Summer 2008

Vol. 2, Issue 1
The Most Liberal Coffee House in Amman
Surviving Guatemala's Civil War
Sidrería House Rules

PLUS::
PLUS Hurling in Dublin • "Duende" by Team Seville • Exploring Provincial China
cafeabroad.com 1
CONTENTS

P06 EUR
EUROPE:
ROPE:
ALIC
CANTE
ALICANTE P09 FOOD

A controversy over how to commemo- With glasses raised, crowds of locals –

rate a brutal dictator has resulted in a and a few intrepid travelers – celebrate
political tug-of-war. Though decades the taste of tradition at San Sebastián’s
have passed since Franco’s repressive cider houses.
regime, his monuments remain a pow-
erful presence throughout Spain.

P08 AUSTRALIA:
MELBOURNE
P15 SPORTS

Aussie comic Julia Sutherland steps

into the limelight at one of the largest
Ireland’s national pastime mixes ice
comedy festivals in the world. Over the
hockey, field hockey and lacrosse in a
past 19 years, the Melbourne Interna-
fast-paced fusion of athleticism, grace
tional Comedy Festival has established
and grit.
a place of its own on the world’s stage.

P16 INSIDE SEVILLE

P10 MIDDLE EAST:

AMMAN
Café Abroad Team Seville explores the
city’s narrow streets, bustling markets,
His progressive establishment Books@ tranquil parks and late-night fl amenco
Café mirrors Madian al-Jazerah’s shows. After searching for the soul of
personality. In the face of discrimina- the city, the group led by Catherine
tion, the café is a force for tolerance in Gaa has just one question: ¿Tienes
one of the Middle East’s most liberal Duende?
countries.

P12 CENTRAL AMERICA:

GUATEMALA CITY P18 FACULTY LETTER

Civil war uprooted a woman from her Cultural anthropologist Dr. Dan Smyer
country, and indiscriminant violence Yü leads his students on an extended
claimed the lives of her friends and excursion into China’s Qinghai and
family members. “La Profesora” recalls Gansu provinces. Together, they ex-
the violence that ravaged her home- plore the country’s ethnic identity.
land.

COVER SHOT: "Above Amman" by Katherine Lonsdorf. Gazing from the old citadel above down-
town, Andy Omernik (left) and Xander Ehlers, both study abroad students in Jordan’s capital city, enjoy
the view after a coffee at Books@café.

2 Café Abroad InPrint Summer 2008

 Programs offered year-round in world cultural centers www.nyu.edu/abroad/where

New York University

Monday morning.
● Have coffee.
● Fill out NYU study abroad application.
● Submit and go to class.

New York University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution.

6 months from Monday.
● Wave goodbye to family.
● Board plane.
● Be there.

apply now and

be there for fall 2008

NYU StudyAbroad. Be there.

cafeabroad.com 3
fBrom the editor
efore co-founding Café Abroad 18 months ago, I had never attended a convention. And although I
studied abroad in Australia in 2002 when I was 20, I had also never heard of NAFSA, and I certainly
couldn’t have imagined the network of professionals who control what amounts to this country’s
PUBLISHER
educational foreign policy. Mark Travers
Of course, most students are blissfully unaware of such a network. They’re too busy sipping tea with
new friends at cafés in Cairo or studying for final exams on Irish history in Galway. MANAGING EDITOR
But for me, things have changed. This year at the NAFSA Association of International Educators Dan Schwartzman
conference in Washington, D.C., Café Abroad purchased a booth. (It’s No. 1057, if you’re interested.) And
at the conference I’ll give a session – an official presentation to several hundred people – called “Online ART DIRECTOR
Communities: The Risks and Rewards of Web 2.0 Technology.” Adrian Antonio
Though I haven’t yet finalized what I’ll say, I know how effective a tool the Internet can be for the study
abroad community. And I’m confident that I can deliver an informative, interesting presentation. COPY EDITOR
If there’s any group of people who inspire me as the architect of an online community, it’s the students. Jeff Benzak
Their courage, creativity and sense of humor are all characteristics that I admire.
ONLINE EDITOR
Every day, the students I work with go out and explore the world, and then they share their stories in the Sarah Andrus , Cornell University
pages of this quarterly magazine and online every week at www.cafeabroad.com.
From stories on healing the wounds of civil wars in Guatemala and Spain, to gaining a better STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS
understanding of local culture in Dublin, Amman, Seville and Melbourne, this edition of InPRINT explores Mandi Caffery, U. of Minnesota
nearly every corner of the globe. Catherine Gaa, University of Iowa
This magazine is a tribute to our student staff. It is also a personal point of pride for me, because it Lindsay Hinkebein, Indiana University
Hannah Lawrence, University of Iowa
shows how much a newcomer can achieve in any community. Brittany Levine, George Washington U.
I know that that none of these exciting experiences would be possible without study abroad. And study Dana Liebelson, George Washington U.
abroad – just like Café Abroad – is about students. Katherine Lonsdorf, Occidental College
Nate Owen, Northeastern University
“Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” – Amelia Earhart Alexandra Pope, U. of Wisconsin
Steven Rounds, George Washington U.
Dan Schwartzman Wade Shepard, Long Island University
Managing Editor Maureen Stephan, Central Michigan U.
Jordan Trippeer, University of Richmond
Vanessa Veiock, University of Iowa

FACULTY CONTRIBUTOR

etters @cafeabroad.com
Hey Dan,
Dan Smyer Yü, CIEE Beijing

Café Abroad InPRINT is a student-

I checked out the web site and I have to admit: I was pretty an- generated magazine distributed to
noyed – annoyed that I didn’t know something like that [www.cafea- over 300 university abroad offices.
broad.com] existed the two times I studied abroad! While overseas
To receive InPRINT at your school, or to
in France and Australia, I wrote full-time for a small paper based
request additional copies, email us at
out of Hattiesburg, Miss., and never got paid a cent for doing pretty
inprint@cafeabroad.com.
much what your interns get paid to do. Plus, the exposure was
limited to Hattiesburg residents who just so happened to be at the Café Abroad welcomes student
places where we distributed the magazine – which weren’t many. submissions. Send stories and
Anyway, I love what you’re doing and I want to be a part of it. photographs to freelance@cafeabroad.
com. Find more detailed employment
Robyn White opportunities at cafeabroad.com.
University of Southern Mississippi
4 Bayshore Road
Robyn White relaxing at a café in Giverny, France. Long Beach Township
Hey Dan, New Jersey 08008

Pre-Departure
Pre-Departure Playlist
Playlist > Café Abroad
Alpha Blondy – “Politiqui” (Ivory Coast)
Tulsi Kumar – “Sakhyia” (India)
Monica Vasconcelos – “Disritmia” (Brazil)
Los Hijos del Sol – “Carinito” (Peru)
Tabu Ley Rochereau – “Keyla” (Congo)
The Shanghai Restoration Project –
Night Life in Shanghai” (China)
– JA
Just wanted to let you know that I just checked out the maga- www.cafeabroad.com
zine and it looks AMAZING. I had such a great time writing for
you guys; it was definitely an experience that I learned a lot from.
I’m pretty sure I got that internship in Istanbul [working with the
U.S. State Department’s Commission on International Religious Advertise with Café Abroad
Freedom] that I asked you to write a recommendation for. The
internship should be another great experience. I’ve already recom- As a newsmagazine, online network
mended Café Abroad to all my friends who are studying abroad and city guide, Café Abroad is
this semester and in the future. Also, I’ll keep reading the web site. positioned as the next development
Good luck, and thanks again for everything! in study abroad. If you’re interested
in promoting your organization to the
Lindsay Trice study abroad community, contact us at
Georgetown University advertising@cafeabroad.com.
Join the global café of ideas.
Café Abroad welcomes feedback! Send your opinions to letters@cafeabroad.com. © Café Abroad 2008

4 Café Abroad InPrint

InPrin
nt Summer 2008
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Participate in a fully flexible program allowing you to choose
from internships, service learning or academic courses all
designed to achieve your individual educational goals.

