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(11/16/09 4:32am)
It’s been more than two months now since I arrived in Europe for my semester abroad, and boy, is it different from what I expected.Even before I left, I considered myself reasonably travel-savvy, which in hindsight was foolishly complacent. Admittedly, I did a lot of traveling around the United States, especially when I was younger, but most of the big trips I have taken were with my family. To say the least, I had not done much traveling where I was in the “driver’s seat.”What’s more, I always carried an image in my mind of just what Europe would be like. I always thought it would be pretty generic. I wasn’t simplifying the culture, or the people, or the sights I would see. I was making assumptions of what my lifestyle would be while there.In other words, I came to Europe with a clear image in my mind of what I wanted to get from Europe. And one of the most important things I’ve had to learn is the willingness to compromise. I’ve traveled to many different places now with many different people — not surprisingly, everyone else is just as excited as I am to see the bountiful sights that Europe offers — and they all want something different from their experience.Some want to eat. Some want to shop. Some dig the architecture, and some go for the club scene and nightlife.I am personally the type to just wander through a town for hours on end, even if it means missing all the tourist attractions. Everyone has different passions and boundaries, and travel in particular brings personality to the forefront. This is inevitable and understandable. Sometimes, though, the contrast between different personalities is stark and can lead to agitation or conflict. If you are traveling any moderate distance for an extended time, you will be spending a lot of time with your travel partners, and if you plan in advance you’ll be taking all the same flights, trains, and boats. Understanding and peace do not always come naturally, and personalities will blend differently for better or worse. It takes flexibility, and the willingness to accept people for who they are. Without it, entire trips can be ruined by even a small disagreement.Even beyond the personality of your travel partners, the ability to compromise your own perfect idea of a day in Europe is crucial. There is a certain necessary medium to uphold, a push and pull of interests that gives everyone what they want. Suppose, for instance, you have a single day to see an entire city. You really want to visit a famous museum on one side of town, and your friend absolutely must go shopping on the opposite side. The only proper ways to resolve this problem is to either split up (which a lot of people refuse to do) or compromise.It happens very commonly, if not in such black and white terms. You must be open with your own wants and needs, while indulging in those of others. Above all, you must strive for understanding and peace with your travel companions. Maintaining a fair balance keeps everyone happy and lets you get the most out of your travel. What’s the worst that could happen? You might step out of your comfort zone and gain an incredible experience as a result.
(10/27/09 3:46am)
The automobile: America’s favorite nephew. Ever since Ford’s introduction of the assembly line, we have had an enthusiastic obsession with our cars. They are a default status symbol, so to speak — they represent the ability to go wherever you want, whenever you want, for as much gas as your wallet can cover. In many ways, the car is the structure of American life.Very few people question the practicality of the car; for our daily purposes, it seems to be adequate. Throw in the multitude of daily car advertisements (all of which depict their product in the most complimentary light possible) and the portrayal of expensive cars as cool and desirable in pop culture (from movies all the way down to kiddy commercials and television programs), and you have a fetish for cars that will not easily collapse.The general public is, at the very least, beginning to accept the idea that our reliance on cars cannot and will not last forever, but most view it as a problem of the future, something that can be put off for a few years, or at least placed behind our daily priorities. It is not general knowledge that we may have already reached peak oil — the point at which we can most efficiently extract petroleum from global reserves — though we cannot know for sure, and studies vary. But even optimistic estimates suggest that our ability to extract oil will be on the decline in 20 years. The era of plentiful gas is coming to an end, and at this rate, we will not be ready for it.The solution to this problem is not a novel idea, but one often downplayed in the U.S. — public transportation. Taking the train or the bus holds many advantages over driving a car. Public transportation is environmentally efficient and can drastically decrease traffic without constantly needing to build more roads. It offers a new job market with thousands of potential jobs, something that, with today’s economy, should not be ignored. Depending on the distance you travel, taking the bus or train can prove to be quite cost-effective; and in 20 years, it could easily be the cheapest way to get around. The idea may seem preposterous to you, but that is only because America’s current system of public transportation, outside of major cities, is inadequate and underdeveloped. The money that could be going into funding a more reliable bus system, or an interstate train system, is being poured into road construction and repair — much of which is directly due to traffic congestion. And the detrimental effects of road construction and car-based pollution on the environment should not be considered a side note. It is another of the many reasons that going green is the way of the future.It is time for America to take a different approach to transportation, one that discards the outdated notion of the car as the only way to travel. It will require time and money to make an effective public transportation system, and these are not changes that can be made overnight. But if we wait until oil is a rarity, our transition to public transport will be clumsy and painful, not to mention much more expensive than it would be right now. Addressing the issue today is a necessary investment in a brighter tomorrow. We need to start talking about this.
