The Daily Princetonian
Thursday december 1, 2016
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PAGES DESIGNED BY ANDIE AYALA AND CATHERINE WANG :: STREET EDITORS
AROUND THE WORLD
STREET contributors show us how we can travel and learn at Princeton with profiles of courses with international trips.
FRS 124: State of the Earth, Shifts and Cycles LAS 396: Cuban Biopolitics YANG SHAO Contributor ‘20
Imagine walking along the beach of Cyprus and appreciating the Earth’s mantle flattened out before you, doing yoga in the morning and star-gazing at night, making a groundbreaking discovery about the geology and archaeology of an extraordinary landscape. All this and more has been done in the freshman seminar FRS 124: State of the Earth: Shifts and Cycles, a geology and STL requirement-fulfilling class that engages a small group of students in learning about the Earth’s past. This year, the course will be travelling to Spain and France to study geological sites. Professor Adam Maloof and Professor Frederik Simons from the geology department have been teaching this course together for the past few years. According to Maloof and Simons, the locations for these trips change every three years to make sure that everyone in the course — including the professors — arrive at the sites with fresh minds and fresh materials to study. Previous trips have taken students to California and Cyprus. When asked about the criteria for choosing their locations, both professors unhesitatingly said that they let geology and student experience decide. According to Maloof,
the site has to be “beautiful enough and also accessible enough,” so that a freshman student with absolutely no background in geology can always find something of interest to study. The trips to France and Spain will focus on time series analysis, and the professors are currently working to decide on their next location. In preparation for the trips, students spend time in labs learning skills of data collection, quantitative modeling, and equipment operation. They also design independent projects, which they carry out in groups of two or three when in the field, where they are able to conduct research in the natural world. A typical day on the site begins with breathtaking views and ends with data summary. In the middle, the students get into their small groups to work on their independent projects. The students collaborate a lot as well; they share data with one another, and interchange roles as leaders of their own group and assistants of another. Ray Bartolucci ’17, a CBE major and previous student of the course, said that “the teamwork was amazing.” The professors also work closely with the students and provide invaluable guidance on the site. Marcus Spiegel ’17, a CEE major who also took the course, said that the professors “work together so well that they are almost like yin and yang.”
He added that the course was a oneof-a-kind opportunity to “spend a lot of time with professors and really get to know them.” The professors describe the students in the course as a “melting pot.” Students come in with diverse academic interests but with the same curiosity for scientific exploration. They come back with more grounded knowledge in data analysis, experience in working with the most shocking natural wonders, and friendships with professors and classmates that sometimes span the next three years of their Princeton careers. Vidushi Sharma ’17, a previous member of the class, said that she “has taken plenty of walks and met with both professors to talk about [her] independent paper on philosophy.” She eventually became a philosophy major, but the multidisciplinary nature of the course helped her to connect classics and geoscience in her research. At the end of the interview, Simons asked the reporter what major she was thinking about. When the reporter responded with economics, he commented that the course could be understood in economics terms. “The students experience enough highs but also enough lows in this course. But the highs always offset the lows,” he said. “The course is hard, but rewarding,” Simons noted.
HEATHER GRACE :: CONTRIBUTOR
Students in FRS 124 will travel to Spain and France over spring break of 2017 in order to study different geological sites.
COURTESY OF FINANCIAL TRIBUNE
Students in LAS 396 will travel to Cuba over spring break to interview locals.