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cafeabroad.com 5
 Alicante’s Civic Commission for the Re-
covery of Historical Memory has been lob-
bying to build a monument to memorialize
the concentration camp. But in late January,
the Popular Party, a conservative group that
holds the majority of seats in the city’s local
government, rejected the plans.
To counter the decision, the Civic Com-
mission recently planted an almond tree
on the plot of land where it would like the
monument built. When – and if – the me-
morial is approved, the Civic Commission
plans to replace the almond tree with an ab-
stract statue resembling a bird in flight. This
statue, constructed from multiple layers of
metal rods, would be designed to suggest
the awakening of a slowly fading memory.
Similar monuments that memorialize
Republicans who died at the hands of Franco
between 1938 and 1975, when the dictator
died, have been built in other cities. There is
one, for example, in Almería, which is south
of Alicante and not far from Granada.
The Almería memorial commemo-
rates lives lost following the 1937 Battle of
Malaga, which pitted Franco’s army against
Republican resistors. As people tried to es-
cape battle-torn Malaga and make their way
toward Almería, Franco bombed the route,
killing thousands of civilians. The memorial
was erected in February 2005 and since then
annual tributes have been held at the site.
But monuments that have not yet been
built — such as the one in Alicante, where

Monumental Memory
By Brittany Levine Rubio Nieto was a prisoner – are caught in
the vortex of Spain’s internal battle against
its own memories of an ugly past. How to
commemorate this painful memory slices
Spanish public opinion down the middle.

Spain Struggles to
A new law
Recently, Spain passed a multi-faceted
measure known as the Law of Historical

Commemorate Its
Memory, which stems from a 2004 cam-
paign promise of the current president, José
Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The law mandates
that every province in the country remove
all remaining monuments to Franco. It also

Controversial Past
orders the state to fully cooperate with
families who want to exhume the bodies of
relatives killed during the Spanish Civil War
as a result of Franco’s regime.
Zapatero’s party, the Socialist Workers
Party of Spain or PSOE, is a moderate-so-
cialist party, and Zapatero’s grandfather was
t 94 years old, Ángel Rubio Nieto said there aren’t too many things left to

A
a Republican killed in the war.
Although most of Franco monuments
fear. Still, his biggest fear grows more likely with each passing day: that have already been removed (which makes
the memory of Campo de los Almendros, a concentration camp where he the first part of the law largely purpose-
less), the law nevertheless symbolizes how
was imprisoned by former Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, will turn to a new generation perceives the evils of the
dust before he does. past. However, the two actions the law
mandates seem to contradict each other. It
This fear is ingrained in his face. It lies in the bags under his eyes and upon the is as if Spain is playing tug-of-war with itself,
wrinkles that crease his forehead. His voice chokes with emotion when he ex- and this game has transformed into a burn-
ing question: Why reclaim part of the past
plains that forgetting the “horror that should never be repeated” is akin to aban- and erase the rest?
doning justice. “The significance lies within the contrast
between monuments to the winners and
But Nieto, one of thousands imprisoned in the camp near Alicante’s port dur- monuments to the losers,” said José Miguel
ing the height of the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s, represents just one side Santacreu Soler, a professor at the Univer-
sity of Alicante who specializes in the Span-
of a hot-button national issue. All across Spain, communities are grappling with ish Civil War.
how to remember – or forget – a formative period in the country’s history. Groups such as the Civic Commission,

6 Café Abroad InPrint Summer 2008

which leans to the left politically, want to
reclaim the past by destroying the monu-
ments to Franco and erecting new ones
that memorialize the Republicans. Others,
such as the Popular Party in Alicante, would
prefer to just forget about the past, skip the
part that includes heavily denouncing Fran-
co, and move on.
The desire to preserve or erase a memory
depends on what the memory means in the
eyes of the winners and the losers. Basically,
the situation “is more about politics than
monuments,” Santacreu Soler said.
A public brawl
Although Spain’s current national gov-
ernment supports the desire to erase all
memories of Franco, many local govern-
ments are run by Conservative parties, which
still hold some of the same political views
as Franco did, Santacreu Soler said. There-
fore, the Conservative parties are reluctant
to erect memorials that have anti-Franco
underpinnings.
This political situation that pits winners
against losers long after the battle has been
fought mirrors historical trends in other Eu-
ropean countries – Germany after World
War II, for example. But the process is a bit
different in Spain.
Cities first started tearing down monu-
ments to Franco in 1982, but it was done si-
lently, Santacreau Soler said. The recent law
passed by Zapatero’s government aired the
dirty laundry. It converted what was once a
silent, subtle shift into an overt public brawl
fought mostly at the local level.
“You can’t understand Spain without
understanding the Civil War, and the Civil
War is very hard to understand,” Santacreau
Soler said.
Franco’s regime
The Spanish Civil War began in 1936 and
ended with Franco’s victory in 1939. Four
decades of dictatorship followed, culminat-
ing in Franco’s death in the 1970s. At least
50,000 people were killed during the war,
and after Franco’s victory thousands more
were executed, imprisoned or sent to labor
camps.
One well-known labor camp built the
“Valley of the Fallen,” a towering monu-
ment that Franco designed to honor his own
troops who died during the Civil War. The
monument – which is located near Madrid
and features a cross — was built on the backs
of forced labor and remains at the center of
the controversy.
Franco’s rule sought political repression
of opposition groups. He pushed for a na-
tional identity that reinvigorated bullfighting
and flamenco, but repressed Spain’s cultural
diversity and included strong censorship of
Spanish film and literature.
Franco also used the Civil Guard to po-
lice towns and enforce strict social control
over Spain’s citizens.
Now, many older citizens and descen-
dents of those who opposed Franco’s rule
resent his reign – so much so that recent
laws have tried to erase his physical mark on
Spain’s national memory.
For example, in February Alicante PSOE SIGN OF THE TIMES: The large cross at the "Valley of the Fallen," which looms above
representatives presented a motion to City this church carved into the mountainside just outside of Madrid, pays tribute to the
lives of anti-Franco Republicans who died during the Spanish Civil War (left). Photo
Hall to retire Franco’s title as “Alicante’s fa-
by Steven Rounds. Above, Angel Rubio Nieto, a survivor of the Franco concentration
vorite son,” which was bestowed upon him
camp that was once situated near Alicante's port in La Goteta, attends a ceremony
in 1940. A companion piece of legislation commemorating the site. Photo courtesy of Alicante Vivo.
also urged Alicante’s mayor to eliminate
any commemoration of the Civil War and Campo de los Almendros memorial de- As the battle between preserving and
Franco’s rule of repression from the city and pends on a liberal group winning the elec- erasing memory rages on within Spain, time
its archives. However, the mayor and Popu- tion, Santacreu Soler said. moves forward. With each passing day, the
lar Party party leaders, who have negated memories of the past can either be buried
all actions related to the Law of Historical Looking toward the future beneath layers of hours, months, days and
Memory, shot down this socialist motion. Franco’s reign has left a deep scar on years of silence, or they can be excavated
According to news reports, PP members Spain’s collective psyche and continues to from their tombs like those killed by Fran-
are against the law and any local motions affect Spanish life today. Although several co’s regime under the new national law.
that promote this law because it opens old Franco statues have been removed in Ma- By placing the corpses in new resting
wounds. On the other hand, socialist groups drid and in other cities, his shadow casts a grounds, the memories of a bloody war can
that support the law have said that all ac- pall over the majority of Spaniards. be reclaimed and replanted with a fresh sig-
tions to reclaim the past from the shadow This silence has frustrated survivors and nificance, much like the almond tree that is
of Franco’s rule restore the rights of the representatives of the Civic Commission. growing in Alicante, waiting for the day a bird
many victims killed by Franco’s regime. They have said that a memorial at Campo will fly over its branches and take Spain’s na-
If the PSOE and other socialist govern- tional historical memory to new heights.
de los Almendros would ensure that this
ment leaders continue their battle to build silence does morph into a redaction of his- Brittany Levine majors in journalism and
the monument in Alicante, they most likely tory. In order to reinvigorate their cause, the economics at George Washington University.
will have to wait for the next municipal commission was planning to hold a proces- Originally from a beach town in California,
elections, which are scheduled for 2010, for sion in March from Plaza de Toros, a central she finds studying abroad in Alicante, a coast-
any type of progress. The possibility of the plaza in Alicante. al city in Spain, a perfect match.
cafeabroad.com 7
By Dana Liebelson tastic “dad jokes” to song lyrics that have place. At its 19th annual installment, hun- festival alone may well be the worth the
ere minutes into my interview been misunderstood for 25 years. dreds of comedians – hailing from such di- 15-hour plane ride to get here.

