Matador Network's Blog, page 2168

Signs it's time to leave Nicaragua

Photo: anique

1. If you have a cold, you blame it on the pineapple.

Sickness is a form of gossip that Nicaraguans love to indulge in. When someone gets the flu, you can spend hours analyzing how he got it. Likely culprits are showering too late at night or too soon after doing sports, walking barefoot, getting wet, or eating something cold too late at night or too soon after eating something hot. But secretly, everybody knows that it was probably the pineapple you ate before going to bed.

2. You haven’t eaten properly if you haven’t had gallo pinto at least once a day.

Gallo pinto is Nicaragua’s staple dish, made from frying together rice and beans. You can eat it once a day or, even better, at every meal. Sound pretty much exactly like what they eat in all of the other parts of Central America? Never say that to a Nicaraguan or he will proudly tell you how superior gallo pinto is to the rice and beans eaten in Costa Rica, and the beans and rice eaten in Honduras or Guatemala.

3. You only supported Costa Rica in the World Cup because they had a Nicaraguan on their team.

Well, Duarte is only actually half-Nicaraguan, but who cares? He was born in Nicaragua, he wore a wristband with the Nicaraguan flag, and he scored most of the goals for Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup. Everybody knows if it weren’t for him, Costa Rica would have never gotten that far. Must be all that gallo pinto he grew up on.

4. You stop thinking that everybody is either constantly disapproving of you or trying to kiss you.

Nicaraguans have an uncanny amount of minuscule facial gestures to convey things other people would just say. When the café owner wrinkles his nose at your order, you know he isn’t disapproving, but rather that he didn’t understand. Similarly, in a country where it is rude to point, most people will use their lips instead of their fingers, making it seem to the uninitiated guest that they are awkwardly trying to kiss you.

5. You no longer flinch when you see how much sugar people dump into your coffee.

1…2…3 cups, not tablespoons. Coffee may be the national drink in Nicaragua, but sugar seems to be the national condiment and is added to everything, including infant formula. You coffee isn’t coffee unless each cup comes with more than your daily-required intake of sugar added.

6. You know the lyrics to more 90s songs than you did as a kid growing up in the 90s.

Suede? Alanis Morissette? TLC? The Cranberries? Sheryl Crow? Nicaragua has a love affair with 90s music that started when they opened their doors to foreign trade in the late 80s and ended in the early 2000s. But it doesn’t matter too much, because, let’s face it, what’s better than belting out Savage Garden for Thursday karaoke nights?

7. You use rain as a valid excuse for not showing up.

“Look, it’s raining,” (Fíjense que, está lloviendo) is a valid excuse for arriving late, or not arriving at all, to almost any event, including work. In a country where it rains for almost half the year, it doesn’t strike you as odd that no one is prepared.

8. You under-exaggerate sizes constantly.

You never call a cup a cup or a person by their real name. It’s always a vasito, mamita, abuelito, hermanita.

9. You know that Saturdays = Beef soup and sleeping.

Nicaraguans have a tradition of waking up Saturday morning and making soup. In every house they will fire up the fogata — an old-school clay barbecue — put on a giant soup pot, throw a bunch of meat and vegetables in, and let it simmer for hours. You get asked if you want a little sopita, which you eat in a giant bowl that could hold a small child. Then you sleep. And repeat.

10. You tell yourself that French fries and fried plantains are vegetables.

Nicaraguans love the carbs and will gladly toss down a lunch consisting of rice, tortilla, and spaghetti. With vegetables limited to the Saturday afternoon soup, you come to consider your meal as balanced when it also includes potatoes, cassava, or plantains.

11. You own at least five pairs of flip-flops.

The dust on the street could get you sick, so you have to change into your house flip-flops when you get home. But you have a different pair for the shower, and yet another pair that you use just in your room. Then you have your flip-flops for going to the corner shop. And lets not even get started with the “fancy” flip-flops you have for going out.

12. You can down 12 Toñas without batting an eye or falling under the table.

We don’t do casual drinking here. When we drink, we order by the crate and sit around the table until everyone has consumed at least 10 litres of the national beer, toña. And then we start with the rum.

Why LGBT travelers can be proud

Photo: Adam Groffman

2014 has been a watershed year for LGBT people around the world. LGBT rights are coming to the forefront in many countries. Advertisers are taking notice of the LGBT travel market, and brands are investing in making travel more inclusive for LGBT people. Amidst the political and social tragedies that have occurred this year, we have had many successful moments worthy of our pride.

1. Marriage equality is gaining momentum around the world.

2014 was the tipping point for marriage equality in the United States. Twenty of the nation’s 50 states have legalized same-sex marriages bringing the total to 35 with marriage equality. Fifteen states still have bans, but the tide is clearly turning in our favor. Internationally, we’re seeing similar patterns. Scotland, England, Wales, and Luxembourg all legalized same-sex marriage this year joining in numerous European countries where it is already legal. While marriage equality does not necessarily mean a country is affirming of LGBT people, it does mean that the government is taking steps toward protecting LGBT citizens and travelers.

2. We’ve realized that LGBT people travel WAY more than the average population.

85% of gay and 77% of lesbian Americans have passports and 54% of those LGBT people have used their passport in the past year. Compare that to less than half of the general population.

