WORLD VIEWS Student photos from around the globe B-TOWN’S BEST
THE GLOBAL ISSUE
ETHNIC EATERIES:
Our top six picks inside! Student soldier reflects on tour in Afghanistan
HOOSIER HOPEFULS
IU athletes gear up for ’08 Olympics
INDIANA DAILY STUDENT
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THE GLOBAL ISSUE [ What’s Inside ]
this issue 18
Zoom out
14 Finding the beat
From Zambia to New Zealand, students capture life abroad.
Sophomore Brian Spegele retraces author Jack Kerouac’s famous journey as he drives across the Midwest.
10 Bound for Beijing? Three IU student athletes aim for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
every issue 4
6
Editor’s Letter
5
Know-It-All
7
Student soldier Matt Estheimer tells us what you don’t see on CNN.
Find out the best ethnic restaurants Bloomington has to offer.
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Vol. 2 • Issue 2
Cover image by Mallory Burns www.idsnews.com/inside
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Confessions
International students tell us what not to miss in their hometowns.
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INside Out
IU alumnus shares advice after 25 years of global adventures.
Light up your holiday get-up with something extra for less than $30.
The cover photograph, from spring 2006, was captured using Burns’ camera’s selftimer while on top of the tallest pyramid of Teotihuacán in Mexico City.
A Better U
[ INside • 3
Special Thanks Brian Spegele, sophomore Brian traveled nearly 1,500 miles, covering three states in two weekends in search of Jack Kerouac’s America for INside. Find out what he found on page 14. Brian is majoring in journalism and international studies and is the special projects editor of the Indiana Daily Student.
Whitney Mitchell, senior For “Insider’s Take,” page 8, we asked Whitney to track down diverse student sources and ask them for the scoop on the places they know and love the best – their hometowns. Whitney is majoring in journalism and political science and is campus editor of the Indiana Daily Student.
Jay Seawell, junior Jay stepped up to the plate and helped us photograph the IU athletes training for the Beijing Olympics, featured on page 10. Jay is majoring in journalism and is the photo editor of Weekend, the IDS’ weekly entertainment magazine.
4 • INside
Letter from the Editor The world is getting smaller, but you already know that. INside’s goal for The Global Issue wasn’t to tell you how or why that’s happening but rather to open your eyes to what’s out there waiting for you. So we wanted to give you something smart, fun, and – most importantly – useful. Education has turned this small Indiana town into an oasis of international culture. Resources right here on campus can help us understand the world, and you are a part of this global community. You can enroll in literature of India alongside Brazilian ju-jitsu and elementary Korean. You can study abroad in Croatia or Costa Rica or Canada. You can take classes with professors and students from the farthest reaches of the earth – and you can visit those places. We can help. With all of these resources and the advent of technologies like Google Earth and YouTube, it may be easy to think you’re experiencing all the world has to offer from your own dorm room or classroom. But we wanted to encourage you to get out and explore and learn – whether in our backyard (Don’t tell us your idea of ethnic food is a burrito, page 6), across the Midwest (Beatniks & Back Roads: Rediscovering Kerouac’s America, page 14), or around the world (Insider’s Take, page 8). Some students have already explored parts of our globe, and INside is giving you the opportunity to see what they have experienced through the “Framing the World” photo essay on page 18. I was overwhelmed by the more than 100 images we received. It just goes to show that Hoosiers are everywhere. You can see all of the entries at www.idsnews.com/inside. You can also watch the video diary from Brian Spegele’s trip to find Jack Kerouac’s America.
Editor Kelsey Peters poses with a troop of traditional Indian dancers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in summer 2005.
Lastly, a special thanks goes out to all of the readers who visited INside online and posted comments about The Seven Deadly Sins Issue. I really appreciated hearing from you all. Keep ’em coming! I hope this issue offers something for everyone – from the seasoned traveler to the Indiana homebody to the international student. These are stories that you can’t find anywhere else. Look for the next issue of INside on newsstands on Feb. 12.
