rarely, andater sleeping in her cousin's one-room

hole o an apartment, she moves totheir grandmother's tiny house in thesnow-suocated suburbs o Clevelandand works at a diner.

To escape the cold, Eva, her cousinWillie, and his riend, Eddie, drive toFlorida in a borrowed car. The cameracaptures amiliar sights that seemstrangely oreign: boxy suburbanhouses, vacant parking lots lined withtelephone poles and blue lights ashingrom lonely televisions.

The flms eeling o displacement,even or a viewer looking out at theeerie landscapes o her home country,mimics the experience o travelingabroad. When you travel, it not onlychanges your conception o the outsideworld, it also transorms the way youlook at the place you call home.

Jamie Andrew is a senior at MarylandInstitute, College o Art who studied abroadin Florence, Italy last spring. She is desperatelytrying to fnd a way back to the Mediterranean,

temporarily or otherwise. She considers hersela slight music, gelato and wine snob.

Andrew

ne,itable: youll get on the p

cken andlastic-wrapped c

Jack (Adam Goldberg), amily drama isi vitable. Even a redeeming quality,

like b n well read, is not enough

ans to see the U.S.llows Ameriesh eyes o a oreigner.hrough the r

n 1984, and shot entirely inReleased i


10/19


By Steven Friedman

As the plane touches down morethan 28 hours ater leavingPhiladelphia, it eels surreal toonce again be back in Arica. This timeI am with my sister, Lisa, a ellow Pennundergraduate. As we make our way oo the two-propeller plane, the pleasantwinter air o Botswanas capital city,Gaborone, greets us. This fight erriedus on the last leg o our trip, rom South

Arica into Botswana. The Gaboroneairport is small and rustic, and our bagsare dropped o behind the wings othe aircrat or us to carry into the mainairport hangar.

This marks my second venture to Arica,as part o the University o Pennsylvaniasexpanding partnership with the Botswanahealth community. Four years ago, Merck& Co. pharmaceuticals and the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation approachedthe University o Pennsylvania Schoolo Medicine and asked it to join the ght

against HIV/AIDS in Arica. They neededdoctors to help in Botswana, a country

where 30 percent o the 2 millionresidents are inected with the virus.

While Botswana is one o thewealthiest and most stable countries inArica thanks in large part to extensivediamond mining no medical school ormedical training program exists. As thechie o the Inectious Diseases Divisionat the Hospital o the University oPennsylvania, my ather was asked toexamine the existing medical care in the

capital and come up with a program orimprovement.Since his initial trip and the

establishment o the Penn in Botswanaprogram in 2001, the partnership hasgrown by leaps and bounds. In March2006, I made my rst journey with myather and met many o the medicalstudents, residents and doctors whowere working in Botswana. The Pennpersonnel all live in communal housingin fats a ew minutes rom the hospital.My ather and I were housed with Dr. Dick

Root, a retired HIV/AIDS specialist romthe U.S., and his wie, Rita. While Dr. Root

worked with my ather in the hospitals,Rita and I became ast riends.

On one o the slower days at thehospital, the ever-adventurous Dr.Root and Rita oered to drive Eva, theirmaid, out to her village o Mochudi tosee her kids and amily. (It is commonlyaccepted practice in Botswana thatoreigners employ local maids to helpmaintain their houses and fats.)

I tagged along on the hour-long trip,

venturing ar outside o the capital, tothe outskirts o Evas village, whereshe lived in a remote housing complex.Evas compound consisted o a smallarm plot with a two-room mud-walledbuilding. It had no running water and anouthouse.

Eva lived in the small house withher three young children, her sister, hersisters three young children, and their65-year-old mother, who looked aterthe children while the mothers earnedenough money to survive, as maids. The

whole visit was extremely moving.One week later, I returned to the U.S.

Tragically, that beautiul day in Mochuditurned out to be one o Dr. Roots last.His died in a saari accident the weekater I let. His death came as a shock tothe entire program, and was a great lossor me personally, or the program, orthe patients he helped daily, and or hiswie and kids.

