Lampe, Blair. “Spare Tire Selection: Donut vs. Full Size.” NAPA Know How Blog, 19 Oct. 2017
What would you do if you popped a tire on the road. Would you pull over and call for help, or could you replace your tire and save yourself some tow truck fees. There are about “220 million flat tires per year” and “every driver will experience on average up to 5 flat tires in their lifetime” (Active Tools). Flat tires are going to happen to drivers and its up to you to be prepared. Plus changing a tire should take less then 30 minutes.
So with this paper, I hope I can teach you how to save a little money. I’ll show you what to do when you’re on the road and your tire pops, what materials you should have in your car, and how to replace the flat tire.
Well first off, it’s very important to stay calm, slow down, turn on your hazard lights, and pull to the right side. Once you make it to the side of the road, you should probably let a friend or family member know where you are and that you’ve popped a tire. It’s not always the safest environment when you’re on the side of the road. Which is why I suggest you find a nice flat hard surface with plenty of light, in a safe neighborhood. The rubber will cushion the rim long enough for you to find a safe spot as long as you drive slowly. This process should not be any different on the freeway compared to one of the roads you live on.
John. “How to Change a Flat Tyre: Articles: Motorist.” Motorist.sg, 12 Mar. 2020
Next, you should check if your car has a car Jack, lug wrench, a fully inflated spare tire, and the owner’s manual. These are the essential for items you need for a tire change. It’s also nice to have gloves, safety glasses, wheel wedges, and maybe reflectors. But when you’re on the road, you’re not always going to expect or be prepared for these situations. So, you should practice changing your tires at least once a year.
Here’s a checklist from Bridge Stone Tires
Jack
Lug wrench
Fully inflated spare tire
Vehicle owner’s manual
The car usually comes with the essential tools
Here’s some things you need to keep in mind before you find yourself in this situation. Ask yourself where your spare tire kept, how do you retrieve it, and what good is it if it’s just as flat as your current tire. So you should check your spare tire periodically and understand all the tire changing steps. You should also keep in mind what to do when you make it to the side of the road. It’s important to identify which tire is flat and which wheels need to be blocked off, typically the wheel opposite to the flat. You should also turn on the E brake. Lastly you should know that changing your own tire is only good enough for you to get home or to the nearest mechanic. Now is a good time to grab all your materials and lay out in front of you.
My spare tire happens to be in the trunk. Other tires might be under the car and require a tool to get out.
Next, we can start changing the tire. Your car is most likely going to have a hubcap or cover. You need to remove this first, which typically requires just a pulling motion. Put this cover face up so it doesn’t get scratched. What you need to do next is crack loose each lug nut with the provided wrench. If your car is up in the air, the wheel is just going to spin.
Here I crack them loose but don’t remove them
After you loosen each nut, you’re able to use the jack stand on the appropriate jack points. You don’t want to put the jack on your oil pan, muffler or something that can’t hold weight, especially the weight of the whole car. If you accidentally crush something or damage it, then you better just call the tow truck now.
You can see how the jack fits perfectly with the frame
Then you can finish removing all the lug nuts, make sure you don’t lose them. That allows you remove the tire and set it to the side. Now you can bring your new tire and put it onto the threads. This is where you hand tighten all the lug nuts, so you don’t cross thread them and possibly ruin the thread. With the tire being hand tightened and them some, it’s okay to lower your vehicle slowly and torque to spec in a star pattern.
“Wheel Lug Nut Torquing.” Adaptit USA Wheel Adapters and Spacers
You can easily find the tire specs of your car in the manual or on the internet. If you can’t find the torque specs, you could be safe with 70 to 100-foot pounds for cars and closer to 150 for trucks. Another good thing to keep in mind if you don’t have a torque wrench, a foot of leverage will get you 100-foot pounds at your full strength. Make sure you get them torqued right as soon as possible because its only good enough for you to get to your destination.
