Spring 2009
-
Upload
cafeabroad -
Category
Documents
-
view
14 -
download
4
Transcript of Spring 2009
2 Café Abroad InPrint Spring 2009
COVER SHOT: Cover Shot: “Market Day Showdown” by Tara Jo Quinn. Ned Kelly, an infamous Australian outlaw who roamed the outback with a band of gunslingers during the 1870’s, remains a folk icon today and is featured in artwork throughout the country. At Sydney’s Glebe Markets, Bent & Twisted Creations sells this Ned Kelly wind chime.
CONTENTS Vanessa Veiock smells
what’s cooking in Spain’s
Basque country and
discovers a feast of culture, tradition and
brotherhood. Venture into the heart of
a gastronomical society and learn a few
lessons from the cook: recipes included!
FOOD:SPAINP12
Holy cow – there are dogs
on the fi eld! A softball team
and a bunch of dog walkers
square off as an American sport struggles
to gain traction in Dublin.
SPORTS:IRELANDP14
Bustling markets, botanical
gardens, local wine and
“hoopla” jazz are just a few
offerings that distinguish this world-class
Australian city. Delve deeper with Café
Abroad Team Sydney and visit some of the
city’s offbeat highlights including talking
pigs, mysterious murals and more.
INSIDE:SYDNEYP20
Paul Hollick, CIEE's
Resident Director in Perth,
Australia, invites students
to view the climate crisis from a new
perspective, writing Café Abroad from a
water conscious country.
FACULTYLETTERP22
Will Nichols gains a new
perspective on international
education when he becomes
a teacher in Cairo. The real schooling begins
when one study abroad student stands in
front of his own classroom and puts his
professorial skills to the test.
EDUCATION:EGYPTP19
FASHION: ARGENTINAFunky, sophisticated and
modern fashions are on
the rise in Buenos Aires as
young designers are making their names
known locally and on the world stage. Dina
Magaril takes a closer look at some of the
styles that are blazing a path on the run-
ways and in the dressing rooms of Argen-
tina’s fashion capital.
P10
FILM:JORDANOne of the most progressive
nations in the Middle East,
Jordanians take pride in
progressive laws that protect women’s
rights. But what’s enacted in government
meetings is not always apparent in the
streets. Filmaker Dalia Al-Kury discusses her
latest piece, which confronts the issue of
sexual harrassment in Amman.
P18
How do you apologize for a
sordid and bloody legacy?
Australia moves towards
healing its tattered past while America
remains silent about its own. Dana Liebelson
looks back on Australia’s groundbreaking
apology to its indigenous people.
POLITICS:AUSTRALIAP16
MUSIC: ENGLANDThe British Invasion has
been revamped with new
sounds that are criss-
crossing England from Leeds to London.
An eclectic mix of poppy, gritty and
fresh homegrown bands are rocking the
Queen’s country with new and regionally
disctinctive beats.
P08
A thin barrier of parched
soil and rock sits between
the team of Honduran
archaeologists and a history fi nd. Join Wade
Shepard as he uncovers modern lessons –
and warnings – from the excavation site of
an ancient Mayan burial.
P06ANTHROPOLOGY:HONDURAS
cafeabroad.com 3
Café Abroad welcomes feedback! Send your opinions to [email protected].
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to write for Café
Abroad last semester. I’m not an English or journalism major,
but the experience I gained with Café Abroad helped me land
an internship with Finding Dulcinea, www.fi ndingdulcinea.
com, an online news company and encyclopedia. The CEO
likes my writing so much that I’m now publishing my own bi-
monthly food series on the site called “What’s Fresh.”
Erin Harris,
New York University
I wanted to write you and tell you about a recent “Café
Abroad in action” story. I work in the University of Iowa’s
study abroad offi ce and a student came to me worried
about whether she should choose the home-stay option
or not for her upcoming semester. Turns out she wants
to study abroad in the same place I did, so I referred her
to the most recent issue of Café Abroad InPRINT, which
includes the story I wrote about homestays in San
Sebastián. Sure it was coincidence, but it was pretty
awesome to have a reference that wasn’t just mean-
ingful to me and the students in my story but also to a
prospective study abroad student as well.
Vanessa Veiock,
University of Iowa
MANAGING EDITORDan Schwartzman
ART DIRECTORAdrian Antonio
www.AandLgraphix.com
COPY EDITORSWade Shepard, Long Island University
Vanessa Veiock, University of Iowa
ONLINE EDITOR Katherine Lonsdorf, Occidental College
STUDENT CONTRIBUTORSNicole Carretta, Penn State University
Molly Lee, DePaul UniversityDana Liebelson, George Washington U.Katherine Lonsdorf, Occidental College
Dina Magaril, Middlebury CollegeKatrina Mansmann, Penn State University
Nate Owen, Northeastern UniversityTara Jo Quinn, Eastern University
Wade Shepard, Long Island University Vanessa Veiock, University of Iowa
FACULTY CONTRIBUTORPaul Hollick, CIEE Perth
Café Abroad InPRINT is a student-generated magazine distributed to more than 320
university study abroad offi ces.
To receive InPRINT at your school, or to request additional copies, e-mail us at
Café Abroad welcomes student submissions. Send stories and photographs to
[email protected]. Find more detailed submission guidelines at
www.cafeabroad.com.
4 Bayshore RoadLong Beach Township
New Jersey 08008
www.cafeabroad.com
Advertise with Café Abroad
As a newsmagazine, online community and city guide, Café Abroad is positioned as the next development in study abroad. If you're interested in promoting your organization to
the study abroad community, contact us at
[email protected]. Join the global café of ideas.