3. Tourism boards are finally investing in trans* inclusive travel.

In the past, trans* people have been lumped into LGBT tourism, but the reality is that there are different needs and concerns for different parts of the LGBT community. This year, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau commissioned a study on trans* travelers. The study is an effort to learn about the needs of trans* travelers and make Fort Lauderdale more trans* inclusive. Thanks Fort Lauderdale!

4. Zakhele Mbhele became the first openly gay member of the South African Parliament.
5. The Indian Supreme Court ruled that the state must protect transgender people from discrimination and harassment.
6. Last August, 8,000 athletes from 50 countries went to Cleveland, Ohio to compete in the 2014 Gay Games.

The games are equal parts sports competition and human rights convention, and athletes from around the world openly compete. For many athletes, this is a huge personal risk to their livelihood in their home country. During the Games, President Obama made a statement acknowledging the difficulty many athletes face in their home country. In his message, he reminded the athletes of his personal support and praised their bravery. Some LGBT people may role their eyes at President Obama’s validation, but it sends a strong message to people who may have never had their identity validated.

7. We’re advancing in our fight against reparative therapy practices.

Earlier this year, a court in China ruled in favor of a gay man who was suing a psychologist for using electric shock reparative therapy. Reparative therapy has been renounced by every major psychological organization in the world, but is still common practice in many countries. This case is a step in the right direction for China and may curb the number of clinics offering harmful “treatments.”

Why the world is open to LGBTQ me

Photo: Jiuck

SINCE I CAME OUT roughly eight years ago, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel throughout the US, Latin America, Europe, and India. I’ve spent a bit of time in Africa and I’ve lived in the Midwest, Buenos Aires, London, New York, and Mumbai. I’ve also met and befriended people from all corners of the earth. I’ve met locals, backpackers and expats, as well as people traveling on all sorts of business, from attorneys and chefs to professors and artists.

At the same time, I’ve also met a lot of members of the LGBTQ family (by the way, when I say “homosexual” I’m using that as a blanket term for all people who identify as LGBTQ etc.). These homos that I’ve met have come from all different walks of life. I’ve met Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Atheists. I’ve met Europeans, Latinos, Asians, Arabs, Africans, and people of wildly mixed ancestral backgrounds. Rich people? Yes. Poor people? You betcha. Highly educated people and people without a high school degree? I’ve met them too. I’ve even met conservatives, liberals, extremists, and moderates. Some poor souls were still deeply closeted and were trying to come to terms with themselves. And I’ve met a hell of a lot of people that, on first pass, I thought I had absolutely nothing in common with.

I was raised extremely Christian and am now probably best classified as a Deist bordering on Atheist (so I’m conflicted, aren’t we all?). I’m from the Midwest — the oldest of five boys. I was raised on a farm in the middle of nowhere. By all conventional Western measures, my family was only a notch or two above dirt poor when I was a kid. As a kid I was taught that queers were going to hell along with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Pentecostals, a good portion of Catholics, and every single liberal in the country. Oh, and Clinton was probably the anti-Christ. Politically, I’m socially liberal and fiscally conservative. I went to a Podunk elementary school and was homeschooled from age 15 until I took the GED at 18. I went to a small university near my hometown, though I did go on to study all over the world, becoming “highly educated,” and I’ve got the student loans to prove it too. I became an attorney and a stressed out, overworked, underpaid operations manager crisscrossing the globe.

Why is who I am so important? Because I want to demonstrate to you how utterly different I am from some of the locals, backpackers, expats, and business travelers I’ve met. Why? So you understand just how awesome what I’m about to tell you really is.

Remember all those people I told you I’ve met during my post-coming-out travels? Pretty diverse crowd, right? Well, I was able to befriend nearly all of them – 9 out of 10. I’m not talking just about gay guys here, I’m talking about lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, transgenders, queers, and people who definitely weren’t straight but didn’t feel comfortable with any of the labels that LGBTQ offers. And they’ve befriended me right back.

I’ve dated a Hindu from northeast India, a transgender guy from the northeastern US, a hippie from the Midwest, a somewhat conservative Muslim living in the UK, and a first generation Asian-American. I’ve had more casual relationships with an illegal immigrant (Latino), a nearly “fresh of the boat” legal immigrant (Black), and an uneducated ex-con (White). Not to mention the few weekend flings I’ve had with Republicans, staunch Catholics, and so on.

In this way, homosexuality is a great equalizer. Here’s a few more examples:

1. I recently met a 20-year-old Muslim guy living in one of the many slums that can be found in Mumbai. His father is dead. He hasn’t been educated beyond probably the 8th grade level and he’s been working since he was about 12. We met on a local train going into south Mumbai. I was on the train purely for the sake of novelty, I was in Mumbai for business — my company provides a car and driver for me. He was on the train out of necessity, he couldn’t afford a tuk-tuk let alone a proper taxi. The fare I normally pay without thinking twice about is probably more than he earns in several days.

We ended up sitting next to each other because, well, those trains are ridiculously crowded. We started talking because he was curious and wanted to practice his English. Also because he had more balls than any of the other people who were all staring at me in shock — a white guy on these trains is not a common sight.

He started pelting me with the same questions I get every time I go to India. Where are you from? What do you do? How long in India? Married? Family? Girlfriend? No wife / girlfriend? Why not? I have a sister. After several more questions, he stopped to check his phone — I quickly did the same. Suddenly, he tapped my shoulder and, lowering his head, whispered to me, Are you gay? I didn’t want to answer — it is illegal in India, after all, and this guy was a complete stranger — until he discreetly showed me an app on his phone. Planet Romeo — a gay dating app that I also happen have on my phone. In fact, when we paused to check our phones I logged on to read a new message on said app, and popped up in the “nearby” section of his app. I couldn’t help laughing and did so out loud, gaining me even more weird looks from my fellow passengers.

