Spring 2022 Souvenirs by Wisconsin Union

Spring 2022

Photo by Angelina Huang

Learning to Love the Rain Service Trips: Do’s and Don’ts Souvenirs’ Spring Travel Playlist Cross Country Chaos Spotlight on Sarajevo Everything but a Plane Crash Small Town or Big City? The Beauty of Brazil Souvenirs’ Best Travel Tips! Traveling Companions: A Worldly Experience The Unexpected Dangers of RMNP

The Publications Committee of the Wisconsin Union Directorate celebrates creativity on campus by providing hands-on experience in publishing, editing, writing and art-making. Through the publishing of our four student-run journals and magazines, we provide a creative outlet for UW-Madison students interested in creating poetry and prose.

Photo by Angelina Huang

Spring 2022 Contributors Editor in Chief Lili Sarajian Layout Designers Shannon McManus Katerina Stuopis Lili Sarajian Editors Peri Cook Devon Grasley Larissa Pasquini Lucy Macek Staff Writers Sophia Halverson Emma Southard Katerina Stuopis Shue Gottschalk Maria Brunetta Devon Grasley Larissa Pasquini Nikki Cuevas Lucy Macek

Contributing Photographers Angelina Huang Mahika Mohan Kaz Stuopis Shue Gottschalk Lucy Macek Isabella Ferraro Camille Gorman Larissa Pasquini Cover Photo Angelina Huang WUD Publications Committee Director Lauren Damgaard WUD Publications Committee Advisor Robin Schmoldt

letter from the editor As the world begins to open up, traveling is on our minds more than ever. For most of us, spring break was the first time in a while that we had the opportunity to leave, or felt safe leaving, the country. But now that we’re ready to embark on new adventures once again, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned from travels past. In this issue, we’re reminiscing about the trips-gone-wrong that turned out to be some of our favorite memories, highlighting the places that make us who we are, and using our past experiences to help others make big travel decisions in the future. No doubt you’re dreaming about your next big adventure as you read this, and hopefully this issue will inspire a new favorite trip. More importantly, we hope our stories will guide you to reflect on how the places you travel mean more than the beautiful photos you took or the epic experiences you had; what makes a trip worth taking are the people we share our adventures with, our open-mindedness, our willingness to make the most of difficult situations, and our respect for the people and places we impact on our journey. Even as you race to make up lost travel time, try to savor the memories while you’re still making them—whether they’re exhausting or exciting, frustrating or funny—so that you never really have to leave a place behind. Happy travels!

Lili Sarajian, Editor in Chief

Learning to Love the Rain By Sophia Halverson

ne of the first things you realize when you arrive in Ireland is that it rains—a lot. And in Dublin, by the River Liffey, it’s so windy that an umbrella might break within seconds of being opened (it’s happened to me twice). Sometimes it’s better to just wear a raincoat, use a waterproof bag, keep your head down, and take comfort in the fact that the rain probably won’t last long. The Irish students I’ve met at Trinity College Dublin, where I’ve spent the last year studying abroad, complain about it constantly—but when it’s in the forties and fifties in February and there’s no snow on the ground, I can’t bring myself to complain about it. Instead I tell them about last Tuesday, when my younger brother in Madison had to stay home from school because the roads were too icy to drive on. Perhaps it’s just because I’m so determined not to be disappointed during

Souvenirs

my time abroad, but the more time that has gone by, the more inclined I am to love the rain. There have been quite a few day trips where my tours have been interrupted by rain and mist. On my first trip to the Cliffs of Moher, I was disappointed when I first stepped off the bus and saw banks of fog stretching out over the water. The pictures on the website promised me a bright sky and rows of green cliffs stretching out into the distance—and while I could make out a few cliffs in the distance, the rest of the view was shrouded in fog. But as my friend and I wandered up and down the walking paths, I soon found that I didn’t really mind the fog—it gave the day an atmosphere that I never would have experienced had it been sunny. It felt like I had wandered into a gothic fairy tale, old and lonely and a little bit creepy—with an indefinable sense

of magic. There were times when we could only see a few feet ahead of us; cows seemed to loom out of the mist at discordant angles. Only a couple rickety barriers separated me from a steep drop off the cliff ’s edge. Even though it was a bit disappointing to not be able to see the Aran Islands from the lookout spot, the rain had something timeless about it. I could imagine generations of people stepping out of their cars and carts and buses and immediately pulling out their umbrellas. It provided a different kind of experience than I would have been able to get without it. And because we were patient, eventually the fog did lift. Although it never got sunny, we were definitely able to snap some good pictures. Another trip that was interrupted by rain was an all day Ring of Kerry tour. I took the train from Dublin all the way down to Killarney in the

Photo by Rory Hennessey, Unsplash

southwest, a picturesque little town bordering on a stunning national park, sleepy in February but no doubt crowded with visitors in the springtime. The coach bus meandered through empty towns with closed up restaurants and gift shops that were supposedly too busy to stop in during the summer. At first, the weather was beautiful as we drove along the coast, with mountains and the ruins of famine cottages to one side and the deep blue of the ocean on the other, but as the day wore on, the clouds shuffled in and rain drizzled down. While it was disappointing to not be able to see some of the outlying islands (like the Skellig Islands, of Star Wars fame), the rain once again created a magical atmosphere and a sense of its own history, compounded by how seemingly abandoned it all felt outside of the tourist season when we were the only tour bus on the road.

