Spring 2020
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A Hale of a Show
The theater is small and rectangular. Three rows of stadium seats line each side with a small stage in the middle. You take your seat, the lights dim, and the show begins. Hale Center Theater Orem often gets overlooked. Each year the theater produces live musicals, comedies, and dramas. This year they have quite a few in the lineup, including big names like Matilda, Little Women, and Singin’ in the Rain. The theater also puts on youth productions; this year’s season will feature Seussical Jr, Freaky Friday the Musical, and Moana Jr.
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Lions & Hippos & Panthers, Oh My!
If you’ve ever wanted to see a giraffe up close, touch an elephant trunk, or ride a Jeep on the savanna, South Africa is the place for you. The country also boasts great food, a diverse culture, and an unforgettable history of apartheid and the fight for freedom.
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Legendary Lavatories
Everyone has to take care of their business somehow, and most of the time it’s a terribly boring experience. Most young people take their phones with them every time. Otherwise, how would they be entertained? But some places have found a great way to make our everyday triviality more exciting. Take a look at our top picks for the wackiest (and coolest) bathrooms out there!
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An App to Save Lives
In the summer of 2018, Olivia Tuttle and two fellow BYU students sat in the office of Sammy Ofosu, a district director of health with Ghana Health Service. He asked if he could begin the meeting with a hymn and a prayer.
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Dollywood
Appalachia (Appa-latch-uh), an impoverished region of the eastern United States, is a time capsule: a place one can go to hear stories of old wonder and adventure that just don’t seem to exist anymore; to eat and drink the best American versions of jam, cinnamon bread, apple pie, and moonshine; and to momentarily forget what century it is. Dolly Parton, a world country star, holds this belief. She was born here, in Appalachia, in a one-room cottage tucked away in the forest of the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Though departing to Hollywood when she was a young woman, Dolly never forsook her past, culture, or heritage and Appalachia is famously dear to her heart.
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How to Become a Culturally Sensitive Traveller
Traveling to a new place brings opportunities to engage with a different culture. Do you wear a headscarf everywhere or just when you visit mosques? Do you pack your two-piece swimsuit or stick with a wet suit? Is it okay to eat while you walk, or will you need to carve out time to sit down to eat? The answers to all these questions vary depending on where you travel to. If you travel to Iran or Saudi Arabia, plan to wear a hijab wherever you go. In many other predominately Muslim countries, however, you aren’t required to wear a hijab in places other than mosques. In places like Barcelona, Spain, it is legal to wear bikinis on the beach but illegal to wear bikinis on the street. So if you go to the beach, make sure to bring a cover-up. In Japan, plan to sit down when you eat as it is considered impolite to walk around while eating. Wherever you travel, you should be informed about the cultural norms and local rules of conduct. Choosing to be a culturally sensitive traveler is important for three reasons. First, prioritizing respect will enable you to be welcomed in spaces that you wouldn’t be otherwise. Ayman Jebara, a professor in Jerusalem, Israel, teaches Arabic to Christian American students. As part of his Arabic course, he helps his students learn how to respect the cultures they interact with in Jerusalem. He explained tourists’ level of respect impacts how welcome they are in a religious space. “Everyone needs to respect cultural and religious differences,” he said. “If not, you will be not welcome in these places.” Second, your respect could help positively shape a person’s opinion of the United States. When I traveled to Egypt, I met shopkeepers who knew more about US current events than I did. They expressed their concerns about global policies that could affect them. However, the shopkeepers said meeting respectful American travelers helped them have a more nuanced perspective of Americans. Third, it’s simply the right thing to do. Wherever you travel, you are surrounded by people who are allowing you to be a visitor in their country. Showing respect can be a great way to express gratitude. If you are interested in traveling, you probably already want to show respect to the people, places, and cultures you visit. But how do you make sure you’re communicating your desire to be respectful? Here are seven tips on how you can become a culturally sensitive traveler. 7 Tips for Being a Culturally Sensitive Traveler 1. Research Before You GoWherever you travel, it is vital that you take time to research before entering a new cultural space. Research can come in many forms—talking with friends who have traveled or lived in the place you are going, finding credible online forums and sources, and watching documentaries on the places you will travel. Although you will be able to pick up some customs once you are there, it is important to begin your trip as prepared as you can be. Some reliable websites to begin your research are travel.state.gov, smartertravel.com, and worldpackers.com. 2. Be Willing to Observe While research can help with determining what actions are appropriate and what actions are inappropriate, being willing to observe people will be the most helpful tool. For example, if you never find anything definitive about how people are expected to behave on the metro of a place you are traveling, rely on your own common sense and observation to determine what is most appropriate. 