Lifestyle
Designer Stubble, Yoga, Straight Edge
Entertainment Concept of Celebrity
The Bueno Aires Experience, Hostel Living, International Nomads
Corners of the World
INCITE
incite staff Editor In Chief Kristina Wong
Assistant Editor Emma Shirley
Senior Editor Michael Chin
Director of Fundraising and Promotions Lori Ke
Creative Director Priya Gohil
Layout Staff Alysson Gomez
Web Editor Carly Lanning
Writers
Izzy Gutierrez, Courtney Hamilton, Eli Heller, Katie Ludwick, Marko Ocampo
Bloggers
Ani Avakian, Jennifer Calderon, Rosario Diaz, Carrie Dilluvio, July Keo, Megan Luu, Logan Payne, Victoria Yu
THE MISSION:
Volume 4, Issue 2
... is to create awareness beyond our common cultural community in an effort to educate, unite, and transcend barriers. We aim to provide our readers with insight into the world they live in, with the hopes of inciting activism.
letter from Dear Readers, It has always been the mission of the INCITE team to transcend barriers by using the power of words that exist upon these pages. Not only is it important to understand what is happening on the UCI campus and in our local community, but to discover and familiarize ourselves with the cultures and traditions we normally wouldn’t learn about without being immersed into another world. For this issue, the INCITE team has decided to focus on the theme of traveling, and all of the new insight that comes with waking up in a different country. My own time spent in England studying abroad has given me a memorable experience highlighted by British accents, pub crawls, and breathtaking sights. From wandering aimlessly around London to searching for Platform 9 3/4, from eating fish and chips every week to running around the Heathrow Airport breathless to catch a flight to Berlin, England was my home away from home for the summer. St. Augustine once said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.” So don’t be afraid to get on that plane without knowing anyone. Be open to trying food you can’t get at the University Town Center. Be spontaneous and take a risk in staying at a hostel. And maybe once you get back from your trip, you will have picked up a few British slang words too. Cheers! Kristina Wong Editor in Chief, 2011-2012 INCITE Magazine
THE EDITOR
table of contents GLOBE TREKKER Buenos Aires Experience Mexico Travels Hostel Environments International Nomads
SELF pg 2 pg 4 pg 6 pg 10
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Facial Hair Yoga
Ethnographic Get it Straight Celebrity Superhero
pg 20 pg 22 pg 23 pg 25 pg 27
GLOBE TREKKER When I think of Latin America, I imagine tango dances, delicious foods, rich culture and a fiery atmosphere. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in an Argentina Travel Study program, and it was a wonderful experience that opened my eyes. I’ve never ventured into the Southern hemisphere, and I was anticipating a new world of immersion in Argentine culture. Like the packing procrastinator I am, I decided to throw my clothes in a suitcase the night before my flight. One jacket. Two sweaters. Some shirts. Some pants. Socks. Tights. Two dresses for going out. Boots. All my hygiene products. I’m good. On the day of my trip, I wore a green thigh-length military jacket over a simple beige dress paired with knitted black tights and a pair of Steve Madden boots. After checking in two hours earlier at the Los Angeles International Airport, I waited for my friend Kevin at our gate. We boarded our flight at about one in the afternoon, and we had an hour delay before taking off due to the late arrival of a replacement pilot. The next thing you know, we land in Texas to wait for our proceeding flight to Buenos Aires. A four-hour delay awaited us because of unfortunate mechanical issues. We joined a few more students in the program who were waiting at the airport too. McDonalds for dinner. Yum. Once we got on board again, we were hours closer to our destination.
After twelve hours of sitting uncomfortably and a lack of sleep because of my eagerness to arrive, I finally made it to Argentina. As I looked outside the plane window, I observed cloudy weather. It’s Argentina’s winter season, I realized. I hope my outfit is prepared for this. When I first stepped off the plane, I thought to myself, “Wow. This is it. I’m thousands of miles away from home.” When you’re traveling overseas, there’s a whole new mindset you take in. I had all these goals for myself: enrichment in culture, utilization of the Spanish language, development of new friendships, etc. I was ready to indulge myself in the unique opportunities this Latin American country had to offer. Buenos Aires. The Paris of South America! I never really thought about visiting Argentina before, but when I was informed that I could enroll in some Spanish courses there, I decided to go. It was a rather impromptu decision, but it turned out to be one of the best experiences in my life. Nightlife, tango shows, gauchos, empanadas. These are things people usually think of when Buenos Aires is spoken of. The city certainly adheres to such descriptions, but there is so much more to the city. First off, Buenos Aires is divided into a few neighborhoods: Palermo, Barrio Norte, Recoleta and Puerto Madero. You can see European influences in the architecture of some areas. For instance,
in Recoleta, there are all these huge buildings constructed with a Parisiantype of style. One of my favorite parts of Buenos Aires was Palermo Soho. It was a more fashionable district with several boutiques catering to the style-savvy. This area is popular with the young, upper-middle class Argentines. The cafes have an alternative and bohemian vibe. In areas such as Puerto Madero, there are more modern facilities. The apartments are much more newer and expensive. How I adored the cosmopolitan lifestyle of Buenos Aires compared to Southern California’s more laid back atmosphere. I got to stay with a host mom in an apartment in Belgrano. She was a sweet mother in her late sixties/early seventies who lived with her twenty-five year old son. She had dark red hair, half Spanish, half Italian, wore glasses, and had a cane. Each morning, she would do exercises. On the day that I arrived, I saw her chatting with a neighbor. When I introduced myself, she greeted me with a kiss on both cheeks. I have not been accustomed to this gesture, but it’s a nice way to feel welcomed. The first day I settled in, I paused and breathed. There were so many things I wanted to do, I couldn’t even think. Even though I had plenty of time to explore this new country, the first thing I did was Skype with my parents once I was connected to the Internet. Facebook was essentially
By Lori Ke
The Buenos Aires Experience
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the main form of communication for the students in the program, along with pre-paid phones. On school days, I would walk to the university with a friend. It took about half an hour by walking, but I enjoyed the trek. I’m in an urban city, and half the experience is in the walking. Boutiques and cafes line up along the streets. I don’t think of time at all. Sometimes I’d stop by Havanna’s to get a white chocolate latte (they include little white chocolate chunks in the drink which adds to its deliciousness). Sipping a hot latte also helped combat the cold weather. I would cross into Chinatown, known as Barrio Chino. In this area, they have these “choripan” meals that are only nine pesos, roughly two U.S. dollars. These thick barbequed sausages with some chimichurri sauce are great for a quick lunch. Sometimes, I’d get some empanadas to go. Empanadas are basically stuffed bread or pastry. Whether it’s chicken or steak, the fillings are all wonderful. I also have to say that their pizzas (in almost any restaurant) are way better than ones in the U.S. Most customers eat them with a fork and knife, and that’s what I learned to do as well. As for cafes, I fell in love with each one I walked into. There’s just something about the atmosphere in a café. You can study, read a book or just chat with a close friend. I always ordered either a te con leche (tea with milk) or café con leche (coffee with milk). The waiters always brought little complimentary cookies along with the order. There were an abundance of cafes on almost every street in contrast to most Californian cities. Our idea of a café is going to Starbucks, Peets or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. In Buenos Aires, there’s this café culture where people sit at a table, order a hot drink, maybe add some pastries, and chat for hours. Since most cafes are “sit-in” ones, you wouldn’t be able to order things to go, or as the Argentines say, “para llevar” with the exception of places such as Starbucks or Havanna’s of course. One of my favorites was called Mooi. The café has a beautiful
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bohemian and hippy vibe. If you know the stores Anthropologie or Free People, this would be the perfect café if they had one. Colorful flowers and vines surrounded the rooms inside. Each table was decorated uniquely with cute patterned print. It was all just lovely. The most famous café in Buenos Aires would be Café Tortoni. When you step inside, it’s as if you’ve entered a new European city. They have amazing submarinos, which involves dipping dark chocolate into hot milk and mixing it. It’ll change the way you think about hot chocolate. And you have to have some Argentine churros. When they’re dipped in hot chocolate, it’s to die for. You can’t forget filled churros as well. The most common filling would be Dulce de Leche, which is similar to caramel. Once you get a taste of it, you won’t be able to stop. Last, but not least, we can’t forget about Buenos Aires’ nightlife. You can find a plethora of nightclubs in the Palermo area. Each week, there would be Buenos Aires pub crawl events where people can receive free shots while club and bar hopping. You’ll also be hearing plenty of songs from top artists in America. Not only will you find yourself in a crowd of Buenos Aires natives, but there are several international students visiting abroad as well. England, Brazil, Panama, you name it. Nightlife is also quite different from the states. The party doesn’t start until practically 2 in the morning, and arriving home at 6 or 7 in the morning is the norm. Going abroad can be quite a whirlwind experience. My time in Buenos Aires has allowed me to indulge in a different culture and lifestyle. Whether I was completing Spanish assignments or sight-seeing, the city’s atmosphere made it all the more exciting. From time to time, I still email my host mom, and I’ve kept in touch with some of the people from the program. This trip urged me to learn and grow as well as seek out new adventures. Next fall, my destination is the United Kingdom! But don’t worry Argentina, I still have plans to revisit you.