M with Australian comedian Julia

Sutherland, she reaches that topic
Americans love to fawn over – the Aussie
accent. More precisely, she tells me that it’s
impossible to mistake it for a Kiwi one.
“They sound nothing alike, but the Brits
find it difficult to hear the difference,” she
says. “I performed a piece in England where
I changed the accent – line by line – until
they finally exclaimed, ‘AHHH, so they’re
not the same, I get it!’”
Only my last shred of Yankee pride pre-
vents me from begging for the same per-
formance. Even as an American who has
called Australia home for several weeks
now, I’m afraid I have yet to hear any better
than the Brits.
Accents have accomplished many
things throughout history, from defining
social class to raising the pulse of teenage
girls. But for Sutherland, accents serve as a
goldmine of comedic potential.
“I think communication is a common
thread,” Sutherland says, describing how
she tailors shows to her audience on her
current tour, “Word.”
The up-and-coming
comedian’s lin-
guistic gags
span ev-
erything
from
pun-
This year Sutherland, who previously
worked behind the scenes doing writing
and production, is poised to step out from
behind the curtain and into spotlight for
the first time at one of the world’s largest
celebrations of laughter, the Melbourne
International Comedy Festival. The festival
is held annually during three weeks that
span March and April.
Indeed, with American media leeching
all over the planet these days, it is tempt-
ing to pretend the comedy world centers in
the Western Hemisphere. Ask the average
American to name an international come-
dian, and they will likely stumble no farther
than the Kiwi duo “Flight of the Conchords”
or the British Mr. Bean. (Both acts have per-
formed in Melbourne in past years.)
But real American comedy buffs know
that the three largest festivals in the world
require a plane ticket to reach – occurring
in Montreal, Melbourne and Edinburgh.
Drawing a total of about 400,000 attendees
in a three-week period, Melbourne’s laugh-
fest earns respect-
able third
verse locales as Shanghai and Finland – join
together for the purpose of making people
chortle, chuckle, and just plain laugh.
Dana Liebelson, a native of Montana, is a
sophomore at George Washington University
majoring in international affairs. In her elusive
The audience comes from far and wide, free time, she enjoys skiing deep powder and
too, but Aussies still take up the bulk of wandering Planet Earth. She has a hundred
seats; the event is second in attendance “logical” reasons to be studying at the Univer-
sity of Melbourne in Australia. These have all
only to the Australian Open, which Mel-
been fabricated as a cover for her love of surf-
bourne also hosts. Many of the perfor- ing and Aussie accents.
mances occur at the Melbourne Town Hall,
but comedians also perform at venues all
over the city, which are easily accessibil-
ity to the masses by the city’s network of
trams or trains.
The festival was started in 1987, and has
since grown to become Australia’s largest
non-sporting cultural event. Part of the
festival’s popular appeal is due to low pric-
es – a ticket that costs more than $25 Aus-
tralian dollars is hard to find. Most shows
manage to incorporate both seasoned pros
and rising stars.
It may be an impossible task to sum up
the wide range of acts in a single sentence.
s
However, throwing a dart at the event e cal-
endar would score anywhere from Tripod,
a guitar-playing trio of Edinburgh lads, to
David O’Doherty, an Irish comedian
comed spe-
cializing in the absurd, to Sutherland
Sutherla – who
claims to have matured from serious serio drama
to cabaret to comedy. The Australian
A
press has hailed her as a “host,
“ho singer
and wordsmith.”
Sutherland know
Insiders like Sutherla
that the fun doesn’t end after
closes. At The
the curtain closes
Festival Club, wh which is an
after-hours ev event, at-
tendees ming mingle with
comedians, jam to
the comedian
local music aand laugh
until dawn – all for a
scant tickticket price
of $15. OtOther high-
the festival
lights of th
include Upfront,
a night featuring
Aussie femfemale co-
medians, and Raw
Comedy, an event
that promotes
p
amateur comedi-
battling in front
ans battlin
d
rlan

of cameras and a live

audience.
th e

can choose
Visitors ca
Su

single event,
to attend a sing
l ia

them all – a
Ju

or try to hit the

of

feat that might require a

COMEDY HEADQUARTERS: Melbourne,
sy

time machine to ke keep up.

te

u r Australia plays host to seasoned veterans

Either way, Melbourne
M
co and newcomers like Aussie comic Julia
o to earns the title of the funniest Sutherland (left). Photos of majestic Mel-
Ph city on earth, and the comedy bourne by Jordan Trippeer (above).

8 Café Abroad InPrint Summer 2008

Sidrerías: A Splash of
consist of cod omelet, fried
cod with pepper, thick steaks,
and nuts and cheese with
fruit preserves.

Traditional Flavor
Based on the
“txotx” (pronounced
tchotch) ritual, cider
drinking begins when
Pintxo and tapas bars the owner invites
diners to sample
grab guidebook glory, straight from
the barrels by
but sidrerías serve up yelling “txotx!”
the real Basque meal. It’s customary for ev-
eryone to abandon their
By Vanessa Veiock food at the table to savor one of
t’s 3 p.m. in Astigarraga and already a the four elementary flavors – sweet,

I circle has gathered around one of the 14

school bus-sized wooden barrels inside
Rezola Sagardotegia, a local cider house in
Spain’s Basque country.
The scene looks like a game of speed
dating. A crowd rotates around a stream
of glistening cider. The people take turns
catching gulps of golden liquid in glass
tumblers. Strangers converse passionately
in Castellano and Basque. They laugh and
playfully pat each other on the shoulders.
Their voices echo off cold stone walls as
a waitress dodges diners to deliver steam-
ing plates of bocalao tortilla (cod omelet)
and thick slabs of rare T-bone steak.
Aizpea Larrañaga Arrizabalaga’s family
owns an orchard. They produce their own
cider and serve food and drink in a house
she calls a “cider temple.” She said the
mood there is always festive.
“After being in a cider house, the people
remember it like a big party,” she said.
A pillar of Basque tradition for more
than 1,000 years, today cider is served in 73
sagardotegis, or cider houses, that pepper
the hills of Spain’s northeastern Gipuzkoan
region. More than 9 million liters of this al-
coholic apple drink are produced here an-
nually, much of it consumed in winter by
locals in the cider houses.
Sidrerías
SPARKLING CIDER: At a Basque cider house, diners stand back from barrels, catching
cider from one-meter away. This distance allows the liquid to aerate properly.
Partaking in this beloved social affair is
a regional secret that few foreigners ever
discover. As a result, the Basques have
managed to preserve tradition without the
destructive power of commercialization,
while still welcoming the occasional curi-
ous traveler.
Although the tradition’s origins are unclear,
historians say cider dates back to the Roman
era, just before the time of Christ. It was in-
vented by either the Byzantines, Greeks or
Celtics. The Basques’ own cider tradition
stretches back generations to their ances-
tors’ baserrias, or farmhouses. In his book Sa-
gardoa, Jose Uria Irastorza writes that by the
117th century, many Basques boasted the last
nname “sagar,” which means apple.
“It’s our drink,” said Olatz Ariceta, a clerk
hold surplus.
The Basques practically regarded cider as
a sacred commodity. Various laws were en-
forced to preserve it. During the 15th centu-
ry in Gipuzkoa, anyone who chopped down
an apple tree was sentenced to die. Other
laws, like Hernani’s statute in 1587, imposed
fines on people who allowed a goat to enter
an apple farm. They had to pay 12 goats to
the farm owner as punishment.
These days, production conforms to
more modern, industrial practices, though
the apples are still picked by hand with the
help of a specialized tool called a kizaki.
The consumption of the finished product
has also changed over time, and although
the cider scene has recently become more
of a gourmet celebration, at its core it’s all
bitter, acidy and salty.
Each barrel contains its own distinct
taste based on variety of apple, but all
are enhanced with the required pouring
technique: Liquid springs from the tap and
splashes into glasses held about one me-
ter away. After catching a swig or two, the
frothy, crisp fluid is quickly gulped.
Larrañaga Arrizabalaga said it’s a beau-
tiful, peculiar ritual. He explained that for
locals, it combines historical remembrance
with cheerful kinship between family,
friends and strangers.
American college students have re-
cently been turned on to the tradition.
One of them, Alyson Gould, a 22-year-old
Californian who’s studying abroad at San
Sebastian, said it’s a fun, social experience.
She even celebrated a recent birthday at a
cider house.
“The whole sidrería experience just
flows like the cider,” said Gould. “Everyone
is eager to talk, and is relaxed and welcom-
ing. The food is amazing and everything just
centers on local tradition.”
For astute foreigners who are dedicated
enough to find an unblemished cultural
tradition, sidrerías is a fantastic diversion.
Alyssa Mattus, an American studying in
San Sebastián, explained the delicate bal-
ance that defines the sidrería today:
“Tourists don’t go to sidrerías, and that’s
exactly why they should,” she said.