3. Adhere to Local Customs and MannersEven mundane tasks that don’t seem to hold as much significance—such as eating, sleeping, or bathing—should be done respectfully. In Japan, it is considered inappropriate to wear shoes into an inn. When participating in Japanese baths, it is customary to wash before entering the bath. Knowing and adhering to these types of local customs and manners will help you to respect the cultures you interact with. 4. Ask for Permission to Take Photos of PeopleAnother important consideration to make is to ask people before photographing them. It may feel uncomfortable to start a conversation with a stranger and ask if you can photograph them if you are a more introverted person. You may want to snap a photo and walk away. However, it is important to remember that the subject of your photo is a real person who deserves the right to offer or withhold consent to be photographed. 5. Respect the Etiquette for Visiting Cultural or Religious SitesUnderstanding expectations for visiting cultural and religious sites often takes some planning and thinking ahead. Most mosques, churches, and synagogues differ in their requirements for appropriate dress, head coverings, and items you’re allowed to bring. It is important to show respect to sacred items, places, or clothing in religious sites. For example, at the Dome of the Rock, there are certain rules to follow when posing in photos; having your feet pointed toward the Dome is considered inappropriate. 6. Dress According to Local Customs Dressing according to local customs can help you immerse yourself into the culture and feel less obtrusive. It is important to note that sometimes donning local cultural apparel can be unintentionally offensive. The key is to separate the mundane from the sacred. If you are traveling to India, you may see women wearing saris and bindis and want to join them. Bindis have religious significance and are sacred to those who wear them, so as a tourist you should consider not wearing them. Always research what clothing and accessory items are meant only for those participating in a certain religion or culture and which items are appropriate for anyone. 7. Participate in Spaces Where You Are Invited As travelers, we may have an impulse to drink in the culture in every way we can—to dance, to pray, and to eat. This impulse can lead to unforgettable experiences, but it can also lead to uncomfortable moments for you and for those who live in the place you are visiting. Because of that, in most situations, it is best to figuratively wait on the sidelines until you are invited to participate in some aspect of the culture. For example, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, there is often lively dancing and singing on Friday evenings to mark the beginning of the Sabbath. Rather than running into a circle and linking arms with the nearest person you see, you may want to stand close to the circle without inviting yourself in. Once someone makes eye contact with you and invites you (which often happens), join the circle, learn the dance, learn the song, and enjoy the experience. If you’re not invited into a space, standing on the sidelines doesn’t mean you’re missing out on an experience. You’re in a place where you can observe and notice things you may not have if you were in the center of the experience. When I visited the Western Wall, I didn’t dance in the circle with the worshipers and some of my fellow American travelers. Instead, I stood to the side and witnessed something else that was beautiful in its own way. As I was sitting and observing people, I noticed two women hugging and crying as they looked toward the wall. They looked like they had been waiting for this exact moment for a long time. I never would have observed that moment if I had been participating in the dancing or praying. Sometimes the best view is from the sidelines. The Golden RuleTraveling to experience the culture is a worthwhile part of any tourist’s journey. While these tips share a few dos and don’ts that may seem boring or hard to achieve, being a culturally sensitive traveler is an invaluable pursuit. When in doubt, rely on Ayman Jebara’s golden rule of traveling: “You need to respect the place and respect the people if you want people to respect you back.” Take time to research the place you will travel to, be observant and respectful of customs, and avoid appropriating the cultures of the places you visit. This will not only help you show respect for the places you visit, but it will also enhance your experience traveling. —Angela Cava
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Food of the Gods
From Icelandic to Greek and from kefir to whipped, the variety found in yogurt is astonishing. Walk into the dairy section of any American grocery store, and yogurt will take up a sprawling chunk of the shelf. Though its popularity in the United States fluctuates according to food fads, yogurt has been a part of the human diet for millennia.
