Matador Network's Blog, page 2301

15 people living with no regrets

Photo: Antoine Gady

PART OF WHY I TRAVEL is because I want to live my life with absolutely no regrets — I want to fill my life with exciting experiences, so I can look back and say, “Damn…my life was good, huh?”

In an era dominated by media pressures to conform in all aspects of our lives — to look a certain way, live a certain way, love a certain way — it can be hard to keep motivated. Considering this, I thought searching for individuals who are actively living life with “no regrets” would prove to be difficult. But to be honest, I could list another 15, or 30, if I had to.

What does it mean to live a life with no regrets? How much of yourself do you have to give to the world? These qualities, and the individuals who uphold them, are proof that no-regrets-living is entirely possible.

Shannon Galpin – Showing the world what “Girl Power” really means

Feminism has brought us a long way, but there are many places around the world where women’s rights are in desperate need of championing. Matador Ambassador Shannon Galpin founded the nonprofit Mountain2Mountain, which helps bring educational opportunities to people suffering from governmental oppression. In 2012, Shannon was recognized by National Geographic as a 2013 Adventurer of the Year for her work helping girls and women in Afghanistan find a voice in their communities. Part of this initiative was supporting the Afghan National Cycling Team, which gave women in Afghanistan a chance to participate in competitive cycling. Shannon’s first book, Streets of Afghanistan: Bridging Cultures through Art, is available for purchase.

Chad Pregracke – Not letting a little garbage stand in his way

Chad goes beyond what’s expected of a typical sanitation worker — he’s dedicated his life to cleaning up the trash that accumulates along the Mississippi River. It takes courage to do a job no one else wants to do, especially one that Chad fully realized was disgusting, but knew would ultimately improve the lives of others. His selflessness helps him live a life of no regrets in that he recognizes how even one person can make a huge impact; Chad started on his own, but now helps organize over 70,000 volunteers to perform similar community cleanups around the country. Together with his nonprofit, Living Lands & Waters, Chad has collected more than 7 million pounds of trash in the past 15 years.

Ashley Bell – Speaking out for those who have no voice

An animal rights supporter since she was young, Ashley juggles her time between acting in feature films, television shows, and shows on Broadway, and spreading awareness about making the world a better place for the creatures we share it with. She’s an ambassador for Cruelty Free International and works towards an end to animal testing for cosmetics and consumer products. Her latest endeavor, a documentary called Love and Bananas, includes a look at the lives of two rescued Asian elephants as they journey from Thailand to the Cambodian Wildlife Sanctuary. Ashley and her production team traveled into insecure zones of Cambodia and used guerrilla-style aerial footage to capture segments of the film in restricted areas of the country. In the face of dangerous conditions, she continues to bring awareness to the plight of Asian elephants.

Casey Neistat – Putting his talents toward a greater good

Casey Neistat is no stranger to epicness — his 200+ short films have made him an internet celebrity, led him to star in an HBO docu-series about his filmmaking career, and helped him produce Daddy Longlegs, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and earned him an Independent Spirit Award. When approached by 20th Century Fox to produce a film that would inspire people to live their hopes and dreams (a la The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), Neistat took the proposed budget, flew to the Philippines, and used the opportunity to help those affected by the typhoon that devastated the country in November of 2013. $25,000 was spent on supplies, food, and transportation to Tacloban. Casey personally organized and handed out the goods he’d helped purchase to those who needed them most. His experience is proof that filmmakers can make a difference in front of, as well as behind, the camera.

Céline Cousteau – Exploring the world to understand it

Since she was young, Céline Cousteau has dedicated her life to exploration of our planet. Her love of the ocean, and the life that exists within it, was influenced by her grandfather, ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, and she has contributed significantly to ocean conservation initiatives. Through projects such as the Amazon Promise Expedition, work with the Uganda Rural Community Support Foundation, and a 12-part documentary film about the ecosystems of Chile, Céline has helped make a significant positive impact on the world around her. Now partnered with Contiki Cares, she leads conservation and marine-biology missions around the world.

Find out how you can win a chance to travel to Costa Rica on a sea turtle conservation trip with Céline.

Robin Emmons – Digging in to help feed her community

When you’re poor, or even homeless, things like nutritional counseling and healthy food options become unattainable luxuries. Robin Emmons understood this, and that feeding low-income families has to go beyond providing just any meal. Many people in her community suffer from health issues — such as diabetes and obesity — that are directly tied to a lack of healthy options in their neighborhood, or because they can’t afford them. So Robin used her own resources, including her personal land, to develop her nonprofit, Sow Much Good. Since 2008, she has grown more than 26,000 pounds of organic produce and distributed it to poor communities in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.

Logan LaPlante – Putting happiness first

Logan LaPlante is changing the way we think about homeschooling, and how location-independent children learn. His homeschooling concept, called “hackschooling,” combines his personal interests with academic motivations, providing him with a well-rounded, experiential education he believes helps heighten his positive mood and outlook on life. He embraces this alternative form of education, incorporating practical and hands-on experiences such as internships, nature walks, and relevant scientific experiments into his everyday life, bridging the connection between teaching and learning. Logan’s laid-back attitude is infectious, and inspirational; at the age of 13, he has already made a name for himself by speaking around the world, including a TEDx talk at the University of Nevada in 2013.