by the
Numbers
1 - The shelf life of a bottle of
cider in years.
5-6 - Percentage of alcohol
content in cider.
20-30 - Average price (in eu-
ros) for an all-you-can-drink
cider and five-course meal at a
Basque cider house.
59 - Cider factories that are
members of the Gipuzkoa Natu-
ral Cider Association
2,500 - Apple trees in Altuze-
ta Sagardotegia’s orchard.
20,000 - Average number of
bottles produced and consumed
annually by large sidrerías.
9,000,000 - Liters of cider pro-
duced annually by the Gipuzkoa
Natural Cider Association.
att the San Sebastián tourist office. “Our about the beverage.
Vanessa Veiock escaped the treacherous win-
ter at the University of Iowa to bask in sunny San
ggrand, grand, grand, grandparents made it Cooks from gastronomical societies, Sebastián. In Spain, she can often be seen lug-
at home, and today it’s a way to understand
at restaurants and bars take tasting trips to ging a giant dictionary everywhere in pursuit of
hhow we lived then and how we live now.” cider houses to choose a distributor for conquering the language. She enjoys running on
In its infancy, cider was produced primar- their stock, usually bringing their own food the beach, eating juicy strawberries and dream-
ily
illy for personal consumption by individual along with them. That’s how the custom ing about fresh sushi. Her weekend routine usu-
ffamilies,
faa but it also served as an important of combining cider with a traditional four- ally involves getting lost during hikes through the
iincome source when there was a house-
in course meal evolved. The meals generally Basque Country. She doesn’t mind waking up early,
provided there is ample coffee and cookies.
Cider in the making
Apples are picked with the help of a specialized kizaki tool from late September until the middle of November,
depending on the variety. Since apple crops have biennial bearing, cider apples are generally imported from
France, Spain and the Czech Republic every other year.
Selected apples are cleaned and taken to the “matxaka,” or grinder, which smashes the pulp out of the ap-
ple.
The pulp is then transported to either a traditional or hydraulic press and transformed into “grape juice.”
The grape juice is then taken to its corresponding barrel, which is made of wood, polyester, or stainless steel,
and left for fermentation to start.
The juice undergoes the first fermentation for two weeks, during which time sugars convert into alcohol. The
malo-lactic fermentation transforms malic acid into lactic acid, thus reducing the acidity of the product to make
it suitable for consumption.
From the middle of January until late April, the new cider harvest is tasted directly from the barrels, and then
brought to market.

cafeabroad.com
cafe
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oad
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m 9
 By Katherine Lonsdorf persecution and discrimination before
ooks@Café is located the business took hold. Now it’s high-

B down a back street in

Amman, Jordan, but it’s
still hard to miss. A bright
green sign hangs high
above a front window,
flaunting the café’s name. An open pa-
tio is perched above the street, its larg-
est wall painted blue. Yellow and white
oversized daisies tower above the ta-
lighted in practically every Jordan travel
guide.
The store has evolved into a frequent
hangout for Jordanians and foreigners.
It serves students, travelers, diplomats
and even the occasional member of the
royal family.
It is perhaps the only public place in
the city where you can see a covered
bles. Muslim woman drinking a beer while
Once inside, the first floor opens flaunting her exposed shoulders, or two
up to a bookstore, with literary offer- gay men holding hands on a cozy couch
ings ranging from Queen Noor to Justin without being confronted.
Timberlake. Beyond a blackboard that “It’s known to be a place where ev-
advertises soy lattes, and at the top of erybody feels free and comfortable
the stairs, a vibrant – it doesn’t mat-
scene bursts to ter what’s your na-
life. There’s a full tionality, your color,
bar, a sun-filled your religion,” al-
patio, cozy chairs, Jazerah said, his
vivid murals and voice firm. “We’ve
jazz music. gotten in trouble
The shop feels many times for it,
like San Francisco. but we’ve set that
It would easily fit down: We don’t
in Amsterdam. But discriminate.”
dis
Amman? Books@ has
Commonly been celebrated as
be
recognized as one one of the few Am-
on
of this city’s hot- man establishments
ma
test destinations, that openly accepts
th
“Books@,” as it’s the gay commu-
th
commonly known, nity. Gay culture is
nit
is renowned for just beginning to
jus
its untraditional take root in Jordan.
tak
atmosphere, un- And while it’s clear
An
orthodox menu that almost any-
th
and –above all – thing goes inside
th
its unconvention- the shop’s simple
th
al owner. Although wooden door, the
wo
he’s slight in stature rest of the city isn’t
res
and soft-spoken, quite as tolerant.
qu
Madian al-Jazerah As one of the
has a story as bold most liberal and
mo
and distinctive as progressive
pro na-
his establishment. tions in the Middle
tio
With fine-chis- East, Jordan has no
Ea
halt in Amman.”
eled features, al- laws against ho-
law
Take, for example, Jordan’s conflict-
Jazerah has a pres- CAFFEINE MACHINE: Madian al-Jazerah mo mosexuality. It also
ing position on “public closeness.” On
ence in any room. at his popular and progressive café. has no government
the one hand, the law strictly forbids
His eyes
ey are gray organizations, civil
any sexually suggestive contact in pub-
and beam
bea with life. He has a bald, shaved rights legislation, or official establish-
lic. However, hugging and kissing is ac-
head, a gray soul-patch and a matching ments endorsing it. Still, with places like
cepted as a custom of friendship and
whisper
whispe of a moustache under a slightly Books@ and owners like al-Jezarah on
family, particularly in same-gender situ-
hooked nose. the forefront of change, the population
ations.
Al-Jazerah
Al-J started Books@ almost is slowly becoming more accepting.
“As you can see,” al-Jazerah says,
10 years
yea ago, opening it as the first In- As a gay man, al-Jazerah has contrib-
looking around, “for men to run around

and
ternet
terne café in the Middle East. He was
aiming
aimi for a Western-style café that
sold affordable books marketed for a
local clientele. The business plan was
innovative,
innovat because at the time afford-
able foreign
fo books were expensive and
hard to come by, and public Internet ac-
cess waswa rare.
Business
Bus boomed, but this success
came at a price. Controversy swirled
around the café in its early days. Al-
Jazerah, who’s an openly gay man, faced
lawsuits, threats, boycotts, extortion (a
woman claimed he impregnated her),
uted a lot to the Amman gay commu-
and hug and kiss and hold hands is to-
nity. A Palestinian who holds a Jorda-
tally OK, even expected. It’s not consid-
nian passport, al-Jazerah was born and
ered a gay action. … And thank God for
raised in Kuwait and attended school in
that, because it means we get some of
the United States. He lived in San Fran-
that without being noticed.”
cisco before moving to Amman to be
Gay numbers, he explained, are the
with his family in the early '90s.
same in Jordan as anywhere else in the
But after embracing short-shorts,
world. They exist partially underground
long hair and San Francisco’s liberal life-
but are becoming increasingly main-
style, arriving in Amman was a reality
stream.
check.
Although al-Jazerah said there are
“I was just loose and comfortable;
limits to acceptance of the gay com-
it’s part of the culture (in the U.S.),” al-
munity in Amman, the situation is more
Jazerah said. “That came to a screeching