© Café Abroad 2009
Gusts of wind upwards of 20 mph lashed our bicycles and bodies as we pedaled furiously to cross the 3-mile bridge
into Edenton, North Carolina.
The powerful torrents had punished us all along the day’s 60-mile ride, but none had tested our verticality –
and threatened our mortality – until now. My bike shifted beneath my weight and skidded sideways toward the
3-foot guardrail. A truck charged past on the left, suspending me in a vacuum for an instant before sweeping me into a vortex
of slashing, glassy shards of rain.
My body was already low on adrenaline after the repeated encounters with storms that chased us, and dogs that hounded
us, during the 16-day bicycle trip from Florida to Washington, D.C., last October.
The inspiration for that trip, which three friends and I undertook to support and raise money for Barack Obama in the
waning days of the campaign, saw its satisfying culmination in a historic inauguration that took place just 10 days ago.
It feels as though the wind has shifted its direction, now propelling us all forward. Deriving its strength and message from
the Windy City, I hope the tide of progress has the momentum to reach every corner of the globe.
I am optimistic that the surge of support for our new president will buoy study abroad students who serve as cultural
ambassadors for the warm and generous Americans who I met in small towns and cities throughout the Southeast.
The stories pressed into these pages give a voice to these students — fellow adventurers now home from abroad — Wade
Shepard from New York, Iowan Vanessa Veiock, and Katherine Lonsdorf in California, who make Café Abroad InPRINT an
insightful and intelligent publication.
Dan SchwartzmanCafé Abroad
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort
and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
letters
editor
@cafeabroad.com
from the
Playlist > Café Abroad
4 Café Abroad InPrint Spring 2009
oad.com.
r Café
major,
me land
nea.
CEO
wn bi-
afé
a’s
on
r
h
magazine distributed to moreuniversity study abroad o
To receive InPRINT at your screquest additional copies, e-
Café Abroad welcomes student Send stories and photogra
[email protected]. detailed submission guide
www.cafeabroad.com
4 Bayshore RoadLong Beach Townsh
New Jersey 08008
www.cafeabroad.com
Advertise with Café
As a newsmagazine, online comcity guide, Café Abroad is positnext development in study abrointerested in promoting your org
the study abroad commcontact us at
advertising@cafeabroadJoin the global café of id
© Café Abroad 2009
PPlPlPPPPlPPPPPPPlPlPPlPlPPlPlPlPlPlPllPlPlPllPPlPPPPPPlPPPlPPlPPlPPPPlPlPlllllPlPPPPPPPPPPPPlPPPPlPllllPlPllPPPPPPPPPPPlPPPPlllllPlPlPPPPPPPPPlPPPPlPlPllllPlPlPPPPPPPlPlPlPPlPlPPPPPlPPlPlPlPlPlPPlPPPPPlPPPlPlPPlPlPlPlPlPPPlPPPPPlPlPPPPPlPlPPPlllPPPPlPlPlPPlPlPPPlPlPPPPPlPPlPlPlPPPPPPPPPPPlPPlPPPPPPPPPPPlPlPlPPPPPPPPPPPPPPlPlPlllPPPPPPPlllPPPPPPPPPPPlllllPPPPPPlPPPPPlllPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPllPPPPPPPPPPPPPPllPPPPPlPPPPPPPPllPPllllPPPPPPPPPllayayayayayayayayaayayayayaayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayyayayayayayayayayaaaayyayayayyayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayaaayayaayaayyyyayyyyyyyyyayayaaaayayayayayaayyyyyyyyayayyayayyyayayayayaayayayayaayyyyyyyyayyayyyyyyayayyayyaayaayayaayaaayayyyyyayayayyyyyyyyyyayayayyaaaayaaayayayyyyyyyyyyyyayyyyayayayayaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyayaayayayaayyyayyyyyyyyyyyyaaayaaaaaayaayyyyyyyayyyyyayaayayyyyayayayayyayyayayaayayyayyyyaaayaaayyayyyyyyyayaaaayyyayayyyyaaayyyyyyayayaayyyyyaaayyyayyyyaayayyyyyyyaaaaayyyayyaaayaayayayyyyayaaaaaaaayaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyylilililillllliiiililililillllliliiliiilillililillllllililililillillllllliililililililililiiilillliliiilillliiiliilillliliilililllllilllliliilillililililililiiiiliillilllliiillliiliiilllllillllllillllliillllllistsstststststststsststststsststtttttttststtststststststtttsttttsttstststststststststtststtsttstststsststststststsststtststsstsststststststttsttttttststssstssstsstssssstsssstssststtsssssstttsssssstsststtssssstttsssssssssssstttttststtstststttssststsststtssttttsssssttsssstssstttssssttsssstt >>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CC C CCCCC C C CCCCC CCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCC CCCCCCCCCCC C CCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCafafafafafafafafafafafafafafafaffafffffafafaafafaafafafafafaafafafafafafaffafffffafafafafafafafafafafffaffafafafafafafafafafafffafafafafafafaffaffafafafaaafafafaffafafaffaaaaafafafaaffafaaaaaafaaaaffafaaaaaffafaafaaffaafaafafaafaafafafffafaafaafffffaaaaafaffffaaaaafffaaaafffafaffaaaafaaafafafffaaafafaafaaafafaafaaaaaafaaafafaaaffaaaféé ééééééééééééééééé éé éé éééééééééééééééééééééééééééé ééééééééééé ééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééééé ééééééééééééééééééééééééééé ééééééé ééééééééééééééééééééééé AbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAAbAbAbbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAAbAbAbAbAbAbAAbAbAAbAbbAbbbAbAbAbAAbAAAAbAbAAAbAbAAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAbAAbAbAbAbAbAAbAbAbAbAbbAbbAbAbAbAbAAAAbAbAAbAbbAbAbbAbAbAbAAAbbbAbAbAbbbAbAbAbAAbbbbAbAbAbAAAAAbAAbAbAbbAbAbAbbAbAbAbAbAAAAAAbAbAAbbAbAbbAAAAbAbAAbAbbAbAAbAbAbAbAbAbbbbbAbbbAAAbAAAAAbbbAbAbbAbAAAbAAbAbbbbAbAbbbAAAAAAAbAAbbbbbAbbbbbAbAbbbAbAAbAAAAbAAAAAAAAAAAAbAbAAAAAAAbbbbAAbAAAAAAAAbbAAAAAAAAbAAAAbAAbAbbAAAAAAbbbAAAA rorororrorororororororoororororororororororororroroororooorororororrrororoorooroooorororoororrorrororroroorororororoororororrrrroroorororoorororrorooroororrororroroooooororrrroroooororroorrrrrrorrorrrooooorrrrroooororrrrorrrooooorrrrrorrrooorooorrooororrorrrorrooorrroooooororrrrroooooooorrrrrooooorrroadadadadadadadadadadaadadaadadadadadadadadaddadadadadadadaadadadadadadadadadaddadaddadadadadadadadadaadadadadadadddadaddadadaddadadadadadadadaddaddaddadaadadaaaadaddddaddadaadaadddddadadadadddadaaadddaddaddddddadaadaddddadadadaadaaaaadadadadddaaaaaddddadaadaadadaadaaaaaaadadddaaaddddadddaaddddddddaadaadadddaaaadddddaaaaaaaddddaaaaaddaddadadaaaddaaaaddaaaaaaadaaaaaaddddddd
The NewHouse Management Team
Greg Rozmus, Dan Kelly, Pete Ceran, Maria Sinopoli, and
Paul Savaiano & Advisor Ed Russell
PROJECT DIRECTORCatherine BorodGRAPHIC DESIGNERSKatelin DeStefanoDan HubsherEric Cleckner
& The NewHouse Café Abroad Team
And Special Thanks To:
Congratulations to the 1st Place Team
Syracuse University
cafeabroad.com 7
For information, call or write:
Studio Art Centers International50 Broad Street, Suite 1617New York, NY 10004-2372 USA
Tel: (212) 248 - 7225Fax: (212) 248 - 7222E-mail: [email protected]
With courses offeredin over 40 differentStudio and Academic disciplines there are 5 Ways to Study at SACI
Academic Semester Abroad ProgramAcademic Year Abroad Program Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program Master of Fine Arts Degree ProgramLate Spring and Summer Studies
brittle remains of the guilty party. “They
cut down all of the trees to build their cit-
ies and the sun’s rays heated up the earth
like an oven.”
The Mayans built their great cities from
huge blocks of stone that were assembled
together with a mortar and lime mixture
that was manufactured in huge kilns fu-
eled by wood cut from the jungle. A large
amount of wood was needed to stoke the
fi res to a hot enough temperature, and the
surrounding forests eventually perished.
On top of this, Mayan agriculturalists
needed to continuously clear more land
using slash and burn methods in order to
cultivate enough food for the exploding
population. The jungles were also hunted
and fi shed to severe depletion to meet
this increased demand for food. Individ-
ual Mayan kingdoms were also continu-
ally engaged in gradient states of war with
each other, and this exuded a pressure that
pushed the society to the brink of collapse.
A great environmental backlash overtook
the ancient Mayan civilization: they had
totally depleted their natural resources,
wrecked havoc on their environment, and
destroyed each other through warfare.
This story sounded familiar.
“So the Maya essentially destroyed
themselves through technology, urban-
ization, and war?” I asked, not wanting to
hear an affi rmative response. To my disap-
pointment, the archaeologists agreed.
Through the same practices that made
their civilization great, the Maya inadver-
tently destroyed their civilization. They
sucked dry their land of lush forests and
raging rivers, and left themselves to bake
dead upon a parched, unforgiving earth
of their own creation. Most of their great
achievements and amazing works fell to
ruins and their cosmopolitan centers were
desserted centuries before the arrival of
the fi rst ships from the Old World. The
massive cities of the Maya were abandoned
to the jungle, as the people migrated to
the north, south, or returned to archaic
means of living. Through an unbalanced,
anthropocentric relationship with the
natural world, the Maya became another
great civilization to fall deep into the trunk
of archaeological time.
As I looked upon the stiff and grim re-
mains of the skeleton before me, I heard
the lessons from the past howling hair-
raising warnings from the depths of an-
tiquity. Again humanity is standing at the
precipice of an advanced civilization that,
like the Maya, seeks nothing more than
to expand, grow and prosper. Again, rain
forest destruction, urbanization, invasive
agricultural methods, and overpopula-
tion loom as threats to our civilization. Are
we, at the beginning of the 21st century,
again stretching the carrying capacity of
the earth in the same ways that the ancient
Maya did in Central America a thousand
years ago? Could we, too, essentially wipe
out our own civilization by abusing nature,
natural resources, the food we eat, and
fi ghting wars of mutual annihilation?
