    |
Posts Tagged "adventure"
We took a field trip with our best friends Ken and Joe out to Yellowstone National Park. We were just there last fall but feel it’s important to take every opportunity to go there because it rules so hard. So, after our intrepid foursome drove several thousand miles hitting up Sun Valley, Idaho on the way, we made it to Big Sky Country and the wonders of Yellowstone intact and ready to camp in the wilderness and hunt bison (with our cameras). We saw elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, a HUGE eagle, enough bison to fill an ocean, foxes, coyote, birds galore, old people and paint pots from another planet. Admiring the foresight of Teddy Roosevelt and the early pioneers of the National Park idea we truly fell in love all over again with this national treasure.  Sun Valley sky
 Old Faithful Lodge  hogs and elks at Mammoth Hot Springs
 fisheye bison  intrepid adventurer Joe Overland  polaroid bison  elevation 8262
 lost on Mars?  our planet?  Welcome to OLD FAITHFUL, LOL.  our neighbors camp  Tower Falls (where we camped)  I LOVE these guys! (buns of steel)  Gardiner  Roosevelt's Arch
3 comments
As you can probably imagine, the business of event planning requires highly developed organizational skills. The organizational spirit also ends up leaking into our work space, to which we’re constantly adding new adventure supplies of all shapes and sizes. In order to keep track of it all, we’ve come up with a sophisticated classification system rivaled only by that at The Library of Congress. Or so we suspect. Naturally, we can’t give all of our secrets. Here’s a peek at some of the more intriguing labels on our storage boxes: The Adventure School rugs – Hookah Lounge – Woot + More Fabric
For your vicarious adventuring pleasure, may I present Ms. Meghna Philip, brilliant, beautiful, brave, and a fellow Brown undergrad. She’s changing the world and I’m enormously proud; be inspired.
We arrived in Delhi in the middle of June. It has been my first time coming to India on my own, without my family. I was born in Kerala, and lived in Bangalore until age 5, before we moved to New Jersey. Every other summer we came back to visit, but always stuck to the Keralan backwaters, whose intricate byways of extended family filled up all of our limited vacation days. So I had never been to India on my own, and never seen anything of it outside of Kerala. It has, needless to say, been quite an interesting excavation of the dualities of my upbringing. I can think of no more apt word to describe this trip than “adventure”. An adventure of elephantineproportions, (we have made several friends of the pachyderm persuasion), from the hot, uncertain beginnings, to the rainy, monsoon-y middle, to this, the last, dizzying stretch. India is so big, vibrant, and diverse. We have experienced a broad swath of its architectural, climactic and cultural diversity. Going from the dry, hot dusty north, full of breathtaking and ancient Mughal architecture; to wet, coastal Mumbai, where commercial capital towers alongside decaying, gothic architecture from the British Raj; to Portuguese and French ports in Goa and Pondicherry, where the colors and foods and buildings again are varied, and seem transplanted straight from Europe into the heart of India. Traveling as a group of three girls has added its own flavor to our experience, along with all the curry, cumin and coriander… it is impossible to avoid the realities of frustrating gender dynamics, and the strong undercurrent of male voyeurism that seems to dominate every place we go. At the same time, intelligent young women seem to predominate the student populations we have been interacting with at various universities, and yesterday we arrived at Jawaharlal Nehru University in the middle of some sort of student demonstration and gave three cheers for a “Fight Patriarchy!” graffiti quite becomingly fashioned along the side of the Administrative Building. It has been a fantastically exciting and productive summer. Networks for Peace is slated to begin within the next two weeks, with six of the best public and private universities in India and Pakistan participating, and some of the leading political think tanks on either side of the border collaborating. (Keep your eye out for us!) Now writing from Darjeeling, where, outside of my window, the rain is falling heavily, and clouds are rolling around on the winding streets! It is full of tea estates and gompas (monasteries) and Himalayan mountain views… one final adventure before heading back to the States. So from one rainy city to another, namaste and happy adventuring!