– Kelsey Peters, Editor
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CRITIQUES? E-MAIL THE EDITOR AT INSIDE@IDSNEWS.COM
CONFESSIONS
Heart of a soldier
Just two months after 9/11, junior Matt Estheimer joined the Army, a decision he says was only strengthened after the terrorist attacks. Two years later, the now 23-year-old found himself fighting in Kabul and Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan, working as the eyes and ears of his commanders. I went over when I was 19. You fly commercial airlines from the States to a place in Europe, and then from there you fly a military plane. It’s very loud, and everybody wears earplugs. You have your live ammo; you’re locked and loaded. You’re ready to get off the plane, and you’re ready for war. Pretty much everybody who goes over thinks it’s going to be nonstop combat the whole time. It is in a sense, but you’re not firing rounds the entire time. I was in a reconnaissance platoon. Long story short, it’s watching the bad guys and then telling your higher unit where they’re at. Not just somebody directly above you, but somebody way above you is going to base big decisions off of what you say. The whole point of being reconnaissance is to gather intelligence without being noticed. You could sit in a cave or a little hole, and you just sit and wait. You wait for whoever they’re telling you to look for. If they
just tell you to report any activity in a certain area, that’s just what you do. A great recon team will never have to shoot because nobody will know they’re there. But everybody has to defend themselves at some point. I would never go anywhere without between 1,000 and 1,200 rounds with me. You have times when things are real close and up in your face. Other times it’s more like a drive by where somebody will run through an alley and shoot a couple rounds and then run. One day, I was riding in the back of a Humvee, and I had a few rounds land within six inches of my feet. It still makes me think: What if they were a little bit better shot? But I turned out okay. I never got shot. We didn’t have anybody in my platoon die – thank God – because they become like your family, and that’s not just while you’re over there. There were days where I would do anything to go home. There were
days where I would’ve walked home if you would have let me. And then there were other days where I knew what I was doing was a good cause and that I’m not getting home any sooner wanting to go home. Some days you’ll get five or ten letters from home, and those are great days. Other days it just kind of gets you, where the hell you’re at. But there’s a lot more good things that happen than most people know. All they see is a helicopter crash or that a vehicle got blown up. We had the families from home send in money, and we gave rice to villagers who were starving in orphanages, but nobody’s ever heard about that on CNN. I know that when I left it was a good mission, and I trust that it still is. It’s real hectic coming straight from Afghanistan to IU. On one hand, this is a great place to get in trouble. You come home; you have money. You have the willingness to
go out and drink and do everything that IU does a good job of. You kind of don’t give yourself a chance to think and wind down. But you have a bigger perspective. Things that would ruin other people’s days don’t really affect me near as much because you realize where you’ve just been. Sometimes I miss it. I don’t know why; I just do. I wouldn’t volunteer to go back before I’m called up again, but there’s no way I would try to get out of it. – As told to Kristi Oloffson
Courtesy Photo
Matt gives water to a boy outside the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2005. Matt and other soldiers often met children like this one begging for money and food on the streets.
INside • 5
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KNOW-IT-ALL
Please don’t tell us your idea of ethnic food is a burrito.
Casablanca Cafe
There are plenty of unique eateries serving cuisine from around the globe right here in our own backyard. We sent the INside staff to try them out.
Japanee Food: Japanese and sushi Location: 320 N. Walnut St. Prices: $10-15 per dish Atmosphere: Minimalist and stylish, with candlelight at every table adding nice ambiance. Great place for: A more casual date but only if you’re good enough with chopsticks to not drop sushi in your lap. (Traditional silverware is available if you decide to just fork it.) Our favorite: Anything deep fried – the crazy roll is awesome! All in all: Don’t stick to just sushi. Order the bento boxes, or you’ll regret it. One last thing: Try the house hot sake. It’s an acquired taste, but at least you can say you gave it a shot.
Food: French Location: 308 W. 6th St. Prices: $14-19 per dish Atmosphere: Intimate and cozy, especially for being a converted garage. Great place for: An excuse to drink wine with friends and speak in hammy French accents. Our favorite: Salmon with tomato béchamel. All in all: The best way to enjoy a meal is to set aside a lot of time. Patrick Fiore entertains guests while his wife Marina Ballor cooks in the back. The owners are delightful, but the food is not entirely worth the wait. One last thing: Where else can you order fresh rabbit? 6 • INside
N. Walnut St.
College Ave. E. 6th St.
Le Petit Cafe
N. Morton St.
Kirkwood Ave.
Grant St.
E. 4th St.
Anatolia Food: Turkish and Mediterranean Location: 405 E. 4th St. Prices: $10-15 per dish Atmosphere: Bright and lively, like a Turkish Starbucks. Great place for: Discussing books or politics with friends, or simply relaxing. Our favorite: Cheese pide. All in all: If you’re feeling especially adventurous, this would be our pick. While the meatball kabob was too salty for our tastes, the overall dining experience was exceptional. One Last Thing: Sit at one of the many floor tables, and lounge on cushions as you dine. It truly makes you feel you’ve gotten the ethnic food experience.
Food: Moroccan and Mediterranean Location: 402 E. 4th St. Prices: $12-14 per dish, daily specials vary Atmosphere: Funky Bloomington-esque eatery where Morocco meets Midwest. Great place for: Impressing your date with your foreign cuisine prowess. Our favorite: Chicken kabob with couscous and veggies. All in all: The charming cafe that used to be a house can be found in the Fourth Street oasis of ethnic restaurants. Its exterior leaves a bit to be desired, but beautiful Moroccan lanterns give the interior an exotic glow. The service was friendly, but allow yourself enough time because the experience takes a while. One last thing: Call ahead to see if the belly dancer will be there!
Esan Thai Restaurant Food: Thai Location: 221 E. Kirkwood Ave. Prices: $9-15 dollars per dish Atmosphere: A bit noisy, as the main dining area offers long tables for big groups of patrons. Great place for: Celebrating finally finishing that big team project with your fellow group members. Our favorite: Shrimp Pa Nang. All in all: Those daredevil eaters can dictate how spicy they want their food with the convenient star system, one star being mild and five stars being the spiciest. Do you dare try “Thai hot?” One last thing: Do yourself a favor, and order a Thai iced tea with your meal.
El Norteno Food: Mexican Location: 206 N. Walnut St. Prices: $7-10 per dish Atmosphere: Campy and streaming with Mexican patriotism. Great place for: Enjoying an evening with your significant other following your return to Bloomington from winter break. Celebremos! Our favorite: Steak fajita. All in all: It’s a great place to enjoy the eats of old Mexico while being in the heart of historic Bloomington. The restaurant is located in the former Princess Theater near the square, and you can’t help but feel happy as you sip on Jarritos Mexican soda. Don’t forget to try the restaurant’s coveted mole sauce. One last thing: You can have it delivered! Just call 812-333-9591.