Venturing BackAs I return to Botswana nearly a

year and a hal ater Dr. Roots death, Iound the Penn in Botswana programhad fourished, with the introduction oan undergraduate presence. I was alsoreunited with Eva, who was still workingas a maid. In the time since my last trip,Rita and other Penn personnel hadhelped Eva build a ull-fedged cedarblock house with a tin roo, in place oher mud structure.

I had anticipated a joyul return toEvas village, looking orward to seeingher new house. But, just days beore my

arrival, Evas older sister passed awayrom complications related to HIV/


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w w w . c a f e a b r o a d . c o m 11

AIDS. Under somber circumstances, mymother, sister and I ended up driving Evafrom the capital to her village in orderto prepare for her sisters funeral.

Evas kids, who I had met and playedwith 18 months prior, were excited togreet me and were surprisingly upbeat,given the recent death. Many ran out tomeet our car as we arrived on the dirtpath. Dr. Root, Rita and I had only metEvas immediate family members. AsI returned with my sister and mother,

all of Evas extended relatives wereassembled in her new house to grievethe loss of her sister. I was slowlyintroduced to her aunts, uncles, great

aunts, great uncles, and distant relativesand friends. I received an incrediblywarm welcome, especially when it wasnoted that I was a friend of the incrediblygenerous Ma Rita.

But, beneath the joy of meetingthe entire family, the occasion wasa sad one. The death of Evas sisterspoke to the real and continuing needfor the HIV/AIDS care component ofPenns program. The breadth of thePenn in Botswana partnership has

expanded to include undergraduateexchanges, research collaboration andconnections with many of the othergraduate schools. And Penn is still at

the core of the program, working tohelp improve the treatment of criticallyill HIV/AIDS patients. In the UnitedStates and the rest of the developedworld, Evas sister would have survivedfor many more years or even decades,but that level of quality care has yet toreach Botswana.

Many experiences during both tripsto Botswana have remained on mymind. A particularly poignant momentthis journey occurred as we drove with

Eva to her house. She told us, with tearsin her eyes, that just a few days earlier,she sat down with her sisters threekids and told them that she was now

their mother. Eva said the children hadlooked at her, with blank stares, noddingwith sullen understanding.

Hopefully, through hard work andcontinued collaboration, the Penn inBotswana partnership can reduce thenecessity for these conversations, asmore medical workers are trained toeradicate a disease that has truly been aplague on this continent.

Steven Friedman is a sophomore at TheWharton School and the College of Arts and

Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. Awhiz kid with computers, Friedman is the chiefarchitect of Caf Abroads online studentnetwork.

AFRICAN SKIES: Majestic sunsets and beautiful scenery belie an unforgiving naturaland social environment in B otswana. Evas house in 2006, before the new additionswere added (left). Photographs by Steven Friedman.


12/19


By Scott Travers

L

ying in my hammock

at 5:30 a.m., I eel awarm, steamy breezerise o the river belowour campsite. The vapor

seeps into the surrounding jungle, fltering the rays o sun

that illuminate the dense canopyoverhead like a mosaic o many

shades o green. The orestis at its peak activity in thisearly hour and the choruso birds and insects addsto the enchantment. In

the distance I can hear theprominent roars o twohowler monkey troops in

a dispute over territory. Anobnoxious squawking grows

louder, signaling the arrival oa pair o macaws. I peer through thetrees, trying to get a glimpse o them.As they y by, one o the guardabosques(indigenous guides) shouts in Spanish,lapa verde the highly endangeredgreat green macaw the rarer o the twospecies that occur at Bosaws Biosphere

Reserve in north-central Nicaragua.My avorite time o day in therainorest is early morning, beore theoppressive heat and humidity haveintensifed. Lying here, gently swayingand suspended, I cannot help but smile.This is one o the frst opportunitiesIve had in weeks to relax and take inthe sights, sounds and smells o thismajestic place.

Im also smiling because, in thispeaceul moment, Ive remembereda similar morning that began equally

tranquil and quickly turned to turmoil.On that day, still drowsy, I reached

overhead lishade

is ata

to

thprohow

a dispbnoxio

louder, sign

with

downor my pants, which I

had thrown on the ground thenight beore when I was too tired and

lazy to hang them up on a clothesline. Ipicked them up and put them on undermy sleeping bag inside my hammockwithout looking at them. Instantly, Iregretted that decision.