Ellen Page – Standing up to conformity

Actress Ellen Page is best known for playing the lead in Juno, a film about a snarky, pregnant teenager who gives her child up for adoption. In real life, Page is more subdued, but still exudes strength in her public speaking appearances. Recently, during a Human Rights Campaign Foundation event, she announced her homosexuality. Beyond this brave “coming out” experience, a move with which both celebrities and “regular” people struggle, Page spoke about the strength we gain in placing our trust in love. She chose to stand up for her beliefs, something many people find difficult, but something which will allow her to live the life she wants — a life with no regrets.

Michael Christian Martinez – Not letting “no” stand in his way

17-year-old Michael Christian Martinez doesn’t let his environment dictate his dreams; he’s out to prove that even people from tropical locations have a shot at medaling in ice skating competitions. Michael trained tirelessly to become the only athlete from the Philippines to compete in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. He used the ice rink at a shopping mall in his community to practice, his technique largely based on videos he watched, and coaching that was paid for using his family’s savings. While he didn’t place this year, his enthusiasm has given hope to many around the world that they can achieve their dreams, despite the obstacles their surroundings might present.

Alex Honnold – Challenging himself every day

Challenging yourself is one step towards living a life with no regrets. Alex Honnold upholds this virtue, pushing himself to achieve feats few even attempt — free-climbing massive rock walls in search of adventure. At the age of 19, Alex dropped out of college to focus on his passion for rock climbing, and has since made a career out of that which others can only participate in as a hobby. Alex has broken a number of free- and solo-climbing speed records, including the soloing of Half Dome in 1 hour, 22 minutes (annihilating the previous record of 2 hours, 50 minutes…which he also held). Beyond the climbing community, he is an inspiration to those who seek to push the limits of human potential.

Dr. Georges Bwelle – Fighting for free healthcare for those who need it most

After witnessing his father’s struggle with an infection that impaired his body, Dr. Georges Bwelle realized the only way the world can rise above crippling epidemics is if treatment is offered to patients at any cost. And so Georges took matters into his own hands and became a doctor himself. He now organizes free medical clinics throughout his home country of Cameroon, treating illnesses from the common cold to malaria and tuberculosis, and even performing surgeries otherwise unattainable for many because of the expense. He could have become a rich surgeon who catered only to paying customers, but Dr. Bwelle doesn’t regret his decision to serve his people: “I am so happy when I am doing this work…. To make people laugh, to reduce the pain, that’s why I’m doing this.”

Malala Yousafzai – Surviving and striving for educational freedom

Not many people would be able to find strength after being shot — not to mention if they were targeted based on their beliefs. Malala Yousafzai, winner of Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize (now called the National Malala Peace Prize), has spoken out about girls’ education in her country since the age of 11. Despite being attacked by a Taliban assassin, she continues to fight for women’s education and support her past initiatives, which include writing for a BBC blog about life under an extremist government, and speaking out publicly for women’s rights around the world. At the age of 16, she has already written an autobiography entitled I am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, has won numerous humanitarian awards, and became the youngest girl to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Steve Obbayi – Taking on the “crap” no one else wants to deal with

Nearly 40% of the world lacks access to proper sanitation. Kenyan entrepreneur and mountaineer Steve Obbayi knew that increasing the world’s awareness of proper hygiene practices would dramatically reduce illness and death caused by lack of indoor plumbing and running water. Together with Flying Kites children’s home founder Toby Storie-Pugh, they came up with the Do Epic Shit campaign. Their Expedition Everest trek will raise awareness for these issues, and Steve will become the first Kenyan to climb the world’s tallest peak. With so many causes out there, choosing to focus on the “crap” might seem extreme — but for Steve and Toby, the War on Poop is just beginning.

Lizzie Velasquez – Defying the haters, and the odds

Lizzie Velasquez was born with an extremely rare disorder that prevents her from gaining weight. In high school, she found a YouTube video with pictures of herself that was called, “The Ugliest Woman in the World,” with hundreds of hateful comments that included death threats and pleas for her to commit suicide. Instead of succumbing to these horrible messages, Lizzie realized that the only way she could live a happy life was by standing up to those who doubted her. She excelled in proving to them that she was capable of leading a perfectly normal life, just slightly different from everyone else. Doctors warned her family that she wouldn’t make it past the age of 3; she’s now 25, has a college degree, and makes a living as a motivational speaker.

Dr. Enric Sala – Protecting the last truly wild parts of the world

One of the world’s most famous marine conservationists, Dr. Enric Sala travels to extremely remote places to explore, document, and rehabilitate areas of the ocean that see little to no contact with human beings. He has published over 100 scientific reports and produced several films about ocean conservation, particularly concerning the ecosystems of sharks. Dr. Sala is an explorer-in-residence for National Geographic, and is the lead director of the Pristine Seas project. Traveling to such distant places as the Pitcairn Islands and the Pacific Remote Islands takes much time, dedication, and sacrifice, but Dr. Sala knows his work is worth the cost if it manages to impact the world in a positive way.