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For this year’s seasonal outfits, stick to gold, red, off-white, and black. You’ll never disappoint!
‘V’ for Victory – Instead of opting for the traditional button-up shirt for dressier occasions, freshman Kevin Camp wears a close fitting, V-neck tee for a trendier look. Black V-neck shirt, Urban Outfitters $14 New Heights – Steve Urkel is out, but suspenders are in! Pair them with a basic tee for a fun look that is unexpected, unlike a basic button-up and tie. Red suspenders, Campus Costume $8
Total: $22
Professional Center Bldg
photos by David E. Corso
Welcome to our worldwide family of 500,000 IU graduates! Visit www.alumni.indiana.edu and click the 2007 Graduates link to: • Register for your IU alumni e-mail account and IU alumni career services • Visit the IU alumni chapter network • Learn about your FREE one-year membership in the Alumni Association Questions? Call (812) 855-2663 or e-mail iuaamemb@indiana.edu INside • 7
A BETTER U
Insider’s Take
Students from around the world gave us the scoop on their hometowns so you can broaden your horizons and get more stamps in your passport. By Whitney Mitchell
Canberra, Australia, according to senior Veronica Walshaw
Hong Kong, China, according to sophomore Saphia Cheung
You can’t miss: The museums. Also, Sydney is
You can’t miss: The Hong Kong night view.
just a couple of hours away, where you can do a bridge climb. It’s popular with tourists but not for those afraid of heights.
Best way to spend a Friday night: Drinking beer at pubs with friends. Be sure to order: Lebanese cuisine. When you’re out on a Friday night, it’s popular to grab falafels and kabobs. There are a lot of good Chinese restaurants, too. Most popular recreational activity: Sun, sand, and surf. All of the beaches are public. Most people surf, but at the Great Barrier Reef, you can go scuba diving and snorkeling. Those on a budget should: Go camping out in the brush. There are many national parks, and kangaroos are everywhere. Best way to get around: Trains. Some cities have trains, but it’s probably best to fly from city to city. Savvy tourists should know: Wear sunscreen.
Sometimes it’s so beautiful, it’s hard to believe it’s not a picture. Best place to get food: Street vendors. Be sure to try fish balls, egg tarts, and Hong Kong-style milk-tea. Biggest tourist attractions: Ocean Park and Disneyland, which are two of Hong Kong’s famous theme parks. There’s also the Ngong Ping 360, a sky ride that takes you over the city. Best way to spend a Friday night: Karaoke bars! They’re popular, fun, and cheap. You can also go to the theater, out for a good dinner, to one of the huge shopping malls, or to the many clubs and bars. Best way to get around: The MTR, which is similar to the subway system in New York City. It’s the most convenient mode of transportation and can get you anywhere. Most popular recreational activity: Bike riding. There are a lot of roads built for cycling.
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, according to sophomore Cesar Escovar You can’t miss: The gorgeous waterfalls outside of the resort area. Visit Santo Domingo, the capital city, for beautiful colonial architecture and historic artifacts, like the cannons of Christopher Columbus. Where to stay: The resorts. They’re safe, beautiful, right on the beach, and not as expensive as most resorts in other countries. Make sure to order: Mofongo, which is rice and Dominican sausage. Also try corqutas, which are similar to mozzarella sticks, only with meat.
Most popular recreational activity: Dancing. People love to dance, and the best clubs are in the capital city. Salsa and meringue dance were basically born in the Dominican
Republic, so you can’t miss it when you come. It’s also fun to go scuba diving in the reefs. Most popular drink: El Presidente, the beer of the Dominican Republic. It’s really tasty! Best way to spend the evening: Go to the beach, and watch the night sky. There are so many beautiful stars, a comfortable breeze, and the salt sea air is wonderful. But watch out for crabs in the sand! Savvy tourists should know: If you’re a young female, don’t stray outside the resort area by yourself. The Dominican Republic is a beautiful place, but there is some crime. If you don’t know your way around, go with someone you know.
Don’t forget to check out visa requirements and travel advisories at www.travel.state.gov.
8 • INside
Seoul, South Korea, according to junior Kiley Kim You can’t miss: The farmer’s market downtown. They sell tons of things, from clothing to vegetables to groceries. You should also see the palaces. They’re huge and beautiful, and some of them are free to visit. Be sure to order: A multi-course meal in a traditional Korean restaurant downtown. You have to sit down on the floor like you would in a traditional Korean house. They have course menus, and the food just keeps coming! Best recreational activity: The Han River. It’s in the middle of Seoul and has a night ferry that showcases the city’s skyline. There’s also a park downtown close to City Hall that is comparable to Central Park in New York City. Savvy tourists should know: You don’t tip. Include a 10 percent gratuity at expensive restaurants, but don’t tip at normal places. Also, a lot of young people speak English. They might not be fluent, but if you ask a simple question they will understand you. Best place to stay: Kangnam, which is a neighborhood in the city. It’s a great area to meet young people. Best way to spend a Friday night: Clubbing. It’s great for nightlife, not too expensive, and you only have to be 19 to get in.