My pants began to shake, and then

I elt something crawling all over mylegs. Looking down, I saw my whitepants had turned black and wereliterally writhing! A nest o army antshad taken residence there overnightand they seemed quite agitated thatI had invaded their new home. Nosooner had I realized what was goingon than the intense pain started. Itelt as i someone had just jammed athousand little needles in my bod y, andsimultaneously pulsed an electricalcurrent through those barbs. The ants

were biting and stinging every inch omy body. Hal jumping, hal alling outo my hammock, I got to my eet andran screaming through camp, rippingo my clothes as I headed or the river.As I took o naked into the orest Icould hear my guides laughing in thebackground, and the only words I couldmake out in my panic were the guides

yelling ater me GRINGO LOCO!!!I always hung up my clothing on linesater that morning.

Here in the rainorest, there are

ew moments when I actually eelcomortable due to the constant heat,humidity and bugs. Its a never-endingbattle against the sweating, itching anda general sense o discomort. The sunrises a little higher and the frst drop osweat drips down my brow. My stomachstarts to rumble. Its time to get up;theres work to do.

Last summer was the frst o twoin the Bosaws Biosphere Reserve,where I spent two months surveyingthe incredible diversity o reptiles and

amphibians in this remote portion onorth-central Nicaragua. Along with

several scientifccolleagues, I was

selected as part o a

herpetological studyin afliation with theUniversity o Florida and

the St. Louis Zoo.We were charged with documenting

herpetological diversity and testingor the presence o chytrid ungus a pathogen that causes declines andpotential extinction in the amphibianpopulation. The job also requiredworking closely with the localindigenous Miskito and Mayangnanpeople in aims o training them on all

aspects o the study.I spent the majority o the summerwith our indigenous Miskito andMayangnan guardabosques , whoprotected and provided or me as guidesand cooks. About twice a week, wewould hike or canoe to a new campsitewhere we would set up a study.

My stomach rumbles again and Ithink back to one month ago, whenthe guardabosques wrestled a collaredpeccary, a type o orest-dwellingpig, out o a crocodiles mouth. The

crocodile got one o its legs, but thatthree-legged peccary was a gloriouseast or us.

Hunger is always an issue out here.Its not that there is a lack o ood, butmore a lack o diversity on the menu.We can only pack what is necessary orthese month-long excursions, and thereis no room or luxuries. This leaves theood and cooking supplies to the bareessentials : beans and rice. Occasiona llyour cook will reverse the order and makerice and beans, or get really creative and

make gallo pinto beans mixed intothe rice. And sometimes i we are verylucky, we will get some meat in our dietby encountering wild game.

This section o Nicaragua along withthe adjacent area in Honduras and theCaribbean coastal plain to the eastcomprise a region romantically knownas La Mosquitia. And, although the 1.8-million-acre Bosaws Reserve, entirelylocated in Nicaragua, is protected, mucho the greater region is not.

The largest tract o protected

tropical rainorest north o the Amazon,Bosaws is one o the last ew places in

g in my

5:30 a.rm, steathe ri

psite.the s

ter ng the rte the den

ravers

ung e,that illumina

yin

atwa

aminto

tt

riseour

seeps

By Sc


13/19


the Americas that can be consideredtruly pristine broadlea rainorest.However, the second biggest piece oprotected rainorest in the WesternHemisphere is surprisingly neglected,and when I mention the name Bosawsto most people, they respond with aclueless gaze. Instead, I tell them tolook at a map o Central America andput their fnger in the dead center. Rightin that section where there seems tobe a giant gap without civilization thisis Bosaws.

Its one o the last strongholds tohighly endangered animals such asthe jaguar, Bairds tapir, giant anteater,and harpy eagle. The local indigenouscommunities have an excellentunderstanding o how their ecosystemworks, and by using this knowledge alongwith traditional land-use techniquesthey manage to coexist with the orestand wildlie around them.

