the caribbean
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editors-in-chief • marianna bender (on leave) • ellen aiken • sam lee • production manager • ally gimbel assistant production manager • laina rosebrock • photo editors • swapna maruri • gabe sherman • webmaster • greg scott • copy editor • caroline diczok • staff writers • alex blum • ally gimbel • swapna maruri • laina rosebrock • adam roy • gabe sherman • anna simon • rebecca weinstein • contributing writers • nina bozicnik • nicole maria evans • melissa marsh • katelyn puishys • betsy rakocy • maggie sullivan • the timmy foundation club • contributing photographers • alex blum • nina bozicnik• jennifer cho • steve dyer • nicole maria evans • julie furbush • ally gimbel • rodela khan • swapna maruri • anjali nirmalan • adam roy • gabe sherman
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cover photo by Rodela Khan, photo this page by Steve Dyer
Contents Q&A
4-5
Traveler Staff
Cup of Joe
6
Rebecca Weinstein
Recycled Reads
7
Ally Gimbel
Caribbean Dreamin’
14
Katelyn Puishys
Expedition: D.R.
15
Alex Blum
Timmy in the D.R.
16-17
Timmy Foundation
Cuban Art
20-21
Nicole Maria Evans
Broadened Perspective
22
Melissa Marsh
A Second Revolution
23
Betsy Rakocy
Changing Perspective
24
Maggie Sullivan
Tufts-Cuban Experience
25
Nina Bozicnik
Back Roads of Baja
26-27
Gabe Sherman
Shadow of Kilimanjaro
28-30
Adam Roy
Zip-lining through Paradise FOCUS
31 32-35
Swapna Maruri Julie Furbush
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Q & A 1
I have always heard about the sketchiness of hostels. Where can I get more information about them?
Finding accommodations can be one of the most stressful parts of traveling. Everyone would like the luxuries of a private bathroom, a TV with HBO, 300 Thread Count Egyptian bed sheets and room service. But for those who, after spending hundreds of dollars on the plane tickets alone, are disinclined to fork up another $200 per night, a hostel is the perfect option. Hostels are cheap alternatives to hotels that provide dorm-like accommodations. Before you book your travel accommodations, here are a few things you should consider: 1. Despite some of the bad experiences you may have heard from other people or the horror movies that you have seen, hostels are not usually sketchy at all. Hostels vary from place to place, from country to country, but most hostels now have single to four-bedded rooms that are available. For the large rooms that accommodate numerous people (which are now fairly rare) there are personal coin operated lockers that you can use to store your more expensive belongings. 2. If you are traveling during peak travel season, you might have to share a room with different people. There will be considerably less privacy, but take this opportunity to meet people from different parts of the world. Most of the travelers staying in the hostel are just like you: young, adventurous, and on a student budget. 3. Go to www.hihostels.com. Hostelling International is an international organization comprised of over 90 Youth Hostel Associations that run over 4,000 hostels internationally. From Algeria to Vietnam, there are hostels that belong to this non-profit organization. Go to the website for general information about locations, bookings, deals, and general hostelling guidelines and tips. Also, for more information, be sure to check out www.artoftravel.com. 4. Many hostels, including all of the Hostelling International hostels, offer day trips, activities, and tours led by knowledgeable locals. Hostels can also provide invaluable information on nightlife and local excursions.
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With so many different cruise lines that sail to the Caribbean, how can I determine which one is best for me?
For those who want the luxuries of live entertainment, fine dining, large swimming pools, dance clubs, and planned excursions, a cruise ship may be your answer. As one of the fastest growing facets of the global travel industry, cruise ships offer a myriad of experiences to people of different ages, with different tastes, styles, and interests. But with so many cruise lines coupled with prices that range from $200 to $2,000, it may be difficult to decide on the perfect trip that will be within your budget. In fact, the three largest cruise lines that sail through the Caribbean seas – Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Princess – all offer very different experiences at different costs. Carnival Cruise Line (www.carnival.com). Billed as “The Fun Ships,” Carnival Cruises offer a more casual and youthful atmosphere that is illustrated by the colorful and flashy décor found throughout the ship. The main dining rooms andlarge theatre lend to an interior style that is reminiscent of a Las Vegas resort-meetsDisneyland ambiance. Consequently, there are times when you may feel like you are stuck in the United States with all i of its ostentatious and over the top presentation. But despite the overly American appeal, Carnival Cruises definitely caters to a younger demographic; and with trips lasting four to eight days long, Carnival also provides cheaper tickets than the other cruise lines that are perfect for college students. Princess Cruises (www.princess.com). Sailing the seas for almost forty years, Princess Cruises offer passengers a timeless experience that is both luxurious and classy. While Carnival may have a younger target audience, Princess caters to an older crowd. But this does not mean it is less fun. If you are looking for a more traditional, glamorous, or even extravagant time, you may want to consider Princess Cruises. The prices are definitely more expensive than the other two cruise lines and the ships are not as new and large, but there is that sense of elegance and reserve that makes traveling with the Princess Cruises distinctive and relaxing. Royal Caribbean International (www.royalcaribbean.com). With Freedom of the Seas sailing through the Caribbean and the Genesis ships set to sail in 2009, Royal Caribbean Cruises are the largest in the world. With over five restaurants, a Ben and Jerry ice cream parlor, a rock climbing wall, an ice rink, a mini-golf course, and surfing simulator on all of the new ships, Royal Caribbean redefines the cruise ships experience, allowing its passengers to enjoy not only the travels in the port of calls, but also the activities on board the ship. In many ways, Royal Caribbean can be seen as the intermediate between Carnival and Princess. For more information regarding these cruises, as well as the other ones, please visit www.cruise.com where you can find information ranging from the port of calls to the onboard cuisine and cheap deals on all of the cruise lines. Happy sailing!
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Where to go for a cup of joe? By Rebecca Weinstein
Boston = Beans. You do not have to look hard in tourist traps such as Quincy Market or Harvard Square to see key-chains, shirts, and other trinkets marketing the famed Bostonian Baked Beans. However, the baked beans that Boston is famous for are not the only type of bean ruling the town. It’s not surprising that Boston’s variety of eclectic and diverse coffee shops have mastered the art of brewing the coffee bean (aka: the fuel of choice for many of us college students). Whether you are craving some coffee to help brush off the winter chill, to give you that extra jolt of caffeine, or for socializing with friends, Boston’s coffee houses can cater to your specific needs. Here are some of the best coffee establishments right in your backyard:
Peet’s Coffee & Tea
If a potentially pretentious Harvard student is not a personal pet-peeve, Peet’s Coffee & Tea serves as a great place to stop and quench your thirst after meandering around Harvard Square. Peet’s Coffee & Tea Conveniently located 100 Mount Auburn St., in the heart of Harvard Harvard Square, Square, this inter-state Cambridge coffee chain serves straightforward and quirk-free coffees and teas. The inside may get as crowded as a Starbucks during the morning commute and the tightly packed seating gives the environment a stuffy feel. Luckily, just one step outside Peet’s door is a little park that is a perfect place for enjoying the brew of your choice on a beautiful day. While Peet’s doesn’t offer “real food” such as sandwiches, their small selection of pastries, scones, and muffins are snacks worth savoring.