Here’s my finished project, its not pretty but that’s how spare tires are
Hopefully by now you have a good idea on how to safely change a tire. But you don’t really learn anything unless you practice this skill. So I challenge you to go out with a friend and try to replace your tire in your driveway. And like always, drive safe out there.
Heart to Gold is a three piece punk band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Consisting of members Grant Whiteoak (guitar and vocals), Blake Kuether (drums) and Sid Johnson (bass). Heart to Gold formed when Whiteoak and Johnson were hanging with some friends and getting high on mushrooms. According to Whiteoak, during the trip he turned to Johnson and said, “There are certain people that I feel like I need to have musical endeavors with in my life and you are one of them. Let’s start a f—— band.” The band recorded a few EP’s and demos released to Bandcamp throughout 2015 and 2016, and eventually released their debut LP, COMP in April of 2018.
COMP is a blistering 31 minute, 10 track punk affair that runs the gamut between stripped back punk rock bangers to whimsical emo balladry. Erik Paulson of Remo Drive fame is responsible for the mixing and mastering of the album, and COMP retains much of the raw, relatable energy from Remo Drive’s own debut, Greatest Hits. The colorful, irreverent album art transforms the bands members into dogs wearing Hawaiian shirts, sitting together on a couch.
Music video for “Difficult” by Heart to Gold
The album begins with the short but sweet ”Tokyo”. Clocking in at only a minute and 38 seconds, Tokyo provides an ample sampling of the sonic palette found across the entirety of the album. Chunky guitar riffs and Whiteoak’s half screamed, half-sung vocals make this song easily get stuck in your head, a trend that follows for much of the remainder of the record. Standout songs include the more mellow “Smo’” which begins with only a jangly guitar line and Whiteoak’s vocals and ends in a glorious cacophony of guitars and emo yells, and “Tony Hawk’s Nephew”. The aptly named “Miss Me Entirely (Riff City)” is a mostly instrumental cut featuring lots of soloing with a few vocal interjections. The album ends with “Acne,” which begins with audio from the classic viral video, “I don’t care that you broke your elbow.” The song is a fitting send off to the album; it captures much of the angst found throughout the record, but still maintains the lighthearted and carefree tone of three friends just jammin’ out.
Overall, COMP doesn’t really have a lot to say. It’s an album that stands on its own, without any grand compositional pretense or strong concept, because it doesn’t need any. The only intention of COMP is to leave you with a few more songs stuck in your head, and it accomplishes that goal admirably.
The Minneapolis punk scene has already had a few breakout successes. It’s the birthplace of indie rock legends The Replacements and Hüsker Dü, and this generation is now looking to leave its mark on the world. Remo Drive released their major label debut Natural, Everyday Degradation to Epitaph Records in 2019, as well as some bands signing to indie labels, like Unturned signing to No Sleep Records. Heart to Gold will undoubtedly find their way into the mainstream given the performance they’ve shown already.
I conducted a small scale anonymous study regarding depression in partygoers and non-partygoers, and I received some interesting results. My hypothesis was that party goers would be a little more depressed than non-partygoers, as alcohol is a known downer, and marijuana can also act as a downer. Most college students that answered my survey responded by saying they attended at least one party per week, as 86.7% of the people that partook in my survey had answered that they partied between 1-5 times per week, with 40% saying they partied 2-5 times a week. My end goal was to be able to look at the final results and piece together a conclusion that pointed to partying either increasing or decreasing levels of depression, hopefully without receiving results that didn’t make sense. In turn, maybe this could help people to decrease their amounts of partying if they’ve been experiencing depression. This was the entire point of my survey, as I wanted people to see firsthand that maybe partying is increasing their levels of depression, and that stopping or decreasing how often they party could really help to put them in a better mental state. This could make a huge difference in someone’s life, as some participants in my survey had recorded that they experienced suicidal thoughts, and had partied a decent amount. By creating and analyzing this survey publicly, my goal is to be able to help someone with their depression. This could lead to someone leading a much happier life, and could possibly prevent someone from eventually taking their life.