GLOBE TREKKER
Mexico Travels o
Marko Ocampo Society often jumps to conclusions based on what it sees and hears in the media. “Israel is a war-ridden state, Japan isn’t safe because of radioactivity, Colombia is full of drug dealers”—all hasty conclusions made by our media on events that are currently happening. These exaggerated statements overshadow an entire country’s beauty and scare the general public away from the nation. This hurts tourism and subsequently national economies. One of the nations to be hurt by this “phenomenon” is America’s southern neighbor, Mexico. Often portrayed as the center of exchange for drug trade and shamed by the illegal immigration problem as well as corrupt central government, the country’s image has lost much of its luster in the new millennium. In spite of all this, Mexico remains a beautiful nation that has one of the world’s richest cultures, natural landmarks and architectural monuments. As a native of Mexico, I have traveled around this magnificent nation and have collected an inventory of experiences and facts that might change the minds of those who have lingered too much on the opinions of mass media. This is a different take on traveling in the country of Mexico. I began my travels between Mexico and the United States in high school. Instead of traveling via airplane as most people do when taking 2,000+mile trips, my parents always opted to do the 72-hour road trips in order to get a bet-
ter understanding of traveling. Seeing a country by road is an amazing experience, one that truly captures the soul of traveling. You get to experience different landscapes, meet people from the small towns between major cities and experience the food and true culture of a nation. Anyone who has done this will tell you first hand, you do not feel like a tourist when traveling like this. I come from the town of Chilpancingo, outside of the Acapulco area, a town important in the Mexican Revolution as Mexico’s Declaration of Independence was signed there by the insurgents in 1813. Chilpancingo located around 3,000 miles south of San Diego, my birthplace and the town where I was raised. We visited Mexico each year to celebrate the winter holidays and visit family. On our way, we had a list of places we wanted to visit, which included both American and Mexican cities based on the route we took. On two occasions we took the Pacific route, which runs along the Pacific Ocean until Chilpancingo is reached. The total travel time is about three days. After driving an hour south, we reached Ensenada; a port famous for its chaparral races, touristic cruise, shops and clubbing but what many may not know is that it’s famous for its wine. El Valle De Guadalupe, located along the EnsenadaTecate highway, is a valley that features over 50 vineyards and farms that produces 90% of Mexico’s wine. This area is a gorgeous green valley that has wine
tasting through its “Villa Vinicola” (Wine Mile) and offers both excellent Mexican and Italian food. The area is home to many farmers that offer naturally grown jams, breads and other baked items. Tecate is one of Mexico’s simplest border towns and is home to the Tecate brewery. Tecate is also the preferred destination of many philanthropic medical organizations such as Doctors without Borders, which is similar to the Flying Sams at UCI. Continuing on, my family and I pass the Baja state into the Sonoran Desert, a long 12-hour landscape of chaparrals and cacti. The Sonoran Desert offers superb natural views of wildlife and plant life as well as an excellent destination for those who like off-road sports. The cities in the Sonoran Desert, although small, offer one of Mexico’s most popular and famous items: burritos. Burritos here are prepared on gigantic foot-long flour tortillas with many toppings to choose from. Just past the Sonoran Desert, one of Mexico’s most prolific destinations awaits in the state of Sinaloa. Popular for its produce, Sinaloa is known as the “tomato state.” Another interesting fact about Sinaloa is that over half the population is lightskinned. It’s also known for having the country’s prettiest women and past Miss Mexico’s have originated from this state. The next state was Nayarit, south of the Tropic of Cancer. The weather changes quite drastically from that of a desert state to a more spring-like state.