Diesel Café
Variety sets Diesel apart from the rest of the coffee house pack. Diesel boasts a wide selection of java-indulgences and an assortment of many other refreshments. They also serve a variety of sandwiches (try “The Monkey Wrench”), Disel Cafe salads, pastries, and 257 Elm Street, Davis Square, snacks (hummus Somerville plate anyone?). And that’s just the food. Diesel provides you with a choice of seating (everything from tables, plush sofas, and old fashion dinner booths), entertainment (pool tables to photo booths) and environments; the front tends to be louder with a constant flow of customers, while the back is quieter and more conducive to studying). Overall, you can’t go wrong. This Somerville hotspot is arguably one of the best cafés in the Boston area.
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True Grounds
This little coffee shop is often overshadowed on a Sunday morning by its neighbor, the breakfast establishment extraordinaire, Sound Bites. However, True Grounds has merits of its own; this local establishment serves up some tasty and truly amazing coffee. A wide variety of coffees and True Grounds other full-bodied drinks 717 Broadway, are delivered in colorful Ball Square, mugs. True Grounds coffee Somerville is especially accentuated when enjoyed with one of the delicious breakfast or lunch options available. Any of the breakfast wraps or salads is a tasty way to satisfy your hunger. Best of all, True Grounds periodically showcases local musicians adding to the mom and pop coffee shop setting that is perfect for a leisurely brunch with friends.
Recycled Reads By Ally Gimbel There’s something inherently wonderful about used books. Like portals to a magical world previously visited, their tattered covers and yellowed pages are the remaining footprints from someone’s long-gone literary voyage. Not to mention, they’re really cheap! With big chains like Borders and the ever-popular and impersonal book-buying experience of Amazon.com, intimate time spent in bookstores seems to have become a thing of the past. However, bumming around a used bookstore can be a really fun way to spend a Saturday. If cheap books and clandestine shops appeal to you, check out some of these locales in the Boston area.
The Brattle Book Shop
From the moment I set foot into Brattle, I knew it was the crème de la crème of used book stores. Bookshelves span from floor to ceiling and are double stacked (hardcover books in the back and paperbacks in the front). I was immediately impressed with the fiction section which spans the entire left wall of the first floor and boasts a wide variety of quality titles at a good 9 West Street, price. Also notable are the history, philosophy and art sections. However, the most Boston attractive feature to The Brattle Book Shop is its outdoor section. Bookshelves line the around the corner from alley next to the shop, and are filled with older books in worse condition than those Park Street T station inside. Totally unorganized, these books all cost $3, and if you have the patience to Price: $ read all the spines, you can find some really interesting stuff. Overall impression: For the dedicated book hunter and literature fan, The Brattle Book Shop is your best bet for finding exactly what you need. Yo are also likely to find exactly what you wanted in a book when you never knew it even existed.
Commonwealth Books
Underneath the historic Old South Meeting House, Commonwealth Books in Downtown Crossing is another one of those cozy secrets of Boston’s used book scene. While its counterpart on Boylston Street specializes in rare and expensive pieces, this one appeals more to anyone looking for good quality and low prices. The store is small and easy to navigate, and the long wooden bookshelves are decorated with photographs and newspaper clippings about famous writers. The prices generally reflect the quality of the book. While the fiction section is disappointingly sparse, I found some interesting 2 Milk Street, folklore and mythology books, and was pleasantly surprised by their crafts section, Boston which has an entire shelf dedicated to needlepoint (who knew?). near Downtown Crossing T station Overall impression: Quaint but stuffy and a bit pretentious. Commonwealth Price: $$ Books has a very eccentric collection and is a great place to find a gift for your antiqueloving grandparents or philosophy professor.
Raven Used Books
As far as used bookstores go, Raven Used Books is a dream. Like Commonwealth, Raven is small and hidden below street level. However, their selection is top notch. The books are interesting and in very good shape—many of them look almost new, and in fact, many of them are. Raven’s carefully-selected stock includes unwanted prints and unsuccessful titles interspersed in their fantastic collection of philosophy, sociology, media and art books. The media and music sections are 52B JFK Street, particularly great because they are newer, scholarly and in great shape. The prices Harvard Square are reasonable and the friendly staff is very helpful. As a whole, the small and Price: $ inviting ambiance of the store along with their cogent selection of good titles at a great price makes Raven Used Books a must-visit on anyone’s next book hunt. Overall impression: Conveniently located in Harvard Square, affordable and wellstocked, one could easily spend an entire week’s paycheck in one day here. Afterwards, sit down for a hot cup-o-joe at Peet’s Coffee across the street and start reading.
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Caribbean FACTS & FIGURES welcome to the
• Anguilla • Antigua and Barbuda • Aruba • Bahamas • Barbados • British Virgin Islands • Cayman Islands • Cuba • Dominica • Grenada • Guadeloupe • Dominican Republic • Haiti • Jamaica • Martinique • Montserrat Navassa Island • Netherlands Antilles • Puerto Rico • Saint Barthelemy • Saint Kitts and Nevis • Saint Lucia • Saint Martin • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines • Trinidad and Tobago • Turks and Caicos • US Virgin Islands •
There are over
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islands, islets, and reefs in the Caribbean. Sir Walter Raleigh began his quest to find
El Dorado
in Trinidad and Tobago.
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Because of the US Trade Embargo, Americans traveling to Cuba usually travel through
Canada Cancun Jamaica or Nassau ... and you will also need to obtain a
traveler card.
Over 8,600 meters deep, the Puerto Rico
Trench
is the deepest area in the Atlantic Ocean.
At 10,800 km2, Jamaica is only slightly smaller than
Connecticut. 11
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3. Proclaimed as the “world’s prettiest slum,” La Perla, just outside the city walls of Old San Juan, is definitely one of the locations that you may want to visit, if you’re looking for something different. And while the local crime and illegal drug trafficking rate are high, the people are welcoming and sincere. Plus, weekly concerts are held in this neighborhood with music ranging from Salsa to Reggaeton. 4. Home to a diverse marine ecosystem, Mona Island is the best place to snorkel or scuba dive. In fact, the island has been coined as the “Galapagos Islands of the Caribbean.” 5. Stroll through Calle del Cristo, a popular street in Old San Juan that is filled with restaurants and small stores. Filled with life, romance, and beauty, be sure to bring your camera – the intersection of Calle Critso and Calle de San Sebastian offers one of the most unforgettable views!