Now this was a guy that right up until that second I had absolutely nothing in common with. I have no idea what it must be like to be a young, fatherless, Muslim boy growing up in the slums of Mumbai, without much of an education and working 7 days a week since the age of 12. Sure, I’ve read some stories. I could feel sorry for him maybe, but there was no real connection until I discovered he was gay too.

Suddenly all of those differences, all of those barriers vanished. They became irrelevant. No, not because suddenly he was a potential date or one-night stand. Not because I was attracted to him (I wasn’t, not my type). But now, now I could relate. I could sympathize. I could empathize. I may not know what it’s like to be discriminated against because you’re a Muslim in a very anti-Muslim world. I don’t know what it’s like to be discriminated against because you live in a tin shack in a sprawling, sweltering, festering slum. But I do know what it’s like to be discriminated against because you’re gay — even if you’re not openly gay or “obviously” gay.

I know what it’s like to be afraid of coming out. I know what it’s like to be afraid of getting caught doing, saying, or having something that would mark you as gay. I know what it’s like to worry if people can tell and what your family and friends will think. And I also know what it’s like to fear for your physical safety as a result of something that you cannot control, something you were born with.

2. One of my ex-boyfriends is black, born in Honduras, brought to the US legally as a child and raised in the Bronx. Did I understand what it was like to grow up in the Bronx? No, I grew up on a farm in Missouri. Could I relate to being an immigrant of color in the US? Nope. Could I then and can I now relate to the discrimination and racism issues black people are facing in the US? No. Could I relate to the issues and feelings and struggles he had when coming to terms with being gay and coming out to his family and friends? Absolutely.

3. Last year I dated a transguy (male born in a female body) in the middle of his transition. To be perfectly honest, we didn’t have a ton in common — just a crazy, inexplicable attraction to one another. I listened whenever he talked about the issues he faced growing up. I listened when he talked about the issues he still faces when his grandmother refuses to call him by anything other than the name he was given at birth (a very feminine name) or when co-workers did stupid and offensive things. Again, I’ve got no idea what that’s like. I’ve never faced those issues. But I could relate to the basics of discrimination, family not accepting you for who you really are, and the inherent anti-LGBTQ crap built into our society.

That’s the thing about being a member of the LGBTQ family. Sure, we have our differences, just like anyone else. But at the most basic level we can relate to each other, we know without needing details the struggles the person we’ve just met has been through. We open up to our fellow comrades, wrap ourselves up in the rainbow flag and talk about what it was like growing up as a gay guy, lesbian, queen, bisexual, or transgender in whatever city / state / country / religion etc. that we happen to be from. At the same time that we’re showing our compatriots that we face the same / similar issues as they do, we’re giving each other a glimpse into the real society and fabric of a place.

Each time this happens (and there have been several times), I walk away moved and humbled. I also walk away realizing yet again how fortunate I am that my family changed and that things are slowly changing in the west. Here in India, with the recent re-criminalization of homosexual acts, what’s happening in the West is unimaginable.

In a few weeks time, I’ll be heading to Bangkok to begin four months of backpacking all over Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. I’m good at networking, so I’ve already started putting the contacts and social media to work, lining up people to meet — so far mainly LGBTQ people. The response so far has been amazing. Yet again, people from all walks of life are inviting me into their cities, their circles of friends, and even into their homes. They are providing advice, local insight, loopholes, and will be showing me their favorite spots — without ever having met me. Why? Because I’m a homosexual.

What Christmas in Paris is like

Photo: Adrien Mogenet

1. Parisian Christmas trees are downright dinky.

It makes sense — most Parisian apartments are pretty dinky, too. But these trees look like little munchkins.

2. Rather bewilderingly, Parisians (and the French in general) adore having outdoor fairs in dead winter.

Up goes the big sparkly Ferris wheel at Place de Concorde and the fête foraine at Bastille. It brings you into a whole new sensory realm to have icy air zipping past your ears as you get flung upside down.

3. In Paris, all the action happens on Christmas Eve.

Unlike in the US, Christmas morning is like a non-holiday here. People are just busy sleeping off champagne-and-foie-gras hangovers.

4. Parisian cafés get REALLY excited about holiday window paint.
5. There are Ferrero Rocher candies here, there, and everywhere.

I mean, we have them in the US, but not THAT many. It’s like a gold foil infestation. Pyramids upon pyramids.

6. There is a lot of gold. Everywhere.

Green and red are not as omnipresent in Paris as they are in the US.

7. Christmas trees bought in Paris all come with handy, dandy wooden stands.

Unlike in the US, where you have to get the whole family to try and stuff the tree into the little metal holder.

8. As far as decorating trends go, sparkly branches are in.
9. This is not the season to be vegan.

Let’s face it, it is never really easy to be vegan in France. Parisians are very attached to Christmas feasts of oysters, foie gras (and, no François Hollande does not do a “duck pardoning” like his American counterpart at Thanksgiving) and “Christmas logs” (bûches de Noël), which are basically just cream filling.