In a great interplay of irony, the ancient
Maya grew so strong that they destroyed
themselves. After standing upon the ruins
and looking into the death grimace of this
once proud civilization, I must ask the ques-
tion: Can we learn from the errant ways and
misdeeds of the past? Or will we, too, fi nd
ourselves disassembled, catalogued, and
put on display in some history museum
as the shining bones of a civilization con-
sumed and destroyed by its own inertia?
Wade P. Shepard has been tramping around the planet for the past nine years; he wandered into the outback of Mongolia, lived in a monastery in Tibet, ate a puppy in China, danced with mystics in India, thought he was a gardener in Ireland, and got really lost in Patagonia. He is now fi nally fi nishing his Senior Capstone semester in Brooklyn, New York with Global College, Long Island University. Visit his website at www.vaga-bondjourney.com and read his travelogue, at www.vagabondjourney.com/travelogue.
DIGGING DEEPER: Honduran archaeologists excavte an ancient Mayan burial.
8 Café Abroad InPrint Spring 2009
With so many artists to choose from, it is diffi cult to know where to start, which are worth
listening to, or even how to fi nd them. But, as you take your magical mystery tour through the
musical journey of modern England, embracing these bands will open your mind to a new day.
Katrina Mansmann is senior at Penn State University majoring in Mathematics. Dreaming of majoring in journalism, she sometimes tells people that she's specializing in Taxidermy. Delu-sional or not, she is convinced that she should have been born in England, and hopes one day to return to Bath or another UK city to live and work overseas.
To most young Americans, the sound of our parents’ generation like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones still defi nes English music.
But times have changed: the British Invasion 60’s is history and this tiny island is still cranking out top-notch tunes from Leeds to London.
In England, a lot can change in a short distance. It seems that in every city a handful of bands play music that captures the identity of their distinctive hometowns. Strikingly different attitudes and ac-cents are noticeable – even in nearby cities just a stones’ throw away from each other. With every subtle change in scenery and community comes a unique and deeply instilled regional pride and a signature style that distinguishes each city.
So, if you’re considering a jaunt to England in the near future, listen up. Even if you can’t scrape together enough dollars to make one pound, put these bands in your rotation and get up to date on England’s new sonic glory.
HOMEGROWN MUSIC REVIVES BRITAIN
By Katrina MansmannBy Katrina Mansmann
Brighton
While approaching the southern seaside cities
of Brighton and Hove, the poppy sounds of
The Kooks are sure to lighten your mood, par-
ticularly the band’s debut album, Inside In/Inside Out.
With the opening track titled “Seaside,” the lads
capture the dual essence of Brighton. A coastal city of
tacky boardwalk fun, easygoing beaches and artsy bo-
hemian crowds, Brighton has an underlying, scandalous
past and serves as a retreat for debauchery.
The Kooks are a well-disguised pop group, balanc-
ing catchy lyrical refrains with loose, messy rock that still maintains the rough edge
that embodies the laid-back Brighton air. Although their material may be limited to
the subject of girls and…well… more girls, Inside In/Inside Out’s tracks stir up dreams
and thoughts of careless summer fl ings. Precisely the sort of thing that Brighton was
made for, their album is the ultimate guilty pleasure. Amidst the rain and haze, day-
dream of a real holiday and give “She Moves In Her Own Way” or “Sofa Song” a listen.
Sheffi eld
A signature band for their city – truly embodying
the disposition of the area and its young inhabit-
ants – The Arctic Monkeys are Sheffi eld through
and through. The hype surrounding the band in 2005 was
borderline repellent, but after listening to the lyrics and
the throttling band behind those spitfi re lines, it’s hard
to deny the brutal honesty in their unembellished songs.
As a northern city built on the foundations of England’s Industrial Revolution,
Sheffi eld has the air of a bygone industrial town devoid of any romance or marked
substance. The band candidly portrays the redundancy and superfi ciality of Sheffi eld
nightlife. With hopeful cynicism seeping into every lyric of their debut album, the band
gives disillusionment a whole new capital city. Once you, too, have experienced the
British binge-drinking youth culture on another night out, Whatever People Say I Am,
That’s What I’m Not may sum up everything you’ve been trying to express.
Leeds
Further north, ubiquitous students overpopulate
the university city of Leeds. Representing this bus-
tling city’s music scene are Kaiser Chiefs, a Brit-pop
band with riotous anthems and bouncy beats who croon
with the voice of Leeds’ youth culture. Overfl owing with
high energy and cheeky attitude, Kaiser Chiefs’ lyrics and
sound amplify the ambitious but unruly nature of the uni
students that pervade the city. The Northern Yorkshire
attitude also permeates other similarly gutsy bands,
such as the underrated The Cribs, who sing with the indifference and irreverence of no-
frills northerners. For some loud, boozy chants and a dose of classic northern attitude,
check out “Employment” by Kaiser Chiefs and “The New Fellas” by The Cribs.
London
A world bottled up in one booming city, London is
unclassifi able. Its musical output embodies its
eclecticism with new genres and musical fl avors
fl owing out every week. Inspired by punk and rock roots,
many London bands innovate and generate sounds that
are completely novel and unpredictable.
Known for their edginess and careless cool, bands like
The Klaxons and New Young Pony Club embrace the style
of today’s Londoners with their experimental, arty, dance-
pop music. To feel a part of the hip London crowd, try “Myths of the Near Future” by The
Klaxons and “Fantastic Playroom” by NYPC.