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6. After all of this, you really, really need to El Yunque National Park where
Caribbean Dreamin’ By Katelyn Puishys
W
hen most people think of the Caribbean, spring break images of drunken parties and scantily clad women come to mind. This, however, was not the case during my trip to these beautiful and unique islands. The Caribbean is a group of many islands off the southeastern coast of North America and encloses the warm-watered Caribbean Sea. Its position close to the equator gives it a year round warm climate, making it a popular destination during the colder winter months. Since all the islands were once colonies of European nations, one will encounter many languages and great diversity when island hopping. Today, many of the Caribbean islands are independent from their former sovereign nations, yet their food, music and culture are still reminiscent of their former colonization. Unfortunately due to time restraints, I was only able to visit a handful of the Caribbean islands, but those that I visited far exceeded my expectations. What I found most striking about the Caribbean was neither the crystal clear, azure water nor the tropical beauty of the landscape, but rather the hospitality of the local inhabitants. Having traveled abroad as an American, I have experienced first hand the preconceived notions others have about our way of life. It is rare to find genuine friendliness when traveling abroad, but in the Caribbean this is exactly what I found. Whether it comes from their relaxed lifestyle or their dependency on tourism, the people native to the Caribbean islands were some of the friendliest I’ve met. My first destination was the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau. The first thing that struck me, as our cruise ship anchored and we set aboard a smaller ship to take us to the island, was the beauty of the water. It was as clear as a cloudless night and changed from hues of darker blue to brilliant green, which contrasted sharply with the fine white-sanded beach. All I wanted to do was spend the afternoon swimming and relaxing on the shore. Once I left the ship, however, there were other activities that captured my attention. A delightful smell from local eateries captivated my senses, as did the uplifting Junkanoo and calypso music playing near an open-air market. It was at this market that I found one of the treasures of my trip: a large, semi-precious smoky topaz gem set in a simple gold ring that, if resold in the United States, would almost pay for my entire trip. Special finds like these make the Caribbean so unique. The other islands on my trip were all lovely and each had something different to offer. The most memorable activities were swimming with dolphins
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in Barbados, scuba diving in Antigua, and enjoying the local culture in the Virgin Islands. Unfortunately, these were the only islands I was able to visit, but because they had so much to offer I did not feel in any way shortchanged. Like many who travel, I came home to the United States with a longing to return to these Caribbean islands, a place so different from my own. Although my tan has faded and the braids have come out of my hair, I will always have pictures and the unforgettable memories of the Caribbean.
“Although my tan has faded and the braids have come out of my hair, I will always have the unforgettable memories of the Caribbean”
Expedition: D.R. By Alex Blum
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ituation: Two, what I prefer to call young men, looking to see a new country and have fun. We began in the largest city and capital, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Far from the dead of Boston winter, my good friend, Mike, and I found ourselves with 30-pound bags strapped to our backs, sweating like obese, middle-aged men. We quickly found a delightfully kind man, supposedly named Elvis, willing to help us find a cheap hotel. Minutes later we were staying at the dilapidated El Refugio Di Pirate, in the heart of the Zona Colonial, for 660 pesos a night. After settling in, Mike and I walked five minutes to the beach, passing hustlers, wild dogs, and an array of tourist-oriented shops selling the usual array of Caribbean souvenirs on the lively streets. Drab brick buildings lined the streets - some dated back to the 16th century. One woman, offering amber jewelry, informed us that the DR sold the most amber in the world. We came upon a rocky beach. For one quarter mile stretch, garbage covered every inch of sand. The next day we saw Tigers del Licey Santo Domingo play baseball against the Águilas Cibaeñas, the team’s rival (like The Yankees and Red Sox) in a crowded stadium where fans cheered or booed each strike or hit by wildly waving blue or yellow flags. Their enthusiasm impassioned us and soon we were singing and shouting too, although we declined the snack of choice - pork rinds. No peanuts here. The next morning we set out for a new city, passing a young boy driving an orange-filled cart pulled by horse, en route to a “bus station.” While walking, the sky opened and rain poured. Sopping wet, a small van (a guay guay) packed with Dominicans, blasting reggaetone appeared. A man hung out the open door and told us to get in. We eventually arrived at the
“bus station.” Since no formal public transportation exists in the DR, entrepreneurs buy buses and arrive at the designated spots at uncertain times to load commuters. For 100 pesos we headed 100 miles east to Juan Dolio. Juan Dolio offered a respite from the hustle and bustle of the past few days. We got a lift from two motoconchos (men with motorcycles willing to do just about anything for the right price), backpacks in tow, to an Italian owned hotel adorned with Indian tapestries, beads, and Buddha paintings. After a short jaunt down the beach, watching the sun set while crabs scurried about the sand, we found the town’s four restaurants. Eventually, we met Julie, the 63 year old French owner of a three bedroom hostel. She made us spaghetti bolognese, for a price, and introduced us to her menagerie of friends. Next stop: Bayahibe, the southeasternmost city in the DR. Just down the beach from our shanty hotel, with a rooster often tanning on our porch, we discovered Sunscape: a tantalizingly comfortable and security guarded all-inclusive resort. Soon enough we found a way in, and for the next two days indulged in five restaurants, three bars, un discoteque, and two pools. Venturing on, we spent two days in Rio San Juan. Like most people we encountered, the townspeople greeted us with “hola” and a firm thrust of the forearm in place of a wave. The locals always seemed relatively kind, if understandably a little desperate for money. Playa Grande presented us with our only opportunity to enjoy a beautiful beach and unwind. In closing, here are a few things I learned: smiling goes a long way; always wear sunscreen; and don’t drink eight shots with Tabasco sauce the day before a five hour flight.
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Tufts Timmy in the Dominican Republic Students in The Tufts Timmy Foundation Club traveled to the D.R. with a passion for medicine and returned with a desire to share their stories.
Change. We want to ‘change’ the world and make it a ‘better place,’ but reality is efficient at halting our blind idealism. I struggle with an idea of power, power to make change and knowing if my actions will ever have the ability to lead to change. How much can I do? How much can we do when there’s nothing wrong with at least caring and trying? After being gracefully welcomed back into a world I believed I was unshielded from, I know I can do more than just try….And we ask ourselves, what is the next step? How can we make a bigger impact? How do we persevere and prevent those seven days from becoming simply yet another fond memory? The road to change can branch off in many directions and take many forms….Continue to care, observe, and be inspired. I was inspired by a little boy who reached out his hand to me and smiled without judgment. I was inspired by a girl in a tattered dress who invited me to her home to eat, not really knowing if she’d have a meal the next day. I was inspired by an older man who asked me how I was. He asked me how I felt. I will never cease to be inspired by them. We live in a society that is so consumed in material possessions and net worth, that when we experience a world that is not surrounded by such influences it is so hard for people to understand how these people remain so happy with the little they have. Their world is “plagued” by an absence of education, basic health care, infrastructure, adequate shelter, nutrition. The list could infinitely continue.Yet, they obtain
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the ability to be optimistic and happy during times of destitution…I remember hearing about a little baby being found wrapped up in a pile of blankets, forgotten on a bed in the pediatric wing of the hospital-left to die. Alone and helpless. When the blankets were pulled away, an area of his stomach was missing where his skin had been eaten away because his diaper hadn’t been changed for days. The rest of is skin was hanging loose on his body due to severe dehydration. Had it not been for this accidental discovery, he would have most certainly died. All too often these stories go untold. Now we must make the time to listen and not let these children continue to be forgotten....Helping our fellow man is what we were made to do. Nothing has ever made me feel so alive. The barriers to change look insurmountable, but that does not mean that we should not try.... Incremental change is better than no change at all. It is important to remember that we are not miracle workers that are going to change the world in seven days....We will see changes within ourselves, making us more socially aware and more eager to help those who we see need help. And hopefully we will inspire others with this story of our experience. This is an excerpt from a collaborative piece written by students who traveled to the Dominican Republic for Tufts Timmy Foundation’s fifth medical relief trip. The passage was written for the exhibition, “Beyond Medicine: Untold Stories.”