10. If you go to HEMA on a Saturday in December, you might not make it out alive.

I guess this is comparable to the December madness in the aisles of Target. But you can usually walk down the aisles, whereas the minute proportions of most Paris stores make passing people impossible. I gave up looking for candles because I didn’t want to have to climb over four people.

11. The Parisian holidays are very white and Christian.

Granted, I haven’t yet met a Parisian who celebrates Kwanzaa, but Paris is incredibly multicultural. Sadly, I’ve noticed that the city doesn’t really make an effort to be inclusive and / or multicultural during the winter holiday season. Most bookstores don’t have a section of children’s books on Diwali, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah for example. Not many brown Santas, either.

12. Christmas is much more adult-centred in France than child-centred like in the US.

I guess that could be an observation on France in general. It really is a much more adult-centred society. But the first time I celebrated Christmas in France, I was surprised to see the little guys packed off to bed quickly so we could really stick into the champagne.

13. Lychees are THE fruit of the season (especially if you have any connection to La Réunion).

In the US, oranges are the fruit of choice. But a lot of Parisian and French families pair ripe lychees with the Christmas season.

14. Monoprix is always great. But this is the season when they outdo themselves.
15. This is when the City of Lights truly becomes the City of Lights.

Christmas lights galore!

16. Even in Paris, tacky Christmas lights happen, i.e., the Champs Élysées.

That said, this year is the first time in a few that the lights are really not that bad — there is a fairyland twinkle about them whereas the last few years were like failed discos. But what do you expect from a giant, outdoor mall?

17. The grands magasins are evil in more ways than one.

The mechanical holiday window displays at the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps mark the début to the season for many Parisians. In my opinion, the characters look possessed.

If that isn’t enough to scare you away, the sidewalks outside the grands magasins are basically the definition of ‘clusterf*ck’.

18. The Christmas markets in Paris are basically all the same.

My first year here, I enthusiastically decided to do them all. Until I realized that they were all identical. There’s the pungent cheese stand, the gingerbread folks from Alsace, lots of crêpes and mulled wine, the nougat stand, and usually some Russian dolls. And a lot of tourists.

19. Elves and reindeer are not widely used Christmas symbols in Paris.

When you start really thinking about it, there are very few examples of these festive creatures in the City of Lights.

15 signs you're from Monterrey

Photo: angelferd

1. You’ve been asked if you’re angry because of the tone of your voice.

“Are you mad?” “Why are you screaming?” These are just some of the questions you may get while having completely normal and quiet conversations with other Spanish speakers. But of course, you’re not angry, it’s just that we hablamos golpeao.

2. You probably say you don’t like banda music.

But every party comes to a point where the mood specifically requires banda.

3. You know all the characteristic sounds of every peddler that passes by your house.

All those people riding bikes in front of your house selling corn, tortillas, ice cream, bread, gas, miracle creams…They all have a recognizable phrase or melody.

4. You’re not easily impressed when it comes to hot weather.

Monterrey is a desert, summers last forever, and we basically only get one month of true winter. Most of the year we live happily under the sunshine with 35ºC weather, but then there are some hellish days when the temperature rises above 40ºC, and yet it’s common to see people wearing black and complete suits to their offices. We are survivors!

5. You feel unprotected when you travel to cities without mountains on every side.

Monterrey is the city of mountains. They’re everywhere you look, so you probably can’t help feeling a little weird and exposed when in cities where you can look up and see only sky.

6. You know how to barbecue.

Monterrey people know their beef and give it a special place in their hearts as a way of bringing family and friends together. Barbecues are perfect for celebrations, but sometimes the barbecue is the celebration itself.

7. Barbecue + beer + sports = the perfect combination.

We don’t always need a reason to barbecue, but when there’s a sports event, these three things are probably going to come together in 90% of Monterrey homes.

8. You know quesadillas are made with cheese.

The name says it for itself, so when we think of quesadillas the picture in our minds is of a flour tortilla stuffed with cheese. We like it simple, which is different from other cities where they get creative and make quesadillas with everything but cheese. If you are a regio in Mexico City for the first time, you’ll probably have a confusing and frustrating conversation with the quesadilla lady while ordering your food.

9. You know that the greatest rivals in soccer can also be the greatest friends, members of the same family, or even lovers.

In other places round the world, two rival fans often hate each other or can’t even stay in the presence of one another. Not here. Followers from UANL and Monterrey’s teams coexist happily in schools, jobs, malls, parks…sometimes even under the same roof. That doesn’t mean, of course, that the team that’s best positioned doesn’t joke at expense of the other one. They do, but everyone knows it’s just for fun.

10. You still miss partying in Barrio Antiguo.

If you were old enough (legally or not) to go to Barrio Antiguo when it was still in operation, then you know the bittersweet feeling of “being happy because you enjoyed it, and being sad because it’s gone.” Barrio Antiguo was a place in downtown that covered 10 square blocks. It was where all kinds of nightclubs were located, and they were all open almost daily. Crowded streets, all music genres, “no cover” bars, all kinds of drinks, nowhere closing at 2am — those were the good days.

11. Your vocabulary includes a huge number

of English words.

Most people in Monterrey are bilingual, but even if they aren’t, English expressions have made their way into their daily conversations. It’s super common to say “thank you” instead of “gracias,” “sorry” instead of “disculpa,” “as soon as possible” instead of “lo más pronto possible.”

12. You have a USA visa.

And 90% of the times you’ve used it have been to go to McAllen, Texas to shop.