As a clubbing capital, London hosts deejays who spin an abundance of rave music, with
more than enough to go around. But England’s capital city is also responsible for inspiring
eccentric albums like Lily Allen’s vibrant Alright, Still, electronic trance like The Warning by
Hot Chip, or even Bloc Party’s swift and fi erce Silent Alarm.
Birmingham
Moving further inland to Birmingham - a mid-
land city known to locals simply as Brum -
comes a band known as Editors, who perform
with a machine-like accuracy and precision, which
encapsulates the intensely structured sound of the
business metropolis and former industrial center.
Although Birmingham does not draw much atten-
tion to itself, it is the second largest city in England, and once donned the reputation
of an industrial graveyard. In recent times, the city has taken on a more sophisticated
image of a modest urban environment. Editors, who also keep a decidedly low profi le,
are exceptionally talented at producing throttling tunes with well-oiled mechanics that
evoke the sounds of cleaned-up industrialization. The lead singer’s guarded, intensely
deep and monotonous voice only adds to the powerful and serious nature of an already
very Brummie band. When you fi nd yourself in the heart of the midlands (and wonder-
ing why on earth you’re here) having a listen to The Back Room can give you a fresh take
on this seemingly bland metropolis.
cafeabroad.com 9
10 Café Abroad InPrint Spring 2009
It’s fi tting that Buenos Aires has often been referred to as the Paris of Latin America. With stylish inhabitants,
eclectic cuisine and vibrant nightlife, Ar-gentina’s capital city occupies a top spot in trendsetting, even while the country struggles to fi nd a niche for itself in the global market. Raw edge, talent, and tra-ditional craftsmanship – like its focus on leather goods – are all components of a style scene that propels young Argen-tinean designers onto the world stage.
The fashions that come out of Bue-nos Aires are funky, sophisticated, and modern; refl ecting the attitudes and personalities of the porteños (people) who inhabit the bus-tling city of Buenos Aires. While big Argentine names like Maria Cher, Jazmin Chebar and Maria Vazquez are already making their way overseas and into celebrity wardrobes, younger and newer designers are slowly yet surely creating their own local follow-ings.
“People started recognizing our de-signs from seeing us at different street fairs and asking about our stuff,” says Lucila Perez Portilla, one of the found-ers of Doble Sentido, (Double Meaning) a small, colorful shop on Marcelo T. Al-vear. Lucila and her sister Florencia, both designers who studied at the University of Buenos Aires, worked hard to open their own store in Recoleta, an upscale neighborhood known for streets lined with Gucci and Dior.
Walk into Doble Sentido and instantly be enveloped by the fresh colors and funky patterns adorning everything from the racks to the ceiling. In fact, every-
thing in the store originated from family effort: from its airy and modern feel con-ceptualized by the owners’ mother, who is an architect and designer of the studio, to their father, who works in the back and owns a factory that produces much of the Doble Sentido line.
The sisters share a sense of humor and an eye for the unique and quirky, an attitude refl ected throughout their clothing line. The most eye-catching display in their studio are the colorful shoes hanging from strings that line the store’s walls. This installation fi rst got the sisters noticed, and is a continued
customer favorite. One pair of shoes – striped in pink, blue, and white – displays a comic strip. Another plays around with colorful shapes and patterns. The shoes characterize the store’s message: they are both a practical necessity and chic. . . and they’re an accessory you’ll be hard-pressed to fi nd anywhere in the U.S.
Designers Gabriella Iskin and her sis-ter Karina are another family-based de-sign duo that has found the way from local to global markets. Karina manages the line of jewelry, which has an expand-ing selection that combines high con-cept style with simple designs. Iskin’s works have been showcased in trade
shows, museum shops, and collections at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York and San Francisco, as well as Buenos Aires’ own Museo de Arte Lati-noAmericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA).
Karina cites entering into the interna-tional market as one of the biggest chal-lenges the two sisters faced in increasing their client base. “We were a new com-pany without antecedents,” she says.
The Iskin jewelry line works primar-ily with stainless steel, featuring mal-leable geometric designs that draw a background in industrial design. Gabri-ella describes their jewelry as a type of
“modern art for the body.” The bow, a stainless steel ring that comes apart allowing its wearer to change the colored ring in the middle to “fi t their mood” is just one of many examples of an in-teractive approach. Necklaces also come apart, by twisting and turning, to allow a person to choose a design that fi ts the moment or mood. The sisters
see a philosophy behind their jewelry, which allows them to play with designs while still maintaining a sophisticated look.
While some designers like the Iskin sisters are being recognized internation-ally, most young designers are still strug-gling to break through. “Argentinean design is in its development stage,” says Karina, “but a design consciousness is slowly developing in the country.”
While many Latin American countries are too often synonymous with the term “developing nation,” many designers are confi dent that Argentina will soon reach its potential. “Design in Europe and in the
InDesignTalented and edgy
artists propel
Buenos Aires’ fashion scene
into the international
spotlight
By Dina Magaril
16 Café Abroad InPrint Spring 2009
By Dana Liebelson
Last February, Kevin Rudd’s historic apology to
the indigenous people of Australia was project-
ed in American as no more than a passing blip on
the media radar. Overshadowed by coverage of Britney
Spears and Super Tuesday, the apology was written off
as another foreign government making a half-hearted
excuse for past transgressions. But for Australians, the
apology was long in the making, hotly debated, and
hailed as a major progress in repairing the nation’s sor-
did relationship with its Aboriginal population.
So why has the U.S. kept silent about the apology
and what can Americans learn from Australia’s lead?