This is an excerpt from a collaborative piece written by students who participated in the Timmy Foundation Club’s trip to the Dominican Republic. add more adbout trip and explain the passage better
Opposite page: Children waiting to rinse after an anti-fungal shampoo treatment (Anjali Nirmalan). Above: A child of Villa Ascencion (Steve Dyer); Members of town, Pancho Mateo, waiting to be seen by doctors (Anjali Nirmalan).
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Contemporary Cuban Art: “Common Good” and the Global Art Market by Nicole Maria Evans
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y initial motives for traveling to Cuba were to experience Cuban society as a means to expand upon the research that I was undertaking on contemporary Cuban photography. Travel to Cuba awarded me the opportunity to formulate new opinions and separate myself from art historical texts that enforced a specific agenda. As an aspiring art historian, it was essential for me to learn directly from the society and the cultural institutions from which Cuban artists derive their artistic perspective. The trip became more than a rigid research project — it became an experience that allowed me the possibility to personally connect with artists in Cuba. After spending an evening full of dirty jokes and fried fish at the eccentric home of Havana-based artist, José Fuster, it became apparent that some Cuban artists experience more economic advantages compared to other Cubans. Fuster is one such artist. He is a famous Cuban multi-media artist who has dedicated himself to the creation of brightly-colored ceramics and paintings that are meant to evoke the spirit of Cuba. Fuster lives in a large mosaic-covered castle of color that is itself a work of art. In comparison with the dilapidated living conditions of most Cubans, Fuster’s home is a five star
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resort. Acknowledging this discrepancy in material wealth, Fuster made the improvement of the quality of life in his community a priority. He argues that the work he creates and the proceeds he receives are given back to the community by sponsoring carnivals and through community improvement. Nevertheless, I began to question the altruistic intentions of the artist after he showed a twenty-minute film about himself. While the video featured Fuster’s work in the community, it was still self-aggrandizing and self-promoting. I began to wonder if the myth of the spoiled Cuban artist I had read about before traveling to Cuba was in fact reality. My tentative doubts about this community-based partnership is rooted in the idea that Cuban artists do not technically function within a capitalistic system. In a socialist society, individuality and personal compensation are not privileged as they are in the United States. In Cuba’s socialist system, as defined by the values of Che Guevara, fame and success for a Cuban artist are achieved by creating art that serves the “common good” of the country, both in content and in compensation. It is compelling, however, to consider that although this might be the ideal relationship between artist and country in Cuba, it is evident that Cuban
artists have benefited from participating in the global-capitalist system. For example, contemporary Cuban artist Noa continually participates in global art expos such as the Havana Biennial. Unlike most Cubans, who would never be able to afford travel on their fixed income, Noa travels to Switzerland on a regular basis to meet with the galleries that represent his work. Cuban artists like Noa, who function in the global art market, are faced with a possible disconnect from the Cuban community, and they may seemingly betray socialist values when they generate profits outside the country. Capitalism and socialism are clearly at odds, but what is happening in Cuba is more a convergence of the two systems rather than one superseding the other. Although Fuster does receive a considerable sum from the sales of his art work, he also provides opportunities for community members to participate in the creation of his mosaic masterpieces as well as to benefit from his financial success. Likewise, Noa may have a greater ability to travel and sell his work abroad, but he too gives back to and functions within his country’s socialist system. Therefore, the concept of the “common good” may still be of relevance to Cuban artist today, but the allure of the capitalist art market is also evident in their practices. Cuba is slowly attempting to recover from the period of extreme scarcity in the 1990’s, and the Cuban government has assumed the sale of art as a way to facilitate that economic recovery. It is thus fallacious to conclude that Cuban artists work in an unmediated economy; however, it is also false to assume that Cuban artists work within a purely socialist system. The situation in Cuba is ultimately complex and for that reason requires a nuanced discussion. Nicole Maria Evans is a Master’s candidate in Art History with a focus in modern and contemporary art from Latin America. She used research conducted on the tip to write one of her Master’s qualifying papers, “A Look at Contemporary Cuban Photography and Collective Memory.” photos by Nicole Maria Evans
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A Broadened Perspective: Lessons from Cuba for a Future School Psychologist By Melissa Marsh, M.A.
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n the United States, “special education” is essentially a funding category supported by federal legislation that mandates schools to provide services to students identified as having learning, emotional, and/or behavioral needs that cannot be met by general classroom instruction and practices. School psychologists evaluate students for disabilities, consult with parents and teachers, create educational and behavioral interventions, and work in teams to determine which students need special education services. Since school psychologists work with an increasingly diverse population of students, learning about, and attempting to understand various perspectives and methods, is essential. There is a current effort in the U.S. to identify children with disabilities earlier and with more accuracy. Children who exhibit learning or behavioral difficulties are provided interventions within the classroom and their responses to those interventions are measured before they are tested for disability. This multi-tiered model of screening, intervention, and evaluation emphasizes prevention and early identification. Since Cuba’s social service systems differ from those in the U.S., along with the fact that Cuba has an international reputation for having a “successful” education system as measured primarily by literacy rates and school completion, traveling to Cuba provided an unparalleled opportunity to learn how children with special needs are identified and educated in this seemingly very different system. My initial research in Cuba began by talking to teachers and observing students in a primary school for deaf and hearing-impaired students. The curriculum used at this particular school is the same as in general education schools in Cuba, with the goal for some children to be integrated into a regular school with supports such as hearing implants. From talking with faculty and staff, I learned that research is ongoing within the school and parent/family involvement is strongly supported. I later visited a junior high school, and learned that students are divided into three levels so that instruction is geared towards each student’s ability. In this school, there are no separate classrooms for children with learning disabilities. Instead, there is an emphasis on training teachers to gear instruction to all types of learners.