However, the uture is not secureor Bosaws and or many o thesespecies. There is a continuous threat opoor mestizo armers encroaching onthese indigenous territories, bringingwith them devastating slash-and-burn arming techniques. Thereore,it is essential to promote urtherstudy in this biodiverse area. Only bybetter understanding the ecosystemand assisting all o its inhabitants canconservation eorts succeed in theiraim to preserve the indigenous cultureand protect the wildlie that callBosaws home.

Scott Travers is a junior at the Universityo Florida studying wildlie ecology andconservation. H is interests include herpetology,surfng and travel. Thereore, his lie goal isto fnd a job that allows him live in a tropicalrainorest surfng all day while catching rogs

and snakes at night. Anyone hiring?

ROUGHING IT: A 200-foot waterfall is one of the many natural wonders that remainshidden in the Bosaws Reserve (above, left). The author poses with the guardabosques,before venturing out into the unknown (top, right). The guardabosques clean a collaredpeccary or saino that they wrested from the jaws of a crocodile. Notice the missingfront leg; the crocodile was not left with an empty stomach (middle, right). Educating thelocal kids on the differences between the fer-de-lance (the deadliest snake in the area),and its non-venomous mimic, Xenodon rabdocephalus (above). On page 12, a red-eyedleaf frog and a blunt-headed treesnake steal the headline. Photographs by Scott Travers.


14/19


When you think o Arica, what is thefrst image that crosses your mind?I it has something to do with TheLion King or Blood Diamond, then youre notalone. A survey that I conducted in May2007 revealed that images o a desperate,deprived and plague-ridden continent pervaded the minds o study abroad students priorto their arrival. My study ur ther concluded that most students understanding o Arica didnot originate rom personal experiences or interactions with Aricans, but rather throughtelevision and flm, which oten depicts Arica as either a land o talking beasts uninhabitedby people or a bloody and corrupt Wild West.

Given the constant discourse o a downtrodden and hopeless continent, one can hardly

be blamed or Aro-pessimism. In act, it may be easier to defne the culturally diverse andgeographically vast continent in singular, all-encompassing (albeit negative) terms. The 54countries that comprise the Arican continent are not without their challenges the HIV/AIDS pandemic, inadequate access to ood, shelter and education, skyrocketing ination inZimbabwe, and the conict in Darur are but a ew examples.

Regardless, lie on the continent is flled with more hope and greater opportunities orlearning than mass media portrays. That same survey conducted in 2007 also ound that,once in Arica, study abroad participants gained more positive impressions o the continentand a better understanding o everyday challenges. While abroad, those same respondentswho once saw Arica as poor, war-torn, hungry or corrupt began to see 21st centuryArica as diverse, changing, vibrant and riendly. Study abroad in Arica, thereore, cansignal an end to old conceptions o the continent and the emergence o new perspectiveson Arica and the world.

At the same time that students abroad learn to rethink Arica, actual changes on theground are rapidly taking root. Arica is increasingly urbanizing, with more Aricans now livingin cities than in rural areas. Though still small in its worldwide share o the Internet, Aricais becoming more connected to the rest o the world through burgeoning Internet usage.Positive growth can be seen all around, quite notably in South Arica.

The end o apartheid and the beginning o its frst-ever non-racial democracy necessitated change in all aspects o South Arican lie education, politics, employmentand more. Where the struggle to end apartheid let o, the struggle to rebuild a racturedidentity and to realize a cohesive Rainbow Nation began. South Aricas democraticachievement is still young and alive with possibilities. As institutions and ideology changes,so too is it time or the old stereotypes o Arica to pass on, and or perspectives o 21stcentury Arica to be disseminated through dialogues with Aricans telling Arican stories.

Study abroad in Arica provides the opportunity to actively engage with such issues otransormation while inside the classroom, on the host university campus, and on occasionsthat allow or engagement with the broader community in volunteer, internship or service-learning activities. By becoming participants in, rather than mere observers o, dynamic andevolving countries like South Arica, students can better prepare to engage with the changesas they are taking place and in the uture.