It felt like I had wandered into a gothic fairy tale, old and lonely and a little bit creepy—with an indefinable sense of magic. You can find sunny days anywhere, but rainy, misty days in Ireland offer a separate kind of beauty. Of course, experiences like these have made me treasure the sunny days all the more. One of my favorite places that I’ve visited was Blarney Castle. The day was bright and sunny, a little on the chilly side but overall comfortable. After my friend and I went through the castle and I kissed the Blarney stone, we wandered through the castle gardens (which, in my opinion, are just as impressive as the castle). Since we were visiting out of tourist season we barely saw anyone else and the gardens’ silence remained unbroken. We found a set of

‘wishing stairs,’ where supposedly a wish would be granted if you walked up and down the stairs with your eyes closed. Of course, we decided to try it—one of us climbing the stairs while the other one gave instructions at the bottom. But when it was my turn, I realized that at the top of the stairs I couldn’t hear my friend’s voice—all I could hear was the rushing of water, the sound of birdsong, and the rustle of nearby plants. The rest of the world might as well have not existed in that moment; all that mattered was the nature around me. The more I have this feeling, the more it continues to grow on me.

Spring 2022

Photo by Mohika Mohan

Speaking of

foggy places...

Photo by Camille Gorman

Souvenirs

Photo by Camille Gorman

Service Trips: Do’s and Don’ts By Emma Southard

ervice trips abroad cover a wide range of activities, such as building schools, implementing infrastructure in rural communities, providing medical services and more. Not only do service trips contribute to local populations, they offer a more authentic cultural experience and expose new areas of a region or country that are not frequented by tourists. I have been on two service trips in Guatemala and Panama, where our aim was to finish building a school in a rural community. While both my experiences were incredibly positive and memorable, learning from, selecting and enjoying a service trip can be challenging, so here are some of the do’s and don’ts of service trips abroad.

Photo by Isabella Ferraro, Slovania

DON’T

• Read the itinerary before you go. Some trips have less community service work than advertised, and it is important to make sure that any trip you are going on is one that is actually making an impact. By seeing how many hours you are spending doing service work per day, you can get an understanding of how your time is being spent.

• Spend the entire trip on social media. Taking photos is a good way to capture what you are doing, but it is important to balance it with the work you are doing on a service trip. If you are working with people who are native to the community, always make sure to ask before you take a photo with them. It is essential you are present and engaged in the work you are doing in order to experience it properly.

• Go in with no expectations. While it is important to do background research on the country or area you are visiting, having preconceived notions or stereotypes about where you are going or the people you are interacting with is harmful. Some of these can include thinking you are “saving” the people you are helping, or that your life is better because you have more money. Keeping an open-minded mentality will help you form accurate thoughts about what you are experiencing and leave you with unbiased opinions. • Think twice about what to pack. If the work you are doing is physical, more often than not, your shoes and clothes will be caked in mud, dirt, and grime. Checking if there are any required immunizations or over the counter medications you can bring, if the water is clean, and what currency you will need, for example, will make packing that much easier. We did service work for about eight hours every day, and knowing that information helped formulate a successful packing list.

• Forget to take care of yourself! If you are traveling to a country in Central America, South America or Africa where it is usually hotter, staying hydrated and wearing sunscreen will make the work you are doing more productive. Eating well, getting plenty of rest, and taking appropriate breaks will make your work more efficient as well. Interacting with members of the community is something I really enjoyed and is also a good way to not only unwind, but also to listen to and learn from others. • Think that the problems you are solving will permanently fix everything. A lot of the places where service trips are located experience poverty, and even as you complete a project, these places will still remain in poverty. Acknowledging that it takes a lot of effort to keep projects sustainable will help shape a perspective of gratitude as you leave the region you are working in, and following up on how you can keep the project alive going forward is just as impactful.