Want to join one of these 15 groundbreakers and live a life with no regrets? Share with Contiki where you feel closest to nature for a chance to win one of three spots on a Costa Rica Unplugged adventure, where you’ll assist with the conservation of sea turtles with Contiki’s sustainability partner, Céline Cousteau.

The post 15 people around the world living with no regrets appeared first on Matador Network.

The State of the Hudson

All photos: Author

Sailing down my golden river,

Sun and water all my own,

Yet I was never alone.

Sun and water, old life givers,

I’ll have them where e’er I roam,

And I was not far from home.

Sunlight glancing on the water,

Life and death are all my own,

Yet I was never alone.

- Pete Seeger, 1971

Folks up and down the Hudson Valley are still grieving the loss of Pete Seeger, who died at the age of 94 on January 24, 2014. Considered to be one of the most influential people of the 20th century, Seeger was one of the first individuals to believe that the Hudson River could be clean again. In addition to rallying people to care about water quality in the Hudson Valley, he inspired communities across the nation to found watershed groups dedicated to their local streams.

I first listened to Seeger’s songs about the Hudson River as a freshman in college. So moved by his vision and call for action, after graduation I found a job at a nonprofit organization at the headwaters of the Schuylkill River, where over 160 abandoned mine sites compromise water quality. There, I lead outreach and design programs that connect local students with their watershed. Although some days the work seems endless, I find hope when I reflect on Seeger and all that has passed in this one man’s extraordinary life. His vision, needed more now than ever before, still sings.

Today, nearly five million people live in the Hudson Watershed, in addition to over 200 species of fish and 20 pairs of nesting bald eagles. The river sweeps 325 miles from Lake Tear of the Clouds in the eaves of the Adirondack Mountains, through New York State’s bucolic farmlands, and into a tidal estuary stretching more than a hundred miles to Manhattan. Yet in many ways, the people drawn to live on its banks or appreciate it as a recreational resource forget how far it has come.

“At the time Seeger began to sing about his ‘golden river,’ its waters were so severely polluted it was like one giant sewer from Glens Falls to Battery Park,” says Manna Jo Greene, Environmental Director of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. “You could tell what color they were painting cars at the General Motors plant.” The water ran red, blue, green, with solvent and paint squeegeed into a drain that went straight into the river.

Read more: The 5 biggest crises facing our oceans today (and why you should care)

Seeger saw beauty through this filth, and in 1966 he resolved to “build a boat to save the river.” Three years later, he launched the Clearwater, a vessel that captured the character of the sloops that once plied the Hudson’s currents in the 18th and 19th centuries, and came to be known as the Flagship of the Environmental Movement. Seeger’s songs, which resounded from the Clearwater’s bow and the banks where it moored, were a magnet attracting crowds by the thousands. One by one, Seeger’s fans signed petitions demanding a cleaner Hudson, putting pressure on Congress to pass the 1972 Clean Water Act.

“All of Pete’s songs had a message,” Greene states, “a message about a clean river, freedom, peace, and justice. Pete empowered people and inspired them to take action. But he also created a lot of work for the rest of us!”

More than 40 years after the Clean Water Act, environmental organizations in the Hudson Watershed are still struggling with the legacy impacts of unregulated industry. Toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) dumped by General Electric for decades still lurk on the Hudson’s bottom, contaminating sediment and limiting fish reproduction. Although most of the 1.3 million pounds have been dredged since 2009, there are approximately 136 acres outside the area delineated for cleanup.

The Hudson River has always been a working river — used hard and loved deeply across the centuries.

Rising levels of nitrogen and phosphorous are now becoming serious concerns for the Hudson. One of the primary sources of this spike is the discharge of billions of gallons of raw sewage that pour into the river every year during heavy storm events. Many treatment facilities built in the 1970s are reaching the end of their lives and cannot keep up with elevated flows. Overwhelmed by as little as 1/20th of an inch of rain, they flush untreated waste into the river. Bacteria and algae thrive on this slurry, depleting oxygen and suffocating aquatic life.

Climate change also sits at the top of the threat list. More frequent storms exacerbate pressures on infrastructure like aging sewage treatment systems, while wreaking economic devastation on communities flooded by their own impervious roads, parking lots, and roofs. Sea level rise will also push back wetlands, changing the ecology of the Hudson’s shoreline and threatening transportation avenues — road and rail — that hug the river’s banks.

The magnitude of natural gas and crude oil traveling by train and tanker along the Hudson corridor poses a high risk of spills that could set back water quality achieved since the Clean Water Act in an instant. Additionally, the Algonquin pipeline moves high-pressure natural gas directly under the Indian Point nuclear power plant perched on the river’s shore. This interface of volatile fuels with water resources and the proposition of hydrofracking looming on the horizon suggest the stakes for cheap energy are only going to rise.

Finally, we’re facing new challenges in the realm of water quality never dealt with in human history. Emerging contaminants like hormonal residues from birth control pills, the chemical byproducts of chemotherapy, and even caffeine leave our bodies and enter the water cycle whenever we flush the toilet. Sewage plants were not built to detect or remove these pharmaceutical pollutants, and science is only beginning to understand their consequences.

“Where do you begin when so many things we do present problems?” asks Simon Gruber, President of the Hudson River Watershed Alliance. The challenge Hudson stakeholders face is not a simple list, but rather a tangled web of issues exacerbated by the sheer scale of the 13,390-square-mile watershed.