I used ‘Google Forms’ to create a short 10 question survey that asked basic questions about how frequently people had been going to parties, drinking, and smoking. I also included questions regarding depression, suicidal thoughts, and I even included a question that asked if partygoers attributed an increase in depression directly to partying. My results were as I expected; however, some of the results were quite staggering. I wasn’t surprised that 60% of the survey takers admitted to being medically diagnosed with depression, as it’s a huge problem in our youth and society today. Two thirds of the people that answered they had depression actually said that partying increased the severity of their depression, while the other 20% had said they hadn’t noticed a difference. 20% of those people even answered that they attributed partying to some suicidal thoughts they were experiencing. I found these results to be sort of startling, as partying is usually viewed as a fun way to relieve some stress, meet new people, and have a good time with your buddies. I thought some people had probably experienced an increase in depression from drinking and smoking, but I didn’t expect the results I got. Also, less than 14% of people that took my survey said that they hadn’t smoked marijuana within the past week, while 46.7% of people answered that they’d smoked 7 or more times a week (almost every day). Everyone that took my survey consumes alcohol during the week, and the majority of the people taking the survey said they consumed 6 drinks per party on average.
Enough about my survey and statistics. The fact that alcohol is a downer is pretty common knowledge. According to the addictioncenter.com, a website run by an addiction recovery center, “Drinking profoundly alters an individual’s mood, behavior, and neuropsychological functioning. For many people, alcohol consumption is a means of relaxation; however, the effects of alcohol and hangovers can actually induce anxiety and increase stress.” This being said, drinking can be fun, as long as it’s in moderation. College parties are places where people typically drink a lot more than 1 drink, so partying frequently could turn out to be a problem. Not quite the same can be said about marijuana. Marijuana is an entirely new conversation. Many people enjoy it recreationally, and many people use it medicinally, but not everyone’s body reacts the same way. There are many different strains of marijuana, and a few different ways in which it can affect people. As I found on socratic.org, when acting as a stimulant, weed could induce elevated moods, increased heart rate, paranoia, and anxiety. When acting as a hallucinogen, it can cause nausea, an altered sense of space and time, loss of control over motor skills, and a loss of a sense of self. When acting as a depressant, you could experience relaxation, memory loss, dizziness, and sleepiness. If this is a part of partying for some people, and they’re experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, or anything else negative, it’s a sign to either cut down or stop.
In the end, my results proved a connection between partying and higher levels of depression. I’ve known some heavy partiers, drinkers, and smokers, and I know they had depression, as they’d told me about it. They had told me that they began to experience more intense levels of it as they began partying more heavily. I conducted this survey in order to confirm my theory that these two things are related, as when they had stopped partying, they’d started being visibly/noticeably happier. I wanted to create and distribute this survey in order to see if they weren’t alone, as others could benefit from the conclusion of this survey. Perhaps these results can help others, and possibly suggest that they should at least cut down on their partying/drinking/smoking if they’re experiencing heightened levels of depression.
Below are my works cited and a link to an excel sheet containing my survey results.
Work Cited
Walther, Andreas, Rice, Timothy, Yael, Ehlert, & Ulrike. (2016, December 15). Neuroendocrinology of a Male-Specific Pattern for Depression Linked to Alcohol Use Disorder and Suicidal Behavior. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00206/full
For many recent and soon-to-be high school graduates, their academic careers are just beginning. Most American high school graduates will pursue post-secondary education of some kind. But for many, there is one significant obstacle in their path. College is expensive. Due to the steadily rising cost of college tuition in the United States in recent years, the cost of pursuing a college education is now higher than ever. Fortunately for these students, there are several different financial aid opportunities available to them. In this article I will discuss the burden of rising tuition costs and review many of the financial aid options available to students at UW Stout and the wider UW system.
Rising costs
The average college tuition has been steadily rising over the last four decades. Because of this, many students are finding themselves more and more reliant on receiving financial aid in order to pursue a postsecondary education. According to Jackson and Nudelman (2016), using information from the National Center for Education Statistics, the average yearly tuition rate for public universities rose from $2,196 in 1980 to $8,534 in 2014-15.