A BETTER U Lahore, Pakistan, according to sophomore Muhammad Abdullah Did you know: Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan, as well as the nation’s educational capital because it has the most colleges and universities in the country. You can’t miss: The food. Lahore is all about the food, and there are hundreds of restaurants. Make sure to order: Chicken kahari, which is really spicy chicken fried on coal in an open pan with ginger, spices, and tomatoes. Biggest tourist attraction: The historical architecture. Go to the Badshahi Mosque, which faces a fort in the city. The Shalimar Gardens are popular, too. Best way to get around: Buses. It’s 35 cents, and they go all over the city. You don’t have to get off at any point, so you can just take in the sights. Best time to visit: February. A huge kite festival makes it so that you can’t even see the sky because there are so many. Savvy tourists should know that: People will try to trick you into paying more because they know you’re a tourist. It’s always good to have a local with you.
Aix-en-Provence, France, according to grad student Delphine Criscenzo You can’t miss: The rotunda downtown. There are streets that are mostly meant for walking, with lots of old buildings to admire. Don’t miss the hot water springs, too.
Best way to spend a Friday night: Clubbing. The best clubs are outside of the city, but there’s a shuttle that leaves from the rotunda to take you there. For a more quiet night, you can go to the beach. It’s beautiful, and people go out on boats from the ports. Best recreational activity: Hiking. There are a lot of different trails with beautiful areas
near the cliffs and nice beaches on the coast. The weather is always good in Aix; it never gets cold, so you can always go outside. Best way to get around: By car. There are a lot of places you will want to go around Aix, like Marseilles, which is only 45 minutes away. There are also guided bus tours that are good for travelers who don’t know their way around. Make sure to order: Sicilian ratatouille, which has tomato, eggplant, zucchini, onion, and garlic. There are lots of different foods because of a fusion of Italian and French cuisine.
Dublin, Ireland, according to senior Dara Mcloughlin Don’t forget to pack: A rain jacket. The
Irish stew.
weather is so unpredictable that you usually see signs of weather from all four seasons in one day. Best way to get around: On foot. But there’s a great public transportation system with buses, trains, and trams that can take you to every corner of the city with no hassle. You’ve got to try: Pub grub. It’s a huge part of the cultural experience, and most bars serve the traditional favorites of fish and chips (fries) and
Best way to spend a Friday night: Most college students socialize in the cultural centre of the city called Temple Bar. It’s filled with pubs, clubs, quirky restaurants, artistic galleries, and theater venues. If you’re into sports: See Gaelic football and hurling. The field games are something not seen in any other country, and hurling is known to be the fastest field sport in the world.
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Training for the
rings With team trials set to begin in June, three Hoosier athletes set their sights on the 2008 Summer Olympics. Story by Allie Townsend Photos by Jay Seawell
10 • INside
C h r i s t i n a
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L o u k a s ith an arched back and pointed toes, she slips gracefully through the air, twisting and knotting her body before she glides through the water’s
surface – barely upsetting the still pool. Her purple Speedo glistens as she emerges and makes her way back to the beginning again, back to the board. She is senior Christina Loukas, a curly-headed former gymnast from a small Illinois town, and now, she’s bound for Beijing. Or at least, that’s her dream. The experienced diver has an entire laundry list of championships, titles, and records. Her name appears three times on the wall of the SRSC pool as a record holder. But to Christina, diving isn’t about records – it’s about fate. “No matter what happens or doesn’t happen, I feel like there is no time better than right now to chase this,” she says. “I feel like this was supposed to happen. Everything else up until this point has just been a stepping stone.” Christina Loukas A gymnast at the age of 3 who turned Won the silver to diving 10 years later, Christina is among a medal in the threeselect few already eligible to compete in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Focusing meter at the 2007 on the three-meter and three-meter synchroWorld University nized dives, she has decided to concentrate Games in Thailand solely on her journey to the trials, red-shirtand second place ing from the IU women’s swimming and in the three-mediving team this season. ter, and the silver “I know that I’m putting more pressure medal in synchroon myself by putting all of my effort into nized at the 2007 one goal,” she says. “But my training hasn’t Speedo USA changed; my routines haven’t changed. I’m just more of a focused diver now. I think Diving Spring I’m ready.” National Taking a year off competition and a Championships. part-time class schedule may seem like a Something you lighter load to the average observer, but don’t know: She’s with two-a-day practices complete with afraid of heights. conditioning and mental preparation, “I used to compete Christina’s schedule has become anything in the 10-meter, but easy. and I was terrified “I’m in the water for at least five or six hours a day,” she says. “And it has been difof it.” ficult. I get worn out, of course, but this is what I want, and I’ll do what I need to.”
A b b i e
I
S t e c h s c h u l t e
t’s just past 11:45 a.m. as graduate student Abbie Stechschulte knocks over the lemon-colored high jump bar. She does a back roll onto the large mat, pulls herself back up, and looks for instruction from her coach.
“Come on sunshine gang!” he yells smiling, holding a video camera in his hand. The mood is light inside the Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse, but the dreams run deep. She takes her place on the small platform once again, ready to practice her form from a standing jump only. As she hops up and arches her back, her nose crinkles in determination, and her blond braid whips behind her. This may be her first year at Gladstein, but Abbie is far from but a beginner. She spent three years as a standout athlete at West Virginia University, but
INside • 11
Abbie Stechshulte Is a two-time Big East Champion and a two-time Big East Runner-up. Something you don’t know: She still gets nervous. “I get so nervous before a meet because my event lasts so long. It’ll go on for probably two to three hours for two days.”