Photo by Isabella Ferraro, Slovania

Service trips can be incredibly rewarding, but it is important to go about them in an appropriate manner. Learning about and respecting the culture, as well as making use of your own resources correctly, will teach you to appreciate the work you are doing and the people you will meet along the way. Spring 2022

Souvenirs’ Spring Travel Playlist Free of Charge - The Band Camino

Homage -Mile High Club

Mensard Roof - Vampire Weekend

Television / So Far So Good - Rex Orange County

Paradinha - Anitta 10

Souvenirs

Photo by Angelina Huang

Graceland, Paul Simon

Bola Rebola - Tropkillaz, J Balvin, Anitta

Strangers - Mt Joy

Coastline - Hollow Coves

Freeway - Briston Maroney Spring 2022

Cross Country Chaos By Kaz Stuopis

y first act of adult independence: a planned trip for my cousin and I to celebrate graduating high school. We would travel across the U.S., from the Atlantic to the Pacific, passing postcard-worthy locations with every turn. Our itinerary was filled to the brim with national parks and exploration in parts of the U.S. we had never seen before, but the trip we planned was nothing like the reality that unfolded in the summer of 2021. All of our meticulous planning and built-up excitement crumbled when my cousin broke her wrist the night before I was supposed to leave New Hampshire to meet her in Wisconsin. Before I knew it, I found myself on the other side of the country driving circles around the Seattle-Tacoma airport, waiting to pick up a practical stranger, a boy I had only met briefly before. It was not what I had planned, but the show had to go on. To salvage the trip, my mom and I left for Wisconsin in my trusty Subaru, as planned, figuring we’d work out the details when we arrived. Our solution was to break the trip into three legs: the first from Madison, WI to Reno, NV; the second from Reno

to Seattle; and the third from Seattle back to Wisconsin. For me, each of these legs were defined by different themes. The first leg with my mom was a time of reunion: she was reunited with friends she hadn’t seen in many years and revisited her home state of Nevada. I learned so much about my mom’s life there while we drove through. The second leg with my cousin was defined by lime potato chips and questionable driving (winding roads and a broken wrist do not mix). The third, I defined by “3 C’s”: Cher, CBC Radio, and a deck of cards. By the time I had reached the Seattle-Tacoma airport, I had just finished up the “second leg” of my trip, which spanned from Reno, NV to Seattle, WA. Thankfully, my cousin was able to join me for this segment despite having only one functional arm. All that was left was the final leg from Seattle back to Wisconsin. This final leg was stressful and exciting all at once, and even more of an adventure than the first two. I was joined by Drew, an unexpected companion who was barely more than an acquaintance at the time. Although not included in our original trip plan, Drew agreed to

Photo by Kaz Stuopis, Crater Lake

Souvenirs

be a third driver as a backup for my cousin and I for the long driving days on the return to Wisconsin. However, my cousin needed to fly home from Seattle, to go to a follow-up appointment for her wrist. Now our three-person road trip had transformed into a 10-day, two-person trip with someone I barely knew. Whether I was ready or not, I was about to embark on one of the wildest and most fun experiences of my life. Taking a 10-day road trip with a practical stranger is just as awkward as it sounds. One would assume that when you know absolutely nothing about a person, you’d have plenty to talk about while you get to know each other. Quickly, I found that after several hours a day in the car, you run out of “getting to know a stranger” questions faster than you could imagine. After all the questions I could possibly ask were out the window, the only thing between Drew and I was a wall of silence. This was further exacerbated when we lost radio coverage in Montana. It was complete radio silence… until I remembered that my used car had come with a single Cher CD still inside the

Photo by Kaz Stuopis, Glacier National Park

Our three-person road trip had transformed into a 10-day, two-person trip with someone I barely knew.

CD player. There began the first of the “3 C’s” that defined the final leg of the trip. Drew and I probably listened to that one CD hundreds of times over the course of the trip. We finally took a slight break from Cher when we arrived at Glacier National Park. The campground was practically on the Canadian border, giving us radio access to CBC Radio 1, the second C of the “3 C’s”. During this time, Alberta was going through a record heatwave that caused many wildfires on the West Coast. It was interesting to be able to listen to Canadian radio stories about the fires, while still being in the U.S. Glacier National Park ended up being one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We took a 10mile round-trip hike to Iceberg Lake which was stunning. Less stunning was the bridge made of wobbly sticks that we had to cross, but thankfully, we made it across in one piece. We also did the Hidden Lake Overlook trail and hiked up the ridge, which was great, until we had to come down the steep and loose side. I don’t

know how the mountain goats do it. Once Drew and I were done with Glacier National Park, we headed out for Yellowstone. We did the mandatory visit to Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic Spring. While waiting for Old Faithful to erupt, we played cards—the third and final C. I’d like to think that I taught Drew how to shuf-

ing with joy in the parking lot when we found out that Grand Tetons’ pay showers were open for use. By far the best five dollars I have ever spent. Apart from the showers, the mountains were absolutely stunning. It was such an amazing experience to travel the country while getting to know someone new along the way,

After several hours a day in the car, you run out of “getting to know a stranger” questions faster than you could imagine. fle pretty well. We tried to go see the Black Dragon’s Cauldron, but never made it because bison charged at us and everyone else on the path. It was terrifying, but now a great fun fact! The highlight of the entire trip was our day trip to the Grand Tetons. By this point, it had been a week since Drew and I had been able to shower. Neither Glacier nor Yellowstone had showers open for the campgrounds. We were quite literally danc-

even if it was awkward from time to time. While the sights were surreal, it was the “3 C’s” that truly helped me bond with my new road trip companion. This trip was not even remotely what I expected it to be, but it forced me to be spontaneous, to accept whatever the universe threw at me and have fun with it.