10 Café Abroad InPrint Summer 2008

 Forced to leave the country, he packed
up in one frantic night and moved to
Vancouver with the help of a Canadian
ambassador. However, al-Jazerah didn’t
accept asylum, because he wanted to
return home to Amman.
Jordan, he said, is on the progressive
forefront of the gay issue in the Middle
East, but Lebanon – especially Beirut, its
capital city – has the most liberal atti-
tude toward homosexuality. Meanwhile,
Oman has an openly gay sultan and em-
braces the lifestyle, al-Jazerah said.
Eventually, al-Jazerah was asked to
return by influential members of Jor-
danian society who were looking to so-
lidify Jordan’s stance on tolerance and
acceptance. So he moved back, went
back to work at his café, and continues
to push for the rights of his customers
and countrymen.
Al-Jazerah said that in Jordan, the
older generation is tolerant, and the
youngest generation is starting to de-
velop acceptance as well. The genera-
tion between them? Not so much.
“And now, with poverty and the eco-
nomic situation and the Islamic move-
ment, there are some people within the
younger generation who are scary, mili-
tant and blindly being raised by fanatic
parents and neighborhoods,” al-Jazerah
said.
There is some improvement,
though.
“There are lots of barriers to break
before we tackle homosexuality, but it’s
going to get better,” he said. “It already
has. If you were here five years ago,
there was barely any tolerance.”
As for himself, al-Jazerah has no
question that he’d rather be in Amman
than San Francisco: “I like it here a lot
more,” he said. “In San Francisco it was
… too much. I much prefer this life.”
Still, he sometimes worries about his
own safety, especially because of his
high profile in the city.
“Personally, I don’t feel very protect-
relaxed in Jordan than in other Arab
ed,” he said. “I worry, but I’m not afraid. I
countries. Overt discrimination against
demand that respect. My sexuality is my
homosexuals is relatively rare com-
core here. Unfortunately, that’s what it
pared to places like Saudi Arabia.
is, in this country. In other places, I never
Still, al-Jazerah has experienced dis-
felt like it was an issue, but here…”
crimination. In fact, his move to Jordan
Even if al-Jazerah is personally con-
was a direct result of the gay-bashing he
cerned, he feels it’s important to stay in
experienced while in, of all places, San
Amman and run the business. Books@
Francisco. He fled California under the
is still one of the most successful busi-
witness protection program and even-
nesses in around. A safehaven for all
tually left the U.S. altogether.
backgrounds, it is rarely challenged any-
It would not be his last time leaving a
more. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: One of Jordan's favorite hang outs, Books@Café is known
country under duress. for its untraditional atmosphere and unique owner. Despite its hard-to-find loca-
Al-Jazerah recalled an incident this
In 1999, changes in the Jordanian tion in the trendy area known as Jebal Amman, which overlooks downtown, the
winter when customers stood up to
regime led to political tension. As King business has thrived thanks to its innovative approach to its products and welcom-
the police, and kept them from tak-
Hussein grew ill, his sudden choice to ing environment.
ing a young runaway girl from the café
make Abdullah his successor forced Katherine Lonsdorf is a junior at Occidental College majoring in diplomacy and world
back to her family, and risking a possible
people to prove their alliances and affairs, intending to become a journalist in some worldwide context. She is currently
honor killing.
“clean-up” the community. studying abroad for the year at the University of Jordan in Amman, surviving on thick
“Now,” he pauses, and then continues
Al-Jazerah was accused of satanic Turkish coffee and fresh baked bread. While she is enthralled with the Jordanian culture,
in Arabic, “enough.” And then in English:
worshiping, promoting homosexual- she is convinced a little Ultimate Frisbee and a few yoga studios could do wonders for
“We’ve proved ourselves.”
ity and corrupting youth. People said the society.
he used Books@ as a meeting place.

cafeabroad.com 11
 By Wade Shepard
S
he was curt and spoke
with biting sincerity. She
was a survivor, having
witnessed death first-hand.
Now a professor at Long
Island University’s Global
College in Costa Rica, the
woman who in this story will
be referred to as La Profesora
once walked a razor-thin line
between life and death.
“It was terror, no kidding,” La Profesora
said, recalling the horrors that riddled
her younger years in Guatemala. “You
felt that at any time you could be killed.
You would go to bed and say, ‘My God,
are they going to drag me out of here,
my home?’”
The year was 1980. Guatemala was
mired in the middle of a nearly 40-year
civil war between government forces
and guerrilla organizations. The war
claimed the lives of hundreds of thou-
sands of civilians, peasants, revolu-
tionaries, soldiers, fathers, brothers
and friends. Indigenous villages were
regularly razed, their inhabitants ei-
ther killed or relocated to internment
camps.
Guatemala City became a war zone,
and military hit squads wrought terror
across the country. La Profesora, who
was then a university student, dealt
with the grim realities of kidnapping,
assassination and war.

Scorched Earth
“Every day you would just come to
school and it would
woul be just like, ‘Who
did they kill today?’”
today? she said.
La Profesora memet with a Café Abroad
correspondent in Costa
C Rica this win-
ter, nearly 30 years after she fled Gua-
Coming of Age in War-torn Guatemala temala as a refugee.
refugee The purpose of the

12 Café Abroad InPrint Summer 2008

interview was to gain a fresh perspec-
tive on the Guatemalan civil war, one
that went beyond the cold and imper-
sonal figures often cited by historians.
This is her story…
Sweeps of terror
La Professora was born into a Gua-
temala that was experiencing a brutal
civil war that permeated every sphere
of society. Military men rushing into
her home and rifling through her fam-
ily’s possessions, searching for any
small sign of dissidence, are among her
earliest memories.
She also remembers the fear in-
stilled by military patrols that enforced
a nationwide curfew. “I still recall us
rushing back home in my dad’s car be-
cause curfew was just about to start,”
she said. “It was intense.”
At the beginning of the civil war,
Guatemala was under the control of a
military dictator, General Ydígoras Fu-
entes, whose power was derived from
clinging to the shirttails of the United
States-sponsored coup in 1954. Fu-
entes supported U.S. corporate and
Cold War interests, and he ruled with
an iron fist. This marginalized peasants
and commoners, and they rebelled.
Guerrilla organizations sprang up
across Guatemala. They took to the
mountains and jungles in a desperate
attempt to combat the government and
protect their own lives. La Profesora
said 95 percent of the guerilla move-
ment was composed of indigenous
peoples.
“They just knew they needed
change,” she said. “They lived in huts,
you know, and they were just out in
the mountains with very small plots of
land. They could barely grow anything
anymore, the land was exhausted…
Their kids were dying of diarrhea and
diseases that could be controlled.”
As guerrilla-led battles escalated
over the years, the military began a
scorched-earth policy designed to
starve the revolutionaries. The govern-
ment ravaged the countryside without
regard for who was – or was not – in-
volved with the opposition. The gov-
ernment burned down villages and de-
stroyed agricultural fields. Thousands
of civilians were shot during these was nighttime, they opened his door native country. For all of the terror and
sweeps of terror, and the rest were ei- with an axe and just dragged him out horrors that plagued La Profesora’s
ther forced to join government militias in front of his family. There were also early life, she still holds her people in
or herded into internment camps (offi- two guys on a public bus, and they just high regard.
cially referred to as “model villages”). dragged them out and they were never “It has been a long process to re-heal
“So they put [the civilian survivors heard from again. Guatemala,” she said. “Because Guate-
whose villages were destroyed] togeth- “Guatemala at this point had more mala is a beautiful place, the people are
er in a town that is square with military than 40,000 disappeared, and that was really beautiful and sweet.”
posts on each side, and to go in and out the way they disappeared: a van would But La Profesora cautioned that ten-
you had to have a card,” La Profesora pass by, and they would drag you into sion remains in her home country. She
said. “If the military found you out up the back.” she said. “You know what said the root causes of the civil war still
in the mountains they would do exist. The government responsible for
and you didn’t with some of the the atrocities is still in power. In the
have that card students that they last election, in November 2007, the
with a permit that captured? They liberal parties only took a combined
said you could be would go and 3.6 percent of the vote.
out there, they throw their corps- “Now that says a lot,” La Profesora
would shoot you. es on the campus, said. “That says that people don’t want
So the whole area completely tor- war, they don’t want anything radical.”
was militarized.” tured, as a way of But it also means that the nerve war,
All of this hap- terror. They were the fear that the government has in-
pened in an age of saying, ‘This is stilled in its people to avoid anything
global communi- what is going to progressive, continues today.
cation, the Unit- happen to you.’” College students today – either in
ed Nations and Despite being Guatemala or anywhere else in the world
NGOs. La Profe- surrounded by so – generally don’t have to mix their edu-
sora said Guate- much terror, La cation with the grim realities of war. But
mala’s situation Profesora’s imme- it is worth contemplating how well you
was affected by diate family was would handle such a situation.
the Cold War. Al- not directly af- Could you concentrate on a univer-
though the distri- fected. However, sity curriculum with bombs going off,
bution of wealth it was a different and people around you being tortured?
was unfair and story for her hus- Could you study in a library knowing
the people needed band’s family. The that you might be next on the chop-
change, anything GUERRA CIVIL: The violence that left government tried ping block, the one who soldiers want
thousands dead and displaced whole
that challenged communities during Guatemala’s harrow- to track down to hunt down, capture and slaughter
the status quo ing three-decade civil war still remains a her husband, and without warning?
was immediately scar on the country’s physical and politi- when forces could This is what La Profesora had to
labeled as com- cal landscape. Photos courtesy of Global not find him, they contend with as a university student in
College at Long Island University.
munist, she said. killed his brother. Guatemala, as she boldly stood among
“The moment you “It was a really the ruins of a country in turmoil.
were labeled communist, it meant that hard blow because it also had a lot of
you could get killed. It was as easy as guilt in it,” she said of her husband’s Wade Shepard has been tramping
that,” she said. reaction to the murder. “You know, it around the planet for the past eight
was like, ‘Why didn’t they kill me? Why years; he has wandered into the out-
Corpses on campus did they have to kill him?’ And so that back of Mongolia, lived in a monastery
in Tibet, ate a puppy in China, danced
La Profesora said the government was when we left the country, and we with mystics in India, thought he was
sent waves of psychological terror pul- decided to come here to Costa Rica.” a gardener in Ireland, and got really
sating through the population. The lost in Patagonia. He is currently on
people of Guatemala were literally in- Root causes remain a leave of absence from Long Island
timidated into obedience. La Profesora and her husband University’s Friends World Program
“Lots of people were killed,” she gained refugee status with the United to pursue archaeological fieldwork in
said. “People at my [university] disap- Nations and escaped from Guatemala Honduras. Visit his web site at www.
peared. . . There was this guy that stud- in 1980. For 20 years La Profesora did vagabondjourney.com and read his
ied architecture, and they just dragged not return to Guatemala, and she is travelogue, Song of the Open Road, at
www.openroadsong.com.
him out of his house. You know, it only now beginning to rediscover her
cafeabroad.com 13
 The crowd is small – about a dozen
people are scattered along the perimeter
of the soggy field – but they are intense
fans. DCU’s coach, Pat Fanning, a former
hurler for Waterford County, stalks the
sideline, psyching up his team.
“Lovely hurling!” he says in an Irish
accent as a player runs up the sideline,
balancing the sliotar (ball) on his hurley
(a wooden stick).
Other sports have gained in popular-
ity recently, but hurling has always been