13. You’ve been to Tampico or Isla del Padre.

There’s only one thing missing in Monterrey to make it the perfect city: a beach. But that didn’t stop you from enjoying summers with sun, sand and sea, right? Every regio has adopted the two nearest beaches for spring or summer breaks at least once in their lives.

14. You call all of your friends compadre (godfather) and all your friends’ moms, or mom’s friends, tías (aunts).

Just because you love them so much!

15. You are used to paying the highest prices in the country for everything, but you never complain about it.

Compared to the rest of the country, life in Monterrey is expensive. We pay more for school, gas, food, public transportation — in some cases the difference is insane. Sure, when you found out for the first time that you’ve been overcharged all these years, you felt angry and frustrated, but then you just learned to live with it and even took a little pride that you can survive in Monterrey.

10 California holiday stories

Photo: カルロス

1. Cops pulled people over to give them ice cream instead of tickets.

A group of police officers from Quincy, California decided to challenge their generally negative reputation and rewrite the script by handing out ice cream to unsuspecting citizens. The police officers pulled people over, asked a few intimidating questions, told the drivers to wait a moment, then returned with Wall’s ice cream cones for a sweet surprise.

2. An elderly man eats at In-N-Out Burger with a photo of his late wife across from him.

An elderly man in Fremont, California never leaves the house without a photo of his late wife, who passed away after 55 years of marriage. In-N-Out customers have regularly seen the man dining alone while staring at an older photo of him and his wife together. The man’s quiet display of devotion and love went viral and touched millions of people when an In-N-Out patron shared a photo of him on social media.

3. Fishermen discover a heartwarming message in a bottle.

Fishermen in Francis, California found a glass bottle this summer with a note tucked inside. The note was from a man named Mel, who had recently passed away. Mel wrote that his family was “laying [him] to rest” in the place he loved most — the ocean. He kindly asked that those who find his message post a photo of themselves to his Facebook page then send him off on his journey again.

4. A 76-year-old man returns to running after having his leg amputated.

A distance runner for 60 years, Laguna Beach local Andy Bailey was heartbroken when an out-of-control van hit him in his own driveway, severely injuring his lower right leg. Andy was devastated and felt hopeless as doctors struggled to fight the infections developing in his leg. In order to return to his passion, Andy made the decision to have his leg amputated. He has since undergone a remarkable recovery and experienced a renewed love for the sport of running. Andy celebrated his health and athleticism by participating in the 37th Annual Dana Point Turkey Trot, one of the nation’s largest and most successful trots.

5. Hope for Paws rescued an abandoned dog and gave him a new life.

Eldad Hagar, the founder of the animal rescue organization Hope for Paws, stumbled upon an abandoned dog hiding under a trailer in Compton, California. The dog was terrified of human touch and had severely matted hair. With the help of The Mutt Scouts, Hope for Paws saved the dog and gave him a radical physical transformation, a place in a loving foster home, and a rejuvenated spirit.

6. Yucaipa neighborhood came together for an awesome display of flashing lights and community spirit.

A neighborhood in Yucaipa, California collaborated to synchronize the Christmas lights on their homes and in their front yards to flash to the beat of various holiday songs like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Wizards of Winter” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas.” The impressive light show is a testament to the neighborhood’s holiday spirit and teamwork.

7. Laundry Love gives the gift of clean clothes to California’s poor and homeless.

Laundry Love, an organization that started in Ventura 10 years ago, has now spread to over one hundred locations across Southern California, including one of its biggest branches in Huntington Beach. Not only does the organization’s volunteers provide free washing and drying for homeless and underprivileged families, they foster relationships with the people who come in, and help give them the confidence and support they need to look for work or save money for housing.

8. Project Happy Hearts encourages kids with congenital heart disease to do what makes their hearts happy.

Project Happy Hearts is all about encouraging others to “Live a life that makes their hearts happy.” The organization works with local artists and clothing designers to give back to children affected by congenital heart disorders. The organization’s founder, Heidi Burns, started Project Happy Hearts in Orange County and has expanded the project’s reach to multiple US cities and countries across the globe. Project Happy Hearts wants to shape the world into a healthier and happier place by inspiring people to wake up each day, ask themselves what will bring them joy, and then find a way to make it happen.

9. Orange County construction company donated 150 bikes to children and teens.

Every year in December, the Irvine construction company Snyder Langston spearheads Bike Build, a project that delivers fully assembled bicycles, helmets and locks to underprivileged children and teenagers. The company’s employees purchase the bikes, put them together and deliver them the week before Christmas with help from the organizations Orangewood Children’s Foundation and The Wooden Floor. This year, 75% of the bikes were full-size to accommodate the many teenagers and young adults who will be riding them. Employee Dave Stelter said, “It’s really heartwarming to know that these kids will be able to use the bikes to get to school or a job.”

10. San Francisco transformed old city buses into shower stations for the homeless.

San Francisco resident Doniece Sandoval started Lava Mae, a decommissioned Muni bus turned shower station for the homeless, to “deliver dignity one shower at a time.” Since its launch, Lava Mae has given nearly 500 homeless people more than 700 showers. The project’s success with the first bus has led to fundraising for more buses in 2015. Sandoval’s hope is that easy access to showers will provide the city’s homeless population with more opportunities and renewed confidence to interview for jobs and go to work.