Two Countries, One Troubled Past
Up until the late 1960’s, both Australia and America
removed thousands of indigenous children from their
homes, which was a part of the destructive culmina-
tion of centuries of conflict. The two nations may be
thousands of miles apart but when it comes to gov-
ernment treatment of indigenous populations their
histories are very similar.
Rudd’s apology focused exclusively on the “Stolen
Generation,” a term that refers to the Aboriginal chil-
dren permanently relocated in the 20th century. If the
United States were to issue a similar apology, it would
have to include a wider span of history, encompassing
everything from land removal to the Trail of Tears. In
many ways, Australia’s past policies concerning indig-
enous people parallels America’s, and the two nations
can be effectively compared.
At the heart of the equation, Americans are forced
to confront two uncomfortable questions. First, what
exactly is the importance of saying sorry? And, sec-
ond, why did Australia beat the U.S. to the punch?
The answers boil down to a combination of politics
and ethics, leverage and social responsibility. Before
examining the apology, it is important to look at the
history of the Australian government’s treatment of
indigenous peoples.
Two Painful Pasts
It is well documented that Australian policy was
founded in racial assimilation, which was tantamount to
a carefully orchestrated attempt to eliminate the indig-
enous race entirely. The government’s “White Austra-
lia” policy was a common theme through the 20th cen-
tury, and restricted immigration on the basis of race up
until 1973. Before immigration, Australian policy mak-
ers focused on creating a white society by eliminating
Aborigines. It was believed that pureblood Aborigines
were a doomed race who would ultimately die out.
“The increasing danger…is the 6,000 of the mixed
blood growing up. It is a danger to us to have a people
like that among us,” said one New South Wales politi-
cian, whose view was widely accepted.
Australian assimilation policy ruthlessly targeted
and marginalized Aborigines and their culture. For this
reason, some scholars label the policy as genocidal,
an emotionally loaded term argued by both sides of
the national debate. Aboriginal children were said to
be unable to grasp any sort of higher education and
state-run boarding schools’ curriculum attempted to
erase any sense of indigenous culture. These educa-
tional policies included prohibition against the use
of aboriginal languages and mandated Western style
uniforms and hairstyles. One relocated child, who was
sent to a boarding school in the 1920’s, was interviewed
and recalled beatings for even minor transgressions...
“A girl [in our class] refused to speak English. She was
tied to the old bell post and belted continuously. She
died that night, still tied to the post, no girl ever knew
what happened to the body or where she was buried.”
Indigenous children who escaped the poor conditions
of the boarding schools often succumbed to intense
emotional problems throughout their lives, and suicide
rates were far higher around state relocation centers
than the Australian average. The government’s focus on
assimilation went so far as to indenture Aboriginal wom-
en as servants in white homes. Indigenous people were
also divided between pureblood and those who were ra-
cially mixed, with the latter being given no governmen-
tal support, because they were deemed to be more of
a threat to an all-white policy. Ingrained racism in Aus-
tralian policy also made it diffi cult for Aboriginal people
to actively participate in national politics until late in the
20th century.
These instances of cultural and political racism in
Australia beg comparison to America’s notorious treat-
ment of its indigenous peoples. Although America’s
policies were less explicitly racist, for example the idea
of eradicating mixed-descent blood was not at the fore-
front of the government’s concerns, parallels in policy
abound.
The American program was more focused on return-
ing “assimilated” children back into their communities
and emphasizing cultural homogeny over racial. Ameri-
can policies still caused signifi cant harm, facilitating the
breakdown of indigenous culture and returning children
to reservations that had faced great socio-economic
disadvantages. The policies also mimicked the Austra-
lian path in language abolition and abuse.
Political Reconciliation
So, with this historical context in mind, why did the
Australian government say sorry while the American
government continued to filibuster legislation like a
procrastinating college student?
Australian policy still had a long way to go in 2000.
John Herron, Australian Minister of Aboriginal Affairs,
released this statement at the time:
“The government does not support an official na-
tional apology. Such an apology could imply that
present generations are in some way responsible and
accountable for the actions of earlier generations.”
The remarks were particularly controversial since
Herron said only 10 percent of Aboriginal children
were removed from their homes making the “Stolen
Generation” label an exaggeration. He also argued
that the forced removal of children was grounded in
“good intentions” on the part of past Australian policy
makers.
Saying SorryLooking Back at Australia’s Historic Apology
We apologize for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country. For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry…
- Kevin Rudd, Australian Prime Minister, February 13, 2008.
18 Café Abroad InPrint Spring 2009
Dalia Al-Kury’s eyes are sympa-
thetic yet tough behind bold,
black plastic-framed glasses.
She is young, in her late twenties, and sits
with a posture that exudes both feminin-
ity and fi ght. Wearing a slack turquoise
sweater, dark boot cut jeans, and boast-
ing a bright confi dent smile, she could
easily walk down any American street
with few, if any, challenging encounters.
Yet, in Amman her experience walking
on the street – as it is for almost every
woman – is much less discreet. Stuck in
a daily battle between the desire for in-
dependence and the social expectation
of humility, progressive women in Jordan
are thrown into a verbal plight of catcalls
and almost constant harassment.
“I used to pretend I could zip myself
up in this invisible sheet, this shield,” Al-
Kury says. She pulls on an imaginary zip-
per, all the way up to the top of her head
and closes her eyes.
“Some days I feel stronger than oth-
ers.” she says, her hair falling in loose
curls around her shoulders, a rich chest-
nut brown.