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to explore on your own and go beyond the “tourist” experiences and interact with the people and environments is when the true learning about the world happens. It is green and full of leafy trees. However, our stay in this state was short as we bypassed the capital to go to the famous state of Jalisco and visit the cities of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. These two cities are famous for their beautiful architecture. The state as a whole is full of blue agaves. The land is green and the weather is the most stable weather I’ve ever experienced at a nice and perfect 75 degrees Fahrenheit with white clouds passing through the sky every now and then. The capital of Jalisco, Guadalajara, is famous for being one of the oldest cities in the nation, originally founded by the Spanish; many of its original buildings from the New Spain era exist. These are great to visit to get a sense of true architectural appreciation of the Spanish as well as traditional Mexican art. Food is possibly the best priced and delicious. The famous Tortas Aguadas are a type of sandwich drowned in spicy tomato sauce for a different take on this classic sandwich. The food and the friendly atmosphere of the city make Guadalajara my favorite Mexican city and the one most people recommend to visit. Everyone walks here which makes the need of a car minimal and Guadalajara features one of the largest international programs Mexico has to offer. Puerto Vallarta, its counterpart, is already well-known for its marvelous beaches and tourist attractions. Cruises stop there on a weekly basis and there are many tourist activities to do such as zip-lining, kayaking, cliff diving and scuba diving. A great destination, Puerto Vallarta is also one of the safest due to the large number of tourists it welcomes. After Puerta Vallarta, we reached the state of Mexico, which is not to be con-
fused with Mexico City, a place marvelously known for its cuisine, mountainous green land and beautiful small-town living. Mexico City has one of the nicest looking villages that are heavily influenced by the Hacienda architectural design brought by the Spanish Dons in the early 1800. These villages are very similar to estates—designed as a square and somewhat large with a garden in the middle as well as a bunch of rustic furniture. Possibly my favorite aspect of this state is its people. Everywhere we went, whether it was for asking directions to the nearest freeway or ordering food, its residents had a sense of politeness that was most impressive. The tacos here are incomparable, cooked in a birria style that is heavy in flavor. These types of tacos are hard to find outside the country. I definitely recommend to anyone who loves nature that Mexico City is also known for its backpacking and mountain biking trails. The next destination: Michoacán , a state currently known as one of the drug cartel war hotspots, is actually a natural beauty in Mexico. It is my second favorite state in the country (after my own of course). It is characterized by mountainous areas of the Sierra Madre that fill the south. Its capital, Morelia, is a historic landmark underrated by modern world expectations. Half the city looks just the way it did when the Spanish controlled the nation creating an old relic atmosphere with its haciendas, farmer markets, wooden doors and streets made of stones with Spanish-built churches. The other half of Morelia is a modern metropolis with stylish malls and an appealing infrastructure influenced by an American style of building. It’s a shame that it is a hotspot for the ongoing feud
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between narcotic dealers and authorities of the state as well as of the federal government. The last stop of our journey was the state of Guerrero which features the great Río Balsas, a large river that cuts through a tropical area south of the town of Iguala. In fact, shots of the movie Rambo were shot here. Upon arrival in my hometown of Chilpancingo, 56 hours had passed. Chilpancingo feels more like a village than a city, with its amazing dishes such as chilauiles, pozole, and albondigas con arroz that can only be found in the area. Culture wise, the people of Chilpancinigo come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. I will always have a nostalgic connection to this place because it is the city in which I was born and raised in. During my travels, my mind was open to the possibilities beyond what we read or hear about in the media. Many times I took it upon myself to bring new friends to Mexico to open them up to what the country is all about. So far all of them agree that Mexico is more than what gets reported in the news. I wish to go to Japan in spite of the recent earthquake catastrophe, the cities of Israel in spite of the danger of war and terrorists and ride through South America on a motorcycle despite its reputation for being fraught with guerrilla warfare. If we live in fear, we will be prevented from discovering great aspects of our world. It is a shame to see entire populations, communities or even a single person rejecting other nations or stereotyping them based on a few shortcomings. To explore on your own and go beyond the “tourist” experiences and interact with the people and environments is when the true learning about the world happens.
GLOBE TREKKER
By Emma Shirley
Hostel
Environments Buenos Aires… An infusion of New York City, Rome and Paris… A city that boasts the most beautiful people in the world, the tastiest beef and the best parties. When I would tell people I am going to study abroad there for the summer, they didn’t seem to be aware of these facts. I would smile expectantly with a tear or two of joy welled up in my eyes, ready to burst out at the slightest congratulatory remark, but most would respond, “Oh yeah… Buenos Aires, that’s in… South America?” “Yes, it is in South America,” I say, as in not the America you are living in as of this moment. Some people may read this and be outraged that people actually do not know where Buenos Aires is. Now that I’ve made clear both the city and the country I stayed in as part of UCI’s Summer Travel Study program this past summer, let’s skip the part when the five week program ends and I tell my friends goodbye at 5 a.m. after our last night going out together. Some of us had gone out almost every single night together and we had become like a little family. I left for Argentina on June 18th and the program, as well as my homestay with a family in Buenos Aires that was included as part of UCI’s program, ended on July 22nd. My friend from UCI, Alysha Kassam, flew in on July 23rd and I had booked us a hostel for the next two weeks to enjoy a couple weeks in South America schoolfree and care-free. While the next two weeks were arguably the best two weeks of my life (in addition to the previous five I had enjoyed during the program) they were also some of the most difficult. Read on to find out how two weeks with your best friend in an Argentinean hostel with no obligations can be something other than fantastic, and at the same time the most sublimely cliché eye-opening experience. I booked us a hostel through a company called Tango Backpackers, a reputable company which has hostels throughout South America. Like other hostels I had looked at, it had a large common area with tables where you can sit, read, skype and stare at all the pretty for-
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eigners going in and out. I had warned Alysha that she may swoon upon entering as one is confronted with a variety of Europeans, Brazilians and people from other bordering countries speaking their mysterious languages and ready to converse with anyone and everyone. In this way and many others, the hostel is a lot like a dormitory but its common area is equipped with a bar, long tables where people sit, eat, drink and meet others from around the world, as well as a computer in case your converter blew up your computer charger (like it did mine). Upstairs is where you get the full dormitory effect with a corridor lined with rooms, public bathrooms and another common area, with a kitchen and outdoor patio on the third floor. The cheapest room option is to share a dormitory with six people for $17 U.S. dollars or a mixed four-person dormitory of men and women for $18 USD. You can also choose to have a private double room with two beds for $27 USD or even a private single room for $32 USD. Alysha and I stayed in three out of those four options because our reservation was messed up several times. So here’s a tip, book your hostel in advance and don’t be shy to ask the hostel staff to check your reservation regularly because the last thing you want is to be without a room for the night. For the first three nights we stayed
in a dormitory with four other girls, which had its pros and cons. Pros: meeting girls from Paraguay, Chile, Australia and the U.K. Cons: The room is ever-changing so you become friends with Victoria from Paraguay one night only to find Jolie from the U.K. replacing her the next night. It gets confusing. Another downside was this Jolie girl designated herself the ruler of the roost, meaning that while each of us got a key to lock up the room when we left, we weren’t allowed to lock it because Jolie said it was much more “convenient” if we just left it unlocked. I nodded my head and smiled while images of everyone else locking their rooms flashed through my mind and I suffered a small stroke. We did have lockers inside the room and bought our own locks to put on them in order to store our passports and extra cash, but I did not think it was necessary to lock up my hair straightener. It went missing for the first two days and on the third day I found it on Jolie’s bed. A coincidence? I think not. My mp3 player also went missing and I never found it on anyone’s bed so maybe Jolie is listening to it back in the U.K. The moral of this story: lock your door, and don’t let Jolie or anyone else tell you otherwise. But onto the lovelier more romantic parts of our hostel experience where we meet people from around the