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Later in the trip, I had the opportunity to meet with a special education teacher. When a teacher suspects a child of having either a learning, behavioral, or developmental disability, the teacher must first try different methods of instruction. If problems persist, the student is brought to the attention of a team of specialists at the Centro de Diagnostico y Orientación (Center for Diagnosis and Orientation or CDO). The CDO officially assesses the student and if it is determined that the child has a disability, an Adaptación Curricular is created. When I later got the opportunity to meet with a woman from the CDO in Havana, I learned that there is a strong emphasis on mitigating any early signs of disability with early intervention. She described a team of professionals that works with families and schools beginning when mothers give birth. Unlike in the U.S., where evaluating a student for disability can take from a few weeks to a couple of months, the evaluation process in Cuban schools takes from 8-10 months beginning with classroom interventions. It is only when a child does not improve based on classroom efforts that testing begins. Among my many observations, one of the most important was that the Cuban model of assessment and special education is what U.S. legislators and educators aim to achieve. In Cuba, there is a heavy emphasis on early intervention, preparing teachers to effectively instruct students of various learning levels and with different abilities, and integrating students with learning disabilities into regular schools. As the U.S. continues to debate the best ways to give all children equal educational opportunities, the processes of early identification, teacher preparation, family involvement, and classroom intervention that are ingrained into the Cuban education system are exemplary models. Melissa Marsh earned her Master’s degree in School Psychology and is currently working towards her Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in School Psychology. More information about her research in Cuba can be found in the Student Connections column of the upcoming June 2008 issue of the National Association of School Psychologist’s publication, Communiqué.
A Second Revolution: Organic Farming and Environmental Sustainability By Betsy Rakocy
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went to Cuba to learn about agriculture and food systems. I had read about its organic farming revolution in the mid-1990s, which dramatically improved the state of its environment and also virtually eliminated malnutrition through affordable local foods. In 2006, the World Wildlife Fund even named Cuba the only country approaching sustainable development. I hoped to see this wonder firsthand. It quickly became clear that the innovation of modernday food production in Cuba reflects its revolutionary spirit. This spirit was embodied by Miguel Salcines, manager of the Vivero Alamar organic urban garden in eastern Havana. The cooperative’s experiments ranged from novel to bizarre, investigating everything from the use of worm droppings as high-nutrient fertilizer to ethereal new-age energies to help plant growth. Their sophisticated system involved almost exclusively natural compounds. Freshly-cut shoots of trees were grafted for new plants, and copper paint protected their surfaces from pests. Marigolds grew at the ends of crop rows to attract beneficial insects – those that attack harmful bugs, acting as a natural pesticide. “We’ll try any possible technique to increase our production,” said Salcides, underlining the imagination that fosters continuous improvement. A combination of similar creative thinking, respect for nature, and sound research led to successful agricultural production nationwide. Soon after the fall of the USSR in 1989, Cuba found itself without the petroleum needed to fuel its irrigation and pesticide-dependent farms. Thanks to Soviet gas, it had developed a vastly productive, but environmentally disastrous farming system. Without it, agricultural output waned, and malnutrition-induced diseases, such as blindness caused by vitamin deficiencies, returned. The situation seemed hopeless. “Our mental blockade was our gravest impediment,” said Salcines, “because we couldn’t think about how to farm without our agricultural chemicals, tractors, and gas.” During the mid-1990s, or the “Special Period” crisis, Cuba turned its problem into an opportunity. Farmers switched to sustainable techniques that are well adapted to their environment. I saw the fruits of this labor when I met with Frank Piñon López, the administrative manager of the Plaza de Cerro agricultural market. One of seventeen large, state-run markets in Havana, the Plaza de Cerro was the picture of organization and efficiency. Piñon talked about these changes as he showed me around the fruit and vegetable stands. “I’m grateful for everything that the Soviets did for us,” he said. “They gave us all kinds of assistance. Everything just appeared. You didn’t think about it. And that’s what we
learned the most from the Special Period —how to value things. Before, you would just discard things and not worry about it. Now … we’re efficient.” Indeed, Cuba’s isolation from its former Soviet partner seems to have provoked some positive changes. Still, it is not immune to global influences. During a visit to La Concepción, a rural community on Havana’s outskirts, Alpidio Segundino Alonzo Hernández told me about being a banana farmer. At 76, he was living history: he co-founded the local agricultural cooperative, a radical new idea after the Revolution. For the first time, he and other farmers controlled their land and profits. As we stood in the hot sun and surveyed his trees, Hernandez gestured to the dry grass and noted that rising global temperatures are having serious local impacts. Indeed, the hotter and drier weather may mean that the rain is not enough to nourish crops, which could result in expensive irrigation systems. Just as Cuba cannot protect itself from global warming, it cannot single-handedly finance its rural economy. The U.S. embargo has far-reaching implications for trade, making it difficult to sell Cuban crops abroad. Even once-lucrative sugar exports have essentially ceased. No one could really tell me what industries were economically successful. If Cuba had achieved agricultural sustainability without financial stability, how would it survive? Questions and contradictions like this kept me from reaching any hard conclusions. Despite all the improvements, I still saw crops burning as we drove through the countryside – a technique that destroys nutrients and increases the erosion of fragile tropical soil. When I asked people about any complaints they had or changes they desired, I often got the same proud response – that things were functioning very well, and they could not be improved. I’m inherently skeptical of such an answer, but it was quite clear that Cuba has implemented innovative systems for growing food. As one person put it, “things may not be perfect here, but in Cuba, you will never starve.” For a developing country, that is quite an achievement. Betsy Rakocy is a candidate for a Master of Science the Agriculture, Food and Environment program at the Friedman School of Nutrition and Science Policy.