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Mixed Signals
It’s 2020. You’ve just booked a flight abroad for probably more money than you wanted to spend, but you’ve got food and lodging figured out, so you’re feeling pretty good money-wise (as much as anyone can in this economy).You get in bed, plug in your phone, and settle in for the night. Suddenly, your eyes fly open—is there any internet where you’re going? How will you access it?!
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Monuments to Life
Humanity is obsessed with life. The mantras of YOLO and Carpe Diem are modern reflections of the romanticism of living. While breath in the body makes you technically alive, it can be difficult to determine how to frame and fully live a life. There are thousands of blog posts describing how to achieve a life full of vigor, ranging from the electric beat of active community involvement to the mellow refreshment of the quiet life. Whatever path we choose, there is a similarity we all share in life: the desire to commemorate it after death. Through this logic, it is clear that it is natural for funerary art to exist as a way to express an aura of a life dearly missed.
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Dragon Boat Racing
The Dragon Boat Festival, or Tuen Ng Festival has been celebrated in China and its surrounding East Asian countries for the last 2,500 years. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese lunar calendar, people from all over gather to celebrate the myth of Qu Yuan. (So if you’re interested in hopping on a plane and heading over to Mainland China or Hong Kong to check it out, it will be held the week of June 14, 2021!)This holiday and festival is characterized by dragon boat racing, in which teams race ornately decorated “dragon” boats to the finish line, and by a traditional Chinese sticky rice ball snack: 粽子 (Zòngzi) in Mandarin and 粽 (Jung) in Cantonese.
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In the Lookout
High above the ground, among the gently swaying pine needles, is a small room overlooking a stunning mountain vista. The watchtower has a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and valleys. For the past century, this watchtower and dozens just like it have dotted the woodlands of the western United States. After the horrific fire of 1910 that devastated the states of Idaho, Montana, and Washington, and killed more than 85 people, the US Forest Service began erecting thousands of watchtowers to spot, track, and stop fires early on. Now, decades later, with the advancement of technology, the demand for human lookouts has drastically dwindled. A handful of mostly volunteer lookouts remain, with the watchtowers standing as symbols of the eternal struggle between man and nature.
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The Year the World Burned
The 2010s saw an increase in fiery destruction throughout the world, but 2019 was a standout year of disaster. Fires have raged wildly all across the planet, costing billions in property damage and causing hundreds of casualties. While fires are a relatively common occurrence, the terrifying increase of infernos has led to alarm and panic, especially from those living in drier climates. Questions have piled up surrounding this topic: Where are these fires occurring? What is causing these conflagrations? What hazards do they pose to the planet and to our health? How do we prevent them from escalating in the future? California Of the twenty most destructive fires in California, ten have occurred within the last five years. According to the Independent Institute, the most destructive and deadly fire was the Butte County Camp Fire in 2018, which killed 85 people and destroyed 14,000 residences. While 2019 may have been a relatively tame year in comparison to the infernos Californians faced in 2017 and 2018, thousands of residents still felt the effects of the spreading danger. An estimated 800,000 people were left without power for several days as electric companies attempted to tame the electrical arcing from power lines—arcing which could spark even more fires. Two of the most devastating fires acreage-wise were the Walker and Kincade fires, which destroyed 54,612 acres and 77,758 acres respectively. According to the California Government Fire website, the state of California faced over 7,800 wildfires, with 200,000 acres burned, 732 structures destroyed, and three people killed. Australia Unlike California, where most of the wildfires of 2019 could be contained and extinguished by the end of the year, the bush fires in Australia remained hot until early 2020. Millions of acres have been burned, thousands of houses obliterated, and dozens of people injured or killed. Just because the fire is out doesn’t mean that the danger is over. The most devastating fires recorded are fires in New South Wales, where fires burned over 12,000,000 acres, demolished more than 2,000 houses, and killed 25 people. Many of the fires are attributed to dry conditions and lightning strikes, with many territories and counties being put under extreme fire danger warnings; East Gippsland even declared a state of disaster. Ecologists from the University of Sydney said that since September about 480 million animals were lost to the fires. They shared concerns that the fires possibly wiped out entire specifies of both plants and animals. Amazon There are very few people who could (or would) undermine the Amazon rainforest’s importance to the global ecosystem. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Amazon contains over “half of the planet's remaining tropical rainforests” and is the largest and most biodiverse rainforest on the planet. There are an estimated 390 billion individual trees in the Amazon, and they play a significant role in stabilizing the global climate. Experts have noted a surge of fire activity in the Amazon over the last several years; however, the cataclysmic fires that raged from January to October in 2019 were a turning point. Millions of acres burned, with the most blame placed on slash-and-burn farming as well as unusually dry weather and higher temperatures. Effects of Fires On Humans
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Picture Perfect
If you could spend more than half of your year traveling, would you? Stephen Johnson would—and does. As an interior photographer, he’s away from his home in New York about 60 percent of the year taking photos of homes and buildings for interior designers, hotels, and magazines. This has given him amazing opportunities to see parts of the world and meet people that he otherwise wouldn’t.
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What's WWOOFing?
Yes, you’re abroad. Yes, the food is wonderful. Yes, this novel form of traveling is inspiring and life-altering. Yes, this is still work: WWOOFing is a part-time job on vacation.
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Weekend in San Juan
Are you looking for your next weekend getaway? San Juan Island is the perfect place to go! Located just a few hours north of Seattle, San Juan has activities for energetic and relaxed explorers alike! Get Lost in Lavender Fields Pelindaba Lavender is one of the island’s most popular tourist destinations—and for good reason! The farm is a beautiful place to connect with nature, friends, and family and is open to the public no matter the season or time of day.
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Glacial Majesty
John F. Kennedy said America’s national parks are meant to ensure that future generations “may know the majesty of the earth as we know it today.” Nowhere is such preservation as apparent as at Glacier National Park, which puts some of Earth’s grandest majesties on breathtaking display. The park, as Life Magazine writer Bill Gilbert puts it, has no single defining feature or attraction, but rather stands as a monument to the underlying forces of nature. Glacier National Park’s vast wilderness and striking scenery are sure to offer rest from your cares, and there are many ways to enjoy them. Camping Glacier National Park's location in the secluded northwestern corner of Montana doesn’t easily lend itself to day trips. As such, it’s best to find a place to stay for a few days in the park, and camping is easily the best way to experience everything the park has to offer.
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Finding Treasure in Washington, DC
Have you ever wanted to steal the Declaration of Independence? We’ve all watched Ben Gates and his friend Riley Poole use a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence to find ancient hidden treasure while racing against time and gun-toting treasure hunters. We may not be able to steal the Declaration of Independence or speak with the FBI, but we can visit where it all happened: Washington, DC.
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Going Green
Did you know that each year we produce around 300 million tons of plastic worldwide? And did you know that 91 percent of that plastic waste doesn’t get recycled—even when you put it in the recycling bin? Instead, it ends up in landfills (not breaking down), or even worse, in our rivers and oceans! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to discourage you from recycling your recyclables (please keep recycling!). That being said, the phrase is “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” so clearly the best way to solve the plastic problem is to reduce! Every little change makes a difference, and even imperfect and inconsistent changes to our plastic consumption is a step in the right director toward taking better care of our planet!
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