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world and actually go out with them. Considering that I had already spent five weeks in Buenos Aires and most people there had just arrived or were still googling “clubs in Buenos Aires,” I was able to organize everyone on the second night to go to a bar my friends and I had frequented during the program. Alysha and I got into a cab with a guy from Switzerland who speaks German and cutely slow English, while the other cabs get filled with a girl from Canada, a guy from Finland, several French people and even a girl from the United States. We had a great night at an American bar called El Alamo where many of the bartenders speak English and there are more foreigners than Argentineans. Another night our notorious “friend” Jolie says she was given free nightclub passes for this fancy club so we accompany her, some more French people and a lot of Dutch people to this ritzy club where a vodka and speed (Argentinean Red Bull basically) costs 50 pesos, which is roughly $12 USD and double the amount one usually is in a bar in Buenos Aires. We buy one drink and focus our efforts on the dance floor where they play (like practically every club we went to) American songs by Rihanna, The Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga, then transition to reggaeton from Puerto Rico and Mexico and finally classic Argentinean songs during which every Argentinean breaks out into song and all of us foreigners stand around watching envi-
ously. Getting to dance with tall Dutch blonde models made us feel less left out though. The end of the night was not so great though; one of our French friends took a cab home by himself and was dropped at the hostel without his wallet or his cellphone. He had gotten a bit too drunk and fell asleep, which is just about the worst thing you can do in a cab in Buenos Aires, considering the problems they have with some of their taxis being driven by Jack the Ripper types. So another tip: try not to take random cabs unless they have a company name on them. I repeat: do not take an unmarked cab. Besides this unfortunate incident, most of our nights were spent safely enjoying different bars and clubs with people still there from my program or people we met at the hostel. Every night while Alysha and I were getting ready to go out and meet new people from around the world, we would reestablish how lucky we were. If you couldn’t already tell, we love meeting new people and bringing everyone together so the trip reached a level of social activity that, for us, was sublime. Foreign languages, people and places surrounded us in a kind of blur to the point where we sometimes felt so small and insignificant and at other times felt embraced by the universe. We reverted back to a flushfaced childhood, experiencing so many new things day in and day out. But all lofty psychedelic descriptions aside, I
would say the best part about the hostel, hands down, was meeting international people that are just as eager to meet new people as you are. Forming instant friendships is a guarantee. I know I said earlier that these two weeks were also some of the most difficult and so far nothing seems that bad, but I must let you know about the less glamorous parts of a hostel if I am to give you an honest account of my time there. Plus, what’s sublimity without some horror? Exhibit A of this horror: the bedding. Though they claim it is washed after every use, I found some mysterious candy stuck to my blanket but then again, it kind of blended in with all the mysterious stains on my sheets and blankets. If you’d like to know, the stains ranged in color from red to… white. However, the worst part of the hostel was the noise level. I do not mean that people were constantly partying and shouting too loud inside, although that did contribute to the problem, but the street noise was so unbearably loud that Alysha and I had an extremely difficult time getting to sleep. Going out when the Argentineans normally do at midnight until as late as 8 a.m. the next morning and then trying to sightsee during the day also didn’t help us get on a good sleep schedule. However, when we did want to go back and just take a nice nap, a motorcycle would zoom by, ten cars would have a honking war,
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“Going out when Argentineans normally do at midnight until as late as 8 a.m. the next morning and then trying to sightsee during the day also didn’t help us get on a good sleep schedule” some construction workers would get power-drill happy and what sounded literally like a pack of wild dogs would start doing their thing. I am not exaggerating. Alysha and I would joke about it to break the tension but the lack of sleep quickly became a problem. I know everyone has said around finals time, “I feel like I’m going crazy with this lack of sleep,” but Alysha and I literally felt like we were going insane. We passed the super tired stage where we would burst out laughing and feel kind of “delirious” and went into the “I want to cry but feel emotionless and am scared out of my mind because I can’t sleep even though I’m so damn exhausted” stage. And the more we couldn’t sleep, the more scared we became of “bedtime” which made it even harder to go to sleep because we were so anxious thinking about how crazy we would feel if we weren’t able to take a nap! Sleeping pills and coffee combinations only made things worse so that by the last day of the trip, we’d both gotten sick twice, I’d lost my voice, we hadn’t slept for close to 48 hours and we had to pack up and navigate our way through the gigantic airport. That last day, paying at McDonald’s was difficult. Alysha told me at the cash register, her voice deadpan, “Emma, I don’t know how to
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handle money,” and walked away. I was left mumbling incoherent Spanish, trying to pay for two “McNificas.” Our lowest point, not counting the day we went home and acted like people prematurely loosed from an insane asylum, was when we got violently sick for a few days. I blame a pizza with way too much cheese because the next day I was so nauseous that I could hardly move and had such a high fever that I wore five jackets and was literally unrecognizable in the hostel. I would come lumbering around the corner with five hoods on and say hi to friends and they’d let out a little scream. Alysha and I ate mostly bread and bananas that day. Before we took some heavy duty sleeping pills to get some rest and escape our misery, we did a cheers with our bananas and I said, “At least we’ve hit rock bottom. It can’t get any worse than this.” Alysha laughed (or cried maybe, they were the same things for us at that moment) and we went to sleep. We woke up seventeen hours later and miraculously felt better, or at least told ourselves we did so we could see more of the city. At every moment we felt like time was running out so we ran ourselves out. We learned that you can’t outrun the clock and there’s really no need because if you live in the moment, life is that much sweeter.
GLOBE TREKKER
International Nomads
By Priya Gohil
Photos Courtesy of International Nomads In China, Amy’s camera was stolen out of her backpack. In India, a rickshaw accident led to Graham’s broken foot and a visit to the local clinic for x-rays. And Ryon… something must have happened to him on the trip. Although they found themselves in pretty sticky situations Amy, Graham, and Ryon wouldn’t change a thing about their trip. 13 planes, 2 overnight trains, 1 overnight bus, as well as numerous local buses, subways, rickshaws, taxies, ferries, rafts, bicycles, scooters, motor bikes and speed boats, yet the only thing they really had planned was their tickets in and out of 13 countries. Everything in between was left up to them to figure out. Amy Chan, Graham Freeman, and Ryon Tanara toyed with the idea of traveling around the world a few times throughout their four years at UCI. Combining their background and interest in healthcare, education, social behavior, and business the three UCI alumni planned a trek across continents guided by the concern of global issues while immersing themselves in the everyday life of the locals. Their experiences were not just about sightseeing, but a means to promote and foster international social action through learning from the various cultures they encountered and sharing what they know. The three found themselves in a new kind of classroom where pictures from textbooks and stories from professors became alive and tangible. On September 7 of last year, the three set foot on a five-month backpacking tour around the world while jumpstarting a social organization that redefines the way that most young, post-grad adults approach travel. What’s their edge? They were quick to define
themselves as more than just post-grad backpackers checking-in on Facebook. The motivation for travel was undoubtedly similar to most graduating college students, but the trio decided to take their experience steps further, scratching more than just an itch to travel. When all three had agreed to take on the endeavor they “started to brainstorm on how we could make the trip more than three college grads traveling the world.” People traveling with expectations often find those expectations unfulfilled. As nomads they wanted to experience the world with “no reservations, no set goals, and no set itinerary.” With this mindset, the three UCI graduates explored their environment without any preconceived notions. According to the Nomads, “It all depends on the individual. As long as you possess an open-mind and open-heart everyone is an International Nomad in whatever capacity they decide to explore their world.” Traveling on a budget, micromanaging every cent so as not to be left in the middle of nowhere, did not mean they cut any corners on their experience – “We had some great adventures, dove with sharks, walked The Great Wall, searched for tigers in India plus so much more, all on the money we had allotted for this trip.” Although they went into it with the mantra that each day was a new experience and they would “simply roll with the punches,” the nomads had days they would find themselves in quite the pickle. In China, what was supposed to have been a twelvehour bus ride turned into a twenty-three hour ride (continues to page 18)
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GLOBE TREKKER
P e o p l e
Q: What was one of the best days you’ve had on your trip so far?
with villagers in the Sundarbans A: Staying in India was great because we had the chance to spend time in a village with no running water and electricity and we were the only tourists on the island. 11 | incitemagazineuci.com | Fall 2011/Winter 2012
“
Our homestay family [in Kenya] was amazing and it was extremely difficult to say goodbye. They were very welcoming and to watch a family that lived such a simple lifestyle yet possesed such a vigor for life was extremely humbling.