MIKAELA SYMANOVICH Contributor ‘20
This coming spring, students will have the opportunity to travel to Cuba with the class, LAS 396/ GSS 382: Cuban Biopolitics taught by Adrian Lopez-Denis. The class explores the intersection between race, gender, and sexuality in contemporary Cuba and how these have been framed by the development of the Cuban revolution. According to Lopez-Denis, using these intersections as a lens, the students will look at the contrast in the experiences of Cubans living abroad, particularly Miami, versus those staying in Cuba. In the midst of a thawing relationship between the United States and Cuba, and just two years after Cuba opened its borders to the U.S., the class offers a unique opportunity for students to investigate, first hand, the complex consequences of one of the most radical sociopolitical experiments in history. The class is also positioned at an interesting time in light of Fidel Castro’s death on Nov. 25, 2016. The vast range of reactions to Castro’s death demonstrate the political and societal complexities that arose from the Cuban Revolution. At the University of Havana, where Castro studied law 71 years ago, the steps to the college were adorned with flowers and photos placed there by mourning Cubans. In the city of Miami, Cuban-Americans gathered in the streets to rejoice the potential for a more open, democratic Cuba. Students enrolled in Lopez-Denis’s class will tackle the dichotomy between these two perspectives and experiences by conducting onsite
interviews in Havana. At the University of Havana, students will interview local scholars and observe how their perspectives differ from those of American academics also studying the Cuban revolution. Students will spend time listening to the stories of a range of Cuban citizens, and investigate how their identity has been shaped by the context in which they live. Lopez-Denis stressed that the input of his students will be critical in the development of the class. Since research and travel are the crucial components of the class, the professor wants to center the class around a student-driven project. For this reason, students will have the freedom to rethink the central elements of the syllabus, which is not typically an option presented to other Princeton classes. In the eyes of Lopez-Denis, the goal of the class is to create a lasting impact in Havana, Princeton, and beyond. According to the professor, Princeton has offered spring study abroad programs in Havana in the past, but this is the first short-term academic opportunity. Although they will only be in Havana over the course of one week, Lopez-Denis hopes that the trip will serve as an impetus for Princeton students to further engage with contemporary Cuban issues. Ultimately, he says that the the class, positioned at a pivotal time for U.S.-Cuban history, is a great opportunity to consider the possibilities of academic study in Cuba. Lopes-Denis notes that the ideal group of students in this class will entertain a variety of interests and come from a diverse set of experi-
JRN 456: Local Reporting — Paris as a Case Study ANNA WOLCKE Contributor ‘20
You have to “go into the local to see the global,” said Dr. Kathleen Crown, the Executive Director of Princeton’s Journalism Department and creator of the brand-new course “Local Reporting: Paris as a Case Study.” . By focusing on Paris as a case study, Crown said that students will learn how to address these issues from a local perspective. As the course description reads: “Students will learn the basics of local reporting by plunging into Parisian life, from afar and on the ground.” Furthermore, “they will examine what makes certain spaces – a
multi-ethnic neighborhood or suburb of Paris, a street, a museum, a tourist site – more controversial, problematic, or exciting than others.” In order to fully immerse the students in the art of local reporting, they will be taken to Paris during Spring Break to add experience from actual field work to their class discussions. While trips have always been a part of a journalism course at Princeton, giving the students the chance to learn in an international setting is a development of which Crown was very proud: “You have to go out and see! We’re very excited that our students can test their skills [in such a] rich context.” What exactly the students will
get out of their experience, however, will depend on the individual. The course will “cut across various genres,” Crown noted, which will give students the freedom to learn different approaches, such as feature writing, political reporting, or investigative journalism. After a long period of planning, Crown was very enthusiastic about the start of this pilot project. A class on local reporting in a European setting seemed to her like a natural extension after the creation of a summer journalism seminar in Greece – titled “Reporting on the Front Lines of History” – which served as a successful precedent for this course. James Haynes ’18, one of the participants of the summer journalism
course, commented on how beneficial the international component was for his journalism experience in an interview with the Princeton Alumni Weekly. “You can’t fully grasp how or to what degree the language barrier, access to documents, and cultural norms of a foreign country will impact your reporting until you get there,” Haynes explained. When asked about her choice of professor, Crown’s eyes brightened. “Professor Sciolino is a “wonderful professor,” she noted while smiling. Sciolino had been a Ferris Professor of Journalism in 2010 and expressed her interest in coming back to Princeton. Amongst other professions, Sciolino is a contributing writer for The
New York Times and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs. Crown said that she was especially impressed by Sciolino’s willingness to take her students to Paris for such a long time as not every professor would find the time to do that. Although, Crown noted, Sciolino “knows what she is getting herself into.” What Crown expects from students who apply to the course? “Experience is very important,” she said. Students will have to meet high expectations and apply the skills they learn during class in a real-life setting. Yet ultimately, Crown said, “Princeton students always amaze us!”