(10/13/09 3:41am)
I am well aware that everyone has their two cents to throw in about President Obama’s recent selection as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. The decision was a shock to all of us, including the president himself.It’s undeniable that Obama’s recognition for this award is quite premature. He has not been in office long enough for his bold views of diplomacy to come to fruition, for his methods to be assessed and proven right or wrong. On the other hand, the man is the walking representation of idealism, of progress and the search for peace. He is the United States’ first black president, and has extended peaceful arms to a world that not so long ago regarded America as a cluster of self-concerned, trigger-happy snobs.What’s done is done, and Obama won. The real question now is not whether Obama deserved to be chosen, as so many people seem content to bicker about. It is how the United States, and the world, will be affected by this decision.For a leader like Obama to get acknowledgment on a global scale is a testament to his charisma and the steps he has taken to reach out to countries around the world.The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize has provided Obama with a label, which coincidentally enough is included in its title: “Peace.” This label is meant as an encouragement, to energize Obama to continue his efforts in global negotiations. But the label is also a burden. It places a lot of pressure on Obama’s shoulders to continue his push for diplomacy at all costs, which, with the current crises in Iran and elsewhere around the world, is not an easy path to tread. Now, the eyes of people across the globe are focused on our president.But will the increased pressure of diplomacy benefit or harm our country? As far as I can see, there are only gains to be reaped for our economy here. America’s economy is not self-sustaining, and the more ports and individuals who are willing to buy American products, the more opportunity we have for trade. I am not supposing this will be the solution to our recession, but it couldn’t hurt, could it?Another not-so-little word we must throw in the mix here is “war.” Diplomacy with as many countries as possible seems like a no-brainer if we want to avoid conflict — the more friends we have, the fewer enemies we have.If we extend hands of peace, our cause will be regarded with sympathy rather than scorn. Certainly, there are those who will not trust Obama’s intentions, but based on his reception on the world stage, it seems that the skeptics are far outnumbered. Obama seems to have won the Nobel Peace Prize merely on the basis of his ideology. His endeavors for diplomacy have not yielded concrete results as of yet. Now, his name has been tied irrevocably to that very lofty label: “Peace.” By claiming the prize, he has accepted a huge responsibility and set down his bold intentions in stone.Whether he can live up to such sky-high expectations remains to be seen. His devotion to better global relations, on the other hand, has now been proven. And whether his quest for peace is successful or not, he is making a statement that the United States cares. For that, he should be lauded and encouraged as he continues to pursue better relations with the rest of the world.