�
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GLOBE TREKKER
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P l a c e s
Q: In your experience, what advice would you give to people who are traveling?
set a strict itinerary. Allow things to develop A: Don’t naturally. The more flexible you are, the better. It’s great to be able to have the freedom to join someone you just met for dinner or take a walk with the locals not worrying about having to be somewhere at a set time. Also, go in with the mentality that whatever happens, happens. Be open-minded, have fun and make an effort to connect with the locals because they are the ones that can share the experiences beyond the tourist attractions.
GLOBE TREKKER
“
There are a few experiences we would love to relive because they were so great, but you can never recreate the same experience.
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”
C u i s i n e s
Q: What was the best dish you had on your travels?
A:
We have experienced a lot of local ingredients and flavors. In China, we wrestled with chicken brain and rabbit and Amy braved dog meat. In Kenya, we survived on a carbohydrate diet consisting of ugali (corn flour and water), rice and potatoes. We were occasionally treated to meat, which we struggled to chew through, but nonetheless we were grateful for some protein. In South Africa, we tried a range of local Biltong, South Africa’s version of jerky, including ostrich, Kudu and other game meat. But we would all agree that Thailand offered the most delicious cuisine. Pad Thai, hot and sour soups and curries were at the top of the list. We also had the opportunity to take a Thai cooking class so that we can try to recreate the mouth watering dishes when we return home.
GLOBE TREKKER
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(continued from page 10) on a bus that dropped them off in the middle of nowhere. The three lost foreigners found their way to another bus stop after hitching a ride in the back of a pickup truck. They were forced to pay more money to reach their final destination despite paying the full amount when they were first picked up. In India, to add to the “punches,” Amy and Graham were involved in an accident when their bicycle rickshaw veered off the dirt road into a rice paddy. Amy managed to save herself by jumping off the rickshaw. Unfortunately for injury-
prone Graham the rickshaw turned over and landed on his foot, leading to a visit to the local clinic for x-rays. In the middle of Durga Puja, the biggest festival for Bengali Hindus, Graham was stuck with pictures of the skeleton of his foot and no one to read them, so for all they knew he was walking around on a broken foot. On top of that, a week later, Graham developed symptoms of malaria, undergoing multiple tests and spending a week sweating out the illness. It turned out that the doctor’s initial diagnosis was wrong when he tested negative for malaria. A bad case of the stomach flu or just couldn’t handle the
curry? With online resources and social networks, International Nomads were able to share their travels—documenting them through videography, photography, and word—with the rest of the world. The “rest of the world” first started out as friends and family, but web hits located followers from unexpected corners of the world, “That is when we started to realize that we have something really great developing. We were not sure exactly what it was or what directions we were going, but we were content with posting what we wanted and sharing the world through
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GLOBE TREKKER
our perspectives.” Chan, Freeman, and Tanara agreed that “at the core” they have remained the same with a broadened perspective and a greater appreciation for simplicity. Upon their welcome to Kimuka, Kenya the nomads were greeted with the uneasy sight of a car accident and again on their departure from the village. It was an awakening and reminder of “the fragile state of life.” The three volunteered at the Maasai village while staying with one of the local families. They spent their days volunteering at the local school where they helped create gardens that provided nutrition to the students, many of who go up to twelve hours a day without food. The crops that they grew were also sold to a nearby town and the profits would help sustain the garden itself and a small part of the community. “When we return home we would definitely like to try to be more sustainable. We realized how much we take for granted,” stated the Nomads. Awed by the simple lifestyle and the energy of the community, the graduates became attached to the Maasailand hoping to develop future projects to continue to assist the Maasai people. Everything had been orchestrated by the three alumni from the logos and promotions to posts and status updates. They “edited pictures and videos when [they] had some down time and wrote blogs and insights on planes, buses and trains.” Even funding from their trip came out of their very own pockets, exhausting their savings and tapping into other resources.
Graham took out some loans and Ryon sold his car. Early on International Nomads sought out sponsorships and donations but was offered little, as companies and organizations were hesitant to fund them without content to share or a defined goal. They did manage to land a sponsorship from GoPro, a company that produces professional photo and video equipment. Now that International Nomads have garnered some attention and have more to share than this article, their prospects for sponsorship looks brighter. As for the future of International Nomads, the three musketeers have yet to have the opportunity to discuss the next stage of their social organization. For now International Nomads are excited about their invitation to present at the UC Irvine TED talk, an annual conference that brings together thinkers and doers to introduce “Ideas Worth Spreading,” on March 3. It’s not easy for many to do what they say –most of us are all talk. But Chan, Freeman, and Tanara were able to give their idea legs to run on by investing their time, utilizing their resources, and not letting themselves be discouraged by the myriad of obstacles that needed to be overcome. As a result they were able to travel as nomads and create an organization worth keeping an eye on—International Nomads. For more information, visit internationalnomads.com
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Self
Designer Stubble Courtney Hamilton
For centuries, our aversion to body hair has been well displayed. Ancient Greece and Rome found it unappealing to grow hair anywhere besides the head and pubic area, tirelessly plucking hairs with primitive clamshell tweezers. Likewise, in modern society we find ourselves disturbed while staring at the furry-looking guy in a speedo strolling down the beach. Men and women alike can fork out great amounts of money for professional hair removal techniques (i.e. waxing, plucking, laser); it’s practically impossible not to imagine Steve
Carell’s bleeding, waxed chest, agonizingly shouting for Kelly Clarkson in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” So why does the sight of a man with a 5 o’clock shadow send women’s hearts in a tizzy? Why do men put decent effort into cultivating their rough, abrasive, prickly hairs into “designer stubble?” Let’s explore. Western cultures seem to have a lovehate relationship with facial hair. On one hand, unkempt body hair of any location carries the connotation of laziness, perhaps uncleanliness. It can also symbolize rebellion; anyone with an atypically long
or strange hairstyle appears to be rejecting mainstream social codes of appearance. Recall the hippies’ flowing beards, or even your mom begging you to get a haircut and shave last year (which you wouldn’t because it would destroy your unique hipster persona). On the other hand, men who maintain a bit of a beard or “forget” to shave for a few days possess a certain kind of allure. Depending on the style and cut of the facial hair, men can appear mysterious, rugged, distinguished, and mature. We’ve dedicated entire months of
Stubble “ GROWTH maturity” It is a field of
a sublime place of and exuberance of
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Self
the year to the growing of facial hair. No Shave November, Movember and Beardtober? The majority of autumn is a seasonal tribute to men’s inherent (or for those stuck in puberty, not so inherent) ability to grow follicles from their face. Perhaps men celebrate facial hair because they can grow it on such mass scales. As my boyfriend puts it, “It is a field of stubble, a sublime place of growth and exuberance of maturity.” It would make sense that No Shave November and Movember are an effort to display the solidarity of men and raise awareness for prostate cancer, because the ability to grow an impressive bout of facial hair tends to be uniquely male. For women, the ability to grow mass amounts of facial hair is more often considered an unfortunate hindrance. (Although there are the select few females who choose to celebrate the seasonal lack of shaving, it does get colder during the fall…) When polled about their opinions on male facial hair, many UCI students claimed that there was a level at which facial hair was optimum. Women and men alike seemed to be in consensus that a few days of growth was fine, even
enhancing the attractiveness of a guy’s face, but when it started to become a bird’s nest there was a problem. One female student agreed with moderation saying that, “I don’t like guys to not have any but I don’t like them to have a lot. Just a little is nice. I think it makes them more attractive.” A male student reiterated this saying, “Just a little bit of scruff is the way to go; not too messy yet not quite clean-shaven.” There are always the extremes, those who meticulously rid their face of any sight of prickle with their trusty razor and those who let free the natural flow of their manly greatness that is facial hair. At opposite ends of the spectrum, one male student stated, “Clean shaven is the way to go. I feel messy when I let my facial hair grow out. The lady likes it clean shaven too,” while another explained that, “When I used to maintain facial hair, I kept a full beard. Why? Because I was lazy and didn’t want to shave. It becomes a hassle, because one has to first cut the hair, then trim, then finally shave. Oh, and it is easier to pick up older girls when one has facial hair.” An important point to note is how men think women perceive their facial
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hair. Both guys felt that their method was the ideal way to catch the eye of a woman, showing another factor that underlies men’s growth or removal of the growth of facial hair: attracting the ladies. Cosmopolitan Magazine frequently features articles that rank the ways that male celebrities look with and without facial hair, which further influences women to develop their desire for stubbly men. This apparent love of facial hair, coupled with the “cool factor” of distinguishing oneself with facial hair and the low-maintenance of keeping facial hair vs. removing it, creates a circle of influence on both genders that leads one to believe the facial hair trend isn’t disappearing anytime soon. Ultimately, there are many factors that go into both male and female love and disdain for facial hair. Whether a guy is growing it to be rebellious, to appear mature and attractive, or to show his support for his male gender, we can be fairly sure of something: the facial hair trend doesn’t extend to the female counterpart. Maybe progressive society will change this. More than likely not, but hey, you never know. Designer leg hair could catch on.