Nonetheless, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is in the process of drafting a new action agenda to develop a unified approach for watershed planning and protection. Input from stakeholders, including fishermen, small boat owners, local decision makers, and environmental activists, will be incorporated into the vision.

“We already know so much,” Gruber asserts. “But we are much further along with our technical tools and best practices than our political will and social mechanisms to employ them.”

Pete Seeger’s songs hold this note, floating over the Hudson and reminding us that environmental justice does not win itself. At times the fight may feel impossible, but battles are being won. Children swim in the Hudson again. Atlantic sturgeon are returning to the headwaters in higher numbers than ever before. And for the first time in 90 years, the Sawmill River flows above ground, after activists leveraged $34 million dollars to bring the watershed to the surface.

The Hudson River has always been a working river — used hard and loved deeply across the centuries. When the valley was first settled, people built their homes facing the water, for the river served as their connection to the rest of the world. Only later, when the industrial revolution transformed the Hudson into little more than a sewer and a cheap way to transport goods, did communities begin to turn their backs on it.

It took a man, a boat, and a vision to turn them around one by one.

Although the Hudson is far from pristine today, the beauty that Pete Seeger saw in it decades ago and believed in his entire life is slowly becoming clear. [image error]

The post The state of the Hudson: Seeking vision in Pete Seeger’s wake appeared first on Matador Network.

Mapped: WhatsApp vs. global GDPs

LAST WEDNESDAY, Facebook announced its plans to purchase WhatsApp, a messaging app with 450 million users, for $19 billion.

$19 billion is a lot of money. If it’s hard for you to wrap your brain around that price tag, here’s a map to help. The countries in green have annual GDPs worth less than the price paid for an app that lets you text your friends. Hover over any of the countries in green to see their 2012 GDP (in billions).

The post Mapped: Countries with GDPs worth less than WhatsApp appeared first on Matador Network.

Celebrity raises awareness

AFTER MATADOR POSTED an article about why you should think twice before visiting Thailand’s Tiger Temple, many people also brought up some shocking points concerning elephant tours in Southeast Asia. Riding an elephant was once an attraction I would have gladly participated in, but I will now refrain from. Here is why:

In 1986, the Asian Elephant was placed on the endangered species list.

By 2020 it is predicted that the wild Asian Elephant will be extinct.

75% of the jungle where Asian elephants used to live, has been cut down.

Less than 30,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild.

No wild Asian elephant remain in the Cambodian jungle. Elephants are killed for ivory, forced to provides rides for tourists, haul logs at illegal logging facilities, and used and abused for entertainment at zoos and circuses.

Banana On The Loose in Times Square!! from Change For Balance on Vimeo.

Actress and animal rights supporter Ashley Bell cares about these creatures so much, that she recently took to NYC’s Times Square dressed like a banana, to raise awareness for this issue. Her documentary film, Love and Bananas, is about rescuing Asian elephants in Cambodia; I admire anyone willing to get a little silly, in an effort to tell others about their passion and worldly causes. I’d rather pay money to see that, than the Naked Cowboy, any day.

Ashley Belly’s Indiegogo campaign has already raised $21,530, but still has more to go. Please check out her campaign’s website for more details, and stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Ashley where she reveals more about her project, her passion, and why we should pay more attention to the problems Asian elephants in Cambodia face.

The post Find out why this celebrity is walking around NYC dressed like a banana [vid] appeared first on Matador Network.

How to cook your way to Mexico

Photo: Kendra

These past few months, the continual onslaught of snow and freezing temperatures in Washington, DC, have been driving me nuts. However, I don’t have the money or time to go on vacation somewhere warm to remind myself of what the sun feels like, not just what it looks like when it peeps its head between the snowstorms to melt the accumulation on the ground into gray slush.

So to cure my winter blues, I’ve been cooking my way to Mexico, specifically via my favorite Mexican cookbook, Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales: Flavors from the Griddles, Pots, and Streetside Kitchens of Mexico, by Roberto Santibanez.

Recipes aside, what attracted me to this book initially were its vivid, plastic-colored photos of Mexican street life: a plate of tacos resting on a waxy, Crayola-hued tablecloth; men and women expertly chopping, stirring, and tending food with the concentration of Jedi knights; streetcarts and hole-in-the-wall eateries emblazoned with signs in all caps demanding attention be paid to chicharron, homemade tortillas, even “QUESO EXTRA.”

And then there’s the food: pale, crumble-edged corn tortillas topped with glistening wedges of potato, mushroom, or chopped meat, sprinkled with a confetti of shredded cabbage and cilantro, and then anointed with lustrous sprays of orange or green sauce. Thick tortas (which sound like a kind of cake but are actually sandwiches) stuffed with mashed black beans, pork carnitas, or salt cod. Fluffy corn tamales steamed in corn husk packets, filled with shredded chicken or strawberries.

This winter, I’ve been steadily cooking my way through the book, discovering winner after winner of a recipe. My favorites so far include the savory slow-cooked lamb, tangy marinated skirt steak, cinnamon-orange-scented duck carnitas, and the adobo-marinated chicken that will redefine the way you think of chicken.