Spring 2022

Photo by Shue Gottschalk

arajevo is a city steeped in history, in a country made for nature-lovers. It has a lively east-meets-west vibe, and if you’re a history-lover, an outdoorsy person, a pilgrim, a film buff or a foodie, Sarajevo should be on your bucket list.

Geography

Sarajevo is the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), a country situated on the rocky mountainous Balkan Peninsula in SE Europe. The Balkan Peninsula lies at the strategic crossroads between four seas, three continents, two empires and a few mountain ranges (“Balkan” is Turkish for mountain). Sarajevo is ringed by mountains, and BiH’s rugged terrain and proximity to the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas make it a perfect destination for nature lovers and sports enthusiasts.

History

Spotlight on Sarajevo By Shue Gottschalk

Sarajevo was greatly influenced by the Ottoman Empire, which ruled the Balkan Peninsula from the 1400s to the 1800s, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which ruled until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. These empires shaped the architecture, religion and culture. The city of Sarajevo is inhabited by multiple ethnic groups and religions, and is called the “Jerusalem of Europe” because mosques, Catholic churches and Orthodox domes dot the landscape. When it was selected to host the 1984 Winter Olympics, Sarajevo was part of Yugoslavia, a country that had unified six diverse republics (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia) under one national identity: “the land of the Southern Slavs.” Yugoslavia would be the first socialist country to host the Olympics, and it undertook massive construction projects to build the Olympic venues, infrastructure and amenities. Skiing and bobsled events for the 1984 Winter Olympics were held on four peaks that surround Sarajevo. The success of the 1984 Olympic Games predicted a bright future for Yugoslavia. But within 8 years, the country would implode, fractured by nationalistic rhetoric and calls for independence. Multi-ethnic BiH (45% Muslim Bosniaks, 33% Orthodox Serbs, 15% Catholic Croats) became ground zero for the Bosnian War, a brutal conflict that killed 200,000 people, displaced 2.2 million, and destroyed 35,000 buildings in Sarajevo alone. Serbian separatists laid siege to Sarajevo for nearly 4 years, cutting off supply lines and electrical power, crippling access to water. War journalist Barbara Demick described the 1992 cityscape: “Civilians were trapped inside the city, and people with guns were shooting at them.” The Siege of Sarajevo remains the longest blockade of a capital city in modern times. The Dayton Accord, signed at the end of 1995, brought a fragile peace to the region. Walking through Sarajevo’s peaceful streets in 2019 and talking with the welcoming, helpful and humble Bosnian people, it was hard to envision this place as a 1990s hotspot for war crimes. Sarajevo and BiH have been rebuilt, but some battle scars linger: walls and pavement pockmarked by gunfire, buildings with missing rooftops and windows, a mural recalling the Srebrenica Genocide of 8,000 Muslim

If you’re a history-lover, an athlete, a pilgrim, a film buff, or a foodie, Sarajevo should be on your bucket list.

Photo by Shue Gottschalk

citizens, and 200 “Sarajevo Roses” (mortar shell scars filled with red resin) to commemorate victims of the Siege. Reminders of a tumultuous and violent chapter in history. As we witness Russia’s invasion and bombing of Ukraine, Sarjevo is also a reminder that it’s quite easy to destroy buildings, neighborhoods, and cities, but the spirit of a place and its people cannot be destroyed.

nian flatbread) is considered the national dish. Another regional speciality is burek, a delicious savory meat pie. You won’t find Starbucks in Sarajevo, but you won’t miss it —Bosnian coffee is strong like espresso, brewed in tiny copper pots, and served with a piece of Turkish Delight (a gelatinous sugared candy). Knock back a pivo (Bosnian beer), or a small glass of rakija (a potent fruit brandy). Rakija is often made with plums, apricots, grapes, apples, or peaches, but it varies across the Balkan Peninsula, depending on the local fruit harvest.

Eight Things To Do in Sarajevo: 1.