Figure 1: Average tuition price 1980-2015
Types of aid available
There are many different types of financial aid available to students at UW system schools. For the purposes of this article they will be broken down into three categories. These are federal financial aid, state financial aid, and military family education benefits. Scholarships offered by community organizations, businesses, and schools, along with private loans made by private, nonfederal lenders such as banks and credit unions, should also be considered as options for funding postsecondary education. However, these sources vary widely in terms of eligibility, requirements, and interest rates (for loans) and will not be covered in this review. Additionally, this is not an exhaustive list, and links to more detailed reading can be found throughout this article.
Federal Financial Aid
Federal Loans
A federal student loan is made through a loan program administered by the federal government. Loans must be repaid over time. When choosing between private and federal loans, the latter is usually the better option because they offer more benefits than private loans. For example, federal loans include fixed interest rates for all students in the same loan category and do not require a credit check.
Direct Subsidized Loans
Undergraduate students with financial need can receive subsidized loans that are backed by the US Department of Education. Interest is typically not charged on the loan for certain time periods in the life of the loan, such as when the student is enrolled in school at least half-time, or during the first 6 months after graduation, commonly known as a “grace period.” For undergraduates, loans that were disbursed for the 2019-2020 academic year (July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020) had an interest rate of 4.53% (Federal Student Aid, 2020).
Direct Unsubsidized Loans
Students that do not show the financial need required for a subsidized student loan can take out unsubsidized loans instead. These are available to undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree students, and can be taken in addition to subsidized loans for individuals with financial need. The student is responsible for paying the interest during all periods, which begins to accumulate as soon as the loan is disbursed.
Direct PLUS Loans
These loans are designed for parents who are borrowing money to pay for their dependent undergraduate child’s education, and for graduate or professional degree students. Financial need is not required, however credit history, and ability to pay the loan back, will be taken into account when determining loan amounts.
Pell Grants
Unlike loans, Pell Grants do not need to be repaid. Provided by the federal government, these need-based grants are given to low-income undergraduate students, and may be used at any of the approximately 5,400 postsecondary institutions that participate in the federal education program. To receive a Pell Grant, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility. The amount of the grant is dependent on financial need, costs to attend a particular school, full- or part-time status, and plans to attend school for a full year or less.
Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program
This program helps students earn money to fund their education by providing a portion of the hourly wages that a student can receive through employment, while the educational institution provides the remainder of the wage. Students are typically employed in supportive roles at their schools, as tutors, or in community service roles. FAFSA must be completed to determine eligibility to participate in this program.
State Financial Aid
In addition to federally provided financial aid, the state of Wisconsin also provides students with aid to help to pay their college tuition at UW system schools. There are several grants offered by the state of Wisconsin. Additional information about other state education resources can be found at the State of Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board website at heab.state.wi.us
Wisconsin Grant
Wisconsin residents can receive this grant if they are in a degree- or certificate-seeking program at a UW system school, among others, and enrolled at least half-time. A FAFSA is required to apply for the grant, which is currently $250 to $3150 based on need. If eligible, a student may receive this grant for up to ten semesters.
Talent Incentive Program Grant
Students that have the greatest financial need may be nominated by financial aid offices or counselors in the Wisconsin Education Opportunity Programs to receive the Talent Incentive Program (TIP) Grant as first-time freshman. Initial awards range from $600 to $1800. If a student continues to have a financial need for this grant, as determined through FAFSA, it may be awarded for up to ten semesters, with a minimum of $250 for continuing awards.
Indian Student Assistance Grant
The Indian Student Assistance Grant has eligibility requirements similar to the Wisconsin Grant, with the additional requirement that the student be at least 25% Native American. However, this grant is available for both undergraduate and graduate students. Both the FAFSA and he Indian Student Assistance Grant application must be completed to determine eligibility for this grant that can range from $200 to $1100, for up to ten semesters.