But best of all are the array of condiments and sauces that can be easily whipped up from scratch and sit in your fridge all week to dress up everyday breakfasts and lunches. On a depressingly white northern day, toast up a quesadilla on a dry skillet, then sprinkle with a bit of chopped tomato and the following avocado-tomatillo salsa, whose bright notes taste the way sunshine at tropical latitudes feels. Close your eyes, take a bite, and you can almost believe you’re in Mexico.

One note: I’ve tweaked the original recipe a bit to add a note of lime and just a touch of sugar, to cut some of the tartness of the tomatillo. Also, I leave out the seeds of my jalapeno to reduce the firepower, but if you’re a spice-lover, by all means leave them in.

Fresh Green Salsa with Avocado

(adapted from Roberto Santibanez’s Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales)

Yield: about 1 ½ cups

½ pound tomatillos (5 or 6) husked, rinsed and coarsely chopped (Look for tomatillos that aren’t too bruised or dried out. You can find them canned as well, though fresh are much better for this.)

½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro (I just rip a handful of the stuff off the bunch, rinse it, and throw it in. The stems have as much flavor as the leaves, so you can add those too as long as they get chopped up.)

4 fresh jalapeno or serrano chiles, coarsely chopped (Seeds in for heat, seeds out for a milder salsa.)

1 large garlic clove, peeled (Don’t make the mistake I once made of adding extra garlic — this is plenty.)

2 tablespoons of chopped white onion (Red is fine too.)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ medium lime, juiced

1 or 2 pinches of sugar to taste

½ cup water

1 large ripe Hass avocado

Put the tomatillos in a blender first, then add the remaining ingredients. Pulse to chop up the tomatillos, then blend until very smooth, at least 1 minute. Season to taste with additional chile, salt, or sugar (be careful — not too much), and blend again. My salsa stays in the fridge for about 5-6 days. [image error]

The post Take a super cheap vacation to Mexico…in the kitchen appeared first on Matador Network.

You're pronouncing gyro wrong

The only negative consequence of the TV show Seinfeld was the propagation of the mispronunciation of the word “gyro.” They jokingly called them “jy-ros” instead of the proper “euros” (like the currency), and ever since, I’ve rarely heard the word properly said. That’s the problem with subtle humor, I suppose, but FoodBeastTV has fortunately put together a video to educate people how to properly pronounce their food. Do you call pho “fo”? Do you call hors d’oeuvres hors-duh-oovers (admittedly, I occasionally call them that when I want to annoy someone I think is being pretentious, and I’ll call croissants “quassons” when I’m trying to seem pretentious myself)?

Learn how to say these foods properly. I was surprised at how many things I was pronouncing incorrectly, and was also slightly disappointed that they didn’t include an explanation of why New Yorkers and New Jersians pronounce capicola as “gabagool.” But check it out nonetheless. [image error]

The post You’re pronouncing “gyro” — and a bunch of other foods — wrong appeared first on Matador Network.

Charleston: Best college town ever

Photo: Joseph Nienstedt

I chose to attend the College of Charleston (CofC) because a guy at Yo Burrito offered to buy me shots after a harrowing campus tour. It was raining, and I listened to two guys named Colby and Colby, both dressed in matching douchebag Lacoste polos and boat shoes, talk about their latest sailing trip.

“I never want to go to college!” I cried into my taco salad, after my mother stormed out, rightfully embarrassed. Once the bartender decided he didn’t care that he was offering alcohol to a minor, I sat there and thought, The people are really nice here. I think I’ll apply.

Charleston is one of the most underrated college towns in America, which I guess makes it the ultimate college town, because it’s so off the radar that when people come to visit, their minds explode from how chill-yet-messed-up this place is. It’s sort of like, “How can you be so polite after puking all over my Tory Burch sandals? I don’t understand, but I like it!”

It’s BEAUTIFUL everywhere, always.

Charleston’s charming as hell. We like our buildings painted in pastel colors, our greenery perfectly landscaped, and our fountains copper-penny-and-piss-free. Residents respect this beauty, and the city is fairly clean. Lots of famous movies, like The Notebook, and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, were filmed here. Even the ghetto areas are gorgeous, by comparison.

The architecture is ill.

A local ordinance requires homes be maintained in their original style, meaning the outer facades can’t be modified to the extent they lose their original historic value. This means every building you enter has been there since forever, every place has a history, and you feel like you’ve stepped back in time simply by walking down the block.

There’s a serious lack of student housing at CofC; most students move off-campus their sophomore year, reaping the benefits of living in historic houses. Charleston is a wet dream for nostalgic types, which is basically anyone born between 1986 and 1999 (’90s kids unite!).

The locals are so nice.

Coming from NYC, where everyone is an asshole, it’s a dream to see people smiling, saying “please” and “thank you” in a non-sarcastic way, and offering to hold the door for you. People go out of their way to help you if you’re lost, and even the homeless people won’t get mad at you for not giving them change. It makes for a really pleasant college experience; even if no one takes you seriously because of your age, they’ll do it with a smile.

The college has a ratio of 40:60 males to females.

Gentlemen, your chances of getting laid are quite good. Ladies, your chances of snagging a partner (male or female) depend on how well you can make fried chicken.