Self
An Introduction in Yoga the pose. Indeed yoga is not merely a simple stretching of the body but a complete physical and spiritual activity, the result being a balance between the mind and body. For the past few weeks I have been attending once a week yoga classes at the ARC. As a beginner to the form of yoga I had no idea what to expect. My movements were awkward and I knew I was making a fool out of myself. However, the thing I learned about yoga is it is not necessarily a group activity. It is an individual discipline where you are in your own space, concentrating on your own movements. Instructor Cindy has been practicing yoga for 11 years and teaches the practice of Hatha yoga at the ARC. Hatha yoga is the most common type of yoga in the United States and focuses more on fluid body motions and the connection between mind, body, and stillness. During class Cindy helps the yogi achieve certain forms by adjusting a limb or stretching an arm further. Many of the poses in Hatha yoga class can be daunting, such as “The Chair,” in which the knees are bent and the body is made to look as if it were sitting on an invisible chair. This pose concentrates on keeping the core strong and maintaining balance. Others poses are less intimidating, like the stereotypical yoga pose where one sits cross-legged
on the floor, palms placed upward on the knees. As the hour ending the class comes, the final meditative stance is taken, Shavasana. Cindy comments that the word literally means corpse pose. The blinds are closed and the yogi lay flat on their backs, hands spread out and legs released naturally. This is it, the moment where one truly practices the art of uniting and letting go. To describe this part of the class is difficult. Imagine letting go of your surroundings but most importantly your thoughts. Instructor Cindy uses the phrase “melt into the floor” to most accurately describe the process of letting go. If the idea of personal meditation does not suit one’s particular interest, there are also physical benefits to the form. yoga improves posture; after a few weeks of yoga classes you will have more awareness over your body and will recognize when you are slouching. Also, yoga is known to decrease stress and anxiety because the mind is taught to calm down. Other considerations for taking yoga are that it can be inexpensive. Prices vary between location but equipment wise a sticky mat can be bought from as low as $15. Overall, yoga is a personal project and as such requires much patience. But in the end, it is a rewarding discipline to learn.
By Izzy Gutierrez
The room is quiet. The mats are spread across the floor and the yogi, those who practice yoga, are ready. The low hum of the mantra begins to play, and it creates a tranquil atmosphere as the instructor begins with the first poses. This is one of the things you may experience when entering a yoga class. Living in Southern California, most people have heard of yoga. Indeed, many yoga shops and classes are scattered throughout California, some classes are even offered here at UC Irvine. That said, though many have heard of the term “yoga”, not many people are familiar with what it actually is. To try and define yoga into a single sentence cannot be done for it is an ancient and deeply rooted philosophy that branches off into many different types of forms and practices. At its simplest form however, yoga is a discipline of the mind and body, its main purpose to achieve a state of complete relaxation and spiritual fulfillment, the word yoga means yoke, or to unite and become one. So how exactly can a spiritual and physical fulfillment be accomplished? In yoga, one concentrates the mind on a specific body part to achieve a certain pose. While doing poses breathing is also an important factor. The yogi must breathe in and out at certain intervals to achieve the complete form of
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ETHNOGRAPHIC
Get It Straight
Crazy drunken nights, getting high with friends, spontaneous hookups, cruel hangovers, and blacking out; these are just a few of the cruder images the media associates with typical college life. With stereotypes like these so frequently stigmatizing college students, it is easy for one to conclude that every student falls into the norm. College is widely viewed as a time to explore one’s boundaries, to be free and to experiment. Equipped with a newfound sense of freedom and maturity, as well as no parents around to enforce curfew, students come into college starved for a little taste of excitement. Many students find this excitement through exploring the vari-
ous party scenes and by pushing themselves out of their comfort zones to try new things. While most are able to control themselves and act responsibly during this very turbulent time, some may fall into a routine of substance abuse. Students enter college with all these pre-conceived expectations, yet often fail to see that there is an alternative lifestyle available. Though it may seem like a rarity on college campuses, there are those who do not succumb to the temptations of alcohol and a quick high. This small minority of students classify themselves as “straight edge,� a title given to those who commit their lives to abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. The
By: Katie Ludwick
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term “straight edge” may seem foreign to some, so here is a quick history on the origins of the straight edge movement. The straight edge movement began in 1981 by D.C. hardcore band, Minor Threat. Their songs emphasized the values of a life free of drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex in a time when the hardcore punk music scene was notorious for both alcohol and drug abuse. The movement gained vitality as followers began to see the adverse effects that these substances had on their peers. Crusaders of the movement advertised their commitment to a toxin-free life by marking a trio of X’s on the back of both their hands or by wearing clothing that says “Drug Free” or “Poison Free.” Over the years the straight edge movement has made its way into the mainstream with followers making the commitment outside of the hardcore punk scene. Ask any individual that claims to be straight edge why they decided to take the pledge of abstinence and you will undoubtedly be met with a variety of different responses. “I classify myself as straight edge for various reasons. For one, addictive personality disorder runs in my family, so more than likely I’d easily become addicted to any of those substances. Also, both of my parents come from families with a lot of substance abuse. They managed to get away from it, and I am determined to beat the odds and do the same,” says Sierra Awbrey, 18. A family history of substance abuse is only one of the many reasons why a student might choose the straight edge lifestyle for themselves. Carlin Tran, 18, believes that her future is more important than simply living in the moment. “I have goals in my life, and drinking and doing drugs aren’t going to help me reach them. I view those things as disrespecting your body because they are obviously very harmful to your health. My friends share my beliefs, therefore I am never pressured to do anything I do not want to,” she says. College freshman Kaitlyn Zamora made the lifelong commitment to a straight edge lifestyle at the young age of fourteen. After being introduced to the hardcore music scene by her older brother, Kaitlyn grew curious about what exactly straight edge stood for. Her brother gave her some much needed insight, encouraging her to do some further research of its history and origins. As she delved deeper into her study, it became apparent to her that this was the lifestyle that she was meant to live. To Kaitlyn, being straight edge is not just a phase, scene, or trend, but a lifestyle. “There are others who are sober without claiming to be straight edge, but those people can give in at any moment. Being straight edge is different. Just knowing I made that promise to myself sets me aside from those who simply remain sober. There is such a different respect and level of devotion that goes along with the commitment,” she says. It is easy for one to say that they are sober, fall