The Daily Princetonian
Thursday december 1, 2016
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Class Without Borders: Global Seminars for Summer 2017 ROBERT VON DER SCHMIDT Contributor ‘19
Taking a University course that discusses the construction of the Kremlin, the influence of novelist Leo Tolstoy, and Soviet rule in Russia is a valuable learning experience; studying this material while in the city of Moscow, however, prompts even deeper immersion into the subject matter. This is why, in 2007, the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies launched the Global Seminar Program to give undergraduate students the opportunity to take six-week crash courses led by Princeton faculty in the regions relevant to each course’s material. In this way, students get to explore a foreign location while simultaneously reading about and discussing it. According to the PIIRS website, since it’s inception the global seminar program has enabled more than 700 students to learn in and travel to locations including Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Europe, the Near East, and South America. Mark Beissinger, politics professor and acting directors of the PIIRS, explained that he highly values academic comprehension through immersive travel. Beissinger recounted how he participated in a language program in Leningrad while in university, and then later spent a year living in Moscow. He credits this experience with helping him to ultimately become an
COURTESY OF PIIRS WEBSITE
Development, Genocide and Nature Conversation, taught by history professor Emmanuel Kreike, will take place in Namibia.
expert on Soviet, and later Russian, politics. Overall, his travels were “an incredible experience that shaped the rest of my life,” he commented. This year, faculty will be leading a combination of language, sociology, anthropology, history, arts, and politics seminars in Beijing, Havana, Berlin, Athens, the Indian Himalayas, Namibia, and Moscow. Anthropology Professor Isabelle Clark-Deces, who will be teaching the seminar “At Home (And Abroad) in the Indian Himalayas,” said the course
will allow students to practice anthropological fieldwork through the method of “participant observation.” Clark-Deces explained that by getting to know the “culturally diverse region of the Himalayas known as Garhwal, in the state of Uttarakhand, India” the students will be able to explore how the people “behave, believe, and organize themselves and survive in their spectacular environments.” In his course in Berlin, Germany, anthropology professor John Borneman will be teaching about the
COURTESY OF PIIRS WEBSITE
At Home (And Abroad) in the Himalayas, taught by Professor of Anthropology Isabelle Clark-Deces, will be in Mussoorie, India.
tion’s issues with xenophobia and xenophilia. According to Boreman, “the topic of xenophobia could not be more relevant worldwide,” since the fear of immigrants and foreigners has heightened in the past few years. Borneman is currently the director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Anthropology, and this is the first global seminar that he will be teaching. Moreover, history professor Emmanuel Kreike, who will be teaching the seminar “Development, Genocide and Nature Conservation” in Namibia said that he decided to conduct the course there because “Namibia has a fascinating history, a friendly hospitality, and a breathtaking environment and I always wanted to share my wonderful and deep experiences with others.” Kreike stated that the course will explore society and environment in the 20th century, and will focus heavily on the colonial era, liberation, conservation, and the genocidal wars in the country. “The great advantage of global seminars is that you not only read and talk about other societies in rather abstract terms, but you actually are immersed in its past and present: it is about lived history and you meet and talk to people and visit places and touch objects that made history,” he commented. Mike Wisner ‘19 noted that the
global seminar he took in Greece enabled him to “experience dozens of cultural and historic landmarks all while studying the philosophy, history, religion, politics, and culture of a people that shaped every aspect of the modern Western world.” Wagner is a student in the Operations Research and Financial Engineering department. He added, “programs like these are what makes Princeton so special.” To further illustrate the student experience of global seminars, The Daily Princetonian interviewed Avaneesh Narla ’17, who attended a global seminar in Switzerland during the summer of 2015. The Daily Princetonian: What prompted you to apply for this program? Avaneesh Narla: I have always been fascinated by languages, and in particular, how societies such as India have many different languages and are still able to function. DP: Do you have any meaningful memories of the professor who led your trip that you could share with us? AN: We were at a dinner once and one of the participants asked him if he could dance with her. It was a really cute moment. DP: Did you bond with the other students on the trip with you? AN: Yes. We went on a lot of trips, and also hung out together. Since we were the only people we knew in Switzerland, it was very easy. We would explore Geneva and the surrounding places very often. DP: What place that you visited in Switzerland was the most meaningful to you? AN: We went to Chur, and went up the Alps to investigate the current usage of Romansch there. That was a lot of fun. DP: How would you say your visit to Switzerland changed the way you look at the modern United States (if at all)? AN: It’s crazy how the U.S. is monolingual. Most societies aren’t and haven’t been. DP: Are there any funny or happy memories you remember from the seminar that you could talk about? AN: Ah, so many! But what sticks out is converting all conversations to a conversation about language. So, once we visited a friend who was doing neurophysics research in Basel, and no matter what she said, we kept bringing the conversation back to language.