And those females are some of the best looking on the planet.

The people of Charleston are consistently voted “the most attractive people in America.” Many Charlestonian women are naturally blond and sunkissed, and they all wear sundresses and high heels (even in the dead of winter). They all look like models, and they all have the cutest goddamn Southern accents in the world.

The weather is awesome, in its own way.

Charleston can be extremely muggy, but that’s why we have air conditioning. And I’ll take stifling heat and sunny days over shoveling and having to wear bulky layers of winter clothing. When it does snow in Charleston, everything shuts down and the entire city gets a snowday, not just schools. And when it rains, sometimes it floods the streets, and people break out their kayaks to get around. Charlestonians make the best of their climate annoyances, because they’re too laid back to give it more thought than it takes to shuck an oyster.

There’s always a party going on somewhere.

I remember when my friends at other colleges would “live” for their weekends. “We study and work all week,” said my friend Nate, who went to Connecticut College. “We just let loose on Fridays and Saturdays.”

I didn’t get it — you mean there are places in America where people actually study? Despite that, you’ll find most people in Charleston are completely shitfaced even on a Tuesday night, yet still manage to pull off that 4.0 GPA.

There isn’t a football team.

Southern college football is certainly a way to pass the time, but it’s best left to places like USC, Clemson, and UGA, where they have the room to accommodate thousands of well-dressed drunkards. Weekends in Charleston are refreshingly free of any sort of craziness that comes with an on-location football game.

There IS a kickass basketball team.

CofC’s Cougars recently became members of the NCAA Division I Colonial Athletic Association. Charleston is also home to the Riverdogs minor league baseball team, which is partly owned by Bill Murray.

Oh yeah, and Bill Murray lives here.

Mr. Murray owns a house on Sullivan’s Island, and makes appearances around town whenever he’s in the area. He often attends CofC sports events and is pretty gracious, albeit strange, when it comes to interacting with his fans.

Everything is haunted.

Charleston is one of the most haunted cities in America, apparently. But I guess it’s because lots of fucked up shit went down here — we’ve had pirates, slaves, secession, earthquakes, and hurricanes. My college dorm was converted from an old motel that was shut down because too many people got murdered there.

Charleston has the best drunk food.

Pulled pork sandwiches, fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits — that’s what drunk people in Charleston like to eat. We get off on our boozy brunches at AC’s Bar and Grill, and inhale gooey nachos at Juanita Greenbergs while downing pitchers of margaritas.

While the availability of 24-hour eateries is hard to come by, those that are open after the bars close provide some amazing drunchies. Dell’z Deli, Gee’s hot dog cart, and Gilroy’s Pizza are open-until-3am-or-later lifesavers.

Sweet Tea Vodka was basically invented here.

Firefly blows Jeremiah Weed (which is distilled in Connecticut — give me a BREAK) out of the water. Forget about mint juleps, Charlestonians drink this stuff straight out of the bottle.

It’s one of the most liberal cities in South Carolina.

The rest of the state might be home to the highest concentration of Ku Klux Klan members in the United States, but Charleston’s well known for its openness to the homosexual community, as well as its appreciation for African American and Gullah-Geechee cultures. You can catch drag shows downtown, or join one of the six historically black fraternities and sororities on campus.

Really though — we take everybody.

I have friends who are hippies and have drum circles in Marion Square. I have friends who are total Housewives of Mount Pleasant, with their polos and pearls. Charleston’s got hipsters, punks, princesses, artsy types, sports fiends, feminists, mad scientists, curing-cancer doctors, yuppies, snobs, and social activists. We have Fashion Week, a Kulture Klash, Piccolo Spoleto, and gun shows. Even if you think you fit into some kind of weirdo-niche not listed above, there’s probably a club on campus full of people just like you.

You can go to the beach pretty much all year round.

I once went swimming at Folly Beach during Thanksgiving break — the water felt like a warm bath. People go surfing all year long; it’s pretty common to find surfboards in peoples’ dorm rooms.

It’s easy to get a job here.

If you’re looking to work in the field of travel, tourism, or hospitality, Charleston is full of restaurants, bars, tour operators, and hotels that cater to travelers all year round. Even if you don’t want to do that stuff long term, you can make good money through college by waiting tables, bartending, or dressing up as a Confederate soldier and giving carriage tours to visitors jacked up on sweet tea.

Charlestonians are steadfast in their traditions.

Graduation is held every year on Mother’s Day, in the Cistern (the oldest part of CofC). Graduates dress in white tuxes or dresses, instead of polyester gowns, and carry roses down the aisle. It’s sweet to know there are places in the US where the culture and history are still very much alive.

Anyone outside of South Carolina is considered “exotic.”

People couldn’t get over how I grew up in New York City, and for the first time in my life, I was “the hot girl” because of my Italian/Czech ancestry (the closest thing to Italian in Charleston is a bottle of Prego tomato sauce). In a town full of Calhouns, Phillips, Gadsdens, Hamptons, and Hugers, any last name that ends in a vowel is automatically sexy. [image error]

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How to piss off a Man U fan

The Theatre of Dreams — what an epic label for a stadium, a modern-day coliseum for the beautiful game. Manchester United, the names of greats dribbling off the tongue, a club as synonymous with football as David Hasselhoff is with Baywatch and power ballads.