In 2015, let's redefine YOLO

Photo: Trey Ratcliff

I’ll be the first to admit that it took me a couple years to leave my college life behind. When I graduated, I moved from one party town to another. Then I went to the Caribbean to party in a different climate, then I moved back in with my parents because I didn’t know what else to do. Even though I hadn’t been in college for awhile, and I had done some pretty interesting things in the meantime, I still went to those typical college parties at that typical blacked-out windowed apartment, with the same DJ in the living room, and the same kid offering me lines in the bathroom. I just couldn’t leave the scene behind.

It was at one of these parties that I first heard someone yell “YOLO!” right before they did something stupid. It was a kid who people called “The Vacuum” behind his back. His signature move was arranging three heaping lines of cocaine into a smiley face and making it disappear in one fell snort. Watching him do it never got old — it was pretty impressive, always funny, and a little sad. Because “you only live once” — there’s no better excuse than that.

Even when deviated septums became normal, and downers were the only clear fixes for uppers, and the people at these “college parties” weren’t really in college anymore because of their prescription pill addictions, stints in rehab, extended jail sentences, or all three — we were all still claiming: “YOLO, right?”

For awhile, it was just really hard for me to say no. Some people might categorize that under a different acronym: FOMO, the fear of missing out. Luckily, this problem never turned into a “problem” and I was always the one on the outside, getting into some pretty sticky situations of my own, but only playing the observing role in the real life-ruining ones that were happening around me. I always knew that these party “friends” weren’t my people — but I considered them people to be around until my real people showed up. So I passed the weekends, which bled into weekdays, which bled into years, hanging out with them — even though we never seemed to have anything to talk about until there was a line trickling down our throat and a cool song on the sound system.

Whenever I met innocent-seeming people, who didn’t know how to buy a bag of weed, and who thought heroin was just a drug people took in movies, I thought: They haven’t lived as much as me.

I realize now that those were some really shallow years.

When I was spending a week’s worth of pay on a ticket to a music festival, jumping in a car with a guy I only knew about but didn’t really know, and waking up in a random tent in Vermont with only a slight and painful idea of where I had been for the past 72 hours, I was calling it all “living my life to the fullest.” But there were a lot of things I wasn’t doing.

We’re living in a world where girls look up to Hannah Horvath and don’t know who Malala Yousafzai is, where all it takes to be ‘edgy’ is two sleeves of tattoos and a social smoking addiction. And that ain’t something to be proud of.

Like I wasn’t speaking to my sister.

I wasn’t visiting my childhood best friend who had to spend a year in the hospital.

I wasn’t traveling.

I wasn’t calling my grandparents.

And I certainly wasn’t writing.

Because I was YOLOing, you guys! And YOLO was everywhere — neon pink t-shirts, hashtags, bumper stickers, song lyrics, graffiti — American youth culture had claimed it as our big excuse, our crutch to lean on so we could all stoop a little lower. And it still is. It’s the question at the end of every confession: So you blacked out and stole a bottle of liquor from a bar, made out with your friend’s boyfriend and woke up with your cab driver? YOLO though, right?

Yes, YOLO is right. We do only live once — so maybe we should halt our shitty behavior and start sewing coats for Detroit’s homeless population like this girl.

What’s interesting is that if we took YOLO away from American party culture and gave it to people who really deserved it — like the woman whose one wish for her 105th birthday was to ride on a Harley, or this 13-year-old girl from India who became the youngest person to climb Mount Everest — YOLO would really be a beautiful phrase.

Because it’s true, we only get one shot at a meaningful life. So maybe it’s time we hung up the ol’ vacuum hose and traded those couple grams of molly for a plane ticket and a notebook, or a shift at the soup kitchen and a job at the assisted senior living center. I think we’ve all become a little too accustomed to sucking down jello shots, dressing up in an ugly sweater, and hula hooping to Girl Talk like it is the single, driving force behind our life’s work.

It isn’t. We’re living in a world where girls look up to Hannah Horvath and don’t know who Malala Yousafzai is, where all it takes to be “edgy” is two sleeves of tattoos and a social smoking addiction. And that ain’t something to be proud of.

So I have some words for my millennial generation. The next time you’re rolling up a 10-dollar bill because you believe that it’s somehow less dirty than a single, the next time you travel to a different country just to get wasted in a hostel, the next time you tattoo yet another song lyric on that dainty little foot of yours, remember this: You aren’t cool.

But you could be. Vandana Shiva, the Dalai Lama, Zach de la Rocha, Beyoncé — they’re cool. Speaking up when you come across something that just isn’t right, creating a solution for a problem in your community, finding your passion and actually doing it instead of just yammering on about it — that’s the stuff of a truly meaningful, one life.

Let’s all band together and make a 2015 New Year’s resolution. Let’s agree to hold off on yelling YOLO again until we’ve finished our first novel, finally made it to India, and/or gotten marriage equality passed in our home state. Let’s take it to the next level. Let’s make some changes and fight in some significant battles. Let’s follow in the footsteps of the supreme youth cultures that came before us. We can redefine our generation as a culture to be reckoned with, instead of the easily-distracted, high on MDMA and hooked on Twitter one, that didn’t even show up to vote this year.

This one life we have is a gift, let’s stop treating it like an excuse to black out.

Vermonters had a good 2014

Photo: angrywayne

1. The governor debate

With candidates who decided to dress for the Kentucky Derby, a Duck Dynasty marathon, and a lumberjack competition, the Vermont gubernatorial debate was perhaps the most entertaining political event this year. With current Governor Shumlin essentially having the election locked in, all seven of the candidates were invited to participate in the debate. This proved to be a brilliant move, as it seriously upped the entertainment value.