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following new associate coach Jeff Huntoon to IU was a decision she says helped her find her road to the Olympics. “Coach has told me what he believes I am capable of, but it wasn’t until my decision to come to IU to keep him as my coach that I began to really think about the Olympics,” she says. “It’s been a dream, sure, but it was so distant before. Now, it’s almost right in front of me.” Her ‘one’ goal may be nearer than ever, but for as far as the preparation workload goes, multiply it by seven. Abbie’s event is the heptathlon, a series of competitions including the 100-meter hurdle, javelin throw, high jump, shot put, 200-meter race, long jump, and 800-meter race. The work is grueling, taking up two to three hours of competition time over two days. She is now a member of the Olympic ‘B’ list, a group of athletes who are second in line for a spot at the Olympic trials, the key to two weeks in Beijing. Looking into the future, Abbie has a hard time seeing beyond the reality of the dream she’s already living, and the one she hopes will come true. “It’s hard to say how far I’ll take this,” she says. “This is what I came here for. This is my focus. It’s hard to say blank is the day I’ll give it all up.”
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12 • INside
K y l e
H
J e n k i n s
opping from one stride to the next, his muscular body resembles the perfect lines and angles of a dance. His knees come up to align with his hips as his shoulders and elbows mimic the same pattern.
Through the sweat and pounding of feet, it’s hard to imagine track and field as graceful athleticism. But that’s exactly what senior Kyle Jenkins portrays. He’s practic-
ing for the triple jump, an event where participants must take off down a runway until reaching a platform; then, a series of two large steps and one jump is measured for a total distance. For Kyle, the distance to achieve is 17 meters. At 16.1 meters, he’s close, but to qualify for a spot in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, close won’t be good enough. Can he make it? He says yes. “I know to even be on the ‘B’ list is a huge accomplishment,” he says. “But my goal is to make it to those trials. That would be outstanding. “I can do it. I’m almost there.” An athlete all his life, Kyle participated in football, basketball, and track in junior high and high school. Although he was a talented track Kyle Jenkins star, football was his Placed fourth in main love. the 2006 NCAA “I wanted to play football in college pretty Championships badly, but in the end, for triple jump and I’d say I made the right fifth in the 2005 choice,” he says with Big Ten a smile. “Although sometimes I watch IU Championships. and wish I could be out Something you there, too.” don’t know: His Now with the trials mom is his and the upcoming indoor track season on the biggest fan. horizon, Kyle’s extracurricular athletic career has been benched. “You’ve got to think about your risks,” he says. “You can’t go out and get yourself hurt. You need to be careful with your body.” That also includes more than just the average pick-up game of basketball. “I know a lot of athletes who think they can go out and party like everyone else on campus, but guess what? You aren’t everyone else,” he says. “It’ll affect the way you practice, the way you perform. “A lot of the time you can relieve stress at practice.” Coming to IU from Washington, Kyle says his Olympic endeavors haven’t overwhelmed him, even if home is hours away. “My family and I are still really close,” he says. “I don’t see them often, so when I do, we really don’t talk about track too much. “But when we do, they are the biggest supporters I could ask for. I don’t feel any pressure from them, the exact opposite actually. They are so proud already.” INside • 13
Beatniks & Back Roads:
REDISCOVERING K
Fifty years have passed since Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” thrust the of 1950s American society into a dramatic swing. The railroad-hitching politics-challenging Beat Generation, led by Kerouac, was here to stay. culmination and the cultural evolution it sparked, I sought Kerouac’s sp road, the sights, smells, and stories that comprise the American lands miles in 36 hours, it was a search for a Beat Generation reborn — an Ameri STORY BY BRIAN SPEGELE
T
he old man had already snapped open his switchblade and laid it flat next to his strawberry milkshake as I approached to ask a question. His hair was gray, and his hand trembled as he smoked cigarettes alone. It was just past 2:30 on a Sunday morning at a diner near Danville, Ill., yet the place was packed. Adjacent to the old man sat two truck drivers smoking cigars and scowling. A young pimp and two hookers chatted nearby. Across the restaurant, about 20 local high school students, drunkenly stumbling, talked with Angie, the third-shift waitress. “Excuse me, sir,” I asked, approaching the old man 14 • INside
EXCERPTS FROM JACK KERO
politely. “What’s the best way to reach Davenport?” It seemed like a legitimate question; he looked local. “Where?” he replied, baffled, put off. He curled his lower lip beneath the upper and stuck out further his already protruding chin. “Davenport, sir. How do I get there?” “I have no idea to be honest,” he mumbled, twirling the silver switchblade between four fingers. “Hell, I’ve never been past Springfield.” I was bewildered. Across the room, teenagers cheered each other, celebrating nothing but youth and the inherent right to irresponsibility. Angie the waitress was skinny, visibly worn from years spent serving middle-of-the-
night burgers and milkshakes. Her tattoos had become misshapen under wrinkled skin, but she smiled sweetly. Everything about the diner was timeless. It seemed like a scene from a novel or film I had long forgotten. There was something about the grime, the ruggedness, the altogether bitter taste that diner emanated. It was something distinctively Beat. Fifty years have passed since novelist and poet Jack Kerouac fathered the Beat Generation: an offspring of the author’s most famous novel, “On the Road.” A continually celebrated story, “On the Road” shaped a generation of dreamers. It romanticized a vanguard lifestyle and the unspoiled opportunities of the American West.