Watching games with Manchester United supporters has never been that exciting — there’s always an air of suffocating confidence in the room. Not to say they haven’t had anxious moments in the past, but those used to come in the form of nail-biting last-ditch thrillers against Europe’s footballing elite, not in 2-2 draws with the lumbering clubs at the bottom of the Premier League table. This season has changed the atmosphere in pubs and around bum-moulded sofas worldwide. The air is just as tense, but the confidence has shifted into an oppressive uncertainty. If the club stays where it is, it will be its lowest placing in the history of its time in the Premier League (which sounds worse than it is, as it was called Division 1 up until 1992).

So, if there was ever an opportunity to piss off a Manchester United fan in the last two decades, it’s today. They’re incensed with their new manager and are akin to wounded and disoriented red buffaloes. They can be found almost anywhere on Earth and are more loyal to their club than hardened patriots, so tread carefully.

Tell a Manchester United fan on Facebook you’re writing an article on how to piss off a Manchester United fan and want some feedback.

“Fuck off.” That’s the only response I received.

Say, “Oh, you mean Manchester City?”

If you bump into a red-shirted United fan in a pub or bar and other conversation seems to be going well, steer talk towards soccer (make sure you call it soccer to add a heady dose of your ignorance into the mix). Ask them what their favourite team is, seemingly oblivious to their throbbing red badge of pride. When they tell you, say you thought Manchester’s kit was light blue and that you’d also support them because you’ve seen them play and they’re a fantastic team.

Having just lauded and confused them with their rivals, smile and offer to buy them a Budweiser.

Bring them unreasonably far down to Earth.

To relegate one of the biggest clubs in the history of the sport to a battling minnow is sure to get a rise. With a completely straight face, rabbit on about how you always support the underdog because it makes the game more interesting when you root for the little guy. Especially if they have a game coming up against one of the top four clubs. It’s the perfect opportunity to say, “You definitely have a shot, because lower league teams raise their game against the big clubs.”

Then slowly sink your lips into the froth of your beer.

(If they’re English) Tell them you heard they all live in London.

It’ll be hard to feign innocence in this instance, but you could try — in all likelihood it’ll be taken for what it is. Tell them you’ve met a handful of football fans from Manchester and that they all support Manchester City as far as you know. Go on to share that your newfound Mancunian friends told you the last United fans from Manchester left a long, long time ago and all the people who support Manchester United are really from London.

Unless, of course, they live in Japan, China, USA, South Africa, Uruguay, Denmark, or the remotest villages in Papua New Guinea.

Bring up the battle for 4th place.

The top four teams in the Premier League qualify for the Champions League, and Manchester United is currently sitting in 6th. Talk about how it’s going to be a close call between all the teams above them to clinch the spot.

Then casually rope the 7th-, and even 8th-place teams into the conversation about the fight for 4th without so much as a mention of United’s chances. As a parting shot, tell them that at least they might win the league next year…the Europa League (implies not reaching 4th place).

Remind them of the records they’ve broken.

Thirteen Premier League titles in the last couple decades is quite a feat. But you’re not going to focus on those records. As your burly new amigo clutches his fragile pint glass like a stress ball, ask him if it’s true that the last time they lost to Sunderland at home was 20 years ago. Tell him that’s funny because you were six years old at the time. Then recklessly delve into some of the other records they’ve broken in their abysmal season this year.

Praise their manager and ineffectual players.

Pretend to have a deep knowledge of the game and United’s players. After throwing out a few wild formation suggestions that could improve the team’s performance, quote their new flailing manager, David Moyes: “There have been a few twists this season; hopefully we’ll get them our way in the future. You just continue doing the right things. Keep going and your luck will change, there’s no doubt about that.”

Remind your friend that there truly is no doubt involved when it comes to a thing like luck, and that you agree 100% with Sir David — all you need is a new set of luck. Maybe that’s why ex-manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been hanging out with the lead singer from Simply Red, Mick Hucknall, at games of late. Ask your friend if the ginger-topped singer is the new mascot for the team in red. Their Leprechaun-like lucky charm. But until that glorious day when luck kicks in, tell her that at least she has reliable, top quality players to keep the team afloat, like Tom Cleverly (not) and the heaven-sent return of Marouane Fellaini (the Sideshow Bob to Moyes’ Krusty the Clown) to look forward to. [image error]

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Powder for Powder: Idaho to Alaska

THE ROAD FROM IDAHO TO ALASKA is lined with powder.

Just over the Canadian border, Revelstoke and its Monashee Mountain culture is becoming the best place on Earth for helicopter skiing. From Revi and BC’s Powder Highway, the ALCAN runs for thousands of miles over frost heaves and tundra to Thompson Pass and Tailgate Alaska, to Paxon and the RV city of Arctic Man, to Haines and a mind-blowing lift into the ultimate powder playground.

For a true testament of what this journey takes, what the road ahead has in store, and what it looks like to score an Alaskan experience of epic proportions, follow Matador Ambassadors Yancy and Wyatt Caldwell as they embark on a self-documented road trip from Sun Valley, ID, north to Canada and Alaska. Loaded to the gills with gear, a couple cameras, and a truck camper to call home, these Idaho bros send it with style and strength into the great unknown, leaving powder for powder at every turn.