into temptation the next day, then reclaim themselves as sober again. Because of this, Kaitlyn feels that if she broke edge she would suffer from a far greater sense of disappointment than those who did not make such a promise to themselves.. As her freshman year of high school progressed, Kaitlyn witnessed as her close friends, acquaintances, and family started giving in to the temptations of drugs and alcohol. “I saw them make fools of themselves, wake up the next day with regrets, and just create this necessity for these substances in their lives. It was then that I became certain that this was not the way I wanted to live my life.” It is a common misconception that straight edge people discriminate or look down upon those who do choose to engage in such behaviors. In reality, straight edge people do not care if one decides to use these substances either responsibly or abusively. They will not preach to you about the dangers of your behavior, nor do they promote prohibition. The promise they made to themselves to stay sober is strictly personal and cannot be affected by the decisions of others. However, navigating your social life through high school and college as a straight edge student isn’t always easy. Since you chose to separate yourself from the crowd, there are plenty of opportunities for people to judge and label you. Most people do not understand the magnitude of the commitment required of being a straight edge and cannot comprehend why somebody would want to make such a promise. “Being straight edge, especially in high school, set me apart from so many people. Honestly, in the beginning it’s tough. Everyone wants to see you fail for whatever reason. They’ll make fun of you, shove drinks in your face, and try to urge you to break edge. As time goes on they see that you truly honor your promise and they begin to respect you. When you are sure of who you are and what you value, it isn’t hard to say ‘no’” says Kaitlyn. Though it may be easier for straight edge students to surround themselves with only those who share their values, they do not feel the need to limit themselves to such groups. If one is truly comfortable with their decision to become straight edge, separating themselves from their peers would be unnecessary. Allowing themselves to be around people that do engage in such behaviors strengthens the meaning of their promise and proves just how steadfast they are in upholding their vow of sobriety. Looking back on the commitment she made four years ago, Kaitlyn is proud that she was able to stay true to her beliefs. Being straight edge means the world to me. It makes me proud to know that I was able to make such a strong commitment at a young age and keep it to this very day. It is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” she says.
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EthnoGraphic
celebrity After completing two internships in the field of entertainment, living the first 18 years of my life with two parents who work in this field, and watching as reality shows get more and more ludicrous with each passing year (Teen Mom, anyone?), I feel compelled to express both my fascinations and frustrations with the entertainment industry in general. There is something about being seen on TV, on stage, or behind a microphone that makes a person’s life seem more interesting than it otherwise would be. There is some transformation that occurs during an individual’s appearance on an episode of a popular TV show that makes seeing him or her in person afterward exciting. What could be the cause of this transformation? I like to call it the sensation of celebrity. Job choices are personal. Some people choose to be doctors, lawyers, or businesspeople. Others choose to be singers, actors, or reality stars. Yet the simple act of a job choice can make someone instantly more interesting to the public eye. A doctor’s personal life may be just as interesting (or dull) as a reality star’s, yet there is a reason why magazines continue to publish stories on Kim Kardashian rather than on your gynecologist—it’s simply because Kim is on TV. I often find myself looking up celebrities I admire or of whom I consider myself a fan on Wikipedia and reading the “personal life” section of their respective articles. I can’t come to a logical conclusion as to why I am constantly doing this. Perhaps it is because I am impressed with a particular actor or singer’s performance, and want to know more about him or her. Perhaps it is because I am curious to find out more about the human being behind the art and learn in what other activities the artist engages, aside from performing. I believe that I am not alone in feeling this way. However, people forget that other than a
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By Eli Heller
celebrity’s job choice (and corresponding salary…) actors, singers, and reality stars are not very different from the average human being, and have relationships, marriages, children, mid-life crises and drug and alcohol addictions just like everyone else. For example, reading about the details of a particular actress’ wedding could be exciting to a young woman because she realizes that she and the actress have something in common—they both want to get married. One’s interest in a celebrity’s personal life might also develop because being introduced to a performer on stage or in a film is also somewhat similar to meeting someone new in person in that after first meeting someone, one is often interested in finding out more about him or her. This summer, I was fortunate enough to have two internships. I interned both for a celebrity gossip website called Rumorfix.com and for a talent and literary agency called Agency for The Performing Arts, or APA. While working for Rumorfix, I was given several bizarre assignments, the most bizarre of which being to drive down to LAX, find Melissa Molinaro, an Old Navy model sued by Kim Kardashian on the basis of copyright violations, and interrogate her regarding Kim’s lawsuit. Molinaro had recently been featured in an Old Navy commercial, in which she slightly resembled Kim Kardashian. Kardashian sued Old Navy, claiming that it purposefully used a model that looked like Kardashian, and in doing so illegally used Kardashian’s appearance for its own benefit. To me this was ridiculous and uninteresting. Yet to some, it must have been interesting or my supervisor would not have felt that sending me all the way to LAX to find and question Molinaro was justified. Overall, whether a celebrity is arguably untalented like Kim Kardashian, or extremely talented like Lady Gaga, I feel like an asshole
disrespecting his or her privacy and making an effort to put his or her personal life on public display for the entertainment of anyone who chooses to read about it. In my opinion, a person’s fame does not entitle anyone, even his or her biggest fans, the right to know his or her personal business. Yet gossip websites, tabloids, and TMZ try hard to prove this wrong, and undeniably succeed. I believe the choice of which personal information to share with one’s fans should be entirely up to the famous person himself or herself. Sadly, it is not. Equally fascinating to me is the hype over jobs in the entertainment industry itself. Thousands flock to Los Angeles each year from small towns in all fifty states, in the hopes of obtaining a job in the entertainment industry. While interning for APA, I noticed that very few of its employees were originally from Los Angeles, and that many were from small towns in various states. Another observation I made during my internship this summer with APA was that most jobs with the agency do not require one to accomplish challenging or mentally demanding tasks of any kind, despite the fact that APA will never hire a person unless he or she has obtained a degree from a university. It bothered me that working in the mailroom or as an assistant to an agent does not involve what I would describe as meaningful work. In fact, working in an agency is very similar to working for any company, or in any office setting. Yet the fact that APA is an entertainment company, working there is much more appealing. While I am utterly disappointed with the shallowness of the entertainment industry, I am still interested in a job somewhere within it. Perhaps I have fallen under its spell,
like countless others. Ask any student at UCI who his or her favorite celebrity is, and he or she will most likely have an answer in a matter of seconds. Yet defining why they like a particular celebrity often takes students longer. It could be for a variety of different reasons—appearance, particular musical or acting style, or the individual’s unique set of values. Often it is because they admire the particular celebrity’s work. “My favorite celebrity is Bill Waterson. He is the writer and comic artist for Calvin and Hobbes. I like him because of his comics. His comics are really insightful and appeal to my inner child, yet they have adult overtones,” said second year Justin Cochrane. Second year Alex Guardado remarked, “My favorite athelete is Didier Drogba because he is very charismatic and he is my favorite soccer player.” Others liked particular celebrities for somewhat deeper reasons: “Oprah has a really good heart and she helps people. I don’t want to just say an actor because they just act. I don’t know of any off the top of my head that make a difference in the world,” said second year Sara Shepherd. “I would have to say Idina Menzel because she is a good example for what a well-rounded woman should be. She’s talented, smart, classy, and kind. And I love her!” third year Briana Booth explained. Is entertainment really important? Do celebrities make legitimate contributions to society? This is a matter of opinion. For me, a celebrity must have talent and also contribute to the world in some way to gain my respect.