ime the Irish pastime. It dates back some

2,500 years.

ast “It’s the fastest paced sport in the

world,” said DCU player Gearoid Devitt.

ue P “It’s kind of a mixture between ice hock-

ey, field hockey and lacrosse. It used to
be played by Celtic warriors. It was seen

’s Tr as a way of testing their skill and proving

their courage.”

l and The rules

Hurling is played on a field approxi-

e
mately 150 yards long and 90 yards wide.

Ir Posts about 6-meters-by-6-meters that

hover about 2 meters above the ground
form the goals. The object of the game
is to send the sliotar either through the
crossbars for one point, or past the goal-
e go
tender for three points.
Each team comprises
omprises 15 players, o or
hurlers. Players use a hurley to “hurl” the
ball. The hurley is similar to a field hock-
ey stick, with a bigger end to launch the
ball, while the sliotar is a bit smaller than
wen a baseball.
e O The goalkeeper’s hurley is larger than
N at the other sticks on the field.
By
y a t Players use their hurley to scoop up
the sliotar and carry it four steps. Then

y d a the hurler can bounce the ball on his

, rain s north
hurley and up into his hands. However,

raw ile ublin

it’s illegal to catch the ball more than
twice. As a result, a player often runs with
the ball delicately balanced on his stick.

’s a a fe m
w nd D
b is
Matches consist of two halves that
vary in length depending on the skill and
age of the players. Halves can run any-

It d r, a l u where from 25 minutes in youth match-

c at e e n t e in g c f
es up to the 35-minute sessions in inter-

d lo t y c u rl t e o county contests. As in soccer, the referee

can add extra time.
l c i s h itu
a fie ublin’s ersity’ go Inst tch.
Final scores are written as “2-13 to
1-10,” meaning that the winning team
scored two goals and 13 points to the

f D U n iv e Sli m a loser’s one goal and 10 points. Devitt said

o tral fa c yo f f a typical score might be 3-15 to 2-12.

Most hurlers wear helmets and face

C e n g t o p l a guards, as players can send the sliotar

a rin in a screaming through the air at speeds up

to 90 mph. Goalkeepers usually wear a

pr e p lo g y protective cup, but not always a helmet.

It is a physical sport, and injuries happen.

h n o “In a match last week, [a player] was

Te c wearing a helmet with a face guard, but

he still burst his lip, lost two teeth and
pierced his tongue,” said Devitt. “But
the most common injuries are hand
injuries. If the ball is up in the air, you
are allowed to hit the man going for
the ball.”

14 Café Abroad InPrint Summer 2008

 The history
Although its history goes back mil-
lennia, hurling in its present form origi-
nated in 1884 with the founding of the
Gaelic Athletic Association, or GAA.
Out of 32 counties in Ireland (which
are similar to states in the U.S.), about
a third compete on a senior level. By
comparison, Gaelic football is played in
practically every county. Still, hurling is
one of the most closely watched sports
in Ireland.
It has a colorful history, too. While
baseball has the story of “Casey at the
Bat,” hurling boasts its own folkloric tale.
The story involves a warrior, an angry dog
and some ill-timed miscommunication.
A young warrior named Setanta would
always run with his hurley and sliotar to
pass the time. His uncle invited him to a
banquet at the house of Culainn, and Set-
anta agreed to come, but only after he fin-
ished his hurling match.
By the time the match was over, the
feast had begun and Culainn left his
hound outside to guard the house. But
nobody told Culainn that Setanta was
due to arrive, and when the young warrior
reached the house, he was attacked. So
Setanta hurled the sliotar down the dog’s
throat, and smashed its head in.
Setanta’s uncle and Culainn were glad
that the young warrior was unharmed, but
Culainn missed his old hound. Setanta of-
fered to guard the house while he trained
a new dog. And from that point on, Set-
anta was known as “Cuchulainn,” or the
hound of Culainn.
Ìi>V…Ê>LÀœ>`ÊÊV…ˆiÊÉÊV…ˆ˜>ÊÉÊë>ˆ˜ÊÉÊ̅>ˆ>˜`
V…>˜}iÊ̅iʏˆÛiÃʜvÊޜÕÊ>˜`ÊޜÕÀÊÃÌÕ`i˜ÌÃÆʏi>À˜Ê̅ˆ˜}ÃÊޜÕÊV>˜½ÌÊÊ
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ʈÃÊ`iۜÌi`ÊÊ̜ʈ˜VÀi>Ș}ʜ««œÀÌ՘ˆÌˆiÃÊ
vœÀÊޜÕÊ̜ÊÌi>V…Ê>LÀœ>`p>˜`ÊvœÀÊÃÌÕ`i˜ÌÃÊ>LÀœ>`Ê̜ʏi>À˜°
This story is well known among young
hurlers. It was even the genesis of an Irish
sports network called Setanta.
Like Setanta, most hurlers start at a
young age, typically around 6.
“It’s an easy sport to play, but it’s very
hard to master,” Devitt said. “If you start
when you’re 10 or 12, it’s hard to learn the
coordination and the basics of the game.
Every young child in Ireland will play for
their local parish or club team. If they’re
good enough the whole way up, there’s
county structures for under-14, then
when they get to a minor level, the coun-
ty structure gets fairly serious and very
competitive.”
However, Nile Royan, Devitt’s Dublin
Central teammate, didn’t start playing
until he was 12.
“I was into soccer when I was younger,
[then I] went to secondary school in the
country and they mostly played hurling,”
he said.
The future
Back on the muddy field, Sligo takes
the lead late in the second half. But DCU’s
first and only goal proves crucial, and it
notches a 1-13 to 1-10 victory.
While the GAA hurlers play in front
of massive crowds, they share one trait
with the hurlers of the Sligo and DCU
club teams: They aren’t paid. The GAA is
unique because while it competes on the
highest level, its athletes are still consid-
ered amateurs. As a result, hurlers prac-
tice three to four times a week, in addition
to holding down a regular job.
Ê
œÀÊ>Ê«ÀœviÃȜ˜>ÊÀi>`ÞÊvœÀÊ>ÊV…>˜}i]Ê
“At the moment, there’s a big debate
over balancing a job and playing in the
National Hurling League,” Devitt said.
“A lot of the players get tax exemptions
from the government because they cre-
ate so much interest.”
Although the debate over whether
these athletes should be paid continues,
it seems unlikely to change.
“The policy won’t ever be to pay the
players,” said Mary Kirwan, a tour guide at
the GAA’s museum at Croke Park in Dub-
lin. “Every now and then it comes up. …
Sometimes the players feel they should
get a better deal. But they can get spon-
sorships and the bigger players can be
sent off on holidays.”
Kirwan said this system is controversial
because some players feel that the big
names get more, while the smaller clubs
often are slighted. Still, not receiving a
paycheck doesn’t seem to dampen hurl-
ers’ love of the game.
“There’s an awful lot of practice, and
it’s quite hard, but the players are so pas-
sionate and they are getting nothing,” Kir-
wand said. “You look at some of the soc-
cer players who are getting paid, and you
don’t see that passion. [Hurling] is very
important. It’s one of the greatest games.
It’s held up throughout the years as our
game, even as other games have come
along.”
Nate Owen majors in journalism at North- GOING TO HURL: Dublin Central Univer-
eastern University and hopes to replace ESPN’s sity defeats rival Sligo University despite
Peter Gammons someday. He played second less than ideal conditions. DCU goal-
base in high school and struck out enough to keeper hits the sliotar (ball) after Sligo
scores a point.
make Mark Bellhorn look like a contact hitter.