Military Family Education Benefits
Students that are themselves, or have a parent or spouse who is, a veteran may be eligible for a variety of federal veteran-based benefits, depending on their situation. Additionally, Wisconsin offers the Wisconsin GI Bill for veteran students and in some cases, their spouses and children if disabled.
Federal GI Bill
The Post 9/11 GI Bill is a federal program that provides military veterans with post-secondary education benefits if they have served for more than 90 days. It includes payment for tuition and a monthly allowance for housing, as well as a stipend for supplies and textbooks.
There are a variety of additional federal veteran education benefits including the National Call to Service Program, Chapter 35 benefits for the spouse and children of disabled veterans, Fry Scholarship for spouses and children of servicemembers who lost their lives in the line of duty, and transferred GI Bills. Due to the complexity of the eligibility requirements, it is best to review the details of these program at the Veterans Administration Education Benefits website at www.benefits.va.gov
Wisconsin GI Bill
The Wisconsin GI Bill is a tuition remission program enacted in 2005 and is available to veterans who are Wisconsin residents. This program pays for the tuition and segregated fees for the veteran for 128 credits or 8 semesters, whichever is longer. The Bill also allows the same benefits to be awarded to a veteran’s spouse or children if the veteran is at least 30 percent disabled, as adjudicated by the Veterans Administration. Application is a two-step process with documentation required to be send to the Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs and the school that the student is attending. More information can be retrieved from https://dva.wi.gov/Pages/Home.aspx
While paying for postsecondary education can be a daunting task, systematically reviewing all of the available options is a good first step. Be aware that eligibility requirements can change over time, and you may become eligible for programs that you previously had not considered. Consult the financial aid office at your school periodically to stay up-to-date on current programs available to you.
One of the first things I wonder when I go to a new place is “where is the best place to eat here.” As a UW-Stout student, specifically a freshman not from Menomnie, you may be wondering this same thing. Lucky, we have put this podcast together for you, the hungry indecisive UW-Stout freshman.
Statistics
20+ Restaurants in Menomonie within 1 mile walking distance of Stout
25% of all college students meals come from eating out
60% of students are more likely to snack late night off campus rather than on campus
Importance of Food (social)
Food is always an important piece of someone’s life, but in college the impact is even greater. Going out to eat can serve in many ways as a chance to get to know people better and make friends. You’re always going to be hungry, but going out to eat makes eating food into an experience, not just a necessity. Countless memories are made over a plate of food and a drink throughout a person’s lifetime.
Body
Interview questions
1.) What is the best late night place to eat at in or around Menomonie?
2.) What is the best place to take a date to eat at in or around Menomonie?
3.) What is your overall favorite place to eat at in or around Menomonie, and why?
Best Late night
What you want in late night food
Quotes, personal opinions
Burrito California was the winner in the late night category. Open late (2am), Burrito California offers a cheap, warm, and most importantly filling, option for late night eaters. Whether you are a night owl, or trying to save yourself from a throbbing headache in the morning, a large burrito from Burrito California always seems to hit the spot. The location is key in the success of Burrito California, being close to the bars and in between North and South dorms, anyone can make their way to Burrito Cali for some quick food.
Best Date Night
What you are looking for in a date night restaurant.
Jake’s Supper Club
Why?
Jake’s is a typical Wisconsin supper club, with dim lighting and a bar area as soon as you walk in. Their specialty on Thursday nights is a great one with a prime rib special for 15 dollars. Jake’s has, arguably, the best prepared food around Menomonie. It’s a nice drive out to the country, where Jake’s sits lakeside. Jake’s also includes an outdoor patio for weather permitting times. The accumulation of these factors is why we, and our interviewees picked Jake’s for the best date night spot.
The Go To Restaurant Winner
What you want in a go to restaurant.
Why The Silver Dollar won
The Silver Dollar wins best overall in Menomonie. With a hometown feel, nightly specials, good food, and a prime location downtown, it wasn’t surprising to see The Silver Dollar taking the win at best overall.