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A Changing Perspective By Maggie Sullivan
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n 2001, my high school Spanish teacher was granted a license issued by the Department of the Treasury to bring her students to the island nation of Cuba. Although I had graduated two years earlier, I desperately wanted to go on the trip and, luckily, she was happy to have me along. During this first visit, I was completely captivated by Cuba. It was like stepping back in time: the American cars from the 1950s and the façades of dilapidated buildings were somehow still beautiful. The Literacy Museum was inspiring. In 1961, Cuba developed a program to completely eliminate illiteracy. The museum preserves this story, and on exhibition are testimonies of 90 yearold men and women learning to read and write. After this experience, I left Cuba disillusioned and frustrated with the United States. How could my government suffocate such a small, seemingly peaceful island? The U.S. Government had intervened in Cuban politics since Cuba’s war against Spain in the late 1800s. Most well known is the U.S. supported dictator, Batista, who was overthrown in 1959 by Fidel Castro. With the start of the Cold War and the Soviet Union/Cuba alliance, the U.S. viewed Cuba as a threat to democracy, specifically as a result of the Cuban-missile crisis. When I returned to Cuba in May of 2007, I was surprised by just how much my idealism had disintegrated, lost in my years of teaching in Puerto Rico and working in the slums of Lima. Cuba was still fascinating, but I now saw shades of grey in its beauty. My travel experiences and research had translated into a critical eye; I was now more aware and skeptical of Cuba’s system. As part of the Cuba Experience organized through Tufts, I participated in many same activities as on my previous visit. Only this time, each of these places and experiences was different. I learned that the success of the literacy campaign was determined solely by the ability to read and write one’s name. As I strolled the streets of Old Havana, people took me into their homes and asked if I could leave shampoo, soap, anything, as these goods were too expensive for purchase by the average Cuban. In multiple conversations, I learned that the education system lacks teachers because more and more Cubans are turning to tourism for employment. Cuba’s world-renowned doctors are often shipped to Venezuela as part of the “oil for doctors” exchange. In a conversation at his home, Fusser told me that the U.S. was responsible for the starvation of the Cuban people. While the embargo clearly plays a critical role, I wondered: Is this really true? My recent trip and this particular conversation
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inspired my current Master’s thesis research to understand the true reasons for Cuba’s current socio-economic status. Is the U.S. the sole responsible party for Cuba’s poverty? What role did Fidel Castro and Cuban economic policies play in Cuba’s situation? Although the United States has not technically had diplomatic relations with Cuba since 1960, the U.S. is Cuba’s third largest trading partner. Cuba also has trade relations with over 160 countries. If the U.S. lifts the embargo, what would be the result for the Cuban economy, and more importantly, the Cuban people? While this question remains to be answered, there is no doubt that the relationship between Cuba and the U.S. has become increasingly restrictive under the Bush Administration. High schools are no longer eligible for Cuba licenses, and undergraduate and graduate trips must be strictly “research only.” I do not know what the future holds for U.S./ Cuban relations. From my research, however, I anticipate a change in the dynamic with a change in administration, both Cuban and U.S. Whether or not the embargo is lifted, it is important to realize that firsthand research is crucial to understanding and developing one’s own critical perspective. Maggie Sullivan is a Master’s candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy with a focus on Development Economics and International Monetary Theory and Policy. She is using her research from the trip to write her Master’s thesis, “The U.S. Embargo and Cuban Economic Policies: Who is responsible for Cuba’s poverty?”
2007 Tufts-Cuban Experience Program:
An Interview with Claudia Kaiser-Lenoir & Rubén Salinas-Stern By Nina Bozicnik
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laudia Kaiser-Lenoir is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Tufts, and Rubén Salinas-Stern is the Director of the Tufts Latino Center. Both have been active in the Tufts-Cuban Experience program since its early beginnings in 2002-2003. Although originally conceived as a program for both undergraduate and graduate students, U.S. policy since 2004 has forced the program to accept only graduate students for participation in its bi-annual trips to Cuba. Claudia and Rubén have great conviction about the value of cultural exchange between Cuba and the U.S., and they work tirelessly to facilitate student research that can further the dialog. Nina Bozicnik: Approximately how many applications do you receive for each trip? How do you choose the final participants? Rubén Salinas-Stern: It is difficult to say how many students actually apply, but I can tell you that we get around 100 students who come to our informational sessions. We look for research proposals that are thorough, that demonstrate the students’ interest in Cuba and that are feasible based on the topic. NB: What has been the most rewarding aspect of leading the program? RSS: The most rewarding thing to me is seeing the learning that goes on while in Cuba. It definitely makes students think not only about their research, but also about what type of society they want to live in and create here in the United States. NB: How has the Tufts-Cuban Experience program changed since its original inception? Claudia Kaiser-Lenoir: The program has been forced to always configure itself according to the restrictions that the U.S. State Department imposes on U.S.Cuba exchange. The restrictions keep on shifting. For instance, in 2003, undergraduates were only permitted academic travel if their work in Cuba was connected to a regular course at their U.S. institution, so we taught courses in which the trip was the fieldwork component. However, since 2004 until now, if undergraduates want to travel to Cuba they have to complete a full semester of study in Cuba. At the very same time, the regulations changed so that setting up full-semester programs in Cuba became nearly impossible. Restrictions applying to graduate research were less harsh. We then oriented the program to (graduate students). RSS: We also do not receive as much funding for scholarships from Tufts as we did in the first few years. This has made it more difficult for students from diverse backgrounds to participate. NB: It seems that the program has had a history full of challenges. Can you explain your fight to keep the
program alive? CKL: We are inspired to keep the program alive because it is a tremendously exciting and enriching experience academically and professionally for the participants. The academic licenses for Cuba travel granted by the U.S. government are fewer and fewer. Tufts is one of the very few institutions which still receives renewal of the license every round of application. Deans, faculty, and students have always expressed enormous interest and support, and so it is the individual commitment on the part of some of Tufts’ faculty and staff that continues to make these academic trips possible. It is out of sheer intellectual excitement that we keep on working at this. NB: Why is it important for students to travel to Cuba? CKL: Cuba has been for some time a real laboratory of innovative practices in all spheres of crucial relevance for humanity: from sustainability in food security, health, education, and culture, to urban planning, the environment, and governance. RSS: Cuba is a unique country that unfortunately we know too little about because it is not taught in our educational institutions. We provide students with the opportunity to learn from a poor country that is involved in many innovative and exciting projects. Their work on health care and education can definitely provide lessons to us all. Nina Bozicnik is a Master’s candidate in Art History. She was a participant in the May 2007 Tufts-Cuban Experience Program and used research conducted on the trip to write one of her Master’s qualifying papers titled “Unveiling the Present, Looking Through the Past: Los Carpinteros and the Social/Aesthetic Dialectic in the Early 1990s.”