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cafeabroad.com 15
 Inside Seville
A
By Catherine Gaa
woman curls her taut fingers. Her wrists contort and
twist as she slowly raises her arms above her sorrow-
filled face. Suddenly, her knees jerk to life, sending her
feet into a kicking frenzy. Her palms clap a rhythm that
wells up from deep inside.
Reenacting a story told through her body, her face, and the lone
guitar accompanying her movements, she is alive with spirit and pas-
sion. The light plays over her features as she simultaneously turns and

Photos by Catherine Gaa

stamps. A look of anguish fills her face. Beads of sweat collect on her
brow. But the sound of the guitar seduces her into a hurricane of dance.
Flamenco, the intoxicating mix of dance, guitar and song, typifies
the tradition and soul of Seville. It embodies what is known locally as
duende.
Loosely translated as “soul,” duende here in Seville is a lifestyle,
though it’s a bit harder than that to define. Frederico Garcia Lorca, one
of southern Spain’s most famous playwrights, immortalized the spirit
of the sentiment. efore I moved to Seville, my seat. Because about 90 percent of the
“The duende surges up, inside, from the soles of the feet,” he wrote,
describing the lifestyle that flows through a native’s veins.
Traditionally a word associated with art, duende extends past the
B grandmother and I were travel-
ing through Spain on a Friday af-
ternoon when her debit card was swal-
seats are owned by season-ticket hold-
ers, this spot was as good as it gets.
The rotund man to my right accom-
lowed by an evil Bancaja ATM. Since panied every loss of possession with a
creative realm and into everyday life. It’s almost magic; some say we had no hope of recovering the card round of curse words. (What happened
that it has the power to transport travelers to distant times and places. until Monday morning, and had just 200 to all the skinny boys I saw before?)
euros worth of traveler’s checks to last Still, I had a match to watch. And de-
Whatever it is, it’s as alluring as the sound of a lone guitar strumming. the rest of the weekend, I thought our spite the conditions, I could feel the
Join Café Abroad Team Seville on an inside tour of the Andalusian plans were doomed. Instead, Grandma current of camaraderie that electrified
cultural capital and learn why Sevillanos – and their city – tienen pulled out a reserve credit card and the packed house.
promptly purchased soccer tickets for From my vantage point, I could see
duende. the following Sunday. the signs paying homage to Antonio
As we waited for the No. 5 bus to- Puerta, a midfielder not much older than
dren are instructed by their parents on ward Nervión, it looked like the whole me who had collapsed and died three
how to properly walk the family dog. town was headed to the soccer sta- weeks earlier during a match. Graffiti
They are also construction sites that dium. Old ladies waddled arm-in-arm was scribbled along the walls and white
require another two years of building toward their favorite coffee shop fast- bed sheets were emblazoned in red with:
work. The streets are the recipients of er than the traffic that was moving out “Thank you for uniting us, Puerta.”
the dirty, soapy water used to wash the of the city center. Cars, mopeds and For me, moving to Spain meant
floors of a home. astonishingly lean Andalusians were missing the entire football season,
But the streets transform at night draped in red and white – Fútbol Club and I was convinced that soccer could
as they return to the simple amber Sevilla’s home colors. After a half-hour never be a legitimate replacement. But
and auburn passageways they were of being sandwiched on a bus between in a sea of red and white, hearing cho-
designed to be. They are rarely forced several Sevillians on an oppressively ruses cheering every slide tackle and
to withstand anything louder than hot day, we poured out of the bus like bursting into song every five minutes,
the hum of car or the echo of a teen- melted butter. I found myself on my feet, tapping the
age laugh. Candles from corner res- The large dirt field adjacent to man next to me as I jumped up and
taurants shower specks of light onto Stadium Pizjuán was empty. This was down. I was enraptured. Duende isn’t
tranquil intersections. Men whistle surprising, because being a student just about art and light – it’s passion,
as they walk home from a long day at at the University of Iowa has instilled vigor, life, spirit and tradition.
work, keeping their tempo with their in me the notion that sporting events
footsteps. — Catherine Gaa
are synonymous with tailgating. As
et aside the locals, tapas bars and

S – Hannah Lawrence
fl amenco shows. For me, duen-
de is walking at night on a street
so narrow that I can touch a building
with one hand and a passing car with
the other without fully extending my
arms.
During the day, the skinny streets
of Seville are classrooms where chil-
Hannah Lawrence is a junior at the Uni-
versity of Iowa. She is unmistakably anxious,
zealous and analytical, but she hopes these
attributes will make her a better writer and
dinner date. She runs long distances when she
isn’t suffering from a shin splint and adores all
animals. She loves Charlie Chaplin and Steve
Martin, and older men in general.
a Hawkeye, I’m used to seeing tents,
RVs and college kids playing drinking
games before a big sporting event. (A
tradition I have come to both expect
and love.)
When we finally found our seats
near the top of the stadium, I was
scrunched between a wall and a man
whose paunch spilled over into my
Catherine Gaa is spending her gap year
(or two) teaching English to high school-
ers in the small town of Olivares, Spain,
and discovering the wonders of Mediter-
ranean cuisine. Her expanded waistline is
not only telling of her love for tortilla de
camarones and Cruzcampo beer, but also
useful in blocking punches when her dar-
ling 15-year-olds get out of hand in the
classroom.