The entire debate was wildly animated with one candidate lobbying for secession, another encouraging residents to buy lottery tickets with food stamps, and a third accusing the Taliban for the heroin problem. If SNL isn’t doing it for you lately, I highly recommend watching this debate for a chuckle.

2. GMO labeling bill / scaring Monsanto and Starbucks

In May, we voted for food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to be labeled. Monsanto and Starbucks turned around and sued the state of Vermont, saying the Constitution is being violated by forcing companies to reveal information they don’t want to. If the bill goes into effect, Vermont will be the first state in the country to require this, possibly causing a ripple effect in other states, and making top food production companies come clean about what’s in their products.

3. The real Captain Phillips

Vermont is proud to be the home of real-life hero and movie-inspiration, Captain Richard Phillips. The end of 2013 brought Tom Hanks and the movie Captain Phillips to the big screen, a true story based on the Vermont ship captain who was held hostage by Somali Pirates. In 2014, the movie and many of the actors were nominated for Oscars, bringing more attention and acclaim to this hero and the state of Vermont.

The man behind the story lives in Jericho, Vermont and is often seen around town. He keeps a low profile, and doesn’t consider himself a hero; just a regular guy who happened to have a movie based on his experience. As a side note, according to Captain Phillips and his wife, my boyfriend makes the best martini in the state!

4. A craft-beer destination

2014 brought some serious attention to beer tourism. According to the Department of Liquor Control, the number of Vermont breweries increased by 80% in the past two years! There are three breweries — Hill Farmstead, The Alchemist, and Lawson’s Finest Liquids — that have beer geeks traveling hundreds of miles, waiting many hours, and spending loads of money on their incredible libations. There is even a nickname given to the route between these three top breweries: The IPA Highway.

In 2014, Hill Farmstead was rated the number-two brewery in the world (according to Ratebeer.com) and pumps out some of the most delicious beer you will ever taste. The last time I was there, I met a guy who didn’t want to tell his wife he was driving six hours from Connecticut to spend hundreds of dollars on beer. So he made the trip in one day, and due to the limit on how much he was able to get, came back again the next day.

5. Multiple best place to live awards

Anytime I see a ‘Best Places to Live’ list grace the pages of magazines or online publications, I immediately head for number 1 to see if Vermont makes the top spot. This year the Green Mountain State rolled in at the top of plenty of lists including:

Best State to Raise a Kid (Center for Disease Control)

Best Places to Live in America (Outside Magazine)

Second Healthiest State in the US (America’s Health Rankings)

Sixth Happiest State in the US (Gallup)

Hottest City (Burlington) to Move to in 2015 (Business Insider)

The focus on local and healthy foods, combined with the plentiful outdoor adventure possibilities, makes Vermont an ideal place for anyone who values health and fitness in their life.

6. A Scandal shout-out

What better way to bring attention to a state than have Olivia Pope and President Fitz use Vermont as their secret getaway location. The Scandal episode had the two hostile lovebirds jet off to snowy, ‘secluded Vermont’ to the massive log cabin the fictional president had built for his mistress. Here the duo dreamed about living a quiet life of jam-making. Not too far off from what life in Vermont is actually like.

7. The ‘Eat More Kale Guy’

Love it or hate it, our obsession with kale is here to stay, and you can thank Vermonter Bo Muller-Moore for that. After engaging in legal battles with Chick-Fil-A for the last three years due to trademark issues with their slogan ‘Eat More Chikn,’ Bo has officially won the rights to ‘Eat More Kale.’ A win for Vermont, small businesses and, you know, people who love kale.

Spending the holidays in Greenland

Photo: Greenland Travel

1. You fill up on three different kinds of reindeer meat — cooked, smoked, and dried.

Just like everyone else, we eat a lot during the holidays. But our food is traditional Greenlandic — smoked, dried, and cooked fish, reindeer meat, whale meat, whale skin cut into small pieces, fish liver smashed with blackberries and shrimp, then the typical ice cream and cake for dessert.

2. You play every traditional New Year’s Eve card game.

We pass the time until midnight with games like paaterluni, which is the most popular. You have to play in a circle. You pass one card to your left until you collect all four suits, then you grab a nut off the table. There’s always one less nut than there are players. As a reward, the winner gets to paint a single line on the loser’s face. We play until there’s no more room on someone’s face to paint another line.

3. You purchase enough fireworks to ring in New Year’s twice — 8pm and midnight.

Greenland is part of Denmark’s government, so when the clock hits midnight in Denmark and 8pm here in Greenland, we shoot off a round of fireworks. Then the big show happens at our midnight; the fireworks are known to last more than two hours.Everyone who is over 18 buys at least one or two kinds and sets them off in the city. The whole sky is filled with colors for hours on end.

4. You Celebrate “Little Christmas” as well as “Main Christmas” and “Elders’ Christmas.”

Our Christmas day is actually the 24th. We call it “Little Christmas” or “Children’s Christmas.” For as long as I can remember, Little Christmas is the biggest day for gathering with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. My family does breakfast with my mother’s family, where we open our first presents. And then we go to my father’s family to have dinner. We spend the night dancing around the Christmas tree and singing hymns. Then we still have two more days of celebration — the 25th is “Main Christmas” and the 26th is “Elders’ Christmas.” Elders’ Christmas is the calm and quiet day. After two days of eating and going back and forth to our family houses, this is our day to relax. Then in the evening, we go door-to-door to our grandmother’s, great-aunt’s, and other elder members of the community, and sing hymns for them.