Conclusion
Whether you’re just driving through Menomonie, or a new student on campus, these are our top three restaurants. From interviews, personal experience, and research, we have narrowed down the best late night, date night, and overall restaurants in Menomonie.
What we took away from the experience.
What we wanted the listener to take away from our podcast.
We hope that you, the listener, can benefit from the research, interviews, time, and food consumed by us in the process of making this podcast. Stay hungry, bring your friends along, and go Blue Devils.
The Hmong and Laotian people came to the United States during the end of the Vietnam War and after the Vietnam War as they were forced to abandon all but the clothes on their backs and some basic human values. Why did we come to the United States of America? Focusing on the Hmong, this is a story that the majority of people from the Hmong second generation know. However, those who came to America as refugees and are permanent residents but have no citizenship and have been criminalized could face deportation.
After the United States publicly announced they would leave Vietnam because of tensions from home and the Communist Soviet Union, they secretly used the CIA to maintain presences the Vietnam. The CIA heard about a group of people who lived on the mountains of Laos and Vietnam. They were the Hmong, under General Vang Pao, a Hmong General who severed in the Laotian army. It was agreed that the U.S could use the Hmong people to fight against the Vietcong, but the only circumstance was that if America does lose, they must take the Hmong with for the reason of being persecuted by the Vietcong. My family came to the United States as refugees. The journey to America isn’t a journey that was comfortable to take. They were always moving and running away from the Vietcong. Their last challenge was to cross the Mekong River. Every Hmong family had their own way of crossing the river. My family crossed the river twice. In the first attempt, my aunt whom I had never met, drowned. In the second attempt, my grandma payed smugglers to take them to the other side in Thailand. From there is where and how they got to America in 1986 in Providence, Rhode Island. As the Hmong lived in the U.S for about 45-50 years, there is a generation of Hmong that has never seen the country their parents came from because they were born here in the U.S. Many of the new generation have assimilated to the American culture, keeping only some Hmong values.
It may seem like the Hmong people are living the American Dream in the U.S. However, just recently, there has been rumors about the Trump Administration having talks with the Laotian government about deporting non-citizen Hmong and Hmong criminals that are residents in the U.S. which would also affect non-citizen Laotians (Mentzer, 2020). This has caused a panic in the Hmong Community. But because the talks of deporting non-citizen Hmong is a rumor, Yee Leng Xiong, the director of Wausau’s Hmong American Center stated, “Because there’s no information [from official sources], it creates this fear. It’s a fear of the unknown,” (Mentzer, 2020). There is about 300,000 Hmong people that lives in the U.S and most are citizens through the process or being born in America. But there are an estimated 4,500 green card holders (legal permanent residents but not citizens) who can be deported because of the crimes they have committed. Those who were criminalized dealt their time in the U.S because the Laotian government wouldn’t accept most U.S deportees (Mentzer,2020). However, it could change if the negotiation is successful between the two governments.
Due to these rumors of negotiation between the U.S and the Laotian government, U.S Representative Betty McCollum of St, Paul Minnesota wrote a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, showing her support for the Hmong community opposing the plan (Feshir, 2020). I have also conducted two interviews: a Hmong student part of Hmong Student Union from UW-Oshkosh and Brad Karger, Marathon Country Administrator in Wausau, Wisconsin. The student, who shall remain anonymous, explained how after hearing about the negotiations of possible deportations, the organization called for a meeting to talk about it and their concerns. They then formed a statement opposing the idea and voicing their concerns (HSU Member, Personal Communication, March 10 2020). Brad Karger has always shown his support for the Hmong community in Wausau, Wisconsin. He was generous enough to share me his thoughts on the idea of deporting non-citizen Hmong people. He opposed the idea by saying, “I oppose Hmong deportation to Laos for these reasons:
Many of the 3,500 people subject to deportation have already paid the price for their crime and been rehabilitated. They made a mistake as a young person and have turned their life around. Some have received college degrees, have families of their own and work at a job they have held down for years. Who benefits from their deportation?