Nina Bozicnik
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Back Roads of
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By Gabe Sherman
or a year or two, I had been harboring thoughts of a Baja Adventure - probably in my twenties and preferably on a Harley. However, my family decided that Baja would make a good car trip so, come winter break, we piled into a rented 4x4 Ford Explorer and set off. The Baja peninsula is divided into two Mexican states: Baja California to the north and Baja California Sur to the south. Most of the peninsula’s population is concentrated in Tijuana and Mexicali, both large border cities. Much of the rest of Baja is sparsely populated. Also, if you are not flying into the tourist mecca of Cabo, travel is largely on poorly maintained roads through expanses of unpopulated desert. We began our trip heading south from Mexicali on Highway 5. After pausing briefly for lunch at a familyrun, highway-side taco stand, we reached San Felipe, an old fishing town that now relies largely on tourism to support its economy. There is a sizeable expatriate community in San Felipe year-round due to its low cost-of-living. Large American-style developments on the outskirts of the city provide a stark contrast to the small, run-down houses in the town itself where much of the Mexican population lives. Adding to this strange amalgam of cultures is the pervasiveness of off-road
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racing culture, with the town hosting the Baja 250 and the San Felipe 250. Dirt bikes and quads are a common sight in and around town. We had intended to rent quads, but were prevented from doing so by the dust clouds kicked up by the wind, a theme throughout the trip. We happened to stay there over Christmas and were treated to a parade, in which both Mexican and American locals drove through town, in vehicles festively decorated with Christmas lights, honking and blaring music, all escorted by the police. Our next scheduled destination was Puertocitos, another interesting mix of locals and expats, where we had expected to get gas and stop for lunch. However, it was doubtful the government-owned Pemex station was still in operation, and we had to press on without filling up. South of Puertocitos (which received a decidedly larger dot on the map than it deserved), the paved road is replaced by a rough, single-lane dirt road. Thankfully, there is not too much traffic aside from a few adventurous Europeans on motorcycles and a collection of Americans and Mexicans in pickups. Travel is slow going, due the rockiness and steepness of the road, deemed the worst in Baja, but the solitude and natural beauty more than
make up for the primitive conditions. The landscape, like the people, is one of contrast. Huge stands of Cardón cacti (the largest cactus species in the world) edge the clear, blue water of the Gulf of California. That night we experienced another Baja rite of passage. Daylight was fading and the first rule of Baja is to avoid, at all costs, driving at night. Given the locals’ propensity to consume tequila and cerveza before driving (as evidenced by the hundreds of roadside crosses marking auto fatalities), this is sound advice. There are no hotels on this stretch of the road, so after scoping out some potential campsites (one which had a dirt airstrip not a hundred feet from where we would have set up our tents), we settled on nice strip of beach at Bahía Gonzaga, where a long row of palapas (primitive, palm frond shelters) stood. After witnessing a beautiful sunset, the stars came out in a way I had never seen before. With no light pollution to spoil the view, we joined a handful of other campers and meandered about the beach and gazed at the Milky Way. Unfortunately, we had not anticipated dealing with powerful winds, and after the tents blew away for a second time, we abandoned them to the buffeting gusts and stinging sand and sought shelter in our car. Wind is a constant presence in Baja, complete with its own folklore and superstitions. We woke up to discover that our cooler had been raided by coyotes and filled with sand overnight, and decided we would stay in hotels the rest of the trip. It was now time to leave the east coast of the peninsula and cross the interior. The road took us through stunning cactus forests, filled with Dr. Seusslike Boojum trees, ending at Mexico 1. Here we crossed into Baja California Sur at the 28th parallel, through one of the many agricultural/military/police/customs check points. After some questioning, we were waved through and told to roll up our windows. A small spray of chemicals shot onto one of our tires, splattering the driver’s window, and we proceeded on to Guerrero Negro, home to the largest salt production operation in
the world. Acres upon acres of evaporating ponds dot the marshy landscape. American presence in Guerrero Negro is minimal, but tourists do come for the ecological offerings, such as whale watching and migratory bird refuges. Every year an estimated 1,500 California Gray Whales gather to calve in the nearby lagoons. Guerrero Negro marked our southernmost destination and, after a fascinating side trip to remote Misíon San Borja, we headed north on the paved, though frightfully narrow, highway back to the US, passing through the tiny town of Cataviña (the only place to get gasoline for a hundred miles). It is a good idea to fill up at any gas station you can find in Baja because the alternative is vendors on the side of the highway, who pump gas by hand out of barrels in the backs of their pickups and charge upwards of five or six dollars per gallon. We finally made it to Ensenada, the third largest city in Baja. After the peace and quiet of the Baja desert and small towns, it was a change of pace. The Norteño music blasting from the bar across the street from our hotel didn’t stop until four or five in the morning, and at six a.m., the last stragglers stumbled out into the dawn. After yet another night of Baja insomnia, we were ready to head back to El Norte. Maybe that Harley trip can wait a few more years.
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In the Shadow of
Kilimanjaro
A Visit to Amboseli National Park By Adam Roy
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“H
ere we say there are two professions that are not very good,” our guide remarked as our car shuddered over one of the many sizable potholes that pockmark Kenya’s highways. “The first are the lawyers.” The car hit another pothole, prompting a metallic screech from the suspension and a deep, belly chuckle from our guide. He shook his head. “The second are the civil engineers.” Two hours and as many tire changes later, we had all begun to share his disdain for whoever designed Kenya’s roads. After hours of pavement punishment, it was almost a relief when we turned onto the solid dirt road that led into Amboseli National Park. As exhausted as we had been, however, the awesome landscape that greeted us left us all raptly at attention. We found ourselves in one of the most stunning landscapes on earth. Located at the very southern end of Kenya, Amboseli is made up of sweeping grasslands, speckled with scattered swamps and clumps of acacia trees. At the southern edge of the park, Mt. Kilimanjaro juts into the shifting cloud cover, a single dramatic counterpoint to the surrounding plains. By the height of the dry summer months, migrating herds of grazers and Maasai cattle strip large patches of Amboseli’s ground bare, leaving a layer of fine red soil that swirls into towering dust devils at the slightest breeze. The sight of these dust devils, whirling across the savanna like miniature tornadoes before dissipating in a puff of dust, is truly surreal.
For all its meager flora, however, Amboseli supports a stunning collection of animal life too diverse to list. Every year, huge herds of wildebeest and zebra migrate through Amboseli en route to feeding grounds in Tanzania. Other grazers abound as well, including groups of tawny Grant’s gazelles and their miniature cousin, the dog-sized Thompson’s gazelle. Amboseli is particularly renowned for its large elephant population, which we often spotted taking refuge from the heat in the park’s swamps as the resident hippos eyed them cautiously. Tracking down the carnivores is a slightly more difficult task, but a rewarding one as well. The park plays host to groups of lions and cheetahs, as well as other meat-eaters that prey on the migrating wildebeest. The big cats tend to remain inactive in the midday heat, which often makes them easier to spot. Amboseli’s lions seem particularly well-aware of their position at the top of the food chain and are so confident that they regularly flop down in the shade of parked safari vehicles. Most predators conduct their hunts in the hours between late afternoon and early morning, becoming more active as the sun sets. Every night as we lay inside our tents, we could hear the bellows of lions and the cackling of hyena packs, often from uncomfortably close by. For those of us accustomed to relatively temperate climates, a trip to Amboseli can be a real shock. Temperatures in southern Kenya vary drastically by time of day, with the searing heat of midday gradually slipping into a nighttime chill. We got into the habit of carrying our jackets with us in
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“Every night as we lay inside our tents, we could hear the bellows of lions and the cackling of hyena packs, often from uncomfortably close by.�
anticipation of falling afternoon temperatures. It was our guide, though, who really made our trip. As our driver, he successfully negotiated the nightmares of driving in Kenya, including several blown tires and, on one notable occasion, a gas tanker that had capsized and started leaking on the road. Once we arrived at our destination, he not only helped us find and photograph all sorts of animals, but taught us a wide range of wildlife facts (there are actually two different species of zebras in Kenya), geographical information (the Great Rift Valley is located at the intersection of multiple tectonic plates), and practical advice (if a lion is sniffing your car, you should
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probably roll up your windows). Without his expertise, we would have been lost, confused, and quite possibly eaten by some large mammal. In the end, the dramatic and memorable landscape of Amboseli was more than worth the few hours of road-induced nausea that we endured to get there. The vistas of the park were like pictures ripped out of an IMAX documentary, surreal and stark in their beauty. As someone who had never known lions or giraffes as anything more than entries in textbooks, I discovered in Amboseli National Park an amazing natural world for which there is no substitute.