(09/29/09 2:29am)
America today is all about efficiency — faster cars, faster Internet connection, faster food — and I think this is something that, considering how our society works, fits us quite well. Time is money, and America loves money, and with more time, of course, follows more money. Speed rules the day, and for our purposes it all adds up.Our society as a whole craves new, constantly advancing technology that will make our lives run more smoothly. And we buy accordingly.It makes sense to make our products better, simpler and safer to operate. But efficiency transcends the physical qualities of the products themselves; it also encompasses the ability to communicate easily, to make transactions fluidly. And this level of communication is the point at which America’s understanding begins to deteriorate.In my travels, I have noticed one particular factor that harms our efficiency and our reputation in the world’s view, a factor that no one this side of the pond ever pays attention to. We are one of three countries in the entire world that does not adhere to the metric system (the other two being Myanmar and Liberia).As citizens in the United States, we seldom notice this problem.You’re probably shrugging your shoulders right now, a quizzical frown plastered on your face. Why should I care? It works for me, so why change it? What’s the big deal?My first response would be this: You are right, it is not that big of a deal. In fact, it is at the base level a very small problem, and it would take minimal effort to solve it. But if anything, America’s almost-exclusive system makes our own measurements — not to mention buying groceries in a foreign country — unnecessarily difficult. We are just used to the more difficult way by now.The metric system’s different units are divided in powers of 10. For those of you who don’t like to do complicated math in your head (using numbers like 12 inches in a foot, 16 ounces in a pound, 5,280 feet in a mile, and so on), the metric system is much easier. Whether in meters for length, grams for weight or liters for capacity, you simply use different prefixes for each power of 10. It’s as simple as that, and it is the same for every unit of measurement.Aside from the math, it makes sense to switch because if and when an American enters virtually any other country on the planet, they have to work twice as hard to understand every single time they want to determine anything measurable — distance, weight or temperature. The Europeans I have spoken to on the subject just shook their heads and asked me why America wouldn’t change. The only answer I could come up with was this: It’s a non-issue in America.The metric system is not only easier than ours, but essentially no one else in the world adheres to our system. I’m not asking for a drastic change, just bringing a little-discussed issue to light. This is a change that would best come gradually, but it should not be ignored like it is today. In a nation that is all about efficiency, it seems that in this regard we are sluggish and far behind the rest of the world.
(09/15/09 3:34am)
Even now I can see you lounging there in Lenoir or on Franklin or in some coffee shop, sitting down to read your newspaper before class, casually flipping through its pages with your snack or drink hanging loosely from your hand, not a care in the world. But you don’t even realize the luxury that you bathe in day after day.It is a luxury that, ironically enough, can be found in your very cup on any date, at any time — it happens when water is frozen into solid form, most commonly a cube shape, though there is growing support for crushed shards. Intellectuals refer to this phenomenon as “ice.” Most people have heard of it, or at least make use of it on a regular basis by pressing their cups up against that shiny lever right in the middle of all those fountain drinks. Some go as far as to associate it with “coldness.” But very few people I have met hold a true respect for ice. They take it for granted. Some of you are probably snorting at my words right now; you think I must be making some ill-fated attempt at a joke, or more likely that I’m just flat out crazy. But if my travels in Europe have taught me a single thing thus far, it has been this: Ice, or cold drinks at all, are a privilege, a privilege that most Americans never acknowledge.Repent now, for I have seen the error of my ways! I have dragged my tired body through Italy for almost 10 days now, dry-mouthed and lethargic, the curtain of my pampered American naivety drawn mercilessly from my eyes. The first time I walked into a European restaurant, I opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle, and my world turned upside down — this Coke wasn’t cold! I tried to think rationally. It must be a coincidence, I told myself. I had picked my bottle from the front. In the back the drinks must be colder! So I slid that anomaly back into its place and reached further back, grasping another candidate and bringing it out into fresh air. But alas, this drink was just as lukewarm as the last one had been! Unable to quite wrap my mind around what was happening and feeling quite dizzy from the heat, I clutched the counter and asked the bar for a glass of Coke. Surely, they couldn’t screw that up, their refrigerator must be broken. And then there is was — a glass filled to the brim with Coke, but no ice! As it turns out, what happened to me on that day happens to countless traveling Americans, spoiled into delusions of grandeur, delusions of ice all around the world. News flash: Ice is hard to come by, and rarely even mentioned, in Europe. Even now, my insides quake for a nice, ice-rich soda. But the pain is hollow, because I know that such dreams are far away.For those out there who do not heed my words, the message I carry is bitter: If you do not honor that ice while you have it, you will only miss it all the more when there is none to spare. I now wince into an unforgiving sun, hoping beyond hope that my message falls upon attentive ears. The next time you order an ice-cold drink, take a moment to appreciate the luxuries we have here in the United States that are unavailable around much of the world. And, what’s more, take a moment to think of those who cannot afford the other luxuries that you indulge in every single day.