EROUAC’S AMERICA
warm temperaments , poetry-writing, Because of this irit of the American cape. One-thousand can identity redefined. UAC’S “ON THE ROAD” Those dreamers were drawn to Kerouac’s buoyant quest – a journey both for himself and for America. ‘Beat’ became synonymous with Kerouac, but it was a word he came to hate, representing nothing more in its latest years than a commercialized counterculture. The novel’s fame killed Kerouac, driving him to an alcoholic end, but it also secured his legend, defining the Beat movement and serving as a rallying point for subcultures throughout the next four decades. Fifty years later, it remains fascinating to consider that with new technologies and a rapidly shifting economic focus, America’s ‘grit’ has perhaps disappeared. Do the diners of Kerouac’s seeming apple pie and ice cream addiction still exist?
The openness of the plains greeted me along Route 30 in Iowa.
PHOTOS BY DAVID E. CORSO And as I sat there listening to that sound of the night which bop has come to represent for all of us, I thought of all my friends from one end of the country to the other and how they were really all in the same vast backyard doing something so frantic and rushing-about. And for the first time in my life, the following afternoon, I went into the West. – “On The Road” It was the middle of the night when I took off west, no particular destination in mind, just pursuing the spirit of a fleeting era. That generation was one without interstates or mobile phones – a collection of small towns with Cold War mentalities. Kerouac, for a time, was one of literature’s resistant to the unquestioning patriotism
during McCarthy’s communist witch hunts. It was a silenced era among writers wary of government persecution. His Beat Generation became the driving force against the government’s indirect censorship. “The state at that time seemed to me to be the epitome of hypocrisy and sterile living,” poet Marilyn Coffey wrote of post-War life in the Midwest. Coffey attributes her loose style to the dynamics of the Beat influence. Mine was a journey to find Beat America – if it still existed – in the towns and cities dotting the Midwest, the people and places, sounds and smells, sights and stories. I drove all night, hurtling along the country roads, dodging potholes, stopping only for gas and to drop my jaw INside • 15
in respect for the night sky’s enduring artistry. I wasn’t far from Farmer’s City, Ill., on Route 150. I laid down in the middle of the road and stared for a moment at the cosmos. Never was the North Star so pronounced. Never had the pairs of stars danced so frenziedly, deeply entwined, inseparable like Kerouac and his pen. Graceful chaos to a rural autumn night’s sky. I sprinted west through the cornfields’ silhouettes, closer still to the mighty Mississippi. The sun peeked its head over the horizon behind me, and I came to realize Kerouac’s fervor. I felt his passion for this, the realization of America at its roots. The plain farmlands of Illinois began to roll. Iowa, soon – Kerouac’s corridor to the great open plains. I could In downtown Davenport, Iowa, we came to one of the most Beat places I experienced: the intersection of Third Street and Pershing Avenue. It felt like it hadn’t changed in the 50 years since Kerouac had been there.
16 • INside
smell its freshly cut grass. And here for the first time in my life I saw my beloved Mississippi River, dry in the summer haze, low water, with big rank smell that smells like the raw body of America itself because it washes up. Rock Island – railroad tracks, shacks, small downtown section; and over the bridge to Davenport, same kind of town, all smelling of sawdust in the warm Midwest sun. Davenport was Beat. An old service station at the corner of Third Street and Pershing Avenue rested contently below a rusted railway bridge. White paint chipped away from the aging brick building, unchanged since Kerouac ate apple pie and ice cream nearby in the bus station cafe. I had
For a video diary of the trip, see www.idsnews.com/inside. to see the Mississippi up close – cargo ships bound for the Gulf, the exclamation point of America’s industrial nucleus. The sun was bright, unusually warm for October. Families strolled along the river as I leaned over the steel railing, staring at the murky water. It was just a river, I told myself. The same as the rivers I’d seen back east. Gazing back at Illinois, I felt a love for Iowa. Like a child, Jim was missing his two front teeth. He sat on a bench just behind me, also admiring the river. “Nice day, huh?” I called to him. “Real nice,” Jim says, looking up at me. He was about 30, gangly with trimmed brown hair and skin like sandpaper. But he was friendly. Jim had been all over in the years prior – Florida, California, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and most recently, New Mexico, where he worked construction with his brother. He had just gotten off a bus a day earlier from Albuquerque when I met him. He was chasing a dream. “I get bored,” Jim says. “Since I divorced my wife two years ago, I have to keep moving around. I can’t never stay in one place too long.” Jim and I sat quietly for a moment, enjoying each other’s company.