Caldwell Collections and Matador Network Presents

Powder for Powder: Idaho to Alaska

A 5-part adventure travel series

The post Powder for Powder: A winter pilgrimage from Idaho to Alaska [vid] appeared first on Matador Network.

Transforming your travel writing pt3

Photo: Éole Wind

This is part 3 of a 5-part series, Transforming your travel writing.

WE LOOKED EARLIER at how narrators describe (or fail to describe) other characters in their stories. To review, the most skilled writers “introduce” characters in ways that:

Give context, explaining how that character fits into the scene
Express emotion, giving a sense of the narrator’s impressions of a character (which can set up powerful opportunities for these impressions to evolve through future interaction)
Give physical details that register on a sensory level
Are built around interaction and dialogue, not just telling how the character is, but portraying them through an exchange

Today we’re going to focus on #3, physical details, and look at how, when presented carefully, they can lead to other layers, particularly expressing emotion.

So often, the physicality of a character is presented almost like a tag, something totally superficial. For example:

“The bartender was tall, tattooed, and wore a bowler cap.”

While these physical details do give us something to imagine (they’re at least one step beyond the total cardboard cutout “smiling taxi driver” or “weatherbeaten fisherman”), they still do not give any true associative information from the narrator. Can you tell from this sentence if the narrator is alienated by the bartender? Admiring? Intimidated by him?

In other words, these details do not give us a clear sense of the narrator’s first impression. But what if the narrator can add a simple association that portrays what he or she was thinking at the time? Ex:

“The bartender was tall, tattooed, and wore a bowler cap, which for some reason made me think of a vaudeville performer.”

How about now? Do we have a slightly better idea of the impression this character gave? Is there room now for this first impression to be subverted by future interactions?

But if you were this narrator, how could you really be sure that the reader gets the actual feeling — let’s say it was one of this bartender being this unexpected goofball — that you felt at the time? What about how he sounded? Can we hear his voice?

“The bartender was tall, tattooed, and wore a bowler cap, which for some reason made me think of a vaudeville performer.

“Whatchall having?” he said in an unexpectedly high and tinny Southern accent.

Note now how the bartender appears as a “real” character — a person with a voice, an accent, a certain look, and a “relationship” (albeit just via the service industry) with the narrator. While this may not be necessary with every character the narrator encounters, they definitely need your consideration if they’ll be part of any important interactions in a story (for example, the bartender will, as the night reaches closing time, regale the narrator and her friends with his life story — and that’s what makes this particular night / experience worth recounting).

Learning from a master

As with learning anything, if you want to learn how to present characters, find a mentor or master. It doesn’t matter if they’re novelists, filmmakers, artists — photographers — what matters is that they inspire you with the way they create a sense of pathos or identity with their characters.

One of my favorites is Alice Munro, a Canadian short story master who recently won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Take these examples:

She was a heavy young woman who looked as if she had given up in every department except her hair. That was blond and voluminous. All the puffed-up luxury or a cocktail waitress’s style, or stripper’s, on top of such a workaday face and body.

- from “The Bear Came Over the Mountain”

What sense does the narrator have of this woman? Does he see her in a way that seems inferior / judgmental? Is he simply evaluating her as a potential sexual conquest? (Note that the protagonist of this story — and the point of view through which the narrator is “seeing” this woman — is an aging philanderer.)

She occupied herself by pretending that she was seeing him for the first time, now. His curly, short-cropped, very dark hair receding at the temples, baring the smooth gold-tinged ivory skin. His wide, sharp shoulders and long, fine limbs and nicely shaped rather small skull. He smiled enchantingly but never strategically and seemed to distrust smiling altogether since he had become a teacher of boys. Faint lines of permanent fret were set in his forehead.

- from “What Is Remembered”

Note the emotional associations evoked in these physical descriptions. What is this narrator really considering in her view (as a middle-aged wife) of her husband? What can we tell about her own dreams and desires through the way she notices the “faint lines” in his forehead or the way he seems to “distrust” smiling?

One last example, my favorite, shows that physical descriptions do not have to be long and complex to convey very powerful associations. The story “Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage” opens with a protagonist, Johanna, and the strong sense of her being a big-boned, homely woman in the midst of some as-yet undisclosed move across the country. All of her interactions with other characters build up a sense of her as this very undesirable, difficult woman, which of course sets up a huge potential for events later in the story to develop and subvert these first impressions.

A less skilled writer might take a character like this and reduce her to a template, describing her as being “loud” or “rude” or “overweight.” But Munro makes it so subtle and visceral. During a conversation with a train conductor, when asking about shipping her furniture, the woman is described this way:

Her teeth were crowded to the front of her mouth as if they were ready for an argument.

In later parts to this series, we’ll look at other elements for transforming your travel writing. For now, consider how the physical descriptions you give characters give rise to emotional associations, a sense of the character as a real person, not just a cardboard cutout. [image error]

Editor’s note: This lesson is excerpted from new and forthcoming curricula at MatadorU’s Travel Writing program.

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