Ride the gondola to Mt. Trebević to get a high-angle perspective of the city, the foothills and the Sarajevo Valley. Visit the abandoned Olympic bobsled track. These days, the track is a smooth, elevated surface used by walkers, bikers and skaters. It’s also a canvas for graffiti artists. It’s a surreal experience to walk amongst the treetops, along a colorful twisting path through Sarajevo history. Take a walking tour of old town Sarajevo. Sarajevo is a blend of Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian styles of architecture, and the Ottoman style is most prominent in Stari Grad, the historic heart of the city. Wander the stalls of the 15th century Baščaršija bazaar (renowned for metal artisans), tour the nearby Baščaršija Mosque and people-watch with the pigeons on the steps of the Sebilj fountain. Eat and drink. The smell of grilled meat is pervasive, and ćevapi (grilled links of ground meat served with Bos-

Explore the hills of Sarajevo by footpath, scooter, zipline, bike, taxi or gondola. The Skakavac Waterfall is 7 miles NE of Sarajevo and accessible by a gorgeous and tranquil hiking path.

Take a walking tour across 15 bridges that link the banks of the Miljacka River. The north end of the Latin Bridge was the site of the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which sparked World War I.

Visit the Sarajevo Tunnel near the airport. This military tunnel was built in 1993 to transport food, humanitarian aid and refugees in and out of Sarajevo during the Siege. A portion of the tunnel is open for tours.

Check out movie screenings during the Sarajevo Film Festival, held annually in August. Born in 1995 (during the Siege), this film festival is now the biggest in SE Europe, and a tribute to the resiliency of the Bosnian people.

Spring 2022

Turkish coffee pot

Burek, a filled Balkanian pastry

Abandoned bobsled track All photos by Shue Gottschalk

Mostar, a city in southern BiH

Abandoned bobsled track

Photo by Larissa Pasquini

Everything but a Plane Crash By Maria Brunetta

t’s the holiday season. An eager family of four prepares for their trip to their home country of Brazil after two years of not going back. After almost 20 years of traveling all over the world, this family has never had an issue with flights or bags or covid despite taking trips to Mexico, California and Florida post-lockdown. They thought this time would not be different, but oh how they were wrong. The story starts with me living in Madison, an hour away from the rest of my family. I was set to go back home on Friday December 17th for winter break, and our flight to Brazil was a week later, the 24th (yes, Christmas eve.) On Wednesday the 15th, one of my roommates tested positive for covid, right at the beginning of the Omicron wave in Wisconsin. I was worried but after several negative tests on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I figured I would be okay. That Saturday, December 18th, I went to get my third dose of the covid vaccine and woke up the next morning feeling horrendous.

Souvenirs

As I cried due to a pounding headache, body aches and lack of energy, I thought to myself, It has to be side effects from the vaccine. I felt horrible after my second dose, so it makes sense that I feel sick. I’ll feel better tomorrow. But then Monday hit, my body still hurt, and I was having trouble breathing. I had a bad feeling that I may have covid. Tuesday came and my family headed over to CVS for our required PCR test. Luckily, we had this scheduled months before covid tests became a scarcity. All was well, until they said the tests might take up to four days to get back, but our trip was four days away. So the next day, we found a location for a rapid PCR test, and that’s when everything went wrong. “Maria? You’re testing positive for covid-19 today” said the physician. I was crushed and sobbed hysterically on the car ride home, but deep down I knew this was coming. Once the shock wore off and our family was updated on the news, we made the decision that if

we were all negative by the beginning of the next week, we would go. After a quarantine Christmas, my family got tested on Sunday the 26th. We were all negative, so we booked our flights for the 28th. I thankfully tested negative on the 27th after going around the city looking for an antigen test since nowhere was available. Then we were off, bright and early on the 28th worrying that something would go wrong with my covid test and the long trip to Brazil. We drove to Chicago for our first flight. It’s important to note that due to our schedules, my mom and I would be staying longer than my dad and my sister, so we had different connecting flights. My mom and I would leave for Miami around two hours earlier than my dad and sister. It was 11:20 am and my mom and I boarded the plane, watching the snowfall outside. We were all set to go and then we got the news we would need to switch planes, and at that point we were an hour late. This, of course, caused my sister and dad’s flight to