There has never been a more exciting or critical time to study in Arica and I invite youto accept the challenge o transorming and rethinking your understanding o The DarkContinent. You and your worldview will never be the same again.

Yours sincerely,

Bradley RinkResident DirectorCIEE Study Center at Stellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch, South Arica

Bradley Rink joinedCIEEin April 2003asprogram director orArica, Middle East and Eastern Europe,andreturnedto South Arica in 2006 to become resident director o the CIEE Study Center at StellenboschUniversity. Aveteraninthe feld, Rink hasadvised students onstudy abroad at the University o Georgia,the School or International Training, the University o Vermont, theUniversity o Iowa, and at the U.S.Consulate in Cape Town, South Arica.He has worked as aresident program administrator or theSouthernArica FieldProgram, andInter-StudyPrograms South Arica. Rink receivedhisbachelorsdegreein Spanishrom St. JohnsUniversity (1990) andmasters degrees in international administration rom theSchoolorInternational Training (1995) andgeography rom the University o Vermont (1998). He is currently a Ph.D.candidate in geography at the University o Cape Town.


15/19


By Dina Magaril

Ihave kissed more people during my two months in BuenosAires than I have in all the years beore my arrival. I havekissed riends, riends o riends, the owner o my avoritebar, my proessor and even the woman who sold me my cell

phone. Now, beore you get the wrong idea, let me explain.Pecking cheeks in Argentina is the cultural equivalent oshaking hands in the U.S.

Its actually quite rereshing to kiss your ellow classmatesand I soon learned to preer this greeting than throwing out aquick hello as is the custom on most U.S . college campuses.A kiss on the cheek invites intimacy and makes it much easierto start up a conversation with a classmate you might haveotherwise been too shy to get to know. (Its also a great way toget closer to those dark, handsome porteos in your Argentineliterature class.)

Kissing perectly random strangers has become a part omy daily routine. Lips I will probably never hear rom againhave smacked the surace o both my cheeks. In Buenos Aires,everyone kisses everyone. Old men meeting or coee greeteach other with a big sloppy one rather than an inormalhandshake. Considering the masculine culture one encounterson a daily basis in Argentina, seeing grown men kiss each otheris somewhat o a heart warmer.

One kiss in Buenos Aires is always ollowed by anotherand another and another. Attending a party where youonly know one person will still result in a kiss rom everyonein the room. Heres how it works. The custom is to frst kissthe one person in the room you know. Your riend will thenintroduce you to everyone he or she knows, resulting in akiss and casual name exchange. This will repeat until youvesmooched everyone in the vicinity and orgotten every name

you learned.Receiving kisses both justifed and unwarranted is

something I would get used to. But, there are also timeswhen I wish the kissing custom did not rear its pretty littlepucker. These occasions include encounters with men withbushy beards, mustaches, or any other kind o non-appealingacial hair. Another time I fnd mysel wishing or a nice frmhandshake involves the meeting with ulterior motive guy ata bar or some other such social setting. Unlike in an Americanbar, where a handshake would sufce or a pushy boy youwould rather ignore, reusing a kiss in Buenos Aires is lookeddown upon as just bad manners.

New students take heed. I you are still maneuvering yourway around Buenos Aires and are still giving o that Im clearlyAmerican vibe take note! Some men will take the oh this isan Argentine custom excuse to an extreme. People you arenot expected to kiss may try to kiss you anyway. Doormen,club bouncers, taxi drivers, drunk men in their mid to late 50s,among others. Sometimes it is best to use your own discretionin a kiss-or-no-kiss situation. Family, riends and acquaintancesare all sae bets, while strangers who seem a bit too eager toplant one on you should send o a warning sign.

In the end, youll be happy you puckered up and kept yourhands at your sides. Its hard to eel alone in a strange city

when youve kissed so many o its inhabitants. So welcome toBuenos Aires. Dont orget to bring your chapstick.

Besame in Buenos Aires


16/19


By Jessica RettigWalking towards the social sciences

building at the University o Buenos Aires better known as the UBA (ooo-bah) you are sure to realize, dramatically,how ar you are rom the welcomingbrick buildings and green lawns o yourhome university. Located on a derelictside street in the heart o the city, theexterior o the building resembles anold, abandoned warehouse you mightsee at the end o an action thriller danger lurking at any corner.