Everyone makes mistakes. No one expects anyone to be perfect. What is expected is that you learn from your mistakes, correct your behavior and move forward in life. Many of the people subject to deportation have done this.
Hmong people have no connection to Laos. Most of the group subject to deportation have never been to Laos. They likely were in Cambodia at a UN Camp in Laos as a child but certainly not any adult experience in Laos.
Deportation will break apart families. Everyone has some person in their family who gets into trouble. I know from my own experience that this can be embarrassing but I can’t imagine how much worse it would be if the person were deported and as a practical matter, gone forever. That seems like a penalty that far exceeds the crime.
Hmong people lived in Laos in the 1960s and 1970s but when was the last time a Hmong person introduced them self as Laotian? Hmong people don’t have a Laotian connection and given the record of the Lao government on human rights, Laos is not a safe place for deportees and their families,” (B.Karger, personal communication, March 13, 2020)
As you can see there are many supporters for the Hmong community and just because I only focused on the Hmong community, I am not disregarding the Laotian people and their concerns. Us Hmong and Laotian people share the same exodus story out of Vietnam and Laos; running from communism because we fought with and for the U.S to stop the Domino effect in South East Asia. But we became refugees, immigrating to the U.S, growing communities, and having a new generation of Hmong and Laotian born into the American culture. The thought of deportation may have never been a reasonable thought until now. Those who are non-citizens and were criminalized could find their way back to a country they are not familiar with and is dangerous for them. Based on these reasons, I will continue to support the Hmong community despite threats of deportation.
One of the longest running awards shows, ongoing for over 90 years, the Academy Awards (Oscars) have been affecting filmmakers and audiences for decades. There are a variety of genres of films that are nominated for Oscars. These genres include animated features, short films, documentaries, and more. The nominees are voted for by members of different branches in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. According to the Oscars website (“Academy Membership”), these members include “film artists working in the production of theatrically-released motion pictures”. When voting for nominees, each branch votes for categories relating to their branch in the Academy. When the nominees are announced, all members vote for every category from the nominees.
Many filmmakers strive to be featured in the Academy Awards, and it is a great honor to be a part of. Even so, many people are not even aware of the voting process or anything about the Oscars. I surveyed over two dozen people, most of their ages between 18 and 30, and of those in that age range, only one of them knew who picks the nominees for the Oscars, who also did not know how the winners are picked from those nominees. Being an event this influential, more people should be aware of the Academy Awards, its significance, and how it works.
In 1927, Douglas Fairbanks founded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in order to benefit the film industry. The first ceremony was held in 1929. It was a banquet for a couple hundred people while awards were given out to filmmakers. For the first ceremony, the recipients of the Oscars were already announced months before the ceremony. For every year after, the results were kept a secret until presenting each category’s award. The first ceremony created so much enthusiasm for the awards that the second ceremony was done on a live radio broadcast. The ceremonies went on for decades, continuing to slowly add more categories over the years. 1966 was the first year that the ceremony was telecast in color. According to the Oscars history on their website, in 2012 “the Academy announced plans for a museum devoted to motion pictures” (“Academy Story”). Today, the awards still go on as usual and the watching the ceremony is a great tradition for those that watch theatrically released motion pictures.
Figure 1: Shows how people under 30 years old agree with the winners of the OscarsFigure 2: Shows how many ceremonies people under 30 have viewed
In the survey, I asked if people know details about the Academy Awards, how many they have watched, and if they agree with the winners. Of the people below thirty years old, most have viewed between zero and three ceremonies. As shown in the figures above, most people agree with the winners in each category, but not entirely. Only two people said they agree while most of the rest of the people said they only slightly agree or are neutral. Why does this matter? If the general public does not agree with the Academy members voting for winners, then is the win really deserved?