“I was arrested for DUI a couple years ago,” Jim says, unprompted. “I lost my job on the railroad.” He wanted it back. Jim loved trains – crisscrossing the country. It was the only life for a young guy, he explains. Women, beer, drugs, and adventure. And like Kerouac a half-century prior, Jim most determinedly sought freedom. “I go and get a big bag a weed, and it’ll last me three or four days. That never hurt anybody,” he says. “You never hear about some really stoned guy going out and beating his wife, but the government’s keeping it illegal just because they haven’t found a way to make money on it.” Jim represented Kerouac’s compulsive motion. “On the Road” isn’t a tale of tourism – traveling for the traveler’s sake. It’s an impatient journey, always pushing on to the next city, searching for a happiness that never comes. While Jim was Kerouac the traveler, G.G. Sierra was Kerouac the passionate. I met him only about 100 yards from where Jim still sat on the bench. If only those two personalities melded, perhaps we would have Kerouac reincarnate. G.G. was Davenport’s first Hispanic city councilman and had already been on a hunger strike to protest the war in Iraq for two weeks when I met him – though I imagine the 22 pounds he lost would have been applauded by his cardiologist. He sat in a lawn chair clutching a finger rosary, ridiculous red, white and blue beads dangling from his neck, a cigar in
Racing west along Route 30, I followed the Union Pacific train toward Iowa City, Iowa.
his breast pocket. He loved to listen to himself, spouting statistics on the sins of war. “They’re just trying to convince the dumb people and the poor people,” he says. He was passionate – and stubborn. I doubt anyone really ever listened to G.G.
Sierra anymore. Perhaps we were the only ones. And he balled that thing clear to Iowa City and yelled me the funniest stories about how he got around the law in every town that had an unfair speed limit, continued on page 21
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MWANDI, ZAMBIA, OCTOBER 2006 Crista Chapman, graduate student An orphan sits outside of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Center during the once daily feeding. For most of the orphans living in the village, the center’s feeding program is the only opportunity they have to receive a meal. “This photograph is of a young orphan who was one of hundreds of child orphans living in a small village in Zambia called Mwandi. The generation that acts as the caretaker, the parents of the young and the children of the old, is disappearing in Zambia due to the AIDS epidemic. In this image, the boy is alone. No one is there to stand beside him. Yet half of the image space is empty as if room has been made for an unseen person, or someone who no longer exists to fill that space.”
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COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA, MAY 2007 Frank Ballard, senior Herbie, a three-month-old tapir at the Inti Wara Yassi animal refuge in the Bolivian jungle, was bottle-fed baby formula after being rescued from a hunter. He became so accustomed to suckling that he would do it for hours without the incentive of food. A tapir grows to be the size of a cow and eventually changes its coat to one that is half black and half white. “Working with animals like Herbie in the middle of the Amazon was the most rewarding experience I’ve had. For information on how you can work with animals like this one, check out http://www.intiwarayassi.org.”
ing our
world
o see IU students’ most telling photos, ved a collection of striking snapshots human experience around the globe. re Hoosiers’ eyes on the world. of the entries, see www.idsnews.com/inside.
KARIGIRI, INDIA, JUNE 2007 Andrew Prinsen, recent graduate This is the story of the leper, a person who has contracted Hansen’s disease or “leprosy,” living in India. While most of the culture chooses to overlook, look down on, or even banish them, there is new hope. Patients like this man are receiving new methods of treatment that transform their permanently contracted hands back into normal, functioning tools through tendon transfer surgery. “I’ve always believed that journalism has the capacity to be so much more than headlines and Pulitzers. That’s what gets me excited – taking people to places that I’m fortunate enough to experience but where they might not go themselves. If we can show them what the world is really like, then maybe they’ll decide to do something about it.”
GIZA, EGYPT, JUNE 2007 Mallory Burns, senior The Egyptian version of the bureau of motor vehicles looks very different from its American counterpart. “Egypt was one of the most amazing places I have been. The Muslim culture fills the streets with prayers and warm personalities. My Egyptian friends were confused as to why I would want to go to such a ‘boring’ place, but to me this picture represents the excitement that I found in every little difference.” INside • 19
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND, JUNE 2006 Marie Parmer, senior After two weeks of work with International Student Volunteers, students spent the next two weeks traveling. Kawarau Bridge Bungy, just outside of Queenstown, the home of commercial bungee, is the smallest of three local jumps at more than 140 ft. “I had bungee-jumped before in Canada and really liked it, so I decided to try all three jumps that they had in Queenstown, and I freaked out right before jumping and had to take a moment to convince myself to leap off the bridge.” Image was taken by the jump instructor using Parmer’s camera.
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BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, MAY 2007 James Brosher, sophomore A street performer plays a Johnny Cash song on a recorder. The man, along with several others, were seeking spare change from tourists at Heroes’ Square in the heart of the city.
“I visited Budapest after around two weeks in Europe with a large group of students from our program, and it was in Budapest that I first became acquainted with street performers such as this one. As soon as I heard Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire,’ I just had to smile. It was nice to hear a familiar tune in an unfamiliar county where I didn’t understand the language.”