be late. My mom and I got to Miami with no time to have dinner or use the bathroom before our flight to Brazil. My sister and dad, who were supposed to get on the same flight, only landed in Miami as we were taking off. From then on, my mom and I had a very smooth trip and got to our city, Curitiba, the next morning. Unfortunately, the situation with my sister and dad was a whole different story. They were able to schedule a flight from 11:00 p.m. that same night but then it got delayed to 2:00a.m. and eventually 10:00 a.m. With a lack of hotels nearby they had to sleep on the airport floor; that’s when my sister began breaking down. Of course, once they had boarded and were set to take off, the news broke that they were experiencing additional delays because of a bag which had been incorrectly placed on their plane. They didn’t leave until 1:30p.m. which meant they would miss their connecting flight in Brazil. My sister was so angry, every time she would connect to wifi she would send me a photo of herself crying, not understanding why this was happening to her. With a lack of available flights and an enormous amount of exhaustion, my sister and dad decided to spend the night in Sao Paulo and catch a flight to Curitiba the next morning. It didn’t seem like the worst situation, except for the fact that when they landed in Sao Paulo, they got a text alerting them that their luggage was still in Miami. Without any luggage or sleep, they headed to their hotel and the next morning they arrived in one piece in Curitiba. Thankfully, they had no more major problems and we all enjoyed the trip to Brazil. Now, we just laugh about the irony of the situation. We had never, ever faced a major issue when traveling, but in one trip we had experienced everything that could go wrong besides a plane crash. Friendly advice from traveler to traveler: always ensure a sufficient connection time of over 2 hours, try to book your tickets on the same flight and bring a change of clothes and snacks. It’s better to prepare for the worst than expect the best.

“Maria? You’re testing positive for COVID-19 today” Photo by Larissa Pasquini

Photo by Angelina Huang

Small Town

or Big City? By Devon Grasley

Souvenirs

mall town or Big City? If you could choose one to spend the rest of your life in, where would you want to settle? Lucky for you, I have lived in both, and have compiled plenty of notes about the pros and cons. Whether you are looking for fast-paced adventure or laid-back solitude, here is a guide on both the smallest of towns and the biggest of cities.

Perks of a Small Town

Perks of a Big City

•

Convenience Most small towns have everything you need within a few blocks. You can walk to the hardware store to buy all your restoration needs and then walk across the street to buy groceries for tonight’s dinner. There are plenty of local, small businesses that are guaranteed to supply you with whatever you need. Community Small towns are very well known for the close-knit community that resides there. Everyone knows everyone from churches to bars to even the local community center. That can certainly bring a level of comfort and familiarity, especially if you are new in town and looking to fit in with a solid and steady routine. Affordability When looking for that perfect dream home, you will spend considerably less in a smaller community. The price of living is cheaper, the amount you pay for necessities is cheaper, and in turn, your bank account will definitely be thanking you.

•

Easy transportation While many people have a distaste towards public transportation, it’s actually one of the most convenient things about living in a big city! Where parking is limited, public transportation will take you exactly where you need to go. It can be a lifesaver! It can be intimidating as well, but with modern technology, it really is a breeze! Endless things to do Whether you are looking for a late-night snack or a new adventure, big cities seem to have it all. With so many things to eat and so many places to see, you will never be bored. Plus, the endless coffee shops are simply amazing. Better job opportunities With more companies in a bigger city, there are many job opportunities. No matter what your field is or where you are in your field, there is an opportunity for everyone. Plus, working for bigger companies comes with better benefits!

Downsides of a Small Town

Downsides of Big Cities

•

Isolation Small towns can be great for comfortability but they often lie far away from neighboring cities and towns. Some people may find the closeness of the community suffocating and tight. If you are finding that you want to see more of the world around you then maybe small towns are not for you. Drama No matter how unproblematic you are, with a small-town community, you are bound to be sucked into the smalltown problems. Everyone knows everyone and then in turn everyone knows everyone’s business. Privacy is important and some days it feels that no matter how hard you try people still find out what’s going on in your life. If you prefer to keep to yourself, I wouldn’t recommend staying in a small town. Limited attractions Unless you are in a small town tourist area, like a lake town or a resort town, there tend to be limited attractions. Most small towns have few things here and there, such as a local park, or sometimes even a strip mall, but more times than not the fun stops there. If you are adventurous and always want to try something new, staying in a small town will definitely limit you.

•

Higher cost of living Unfortunately, in more populated areas, there is always a higher price for living. Apartments cost more, groceries cost more, and even restaurants tend to be more expensive. If you are looking to live on a very tight budget, living in a large city is not the way to go. Highly populated Cities are way more crowded than living in small communities. You will definitely be a face in a sea of people. I personally enjoy that, but if you tend to get crowd anxiety or claustrophobic then I'd advise visiting elsewhere. Pollution Big cities are not typically known for how “clean” they are. With the amount of public transportation, factories, and everyday cars on the street, air pollution can be a big concern. While there are actions protecting against said pollution, there is not a one-fix solution, so the risk is still present. Smaller communities tend to have less smog and garbage around. This could be a huge determining factor in your next step, especially if you have little ones running around.