5. You watch Santa land by helicopter.

We have the absolute pleasure of having the real Santa Claus living here in our country. He’s from Greenland after all. And on the 24th of December, Santa comes to the capital in style, and by style, I mean he comes by helicopter and lands in front of the hospital. Children come from all over the country to see him and receive presents of candies, cookies, and fruits.

6. You dress up in reindeer and seal fur on January 6.

It’s the day of the three kings, so we cover ourselves and paint our faces so we’re completely disguised. Then we knock on people’s doors and dance for them. They have to guess who we are and give us a treat. If you do a good enough job (and only go to strangers’ houses) your identity will never be revealed.

Trekking the mountains of Bhutan

Photo by Steve Evans

WHETHER YOU SEEK WILDERNESS ADVENTURE, immersion in a unique culture, or a spiritual journey, a trek through Bhutan’s mountains puts you in the heart of this little-known Himalayan Kingdom.

Here are some considerations for first-time trekkers:

The Basics

Trekking in Bhutan involves a multi-day trip, arranged like a camping expedition. This is due to government guidelines and because many areas are remote and devoid of accommodations. It is not uncommon to walk for several days before encountering a village.

A typical day consists of 5 to 7 hours of walking among some of the world’s most pristine natural surroundings, including subtropical jungles, alpine highlands, and snow-capped peaks.

Photo by Michael Foley

You will be accompanied by a licensed Bhutanese guide, cook, and mules or yaks that carry tents, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, food and other supplies.

In a nation steeped in Mahayana Buddhist traditions, the mountains are sacrosanct, housing deities. As such, you cannot scale peaks higher than 6,000 meters. At 7,570 meters, Gangkhar Puensum, the highest mountain in Bhutan, remains the highest unclimbed peak in the world.

While treks range from easy to strenuous, it helps to be moderately fit. Daily altitude gain is relatively high, so be aware of how best to acclimate your body.

When to Go

The best high altitude trekking seasons are in late April, when colorful bursts of wildflowers dot the landscape, or during the pleasant, clear days of October.

Short treks at lower elevations are possible during most months. You can also time your visit to coincide with one of Bhutan’s colorful festivals, getting a glimpse inside the dzongs, or fortress-monasteries, that serve as administrative, religious, and social centers.

Climate varies significantly by region. The north, bordering Tibet, is perennially covered with snow. The central regions enjoy four distinct seasons similar to those of Western Europe, and the subtropical south is hot and humid. Monsoon rains pelt the country from June to September.

Photo by Marina & Enrique

The Treks

There are more than a dozen treks, ranging in difficulty. Some combine scenery and culture, passing dense pine and oak forests on the mountainside; whitewashed dzongs overlooking valleys; and chortens, squat monuments housing sacred Buddhist relics.

Druk Path is a week-long trek that crosses mountains connecting the valleys of Paro and Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital. The sparsely populated route winds around freshwater lakes, and if your timing is right, dozens of varieties of scented rhododendron bloom in late spring.

Bumthang Cultural and Gangtey Nature treks are shorter, lasting from two to four days. Gangtey passes through isolated valleys, including the winter home of rare black-necked cranes.

Of the thousand or so trekkers who visit each year, most head for Jhomolhari, the third highest peak in Bhutan and “abode of the Goddess Jhomo.” Following the river, the trek offers some of the best mountain scenery, including highland villages, yak pastures, and a base camp embedded in natural beauty.

Taking two weeks, the Jhomolhari – Laya – Gasa trek is an extension of the above. It weaves through the high Himalayas, leaving the Jhomolhari trail and heading east along the Tibetan border to Laya, and then south to Gasa and its hot springs.

Lunana Snowman is one of the hardest high altitude treks, involving walking and living in remote areas beneath the peaks of 6 mountains, each over 7,000 meters high. The mystical trail crosses nine passes, taking you by villages and nomad groups, and through forests of blue pine, juniper and rhododendron.

Photo by Goran Hoglund

Plan Ahead

You cannot visit Bhutan on a whim as the government controls the number of travelers allowed into the country each year. Arrangements must be made through registered Bhutanese tour operators beforehand, and you have the choice of customizing your own trip or joining a pre-planned tour.

Each visitor is required to pay a fee of US $200 per day — $250 in the high season. This sounds steep, but it includes taxes, accommodations, meals, a licensed guide, camping equipment and haulage for treks. This fee applies across the board, whether or not you go trekking, and it includes $65 that the government puts towards education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation.

The easiest way to get to Bhutan is by air. Druk Air, the national airline, is the only carrier that serves Paro Airport, offering flights from Bangkok, Kathmandu, Delhi and several other South Asian cities.

There are plenty of online resources. For starters, check out Matador editor Tim Patterson’s excellent guide to, and impressions of, Bhutan.

The Tourism Council of Bhutan also provides handy information, including a list of tour operators (many of whom have their own websites), local news and events, approved treks, and the latest on travel regulations.

And finally, get a copy of seasoned trekker Bart Jordans’ Bhutan: A Trekker’s Guide , including insights on numerous trails, a comprehensive trek grading system, and information on trekking for families with children.

This article was first published on December 8, 2008.