Kerouac from page 17
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We sped out of Davenport, fleeing madly along Route 30, like bandits in some old western. The landscape was as green as Ireland. We launched over the hills, barreling faster still along the two-lane road. Then, I spotted a great Union Pacific train about a half-mile ahead. Westbound! The tracks and the road ran parallel straight through to Iowa City. The machine couldn’t outpace us. Closer we surged, then, an enormous roar and swirling dusty debris, like exploding bombs all around us. I could see the conductor through the engine’s small, cracked window. He wore a white undershirt and waved a dirty hand. I thought about Jim. Maybe soon, this could be him. Iowa City was different than Davenport, yet still Beat. The paint in the shops was fresh, and the university grounds were tidy. Yet a defiant youth created a subculture otherwise unexperienced throughout the Midwest. They sit in the city’s central square, doing nothing really. But they will laugh and cause a ruckus, blind to societal standards. The bottoms of their bare feet blackened, their oily hair glowing orange from the street light’s reflection. They know their reputation as members of Generation Y: seeking to please, money driven. But not these. They indignantly refuse that label. Sitting on the cobblestones, playing guitar beneath the clear sky that evening, no one seemed to worry. They laughed too loud, swore too often, and told jokes that weren’t funny even the first time. Yet, I had never met a more joyous bunch. There were about 15 of them, though they came and went, never tied to the clique. A young, short man named Ansel, wearing black capris and an undershirt, stood in the middle of the group and directed conversation. He was their leader. The 23-year-old had a Napoleonic charisma, and the younger members of the group – some just sophomores in high school – looked to him for guidance. He grew up in southern Iowa, the lovechild of a sunflower romance. At this moment, a counterculture transcends even as wars end and politics change. “Basically I grew up on a farm, and my parents shot a bunch of acid,” Ansel says. A few of the group’s younger members giggle, not yet entirely indoctrinated into this society. They were political – socialists mostly – but admittedly unmotivated. They sought change in society but were lost for ideas. “You’ve just got to fight it by doing nothing,” one girl explains. Kerouac, Ginsburg, Cassady – any of the Beat writers– could easily have been one among them. And I realized, this is the new Beat. “In 20 years I just want to be sitting on this bench,” Ansel says, patting it like a cowboy does his faithful horse. He pauses for a second, then changes his mind. “Well, maybe not this bench, but I really wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”
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INSIDE OUT
Tales from a TRAVELER
HE’S CROSSED THE SAHARA, EXPLORED THE ANCIENT CITIES OF YEMEN, AND WAS NEARLY TRAMPLED BY AN ELEPHANT. IU alumnus John Linnemeier went on vacation in 1971 to find himself after the Vietnam War. What started out as a trip of self-discovery turned into a lifelong excursion that took Linnemeier around the world more than three times and to 112 countries. The 62-year-old is now writing a book, tentatively titled “The Road of Excess: Lessons and Blessings of a Traveling Man,” detailing his sagas as a traveler. He sat down with INside’s Brian Hettmansperger to share highlights from his journey.
ON PERSONAL GROWTH Traveling is a good way of evolving into whoever you are going to be. Every time you go to a new place, no one knows you. No one is there to define you. If you have always been morose, be humorous. Go dancing, be crazy, have fun. ON BEING CHASED BY ELEPHANTS A friend and I were climbing up Mt. Kenya, a beautiful mountain right on the equator in Kenya, in 1982. We were walking through a corridor of bamboo, we went around a switchback, and there they were, two elephants. We were startled, the elephants were startled, and time was frozen until the larger elephant lifted up his trunk and trumpeted. We took off running as fast as we could, and this elephant was right behind us. He chased us right down the mountain. I’m convinced if he was really pissed off he could have killed us. ON WHAT HE PACKS Everybody’s advice is to travel with practically nothing. It’s just easier and more practical. I can never take that advice. I have the largest backpack you can possibly have. I pack several pairs of underwear, a couple pairs of blue jeans, shorts, a couple shirts. I carry a whole bunch of extra stuff, as well, like hardback books and a telescope. A telescope is a
Linnemeier’s passport boasts over 100 stamps from countries around the world. He displays the supplement he obtained in India after his passport ran out of room for stamps.
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World traveler and IU alumus John Linnemeier talks about his experiences abroad. Despite traveling to countries around the world, Linnemeier calls Bloomington his home because he loves the diverse climate and culture. Photos by Brian Hettmansperger
great way to meet people. You can show them what the rings of Saturn look like. ON HITCHHIKING I was 27. Just after I crossed the Sahara, I was almost out of money, only had a few bucks beyond what I was going to need for the ferry across from Algiers (in Algeria) to Murcia (in Spain). And I had gotten a couple of short rides, but nothing was going anywhere. Then a little car pulled up in front of me. I ran up to the car and inside was this little Italian guy driving, and the two most beautiful, most luscious Italian girls I had ever seen. This was 1972, the age of mini skirts. So I hop into the back of the car, and honest to God, this girl looks over at me, she had a fig, she peeled it, she put it into my mouth, and then we took off. It was like I had died and gone to heaven, man. So then we get to Algiers, and I don’t know what was going on, but the driver got into this tremendous fight with the girl he was with, and he just drives off.
So here I am, it’s one o’clock in the morning, with two women with breasts practically falling out of their blouses, walking through the center of Algiers with everyone taking us in as we walked by. Finally, we find a hotel. We’ll cut it short at this point, but anyway, life was sweet, let’s say that. ON COUNTRIES OFF THE BEATEN PATH You’ve probably heard of Yemen , but nobody thinks about going there. It’s the coolest place in the world. They have all these ancient cities. The people are unbelievably hospitable and friendly, which is true throughout the Muslim world. People don’t understand how friendly Arab hospitality is. If you want to be treated great, go someplace where you think they ought to be your enemy. I was in Syria one time, and in an afternoon I was invited to dinner 30 times. So don’t just read the headlines and think, ‘Oh, I can’t go there.’ It’s bullshit, it’s absolutely wrong.
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