Spring 2022

Still round the corner, there may wait, a new road or a secret gate. J.R.R. Tolkien

Souvenirs

Photo by Angelina Huang

Spring 2022

The Beauty of Brazil By Larissa Pasquini

rom the perspective of a tourist, Brazil is associated with the summer, sun, the beach, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro and Christ the Redeemer, among many things. My relationship with Brazil is unique, as I am neither a tourist nor a naturally born native. Trips to visit extended family, constant communication with my Brazilian relatives, speaking Portuguese at home and eating Brazilian foods in the U.S. keep me connected to the roots of my parent’s culture as a Brazilian-American. These connections simultaneously create a unique and discombobulating experience of bi-culturalism that has shaped who I am as a whole. The formation of this mesclagem (mix) of cultures starts with the story of my parents and their journey within the U.S. My parents immigrated from Brazil to the U.S. a day after they got married. Their journey through the U.S. took them from Miami to Salt Lake City and now Brookfield, Wisconsin. This long-winded journey was prompted by my dad’s path to becoming a doctor. My dad’s fellowships eventually led our family to settle in a suburb of Milwaukee. Brookfield is not exactly a beacon of cultural abundance; it’s quite the opposite, in fact. However, spending the majority of my life in that little suburb means it is somewhat home to me. I did my best to bring my culture to the people I knew, sharing about cultural foods and rituals and connecting with other people who were also children of immigrants. I even found myself in a multicultural group of friends, despite the overwhelming white majority of kids in our school. Knowing the language is key to having access to a culture. Without knowing the language, the culture feels distant and hard to understand. From birth, I was taught both English and Portuguese. I consider both my mother tongues. After long vacations in Brazil, I would return to my kindergarten class speaking only Portuguese. As I got older, me and three other Brazilian girls would meet up weekly with our Portuguese grammar tutor to help us keep up with our Portuguese and advance our ability to speak correctly. Knowing Portuguese helps me immensely to stay connected with my family in Brazil and to stay in touch with my culture. If I had not kept up with practicing Portuguese at home, I might not have the capabilities I have now. Without my capacity to speak

Souvenirs

Portuguese, I cannot imagine trying to connect and stay in touch with my family in Brazil. Yearly trips to Brazil and occasional trips to European countries have shown me how different the experiences of tourists and natives are. The beauty of Brazil for me lies with my connection to and memories with my family, food and places, while a tourist may have a different experience. I have been a tourist in Spain, Italy, France and Slovenia. These trips held more of an aspect of excitement of entering the

unknown. Being a tourist is equated to being an observant of a culture, instead of participating in the culture as you would if you were a native. My bi-culturalism makes me a native of two cultures. At times in both places, I feel as though I sit in the position of being an observer. The morality and cultural norms of where I am may not sit right with me at times. Mixing two cultures creates a completely different set of cultural norms that has relevance with both cultures, but often with small layovers between the two. Identity, when belonging to two cultures, is often discombobulating; where I see myself in either culture is hard to decipher as both are so ingrained into who I am. Anyone who has parents that immigrated to a different country, and remain in contact with their parents’ culture, can most likely attest to this feeling. We, as children of immigrants, find that neither culture is fully who we are, as a mix of both impacts who we are and how we see the world around us.

All photos by Larissa Pasquini

Spring 2022

Photo by Kaz Stuopis, Glacier National Park

Souvenirs’ Best Travel Tips!

Souvenirs

Spring 2022

Photo by Angelina Huang

Souvenirs

Photo by Angelina Huang

Spring 2022

Traveling Companions:

A Worldly Experience By Nikki Cuevas

hether you’re younger and more inexperienced or a travel pro, most people like to travel with others. Up until attending university, the only traveling people I could trust were my family. Growing up as a first-generation student in the U.S., I rarely got to see my mother’s family from Guatemala, but we’ve been fortunate to have made two trips there as a family before I went myself without them. Though the memories are hazy, and the album photographs are nostalgic, those family trips were my first exposure to traveling. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had the opportunity to travel with all sorts of people, even people I barely knew. In late 2019, my friends and I booked a trip to Guatemala. These were people that I formed strong bonds within a matter of months, and we all share a love for traveling. At some point, I mentioned that I wanted to travel for the first time without family over the upcoming winter break, and my mom’s homeland called our names. We booked flights to Guatemala City from December 30, 2019, to January 13, 2020. It felt right at the time to spend the new year somewhere else, and two weeks was the perfect amount of time to enrich ourselves in the culture and travel within the country as college students. It’s great to travel with people that have traveled before. From my group, one had been to Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, Laos, Vietnam, and studied abroad in Bangkok, Thailand. Another had studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa for a semester. Another had visited over 10 countries in Europe, and studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain for a semester. With the group’s experiences in a variety of places, it was easy to trust. Trust alleviates any hesitation around traveling. You should feel safe in your company’s presence, in their ability to navigate new countries because of how open-minded and adaptable they are. These traits got us through many interesting situations. In the capital city and areas such as San Pedro, next to Lake Atitlán, there are multiple places to book transportation. Well aware of increasing tourism, agencies often will increase their prices, and as college students, our budgets are not flexible. To book trips to travel to the Mayan ruins in Flores, we split into pairs and visited numerous places to find the most reasonable prices. Some people would urge us to book soon because of limited availability and the tactic was tempting, but, fortunately, a connection one of my friends had made earlier helped us out and gave us