ART 468: Art and Politics of Ancient Maya Courts Humor: Struggles and Snacking in the Deep CATHLEEN KONG Staff Writer ‘20
You have to “go into the local to see the global,” said Dr. Kathleen Crown, the Executive Director of Princeton’s Journalism Department and creator of the brand-new course “Local Reporting: Paris as a Case Study.” . By focusing on Paris as a case study, Crown said that students will learn how to address these issues from a local perspective. As the course description reads: “Students will learn the basics of local reporting by plunging into Parisian life, from afar and on the ground.” Furthermore, “they will examine what makes certain spaces – a multi-ethnic neighborhood or suburb of Paris, a street, a museum, a tourist site – more controversial, problematic, or exciting than others.” In order to fully immerse the students in the art of local reporting, they will be taken to Paris during Spring Break to add experience from actual field work to their class discussions. While trips have always been a part of a journalism course at Princeton, giving the students the chance to learn in an international setting is a development of which Crown was very proud: “You have to go out and see! We’re very excited that our students can test their skills [in such a] rich context.” What exactly the students will get out of their experience, however, will depend on the individual. The course will “cut across various genres,” Crown noted, which will give students the freedom to learn different approaches, such as feature writing, political reporting, or investigative journalism. After a long period of planning, Crown was very enthusiastic about the start of this pilot project. A class on local reporting in a European setting seemed to her like a natural extension after the creation of a summer journalism seminar in Greece – titled “Reporting on the Front Lines of History” – which served as a successful precedent for this course. James Haynes ’18, one of the participants of the summer journalism course, commented on how beneficial
SADIE HENDERSON Contributor ‘20
CATHLEEN KONG:: CONTRIBUTOR
the international component was for his journalism experience in an interview with the Princeton Alumni Weekly. “You can’t fully grasp how or to what degree the language barrier, access to documents, and cultural norms of a foreign country will impact your reporting until you get there,” Haynes explained. When asked about her choice of professor, Crown’s eyes brightened. “Professor Sciolino is a “wonderful professor,” she noted while smiling. Sciolino had been a Ferris Professor of Journalism in 2010 and expressed her interest in coming back to Princeton. Amongst other professions, Sciolino is a contributing writer for The New York Times
and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs. Crown said that she was especially impressed by Sciolino’s willingness to take her students to Paris for such a long time as not every professor would find the time to do that. Although, Crown noted, Sciolino “knows what she is getting herself into.” What Crown expects from students who apply to the course? “Experience is very important,” she said. Students will have to meet high expectations and apply the skills they learn during class in a real-life setting. Yet ultimately, Crown said, “Princeton students always amaze us!”
Writer Sadie Henderson from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, considers what it would be like to enter her hometown as a visiting roommate during Thanksgiving. In a mock humor article, she presents a caricature of a city girl coming to a southern state. Day 1 in the Deep South: It is hot. It is muggy. I do not do hot and muggy. I do either “cool 70s with a nice fog” or “blazing mid-80’s while I can feel my skin crisping to a nice golden brow n.” I stepped off that frigid airplane a hot two seconds ago, and it’s since been a hot two seconds indeed. I am now sweating. I do not understand how people do this. We are now driving two hours from the airport to my roommate’s house. Not two hours of awe-inspiring buildings and fancy statues to the soundtrack of Frank Sinatra, but two hours of pine trees, cows, and more pine trees. We are headed to the Pine Belt, the most southern region of one of the most southern states, Mississippi; where my roommate happens to live. When my roommate shakes my shoulder to wake me up (because driving by all those pine trees had made me fall asleep), she tells me that we’ve arrived at what she calls the “greenest, most picturesque” camp. Day 2 in the Deep South: Confused. So confused. Everyone talks so slow. And they feel the need to share so much here. Why is it that every time I am introduced to someone, I end up being told their entire life story? And the life story of their significant other? Have they ever heard of the word efficient? Day 3 in the Deep South: My roommate just said, “yes ma’m,” when talking to her mother. She told me I had to do the same
EMILY FOCKLER ‘17 :: GRAPHICS EDITOR
otherwise people would be offended. “No ma’am, I do not want any iced tea today.” “Yes ma’m I love the blueberry pie.” I really did like that blueberry pie though. They sure do know how to do food here. The second I walk into a house there is always somebody coming up to me, asking me if I would like something to eat. It might be humid, but in some ways, this temperature just emphasizes the warmth of this place. I’m starting to understand why Dorothy would go through such effort just to get back home again. Day 4 in the Deep South: Oh my gosh. I have never felt so happily fat. Wow. Southern food is no joke. And I do not understand how I lived this long without true, authentic fried chicken. The rolling pastures, the slowness of speech, the heat- it was all worth it. I feel like raising up my hands (if I could at all move) and proclaiming the victor y of this moment. Anything for you my beautifully breaded and fried chicken leg. I understand now. I understand why people can live here. It is a beautiful, beautiful thing. Never let anyone tell you differently.