Sexism is a huge problem here, espe-
cially in the capital city of Amman, expe-
rienced daily both by Jordanian women
and foreigners, covered and uncovered
alike. It’s the reason any woman walk-
ing alone will be on her cell phone, or
listening intently to her MP3 player, eyes
downcast, drowning out the humiliating
hollers and exclamations, the drive-by
shouts, the attempted grabs or intrusive
stares.
Many remain silent; to fi ght back
would be either futile or completely out
of line with social norms. Al-Kury, how-
ever, decided she had had enough.
“I don’t take injustice very well, and
I felt I was being unjustly harassed,” she
says.
A fi lmmaker and an artist, Al-Kury
took a stance in a familiar, yet innovative,
way: through documentary. Her fi lm,
Caution: Comment Ahead, runs approxi-
mately 30 minutes in length, but dives
deep into the inner workings of catcalls,
harassment, and taunts hurled by Jorda-
nian men at nearly any female happening
to walk by.
“It was a very personal fi lm,” she ad-
mits, “one that I had promised myself to
make one day before I got too numb. I
thought a great deal about how I could
make this fi lm appeal to my main target
audience: men that harass.”
Her point was not to humiliate, but
rather to enlighten.
“I wanted to humanize them—condemn
their behavior, yes, but not who they are as
people. The ultimate purpose was to gain
their empathy, to educate them, to have
them rethink their behavior.”
As the fi lm explains, many women
avoid the street as much as possible, the
stress becoming too much to handle on a
regular basis.
“Sometimes I have to walk fi ve min-
utes to get somewhere, and I take the car
instead of walking to avoid the street,”
says a woman interviewed in the fi lm.
She’s not the only one.
Basel Hamad, a counselor in humani-
tarian institutions in Jordan interviewed
during the fi lm, puts it in context. “(If I am
harassed), I will not go out the next day,
my self image will turn upside down, my
self esteem will change. If twenty peo-
ple will tell me every day in the street
that I am a bitch, how will I go on with my
life then? I can’t imagine it.”
The problem, it seems, is rooted on
many levels, too complex to boil down
to a single cause. The extreme discon-
nect between the sexes plays a huge
role, which Al-Kury refers to as “the bro-
ken bridges between men and women,”
mixed with the misconception between
fl irting and unwanted attention.
Al-Kury explains, “When both sexes
don’t communicate because of cultural
repression, then they won’t understand
each other. They won’t sympathize with
each other, and they wont respect one
another.”
Hamad expands on this, pointing out
the unhealthy gap between the age of
meeting girls and the age of marriage.
“We even refuse friendships between
boys and girls,” Hamad says. “If we are
preventing these types of relationships,
then the desire, the feelings, emotions,
and the need to mix with the other sex,
where will all of this go?”
Much of the harassment comes from
young boys, some not even teenagers.
The fi lm explains why: “[The average boy]
gets used to it at home. He is served by
his 30-year-old sister, and maybe be-
fore she goes out, he tells her to change
her clothes if he does not like them, or
to switch the TV channel, or not go out
too late, and this makes him feel that the
20-or-30-year-old girls on the street are
inferior to him, he can catcall her and do
whatever he feels like.”
Many women have a problem stand-
ing up to harassment for the same rea-
sons. Both domestically and culturally,
they are often subservient. Others fi nd
themselves too jaded by the situation to
respond, and foreigners are at a loss for a
language with which to reply.
“I can't imagine the hell [foreign wom-
en] go through not being able to under-
stand or respond back in Arabic,” Al-Kury
says. “What a shame that such a beauti-
ful country can’t be explored by women
traveling alone without having to be vic-
timized by the stares and comments of
disrespectful men.”
Of course, laws are in place and of-
ten used to counteract the problem—in
2006, approximately 240 incidents of ha-
rassment were reported. However, very
few men actually end up behind bars,
and the amount of cases followed
all the way to the court drop sig-
nifi cantly from the number
reported.
Al-Kury’s fi lm fo-
cuses on the need
for grassroots
movements in-
stead of govern-
mental ones.
“If you have
a problem in
the society, try
to present so-
lutions for it,
don’t repress
it,” points out
one person in-
terviewed in the
fi lm. Al-Kury has
attempted to do
just that. The fi lm has
been screened on satel-
lite TV nine times, promoted
in Palestinian cinema clubs and
schools and shown in festivals all
over the world. Completely in Arabic
with English subtitles, the fi lm is aimed
at the exact audience Al-Kury set out to
reach.
CautionComment Ahead
Controversial Film Reveals and Reviles Sexism in Jordan
“I think women were thirsty to vocal-
ize this taboo and overlooked issue and
I offered them that voice,” Al-Kury says.
“There’s defi nitely a movement. It’s not a
revolution, it’s slow and it’s been taking
centuries, but I’m positive that women
will be equal to men when they’re fi nally
ready, ready to fi ght to the end, when
men are willing to give up their comfort-
able privileged positions.
“I know I am fi ghting,” she proudly
claims. “Films like this one stir up de-
bates to build the bridges that must be
built.”