Souvenirs

an affordable price. Despite the stressful situation, being patient with ourselves and others was rewarding, as we got to spend more time bonding, sharing papaya smoothies and sweet fried platanos, and enjoying the view. During the first week of our trip, sunset came early, leaving us in the dark on a mountain looking across the town of Antigua. Our Ubers canceled on us multiple times while we were waiting to go down the mountain and we were on the verge of being left alone, as cars are the best way to travel up and down the mountain. Luckily, while only one of us was fluent in Spanish, the other two knew the language well with passable conversational skills. With the remaining parting locals around, my fluent friend went to talk to a couple people to ask for a ride. At first, we were getting rejections, but alas, a family agreed and took us down. We asked to get dropped off the second we were down the mountain to avoid being followed, as it’s hard to trust strangers, which is all the more reason to trust those you’re traveling with. It was comforting to know that my friends and I had each other. Using Google Maps, the four of us walked back safely. Our takeaways included that taking chances with Ubers wasn’t the best move and language is crucial to surviving these encounters. While I have talked about the positive traits and characteristics that your travel partners should have, here are some other traits that you should look out for that, even if they aren’t necessarily red flags, if you avoid traveling with people like this, you might prevent some complicated scenarios:

• Referring to myself, 19 is a young age. At the

• • • •

time, I was impatient and strived to follow a strict itinerary. It’s best to avoid strict itinerary, and instead, be flexible when constructing them. Refusal to do an activity; always vouch for compromise Going to bed upset; if possible, talk about it soon so you’re not lugging around hard feelings like bitterness Not giving people space to decompress and be alone for a bit, even if it’s just a nap in the room or getting an early breakfast Unwilling to view important cultural and historical sites

Photo by Angelina Huang

Spring 2022

The Unexpected Dangers of Rocky Mountain National Park By Lucy Macek

ocky Mountain National Park, located in the beautiful state of Colorado, features a variety of scenery, from meadows to pine forests, all surrounded by picturesque mountains. You’d think it would be an absolute dream to hike in this magical place, but the truth is, unexpected perils lie within. This past May, I ventured off to see what this national park was all about, not realizing the terrifying moments that lay ahead. But with that said, I still would love to experience my trip all over again if I could, since it truly is a unique and gorgeous place to visit. Angry Moose The first danger of hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park would be the angry moose. If you visit the park, know to keep your distance from the moose. Moose can get very territorial, especially during mating season. They can weigh up to 1500 pounds, stand at the height of seven feet tall, and run at 35 miles per hour. I also didn’t know moose can swim, so be careful, even if they are across the stream from you. When I was hiking in the woods, I had to keep my eye out for these moose, and at one point, had to turn back around because one was too close to the trail.

These squirrels may look harmless and adorable, but beware!

Photo by Lucy Macek

Mountain Squirrels The next perils are the feisty little squirrels you can find scurrying on just about any trail you hike on. These squirrels may look harmless and adorable, but beware! They will come right up to you and beg for food. DO NOT give them any! I made the mistake of reaching my hand out to see if it would let me pet it, and instead, it grabbed my finger with its little paws and bit it until my finger bled. This is very dangerous because these squirrels can actually carry the bubonic plague. Who knew such cute, little animals could be so scary! Snow and Ice The last dangers are snow and ice. It’s essential at all times of the year in Rocky Mountain National Park to bring yaktrax! Yaktrax are metal coils you strap onto your shoes for traction on slippery surfaces. These will be your best friends and keep you from falling on the ice and snow. I did not know this coming into the trip, and had to purchase some at the biggest REI store I’ve ever seen while staying in Boulder, Colorado. Even so, be wary of where you step. I, unfortunately, made the mistake of stepping on some ice on a small stream five miles into my hike, and my foot went straight through. My hiking boots were no match for the icy water, and my foot remained cold and wet the entire rest of my hike. Overall, Rocky Mountain National Park is such a gorgeous place to visit, but these are some of the things I really wish I knew before traveling there. Please keep these dangers in mind before you venture off there, and hopefully, you will have an even more enjoyable and amazing experience than I did!

Photo by Kaz Stuopis

Photo by Lucy Macek

Spring 2022

Souvenirs is a collection of travel and multicultural experiences from students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Souvenirs’ mission is to provide a platform for students to share lessons they learned while traveling and to provide readers with quality information while inspiring wanderlust.

Photo by Angelina Huang