Thursday december 1, 2016
UNFAMILIAR CITY
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ASK THE SEXPERT
Mexico City, Mexico SANTIAGO AGUIRRE Contributor ‘18
As you sit in the back of a cab, the repeating pattern of buildings and street vendors rush by you; old colonial palaces surrounded by sprawling art deco department stores, high-rise buildings that attempt to mimic the stature of the Empire State Building, a Parisian-inspired Opera House. The car slows down and the maze of urban landscape gives way to a plaza. The plaza is packed. As a central subway stop for the city’s business area, the plaza hosts people from all walks of life. You step out of the cab and notice the nice spring breeze rustle through the trees. Finally, after walking through the plaza you reach a clearing, and sit down to fully appreciate your arrival in Mexico City. For a few moments the cacophony of rush hour traffic is drowned out by the classical tunes emanating from the street organ of an organillero (organ grinder). Organilleros have been a staple of the city since the 18th century, when German immigrants brought with them these clunky wooden contraptions that would grace the streets with their music. You carry on and walk along the street of 5 de Mayo when you encounter Bar La Opera — a typical
Mexican cantina made popular by Pancho Villa’s visit 100 years ago at the end of the Mexican Revolution. In this cantina it is said that Pancho Villa pointed at the roof and discharged a handgun, leaving a bullet hole remains there to this day. In the spirit of the place, you take a seat at the bar and order a cold beer. As you calmly sip on your drink you look around and take in the decadent rococo style that adorns the whole cantina. Once again, the steady, almost rhythmical sound of the city is drowned out by the outbursts of conversations around you and last night’s soccer game replaying on the small TV on top of the bar. Upon finishing your beer, you decide to carry on towards the central plaza. When you turn the corner, you are taken aback by the sheer scale of the place. The plaza is a square, measuring over two hundred meters on each side. At the center a monumental flag rises above the flat expanse of pavement. The flag marks the epicenter of the plaza that the local people (who are referred to as capitalinos, chilangos, defeños — or a combination of all three) call el Zócalo. The Metropolitan Cathedral and the President’s Office frame the sides of the plaza. The Spanish colonial architecture, built from the ruins of once great Aztec temples, seems to have completely eliminated the presence of the civilization that once
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This week, we discuss safe sex. stood there. Yet as you walk around the plaza you notice several glass panels on the floor, which become your windows to the underworld, the remnants of the Aztec empire. Following this trail of ancient Aztec crumbs, you eventually come to one of the most magnificent aspects of this city: the ruins of the grandest temple of the Aztec Empire. Nestled in between the Metropolitan Cathedral and the former Palace of the Viceroy’s Archbishop lies the Templo Mayor. The temple that once stood over 60 meters (almost 200 feet) is now a massive ruin that has sunk about 12 feet underground. The Templo Mayor consisted of the shrines to two of the main Aztec gods; Tlaloc (rain) and Huitzilopochtli (war). The ruins and the adjacent museum contain most of the remains of the ancient Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, which were discovered in the 1960s during the construction of the city’s subway system. In this place, Aztec ruins, colonial buildings, and a modern skyscraper are all contained within a single frame. You stand there, witnessing history collide into a single moment in time, thinking about the mix of cultures and people that have yet to be incorporated here, considering the intricate details that upon which this city was built — until your stomach growls at you, and you head into the subway station, in search of some authentic Mexican food. CATHLEEN KONG:: CONTRIBUTOR
SANTIAGO AGUIRRE:: CONTRIBUTOR
Santiago Aguirre ‘17 takes the reader through a day of travel in Mexico City which ends in a search for authentic Mexican food.