Did any of you ever watch The Magic School Bus when you were a kid? Hmm. Maybe that show was after your time… ok– Did any of you ever watch The Magic School Bus when you were home sick for the day vegging out on the couch? At any rate, the star of the show, Ms. Frizzle, was an elementary teacher all about exploration, learning, and… ADVENTURE. Just like The Adventure School! She also had a mega awesome catch-phrase she’d say at the beginning of every field trip, whether she’d brought her class to the far reaches of the galaxy or inside the whorls of a decaying nurse log. These words invariably made learning magical, and it’s unquestionably advice to live by. For these reasons, I’m going to reproduce the Wisdom of The Frizz right here on the blog: Take Chances! Make Mistakes! and GET MESSY! *image courtesy of Squidoo
One last word regarding the city formerly known as New Amsterdam, although my return to Seattle transpired a week ago: Hidden precisely in the center of SoHo, concealed behind a heavy metal door, up a heavily-graffitied stairway, and down a dimly lit passage lives KioskKiosk, equal parts gallery, a store, and adventure headquarters. You know, one of those secret New York gems. The people behind KioskKiosk are unquestionable adventurers. They comb the world over for unusual yet sundry design objects, buy a passel, and display one of each along with a description of its history and origin. They posted their manifesto on the wall, and I took a picture. It’s not terribly easy to read. But if you’re up to the challenge, I promise you’ll find that squinting was worth your while.
They had an array of rather cool stuff. I was very tempted to buy something, but if I’m completely honest with myself, when am I ever going to use a citrus-sizer?
Pictured: Also check out the Kiosk blog KioskKiosk, you and The Adventure School are kin! *Photos courtesy of KioskKiosk
As I was walking out of the office one day last week, a box filled with brightly colored packets caught my eye casuing me to backtrack to conduct further investigations. Bacon Salt? “Oh yeah, we still have tons.” Cori said casually. “Take some. While you’re at it, grab a beer koozie.” And that’s how I found out about the “zero calorie, zero fat, vegetarian, AND kosher seasoning that makes everything taste like bacon.” Is this for real? Apparently it is. As Aviva walked me to my car, she filled me in on how Justin and Dave, just two regular guys, stumbled upon the idea of a vegetarian-friendly, bacon-flavored seasoning and hit the novelty food jackpot. Perhaps you’ve heard of Baconnaise? It’s brought to you by the same guys who came up with Bacon Salt. As it turns out, all the bacon salt in the Adventure School office was left over from the Henry Art Museum Gala, because Justin and Dave are from Seattle. Represent! Hundreds of guests took home bacon salt seasoning packs and beer koozies in their swag bags that night. And yet, like loaves and fishes, the bacon salt just keeps coming. Even three months after the fact there’s still plenty to spare. Thus Cori’s encouragement that I take a fistful and share it will all my friends. Because I am a genteel and moderate individual (ha) I declined the fistful. But for months now my boyfriend’s been attempting to cajole me out of vegetarianism to try the bacon-chocolate cupcake recipe he saw in The New York Times. Of course, the minute I saw the bacon salt, I knew the seasoning would make the perfect birthday gift.
The Adventure School is all about innovation, and going all out. After all, our motto is Semper Ad Extremum, Latin for “Take it to the max every time.” Without a doubt, Justin and Dave have taken it to the max. And according to their MySpace page, they’re in the process of developing bacon-flavored lubricant. I greatly hope that’s no joke.
We should all dance a whole lot more. I’m serious. Along with getting drunk, doing art or drugs, and having sex, dancing is on the shortlist of activities in which one can lose oneself completely. As Ethan Hawke says in Before Sunrise, “I’m just so tired of hanging out with myself, you know?” Ethan baby, I know. I get tired of hanging out with myself all. the. time. And unfortunately for me, I’m like that annoying kid that followed you around in elementary school who, no matter how hard you tried, you could never shake off. But I’ve seen the light and dancing is the answer. When I do it right, I feel silly and euphoric and crazy and invigorated, no trace of my aggravating self in sight. My aunt just had her 60th birthday party, and by the end of the night, the whole family from my 2 year-old second cousin to my 86th year-old Papa was up and rocking out hard to songs that spanned the ages from Frank Sinatra to Beyonce with a liberal sprinkling of MJ in the middle. Obviously. Everyone was so happy. And the amount of fun were had was probably somewhat close to obscene. Especially when the medley from Grease came on and all semblance of order completely went out the window. And just FYI, to really get down on it, you don’t need to throw back a 4 shots of tequila. In my opinion, you just gotta stick to two simple rules: 1) Don’t take yourself or anyone else too seriously. Now that I’ve been at The Adventure School for two months, I can confidently state my belief that Cori and Aviva have mastered the art of dancing completely. And I don’t know if any of you know this, but they also throw a really good party. Like peanut butter and chocolate, it’s an excellent combination. This is why I’m mega sad to be missing Exibitchin’, the event going down at EMP this Saturday night with the Saturday Knights (Adventurer Profile coming soon.) It’s guaranteed to be a smorgasbord of dance-tastic excess. Please go, dance until your feet start smoking, and think of me. I’ll leave you with an inpspriational photograph and a manifesto for Saturday and for always. Full disclosure: the words aren’t mine, but you might recognize them anyway. Ready? Ok. Here we go… GET UP OFFA THAT THING AND SHAKE ‘TIL YOU FEEL BETTER!  This photo of The Godfather of Soul was taken by me. Yes, I was actually that close.