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Ethnographic
Superhero Nghiem Le is a superhero. If you see him passing on Ring Road, you might easily overlook his heroic status because he has no cape, no mask and no high-tech car. He seems like just a normal third-year Psych and Social Behavior major but Nghiem Le’s power is something that most of us continue to wish for on the candles of our every birthday cake: Nghiem can stop time. It is another Uncultivated Rabbits Open Mic Monday and the Ring Room in the Cross Cultural Center is packed with close to 70 students, crowding in three rows of chairs, snuggled up in the front of the room and sandwiched in the back, standing. The energy in the room is palpable as people laugh, hug and call to one another from across the room. For an outsider, Uncultivated Rabbits seems like a giant love fest. The air seems filled with the members’ love of poetry, of writing, of acceptance, of their established safe space and of one another. The performers are able to transport the audience away from their own lives for that brief hour, to relax, relate and share within the emotions of the spoken word pieces. And at the center of it all sits Nghiem.
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By Carly Lanning
Nghiem is the president of Uncultivated Rabbits, the spoken word group on campus, and is best known for his pieces “Lucky” and “Mirrors.” When Nghiem gets up to perform his spoken word piece, everything in the room stops; even Time takes a break from ticking away to sit and listen. It is impossible not to be completely captivated by his stage presence, and touched by the authenticity in his voice. At this open mic, Nghiem stands in the center of the room to perform his newest piece. “To my future daughter,” he begins and everyone in the room lets out a verbal “Awww,” swooning as they sit enthralled with the power and love conveyed in his voice. Nghiem began writing poetry at the age of 11, but at that age, writing love poems wasn’t something that you advertised around school. Then at 16, Nghiem discovered YouTube and from there, his interest in spoken word exploded. Joining advanced theatre in high school, he overcame his stage fright and began performing in class, at theatre shows and for his high school girlfriend as an anniversary gift in her English class. “I wrote
all these really sappy love poems for my girlfriend at the time and asked her English teacher if I could come into her class and perform them. I performed for a solid half an hour and I probably made everyone but her really uncomfortable,” remembers Nghiem. “Looking back I think it was a stupid idea, but at the time I thought it was the best thing ever. It was like, ‘Happy Anniversary! Here are some poems!’” As Nghiem continued to write throughout high school and at UCI, he has continued to evolve and enhance his writing style through his involvement in Uncultivated Rabbits. Yet, there is one major aspect of his writing that continues to always remain constant. “One of the most important things to me is that a lot of women need to understand that they are beautiful and this is the thing that shows up in almost all of my poetry. The general themes of my poems have always been about women. As much as I try to diversify my writing style and topic, it always ends up relating back to women and love. I could start writing about the darkest thing, and it would just trail back to my feelings for someone,” says Nghiem. Growing up with a strong mother and four beautiful sisters, Nghiem was raised in an environment that demanded respect for women. With this natural mindset for supporting women, Nghiem has continued to share his ideas one microphone at a time. His poems vary in length; some are long, while others use a couple of lines to capture both his great loves and brief encounters of goodwill during the day. “I remember there was this girl in my Bio class last year who was unbelievably nice to me when I was on crutches and constantly getting ignored by others. So I wrote a really small poem on my Tumblr to the girl who looked past the crutches when she didn’t have to, thank you. My mind is always turning
situations into poetry.” While for some of us the idea of writing poetry induces panic and on top of that, performing our work makes us want to throw up on our shoes, this isn’t a problem for the members that make up Uncultivated Rabbits. “I believe that spoken word is verbal expression at its highest level and everything is poetry when you really think about it,” says Nghiem. “For spoken word, there is no structure that someone is obligated to follow. The writer dictates what kind of structure they want, what kind of format that they want to write it in and how they want to perform it. I think the beautiful thing about spoken word is when someone gets up and performs something that they personally wrote and it conveys the emotion that they originally wrote it with. It leaves little to the imagination about what they meant.” One of his favorite pieces he has written and performed is “Mirrors,” a piece that questions why women can never see beauty in themselves. This piece came about in his freshmen year at UCI when he noticed the negative image of women portrayed in TV commercials. “I realized that in all the programs I have seen, women weren’t being portrayed in a very suitable light. It was right around the time my niece was about 7 and I started thinking, what is going to happen when she grows up? I don’t want them to take away the message that they need to alter their own expectations and perspectives of themselves based on what they see on TV or hear in music,” says Nghiem. Through his role as president, Nghiem has helped create a safe space for writers and poets to express their thoughts and experiences among one another. Spoken word will always be a part of Nghiem’s life but is not the only way that he believes he can touch, inspire and change others. “When people ask me what I
want to do with my life, even to this day, I still say, ‘I want to be rich and famous.’ Not for the fact that everyone would be paying attention to me but because if I am rich and famous, I have much more resources to touch people and money to help people. Then I would have the fame aspect to influence people about what I believe and maybe that will convince them to believe along with me.” During open mics, as the audience sits in the Cross Cultural Center, we are given the rules of the Rabbits: Snap if you hear a line that you really like, or give an “Mmmmm” when you hear a line is absolutely delicious. These gestures of contentment and approval become almost involuntary; we find ourselves uttering a low “mhhhmmm” at a line that pleases us before we have a full minute to understand why we feel changed by its existence. “Spoken word definitely draws from some kind of weird well of emotion within people and that gives a deep sense of genuineness. Everyone has a way of putting some kind of insight into their poems. In my poems, I want people to take away that I actually mean what I am saying and I want to change how people think. My poems are both to entertain you but to more importantly give you a sense of who I am,” says Nghiem. As I have discovered, Nghiem Le is a person who finds beauty in the individuals who cannot see it in themselves. He is the person who is not afraid to let a girl know how he feels and he is the person who makes change while standing behind the mic. But mostly, Nghiem Le is more than just the person sitting next to you in class. To all of us who have heard him speak, Nghiem Le is a superhero. If interested in joining Uncultivated Rabbits, email Uncultivatedrabbits@uci. edu for more information.
Fall 2011/Winter 2012 | incitemagazineuci.com | 28
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