Dear Sexpert, My boyfriend and I have been having sex pretty regularly recently. He’s super great and caring and usually I think we are being pretty safe. He’s pretty good at pulling out, but last time he finished before he could! I’m kind of freaking out, how will I know if I’m pregnant? — Insemin-Afraid Dear Insem in-A fraid, I’m h appy t h at you a nd you r boy f r iend h ave a ca r i ng relat ionsh ip and a re enjoy i ng each ot her sex u a l ly. You say you a re bei ng “pret t y sa fe”, but t h at caveat leaves room for a range of r isks. P reg n anc y is on ly one of t he r isks t h at come w it h h av i ng sex ; t here a re a l so Sex u a l ly Tran sm it ted Infect ion s (STIs) . ST Is a re t y pes of bac te r i a, v i r u ses, or pa ra sites t h at a re t ra n sm it ted du r i ng se x u a l cont act. The y can be t ran sm it ted v ia bod i ly f lu id s or v ia sk i n-to-sk i n contact. The bod i ly f lu id s i nclude not ju st semen, vag i n a l f lu id s and blood, but a l so sa l iva. Wh i le t here is no such t h i ng as 100 % sa fe se x (e xce pt abst inence) , t here a re sa fer pract ices t h at can reduce you r r isks, and some a re more ef fect ive t h an ot hers. When a lways done cor rect ly, w it hd rawa l or “pu l l i ng out ” h as a 96% success rate at protect i ng aga i n st preg n a nc y, but reduces to 78 % when not a lways done correct ly. It s success rate is lower t h an u si ng an ex ter n a l condom (99 %) or ot her bi r t h cont rol met hod s (e.g., pi l l, i mplant, IU D) and it does not protect you f rom STIs. Howe ver, to pre vent preg n a nc y a lone, you h ave a va r iet y of opt ion s. These ra nge f rom hor mon a l pi l l s you can t a ke d ai ly to a sm a l l pl ast ic de v ice (IU D) t h at i s i nser ted i nto you r vag i n a and can pre vent preg n a nc y for up to 1 2 yea rs! Howe ver, on ly ex ter n a l and i nter n a l condom s can protect you f rom bot h preg n anc y and STIs. Becau se you a re pr i m a r i ly concer ned w it h preg n a nc y, let me say t h at t he sig n s and l i kel i hood of bei ng preg n ant can va r y f rom person to person. For ex ample, you r ch ances of bei ng preg n ant a re sig n i f ica nt ly h igher i f u nprotec ted se x occ u r red wh i le you were ov u l at i ng, or m idway
t h rough you r me n st r u a l c ycle. Ever yone is d i f ferent and t he way you r body respond s cou ld be d i fferent f rom ot her’s ex per iences. Ty pica l ly, women don’t e x per ience s y mptom s of bei ng preg n ant u nt i l t he second or t h i rd week of preg n a nc y. A com mon m i sconce pt ion i s t h at you w i l l completely m iss a per iod. Wh i le you w i l l not h ave a rea l men st r u a l c ycle a f ter becomi ng preg n ant, some of t he i n it ia l sig n s t h at m any women ex per ience a re spot t i ng and crampi ng when t he egg at t aches it sel f to t he wa l l of t he uter u s. That bei ng said, i f you do m iss a per iod, not a l l m issed or delayed per iod s a re cau sed by preg n anc y. It cou ld be cau sed by st ress, a t hy roid cond it ion, sig n i f ica nt weight ch ange, or med icat ion, to n ame a fe w. By t he f i f t h week, most people beg i n to ex per ience some of t he stereot y pica l tel lt a le sig n s of preg n anc y such as fat ig ue, n ausea or mor n i ng sick ness, ach i ng breast s, and mood s w i ngs due to ch anges i n you r hor mones. I f you wa nt to h ave a n s wers sooner, con sider t a l k i ng a pregn anc y test. The resu lt s a re t y pica l ly acc u rate a nd ca n detec t preg n anc y as ea rly as a week a f ter u nprotected sex. To ex plore you r opt ion s or con f i r m preg n a nc y, m a ke an appoi nt ment w it h Sexu a l Hea lt h and Wel l ness at UHS. The c l i n ic i a n s ca n pro v ide you i nd iv idu a l i zed i n for m at ion and help you f ig u re out t he nex t steps. I f t h is was a recent e vent, goi ng soon is ver y i mpor t ant becau se it kee ps you r nu mber of opt ion s h igh. Add it ion a l ly, t he cl i n ician s can an s wer any f u r ther quest ion s you m ay h ave about pract ici ng sa fer sex for t he f ut u re. St ay sa fe, The Sex per t Sources Cdc.gov Bedsider.org healthline.com Interested in Sexual Health? The Sexper t is always looking for members of the community to join the team of sexual health educators who, along with fact-checking from Universit y health professionals, help wr ite these columns. Email sexper t @ dailypr incetonian.com for more infor mation and questions about sexual health.