We got another ‘un! This week, allow me to introduce my friend and university compatriot, Phil Kaye. As well as a very talented spoken word poet and Big Man On Campus, Phil is- wouldn’t you know it?- an adventurer. In this short description, Phil gives a compelling account of what he’s doing right now over seas in Shanghai. Not your average summer job, to be sure.
Hey Everyone! Somehow or another, I’ve found myself living in Shanghai, China, working on a Chinese spin-off of American Idol. I’ve been trying my best to write down what’s happening around me – some of it is too good to be true (a few days ago I accidentally asked the taxi driver to “please come home with me” instead of “please take me to my home”). Its been wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time – but fantastically bizarre all the way around. I’m happy to share with everyone back in the U.S. and especially Seattle (which I’m pretty convinced is one of the best cities in the whole wide world). Here’s a little update and a few pictures – hope you enjoy! … I’m standing in front of a colossal abandoned coal processing plant. In the last week, a team of 60 workers has been working non-stop to transform the building from an abandoned factory to a Hollywood-style sound stage. There is little time left. In just 6 days, the Global CEO’s of Pepsi and Polo will stand where I am standing. China’s major TV station will have their camera’s rolling on this abandoned coal factory. And 60 million Chinese citizens will be watching on their television sets.
The television show, roughly translated, is called “The Voice of a Generation”. It has taken the successful format of American Idol (and its wildly popular Chinese counterpart) and has applied it the next logical musical progression: bands. Tonight is the “final audition”. It is just as ominous as it sounds – over 1,000 bands have tried out in twenty cities across mainland China. Now these last 17 have flown to Shanghai for this final audition, and the producers will pick the final 10 to be on the show. The band members are mostly kids. Despite their talent, most of them have never played for more than 60 or 70 people, maybe a crowded smoky Beijing nightclub at best. They are incredibly kind – I watch kids from different bands share food with each other. A bass player and a guitarist grab another guitar player’s hand when he trips on the hardwood floor. Tonight, they all sit on the top floor of a restaurant we have rented nearby, playing cards or chain smoking, nervously waiting to be called. Then there is me. My job is to bring the bands from the restaurant to the backstage; about a 6 minute walk – just enough for their nerves to settle and strike up polite conversation. We have a relationship of tacit fictions. I ask the band where they are from; they tell me that my Chinese is very good. This is a lie. I ask them where they are from again, and they tell me the name of their province. I tell them I have heard it is quite beautiful. This is also a lie. Most of the bands have little idea what they are getting themselves into. I tell them that Quincy Jones is here to watch. “Is she famous?” they ask. After seven hours and seventeen auditions, the judges have chosen the final 10 bands that will officially be on the show. My favorite band, a group of 25-year old blues players, are not chosen. The lead singer, whose eyes lit up earlier that afternoon after finding out I was from California, has trouble making eye contact with me after the show. “Why this happening? What we do wrong?” Early tomorrow morning, he will travel 9 hours by car back to his town, a few pop hooks away from what could have been a major television break. I don’t know what to say, but I tell them that if it was my show, they would be first pick. This, I tell him, is not a lie.
When something somewhat scary and unknown comes along, just say yes. As a rule of thumb, life becomes increasingly more awesome whenever we do this. One of my favorite hobbies is to gather cosmically generated tidbits of advice. These photos capture some more eloquent points I’ve gleaned in my travels.
|
I have been in India for almost two months now. I have spent my summer here traveling with two of my best friends, from Delhi to Mumbai to Chennai, working on a project called Networks for Peace. Its aim is to use a combination of face-to-face dialogue, research collaboration and digital media connectivity to create a platform for collaborative, policy-oriented engagement between top university students from Pakistan and India. 
*last two photos courtesy of the