As you step inside, however, you enter a haven o political

activity. Hundreds ostudents cram into slim

hallways, trying to dodge the swarms oadvocates pushing socialist propagandainto their aces. They careully step overthe colorul posters that have alleno the already over-layered walls.Classrooms are dirty and disorderly,and the bathrooms leave much to bedesired, including toilet paper (keepsome tissues in your backpack). Lecturesalways start late and are constantlyinterrupted by students poking theirheads in, trying to promote the latestun ive rs ity event orl i b e r a lcause. Onany givenday, youmight walkin to fnd

canceled classes due to protests orstrikes.

To some American students, this maysound incredible. To others, a bit scary.Yet, the UBA experience is defnitelysomething to behold. Scholars romevery generation and walk o liecome to this well- respected publicuniversity a place where, unlike manyprivate Argentine universities , you reallyhave to work or your ree degree.

UBA proessors are generally bigshots in Latin America in their respectivefelds and they lead interesting lectures,especially i you decide to take onthe massive course bibliography. Theuniversity oers courses ranging romengineering, medicine, architecture andmore.

So dont be discouraged by theGringos, GO HOME!sign posted at theentrance o the socialsciences building. Stepinside and experiencethe bizarre UBAscene i or no otherreason than to witness

and participate inan educationalrenzy.

By Jessica Rettl n towards th socic a , r ii o d e the swarms o o rotests oranceled classes due

Getting SchooledGetting SchooledIn Argentina


17/19


Where Have All the Monedas Gone

By Samantha Bradley

One day my riend and I decided wewere going to Recoleta or the day. Werealized that we didnt have enoughchange to take the bus so we headed tothe nearest kiosk to buy something. Myriend grabbed a bag o cookies and adiet coke and greeted the lady.

Will that be all?Yeah, thats all.Three twenty.My riend handed the lady a 10-peso

note and waited or her change.You dont have 20 centavos?No, I dont actually. I really need the

change so I can take the bus.This is the part that we were not

anticipating.You ladies obviously arent rom

here. Dont you know that Argentina hasa serious problem with monedas?

We understand. We just really needto get on the bus and its hard to getchange around here.

Well, you cant just come hereexpecting that I am going to give youchange! I have to take the bus too! Itravel an hour on the bus everydayto get here and there are six o us inmy amily. Lie isnt easy here!

Not really knowing how to

respond, we just kind ostared blankly at her, givingher that I have no idea what justhappened here look.

Ater a moment, she looked in herdrawer and said, Well, I guess I can give

you change or a 10, but dont be co mingin here all the time thinking that I can dothis.

We said thank you and let that placeas ast as we could. Later, we learnedthat there is an art to getting monedas,without making it look obvious. I alsolearned to hoard my monedas like theywere gold.

There is a problem with the lack ochange in circulation in Buenos Aires.The act that one can only pay withchange to take the bus (5, 10, 25, 50centavos or one peso) means thatpeople are more likely to save theirchange andnever giveit away.Taxi drivers

will even round down iit means they dont have

to give away change. Theuse o credit cards and checks is notvery common in this country either,placing a higher demand on the cash incirculation. Subte stations commonlyleave their emergency gates open in theevenings when they do not have enoughcoins at their booths to make change.While I have no issue takinga ree Subte ride, it seemsstrange that a companyhas to lose a signifcantamount o business due tothe lack o hard currency.

Other than the sly

ability to get monedas, aneven more valuable lessonI learned is to buy a changepurse while in BuenosAires, but never show it toanyone.

Samantha Bradley is a junior at Central Michigan University studying Spanish and bilingual education. She enjoys people watching in the Subte, drinking excessive amounts o ca conleche, and working out at Megatlon like all the other chic porteos in Buenos Aires. She loves to travel and is halway to her goal o setting oot on every continent where civilization exists. Atergraduation, she hopes to live in a remote village, teaching English and sleeping in a hammock.