Katherine Lonsdorf is a senior at Occidental College majoring in diplomacy and world affairs, intending to become a journalist in some worldwide context. While studying abroad for the year at the University of Jordan in Amman, she survived on thick Turkish coffee and fresh baked bread. While she is enthralled with the Jordanian culture, Katherine is convinced a little Ultimate Frisbee and a few yoga studios could do wonders for the society.p , y
ally end up behind bars,
nt of cases followed
he court drop sig-
the number
lm fo-
need
ots
n-
-
t
-
he
has
do
fi lm has
on satel-
es, promoted
inema clubs and
own in festivals all
d. Completely in Arabic
btitles, the fi lm is aimed
dience Al-Kury set out to
y g y
B y K a t h e r i n e L o n s d o r f
cafeabroad.com 21
He lurks in the basement at Pancakes
on the Rocks, a 24-hour diner in
Sydney’s Rocks district, peering out
from behind a quartet of dining chairs. Hid-
den in a wall mural is Australia’s most fa-
mous antihero, masked by a metal bucket
helmet that covers his entire face, save for
an eyehole slit.
Who is this masked man?
Ned Kelly.
Think Robin Hood without feeding the
poor.
In the late 19th century, Kelly and his
gang of bushrangers roamed the outback,
wreaking havoc and outrunning the law
until they were caught, tried, and hung one
doleful day in Melbourne. Now Kelly plays
hide-and-seek in Sydney, depicted in local
artwork displayed anywhere from muse-
ums to public buildings.
Sidney Nolan, one of
Australia’s most famous
artists and printmakers,
famously captures Kelly in
a series of 27 canvases in
which a one-dimensional
Kelly dresses entirely in
black and wears a rect-
angle for a helmet - the
curious head wear rep-
resents the armor Kelly
pieced together by hand
out of iron plow parts.
This is the Kelly that
hides out in the wall mu-
ral at Pancakes on the
Rocks restaurant, looking
like a low-tech Iron Man
with a robot head. The
Nolan-inspired painting has been hanging
here for years and actually was cut in half
when the diner’s popularity necessitated
the addition of a second fl oor.
Sydney is generally a safe, law abiding
city, where crime rates are low and guns
aren’t legal, so it may seem a little strange
At Reverse Garbage, white manne-
quins wearing nothing but leis work
as greeters and paper hole punches
litter the paint-splotched fl oorboards. A
red robot hangs from ceiling rafters, just
meters away from a wooden T-Rex skull
that looms ominously on a pillar in the
back of the warehouse. Though the dino-
saur head may not be a fossil from pre-
historic times, it is a relic of sorts. And, if
it weren’t for Reverse Garbage, the waste
from an old museum exhibit may have
been discarded in a trash dump.
Reverse Garbage, a secondhand craft
supply warehouse, was established 34
years ago by local artists and school-
teachers in search of inexpensive craft
materials. Businesses and industries were
throwing away large quantities of mate-
rial – such as Styrofoam, fabric scraps,
and wood blocks – no longer useful for
industrial purposes but ideal for artists
and teachers. A group of teachers and
artists opened Reverse Garbage to spare
leftover materials from landfi lls and to
put them into the hands of people who
could use them.
Today, bird-shaped baskets, old re-
cords, and plastic body parts occupy the
warehouse bins, amongst other more
traditional craft supplies. Every year, the
amount of material that Reverse Garbage
recycles could fi ll three football fi elds.
that the outlaw legends remains so be-
loved. But, Australia’s
fi rst European settlers
were exiles from Eng-
land, so there are many
folk legends and ballads
aptly littered with ro-
mance about the nation’s
convict past.
“Such is life,” the out-
law Kelly said, uttering
his famous last words al-
most with a shrug, know-
ing his crimes would de-
liver him the punishment
he deserved. But, consid-
ering the good behavior
of contemporary Austra-
lians, the words adorning
the bottom of another
Pancakes on the Rocks’
bushranger painting may better represent
the current outlook of adventurous Aus-
sies:
“Reckless and daring they were renown,
but never capable of such crimes...”
—Tara Jo Quinn
Meet Café Abroad
NICOLE CARRETTA is a senior at Penn State University, majoring in public relations and communications. Besides traveling, Nicole enjoys singing, reading and meeting new people.
TARA JO QUINN is a writing major at Eastern University. She enjoys traveling, interacting with random strangers and admiring impressive-looking architecture.
Sidney’s Sidney’s Hidden HeroHidden Hero
Secondhand Secondhand Is GoodIs Good
Throughout Australia, reuse is part
of school children’s curriculum. Reverse
Garbage’s education department instills
in the children of Sydney and its suburbs
an appreciation of the beauty of recy-
cling. Furthermore, Reverse Garbage’s
staff goes on tour around the country,
hosting workshops that teach kids how to
recycle creatively.
On Saturday afternoons, local artists
sell jewelry, wind chimes, and other works
made out of old silver, cameos and other
material at a market in Sydney. Maybe, in
years to come, these children will set up
shop alongside the recycled art stalls that
are already fi xtures at these weekend mar-
kets and show what they can do with mate-
rials that would otherwise be wasted.
Outside of Reverse Garbage on Sun-
days, artists sell wooden boxes and land-
scape portraits that show how virtually
any material under the hot Australian sun,
including supplies from inside the ware-
house, can be used as art. Even their busi-
ness cards are made out of old cardboard
food packaging.
—Tara Jo Quinn
TEAM SYDNEY
MR. BUCKET: Bushranger and infamous outlaw Ned Kelly.
24 Café Abroad InPrint Spring 200924
●
●
●
●
●
●
New
York
Uni
vers
ity is
an
affirm
ativ
e ac
tion/
equa
l opp
ortu
nity
inst
itutio
n. P
rodu
ced
by A
dver
tisin
g an
d Pu
blic
atio
ns, N
ew Yo
rk U
nive
rsity
.