Zip-lining through Paradise
W
hen our plane first touched down, my sister and I immediately wanted to explore San Jose. Using the limited Spanish we knew, we tried to get a feel for the city. We were met with much disappointment, as it was Sunday night and the city was dead. I began to think that the rest of our adventures would not come to fruition. San Jose isn’t really that great of a city, to be quite frank. But as we headed out to the more ecological and tropic areas of the country, we found that we had quite a journey ahead of us. The ride from San Jose to other destinations near the coastline is a bumpy and windy one. Though one unaccustomed to such a ride may get nauseous, the amazing views of the hills, valleys, and small towns make it worthwhile. For us, our journey took us south of San Jose to a small “hotel” (we essentially stayed in bungalows) nestled in the middle of the jungle. If there is one thing that any Costa Rican visitor must do, it is take advantage of the plants and animals that inhabit the country. Though I could probably ramble about the wildlife in the country as many visitors have done before, our adventure vacation included a much more exhilarating feature. On our third day in the area, I found myself trying very hard to keep up with the quick Spanish dialogue, explaining where to
By Swapna Maruri
put my hands, how to use the carabineers that would hold me 100 feet above the ground, and how to brake so I didn’t slam into a tree. Since I was too bullheaded to admit that my Spanish was rusty and I was an American tourist in need of some English explanation, I refrained from asking any questions or requesting the Englishspeaking guide. About fifteen minutes later, I found myself climbing ladder after ladder, leaving me at least 75 feet above the ground. The platform was small and everyone was excited to zip-line through the jungle. The view, just like all the others in Costa Rica, was breathtaking; here we were graced with the presence of a black-jacketed aardvark below and howler monkeys resting in the tree tops with their young. It was as surreal as it sounds. However, what really kept my adrenaline rushing was gliding on a seemingly thin metal rope and a small pulley system through the treetops. As each platform passed, every zip-liner was getting better and better at controlling themselves… everyone except for me. For some reason, I just kept getting worse and worse at controlling myself and eventually went flying through each leg of the adventure. Though I failed at conquering the intricacies of zip-lining, I still sailed through, admiring (and fearing) the nearby monkeys, watching exotic birds perch on branches, and once in a while glancing down and noting the enormity and immenseness of the trees surrounding me. No matter the level of skill of the zip-liner, the unique experience allows a Costa Rican visitor to enjoy the environment in a hands-on, close, and fun way. In addition, the kind and friendly guides will assist zip liners, point out cool animals, plants, and sites to see, and serve as a safety net. While most tourists have the ecological experience of Costa Rica, zip-lining does more than expose one to nature. As one feels their hair fly back from wind, a wooden platform approaching ever so quickly, and the sounds of the jungle around them, zip-lining proves to be extremely exhilarating and fun. There is only one down to the zip lining experience: the last platform.
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Last year, Julie Furbush traveled to Madagascar to study abroad. During her semester, she stayed for a week in Malrobe, a small isolated village in Fouxpap, Madagascar, with a homestay family. Passionate about photography and travel, Julie sits down with Traveler to describe her inspirational journey away from modernity; the amazing people she stayed with; and how she produced the most spectacular pictures with only one day’s worth of batteries. Tufts Traveler: Can you tell us about your experience in the village and how you incorporated photography into your stay? Julie Furbush: I had just dropped my Eos Rebel Canon camera on a concrete floor and I had only my point and shoot digital camera – I was so glad that I had my point and shoot. And to make things worse, I only had one battery left. So I didn’t really take pictures during my trip until the last day. I was in this rural village for seven days. There were no plugs in this village; it was the type of place where you had to walk half an hour to get water. This is Malrobe in Fouxpap, Madagascar. It was this tiny village with 16 huts; the huts were only 7 feet tall. If you go to the bathroom, you just went over there. But despite this, the people were extremely nice. [For example,] we found out that our host dad had stayed up the entire night to watch us. There was just this sense of generosity and care. It was incredible. We ate in his house every night. We ate beans and rice by candle light every night. He didn’t speak English or French, so we had to communicate with a third language. TT: In terms of your pictures, what are usually your objectives and focus? JF: I love composition, color, and space – I love these so much. So, on this goat picture, for example, I suppose it’s not the way this picture should look. I should have the kids eyes; you should sense that he is a little scared or see his belly a bit more because of how malnourished he is. Yet, to me, this seems almost more vivacious, like how it is the goat’s eyes that we see and not that of the boy. So for me, photography is not about documenting, but rather it is about slipping in and catching something that no one else would have seen, even if they were there. And in
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the picture with the children climbing the tree, even though they are staring at me, it is still very candid. Their faces are somewhat covered. They’re in a tree! TT: So in this village, did you face any technological or cultural resistance? For example, did people refuse to have their picture taken? JF: I went up north later in my study abroad to this town that was predominantly Muslim. There were some people who completely avoided the camera. Also, in Tanzania, people frequently put their hands over their faces as I was taking pictures. But this was unusual. I was surprised. People were pretty fine with me taking pictures elsewhere. In Malrobe, everyone seemed fine with my camera. In fact, many people loved it. For example, I once pointed my camera directed at my host grandmother’s face and she would just blink right back at me. Also, my host dad and his first wife had just had a baby so she had to stay in her hut for three months; she wasn’t allowed to leave. And when she did leave, she had to be covered in a blanket. Remember, the weather there is very hot, so I could always see beads of sweat pouring out. This is done so that the evil spirits would leave her and that they don’t attack her when she needs to leave. But, my dad brought me into the hut so that I could take a picture of his baby. It was just the most generous gift to me – I was given the chance to take pictures of this special baby. It was just one of those moments that will be with me even today. The moment was so special. TT: That sounds really amazing. So how connected did the village seem to the modern parts of the world? JF: There was this one girl who had just come back from the capital. It takes 3 days just to travel to the capital. You need to take this bus, the Tata bus. But otherwise, everyone else is completely disconnected. This is the type of village where zebu, which is their form of cattle, is their definition of wealth. It turns out that my host dad had three zebu and two calves; he was rich. So this picture with the little boy and the zebu is very interesting to me. Here you have the boy wearing German-American, 1980s hand-me-downs, taking care of his entire family’s wealth. This just illustrates the poverty that these people face every day. It made me grateful for what I have.
[Focus] JULIE FURBUSH
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Photographs by Julie Furbush
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