Dina Magaril inds hersel in Buenos Aires or a second semester, though she is still quite unsure what she is doing here. Dina has discovered that she has amily in town (rom bothparents sides), which makes her a bit Argentine but not enough to get a discount on airare. Ater many months she has reairmed her love or cortados, choripan, malbec and alajores the meringue Havana ones. She is nervous about returning to New York and the idea o a $3 subway ride.

Jessica Rettig is a junior and English major at Georgetown University. A native Floridian who still insists on wearing fip-fops in a Converse All Star city, she spends her days wanderingaround Las Caitas in search o the ultimate wi ca. She loves hanging upside down, ascending heights, pretending she can dance to electronica and eating banana ice cream.

Destiny Graber, currently a senior at the University o Georgia, likes ordering items o menus that she cant pronounce, watching trashy telenovelas (soap operas), playing charades in publicplaces and making people eel awkward by staring at them on subways. While studying in Buenos Aires, she aspires to one day become the empanada eati ng contest champion o the world orlive out the rest o her lie as a dog walker.

Daniel Franken is a junior rom Georgetown University studying international relations, history and Latin American studies. He enjoys immersing himsel in Argentine culture by exploring

Buenos Aires nightlie, as well as spending his aternoons in parks drinking mat. During his time in Buenos Aires, he has developed an intimate relationship with Quilmes, the national beer,Argentine dairy and meat products, as well as cumbia music.

Meet Caf Abroad Team Buenos Aires

F hi bl L


18/19


By Daniel FrankenBuenos Aires is renowned or its

spectacular nightlie. The wide variety

o boliches (nightclubs) locatedthroughout the city is sure to pleasestudents with any musical taste rangingrom techno and electronic selections,to Latin cumbia, salsa and merengue,and even Argentine and internationalrock. Here are a ew quick tips beore

you hit the hot spots (see below). Do not get too dressy. Argentines

tend to dress up less, in general, whengoing out (and this goes or guys muchmore than girls). For guys, its fne towear a polo or button-up shirt, but

leave the suit jackets and ancy attire athome.

Fashionably late is very late.

Show up at 2 a.m. at the earliest. Mostboliches only get ull around 3 a.m. anddont close until 7 a.m.

Check out the latest. As in any bigcity, the good clubs tend to change withtime, but the ollowing boliches arehighly recommended:

Asia de Cuba ($$$)A rather small, up-scale

establishment with great technoand trance music. Located in PuertoMadero, the club tends to be better on

Thursdays and Fridays.

Crobar ($$)Moderately expensive, this large

boliche eatures a main hall with stellartechno and trance, and a smaller roomwith live Argentine rock bands. Itsdefnitely worth checking out bothsides o this extremely popular spot especially on Friday night.

Mint ($$)Reasonably priced and very large.

The main hall eatures electronic music,while the side room has hip-hop andother varieties. Another good Fridaynight spot.

Kimia ($)A smaller boliche located in Palermo

that plays mainly Latin music like

cumbia, merengue, salsa and Brazilian.This spot is loads o un on any evening.

Lost/MOD/Club Aroz ($$)One venue, three very dierent

clubs. On Thursdays, Lost plays some othe best hip-hop in Buenos Aires with amore international and American crowd.Friday nights, MOD eatures Argentineand international rock, and the crowd ismore local. Saturdays, Club Aroz spinselectronic and techno. Check out thisboliche on any one o its great nights.

Fashionably Late


19/19


Tower Bridge. The sun shines through

the arches of Londons iconic Tower

Bridge. By Jasmin Chang.

Crossing the Street.

A sign posted at a

crosswalk in front of

a retirement center in

Glasgow, Scotland. By

Nicole Katze.

Santa Croce.

Florence, Italy.By Julie Jane Capel.

Chilling in Ice Bar.

Located in a clubbing

hot spot in Seoul, Korea,Sub Zero is a bar made

entirely out of ice,

complete with out-

rageous ice sculp-

tures and frozen

cocktail glass-

es. By Nicole

Wong.

Documents

Cafe Abroad InPrint Winter 2007