UNFAMILIAR CITY Venice, Italy ERIC ZHAO Contributor ‘20
The city of Venice is hot and loud in the summertime, but the heat and the noise here are different — it’s more organic and more human. Even when you walk in the shadows of a towering Jesuit church, as the sun begins to dip towards the horizon, the heat still covers you like a blanket. When you stop and listen, you find that with no cars around — the clatter of plates, the hearty chuckles, the clinking of glasses, and the crumpling of wave after wave onto stone are refreshingly clear and crisp. You’re not from here, and you can’t quite understand the conversations taking place around you. But the few words that you do know and pick up on are like a song, dancing on the edge of comprehension. Stepping closer to an older couple seated at a restaurant, you hear a light-hearted exchange filled with laughter. You think perhaps they were talking about a funny story or a joke, but you’ll never really know. As you reach a pair of ancient grey double doors, you turn around and look back on the path you walked, beholding the dusty square full of exposed brick and plaster. The square doesn’t quite stretch to the horizon, but you see that gap is comfortably bridged by the shiny teal waves of the Laguna Veneta, lazily throwing a salty breeze into the summer heat under a cloudy blue sky. You take a breath and the smell of
saltwater mixes with the delicious aromas wafting out of several small restaurants in the square, a cornucopia of breads, cheeses, wines, seafood, garlic, tomato, and countless spices. But something else catches your olfactory senses and pulls you back into the direction of those ancient grey double doors: the fragrant and cozy smell of coffee. After walking past those doors, you immediately arrive at the uncluttered courtyard of a nearly millennia-old monastery, where there is a small coffee shop tucked comfortably in the back. As you look around the walls of the monastery, you brief ly consider the integrity of the aged architecture, the tragedy of its decay. But your thoughts quickly shift as you sit down on a sunbaked stone bench and begin to feel almost painfully out of place in the powerful simplicity of the courtyard. It’s as if you are a blemish on a fine painting, while the others in the courtyard seem perfectly in place to you, barely acknowledging your entrance. Something brushes against your leg and you look down to see a f lash of messy brown hair. As the hair is lifted up, you see that it is a boy, retrieving his errant soccer ball. He pauses and looks at you, quickly saying something in Italian before returning to his friends with the ball. You assume that he was apologizing, but again, really you have no idea. You make your way towards the small coffee shop, crossing your fingers that the woman at the cashier will speak some tidbit of English, so you don’t have to embarrass your-
ERIC ZHAO:: CONTRIBUTOR
Eric Zhao ‘20 takes the reader through the Cannaregio district of Venice with stops at the courtyard and halls of a hostel.
self again. The woman greets you in Italian. After trying to order a cappuccino and absolutely butchering your phrases, she looks at you, smiles, and nods in understanding. She asks you what you would like to order in perfect English. Shortly after, you return to your spot on the stone bench. You’ve noticed that here in Venice, simplicity is misleading. Here in this place, the ornate and plain reveal the fullness of history, culture, and beauty intricately combined together. You take a warm and pleasant sip of your cappuccino as the shadows in the courtyard grow longer. You realize, it’s been some time since you were able to sit back and enjoy the warm f low of caffeine, rather than frantically downing a cup or two to stay awake in the morning. You feel a little less out of place in this foreign space as you slow down and watch the sky slowly darken.
Thursday december 1, 2016
The Daily Princetonian
page s4