16 Café Abroad InPrint Summer 2008


D
uende overcame me the first
time I jogged through historic
Maria Louisa Park. Like every
day in Seville, the weather was fl awless
– the perfect combination between
spring and summer.
As I stretched my sore legs, I watched
a Spanish family enjoy a picnic in the
grass. It was 3 p.m. on a Tuesday and the
parents were taking advantage of their
siesta, a mid-day break from work. They
opened the basket, pulling out different
tapas and drinks; the little girl’s face grew
more excited with each treat.
The boy, a toddler, wore a green
shirt tightly wrapped around his belly,
which protruded a little over his dia-
per. He clapped and pointed, waddling
toward a swarm of pigeons that had
shuffled close to the family’s food. As
the father kissed his wife affection-
ately and pulled his daughter onto his
lap, I smiled to myself, enjoying what
felt like an unbreakable air of content-
ment.
I then took off running through a
park full of fountains and historic mon-
uments, which told the tales of Chris-
topher Columbus, King Ferdinand and
the other remarkable contributions
Spain has made to world history. The
sun sparkled through the orange trees
hanging over me, and light painted my
face with every exhausting step. There
in the park on that beautiful day, the
incredible story of the past and pres-
ent fused together. And as I inhaled
the warm Spanish air, I couldn’t think of
anything better. And, at this moment,
I felt the glow of a profound and all-
encompassing joy.
— Alexandra Pope
Alexandra Pope is a junior at University
of Wisconsin-Madison double majoring in
journalism and mass communication and
political science with a certificate in inte-
grated liberal studies. She is studying at
the University of Seville, where she is tak-
ing all of her classes in Spanish and quickly
learning it would be beneficial to know the
language better. Currently, Alex is trying
to adjust to the men pulling her blonde hair
and wants to learn how to say, “it’s not a
wig,” in Spanish.
hurch bells toll around the city
C to mark the end of Mass. Hun-
dreds of people flood out into
the warm air and walk toward the Gua-
dalquivir River. Along the murky but
enchanting river, family and friends con-
vene over lukewarm Cruzcampo beer.
Life moves slowly, as people savor
their time away from work. No excuses
are needed to steal away to the river on a
lazy Sunday afternoon. Nobody worries
about chores being neglected. There is
only a passion to relish every Sevillanos’
birthright. The day of rest has begun.
— Maureen Stephan
Maureen Stephan is a sophomore at
Central Michigan University and is studying
in Seville, Spain. She and enjoys reading,
eating ice cream and napping by the Gua-
dalquivir river on Sunday afternoons.
cross the bridge to the Triana neighbor-
I hood, walk a couple of blocks, and enter
a world of endless treasures. There are
people of all ages everywhere. The wealthy
mix with the destitute street dwellers. An
expectant din rises from the stalls as dif-
ferent vendors battle one another, and pa-
trons haggle for the best deal.
Some say Seville’s most seasoned
shoppers browse the open-air food
markets, scrutinizing the selection and
searching for the freshest greens and
fruits from a wide assortment of private
gardens. But one step beyond these
stalls stand those of the flea market
– the destination that veteran bargain
hunters frequent in an endless conquest
to accumulate priceless junk.
Handmade scarves in every color cost
3 euros. Look harder and you will find it
ne night out, some friends and
O I got lost in the winding streets
of Barrio Santa Cruz. We were
in pursuit of a bar called La Carbonería.
When we tried to ask someone for direc-
tions, he did not stop. Carrying a guitar
and striding swiftly, the man did not even
notice us.
Curious, we followed him along wind-
ing cobblestone streets until he disap-
peared through a massive red door. We
for 2! Men selling leather purses whistle
at women in an attempt to lure the la-
dies and offer two-for-one deals. Even
the concession stand has a discount: two
hotdogs on one bun and a large bottle of
water for just 1 euro. It’s Sunday morning
and there are still endless rows of odds
and ends to peruse.
– Lindsay Hinkebein
Majoring in journalism, and minoring in
business and Spanish, Lindsay Hinkebein is
not yet sure in which direction her life will
turn. However, at the Spanish-American In-
stitute, her abroad experience has sparked a
burning interest in traveling and worldly en-
deavors. As a preppy, animal-lover from the
horse capital of the U.S., Lexington, Kentucky,
she is constantly reminded by Seville natives
that she comes from the land of Kentucky
Fried Chicken.
could hear a large group of people on the
other side, but there was no other indica-
tion of what was inside. We opened the
heavy door, which led into a room full of
people happily drinking at long wooden
tables. We took a spot in the back just as
the room started to buzz with a hum that
sounded like a running faucet.
“Shhhh!” someone said.
The guitarist, joined by a singer and a
dancer, took his place in the middle of
the room. The audience fell silent. Mel-
ancholy chords poured from the guitar
as the singer gave the music words and
feeling. The dancer added rhythm with
feverish claps and foot stomps. The
emotion of the music was tangible, and
it kept the audience hushed for the dura-
tion of the show.
As we were leaving, we noticed a sign
in the back of the room. We realized
that, only by leaving La Carbonería, we
had arrived.
– Mandi Caffery
Mandi Caffery is a senior at the University
of Minnesota, where she studies graphic de-
sign and the fine art of freezing. She’s hoping to
soak up enough Andalusian sunshine to get her
through her final semester in chilly Minnesota.
She has adjusted to the Spanish lifestyle too
well, and is working on a plan to convince all
future bosses to adopt the afternoon siesta.
cafeabroad.com 17
 A Journey to China’s Ethnic Provinces
Dr. Dan Smyer Yü received his Ph.D. and M.A. in cultural anthropology from the University of California at Davis and Califor-
nia State University at Hayward, respectively. In addition to his anthropological training, he also holds a master’s degree in
religious studies. Yü’s sustained interest in cultural studies and ethnographic work dates back to his undergraduate work in
international development studies at World College West in Petaluma, Calif. He most recently was a guest professor at the
Graduate Theological Union, teaching cultural psychology. Prior to that, Yü was a Kiriyama Research Fellow at the University
of San Francisco’s Center for the Pacific Rim. He has been an adjunct assistant professor at Sacramento City College since
2000, primarily teaching courses on cultural anthropology. He is an active anthropologist specializing in China studies, espe-
cially ethnic minorities in western China.

By Dr. Dan Smyer Yü

In most instances, an excursion is a short tour or a brief, pleasurable outing. But at the CIEE’s Lan-
guage and Ethnic Studies program in Beijing, China, an excursion is an opportunity to take a cultural
immersion trip to the country’s ethnic regions.
Since I became resident director here last summer, we changed the date of the trip from the be-
ginning of the semester to the middle, and lengthened it from eight to 15 days. We restructured the
excursion with the intent to more fully integrate it into our curriculum, since we viewed it as an im-
portant part of our students’ experiential education.
As a cultural anthropologist specializing in China’s ethnic issues – particularly in contemporary
Sino-Tibetan relations – I felt the need to create as many opportunities as possible for American
students to experience the cultural and religious differences that exist in China’s ethnic regions.
Through fieldwork that I have completed over the past six years in western Sichuan, southern Gansu
and Qinghai provinces, my familiarity with local communities has allowed me to arrange homestays
for CIEE students with Tibetan farmers, nomads and artists.
Throughout the field trip, students were involved in various community building projects. For in-
stance, they helped a village build an aqueduct and also removed non-biodegradable trash from the
beach of the Qinghai Lake, which is the largest saltwater lake in Tibet.
JohnPaul Bennett, a Shippensburg University student and CIEE alumnus from the fall of 2007,
eloquently expressed how rewarding the excursion was for him.
“Our two-week CIEE excursion trip to Qinghai and Gansu provinces has by far been my top cul-
tural experience in China,” he stated. “Living in and being surrounded by a completely different en-
vironment and culture was very educational. I gained a new level of appreciation and understanding
for the Tibetan culture and plan to travel back in the future. The villagers we stayed with rarely see
foreigners, so their expressions when you greeted them were priceless!”
During the trip, instructors gave students three field assignments, each from a difference course of
study. These assignments included assessing the impact of tourism on the local environment, iden-
tifying the expressions of the sacred in a local community, and documenting how religions are be-
ing commercialized in China’s market economy. Upon return, students selected different aspects of
their field experiences as topics for their term papers. It was amazing to see their intellectual growth,
as they learned to critique existing theories of ethnic studies with their own hands-on experiences.
Here in Beijing at the Language and Ethnic Studies program, we are building a unique and diverse
learning community composed of students from several American colleges and universities. Students
currently enrolled are not merely interested in learning Chinese language and studying in a classroom
setting – they want to experience the ethnic diversity of China beyond the host university, Central Uni-
versity of Nationalities, and the city of Beijing. I feel fortunate to work with students so dedicated.

18 Café Abroad InPrint Summer 2008

cafeabroad.com 19
 Summer a t JCU... in Rome , Ital y!

an American university
in the heart of Rome
SUMMER I AND SUMMER II SESSIONS - 2008
Session I - May 19 - June 20 Orientation May 15-16 Apply by April 17, 2008
Session II - June 30 - August 1 Orientation June 26-27 Apply by May 29, 2008

TA K E C L A S S E S I N Art History Economics and Finance International Affairs

Business Administration English Literature Italian Studies
Communications Humanistic Studies Political Science

COSTS 3 Credits / 1 Class - $ 2,484

6 Credits / 2 Classes - $ 3,864
Activity Fee - $ 260
Housing per Session - $ 1,400 per student (in double room)

A P P LY O N L I N E
w w w. j o h n c a b o t . e d u

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

Via della Lungara, 233 - 00165 Rome, Italy
20 Café Abroad InPrint Summer 2008