The Academy Awards take place every year during February, and even if people do not always agree with the results, it is still a prominent ceremony to watch. Getting together with family or friends to watch the ceremony could be a great tradition to start, or it could be turned into a game to see who can guess the most winners in the categories correctly. These activities, however, will not mean anything if people do not agree with the Academy members that vote for the winners. The only way to ensure that the audience agrees with the Academy is to allow them to have a say in the voting. The Academy should have higher priority in the votes, but the audience should be able to participate in this process as well so that they can have representation in one of the biggest awards shows in the country. With some movies being “Oscar bait” films, which are only existent to be nominated for Oscars, this means that some movies are only made for members of the Academy to vote for. This should not be what movies are made for. They should be made to entertain audiences with brilliant film-making so that they are nominated and voted for by those audiences.
Being such a large ceremony with a significant impact on filmmakers and cinephiles alike, the Academy Awards do not have as much meaning as they should. The audience of the ceremonies, sitting on their couches at home, are only there to view a recap of the best films of last year. They should be a part of this event in order to give it more meaning to them. People would care more about the Oscars if they had a say in who wins. This is why shows like America’s Got Talent and The Voice are so popular. People care more about the show when they can vote for the winner themselves. For this reason, the Oscars, as they currently stand, do not matter. If only a few thousand people that are exclusively involved in film-making can vote for these awards, then only those few people view the ceremony as an important experience. Everyone else is there just to find out what movies they should rent on Redbox.
The town of Menomonie is fairly large especially during the school year due to the growing population of the University of Wisconsin Stout and all of its students. Stout is a great place to go to school and most students enjoy their college experience here but always find themselves saying, “there’s nothing to do” or “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do”. Menomonie seems to have a lot to offer such as parks, historic landmarks, and restaurants but still students would rather spend their weekends in the Twin Cities or Eau Claire. My goal is to find the top three things to do in Menomonie and will achieve that by getting feedback from the students themselves, conducting a survey and face to face interviews. I, a student at UW-Stout, am also interested in seeing what this town has to offer and why students don’t take advantage of what there is to do here in Menomonie.
Red Cedar State Trail
Figure 1: courtesy of bridgehunter.com
This trail is one of Wisconsin’s earliest rail-trail conversions. The 14.5 mile Red Cedar State Trail is built on the former corridor of the Red Cedar Junction railway which served Knapp and Stout & Co. in the 1880’s, then shortly after, the world’s largest timber producer. Since the late 1970’s, the trail has offered a serene experience for trail users from Menomonie to Peru where it meets with the southern end of the Chippewa River State Trail, just south of the Dunnville State Wildlife Area. (Siewere “Find Trails.” 9 March 2020). This trail allows snowmobiling in certain areas, biking, hunting, and of course hiking. This trail is very unique with the crushed sandstone trail, bridges, peaceful riverside, and sandstone cliffs.
My survey based on things to do in Menomonie was given to students that attend school in this area and since this park is very close to the campus of the University of Wisconsin Stout, out of the 30 people that took this survey, 26 of them have visited this park and majority said it was the attraction that they enjoyed the most in Menomonie.
When I visited Red Cedar Trail, I felt excited to explore all around the park and the adventure seemed endless. This place is perfect for any level of activity. There are runners, walkers, bikers, and people that will sit on benches by the river. I walked down by the river and it was very peaceful, a great place to sit, think, and put your mind at ease while listening to the sound of the water running and birds chirping with a light breeze. It is the perfect place to enjoy the nice weather for any of these activities
Govin’s Farm
Figure 2: courtesy of Minnemamaadventures.com
Govin’s has 3 seasons at the farm. In the spring you can experience all the farm babies, they have lambs, chicks, goats, piglets and much more. You might even be able to witness a birth or hold the baby animals. In the summer, there are 6 acres of Strawberries, that either you can pick yourself or just enjoy already picked starting sometime mid-June to early July. (Loritz “Govin’s Farm” 10 March 2020) Finally, in the fall they have an 11-acre Corn Maze along with our 3 acres of pumpkins and lots of fun fall activities like apple and pumpkin cannons, wagon rides, and a haunted corn maze.
Figure 3: courtesy of Minnemamaadventures.com
Govin’s is a very family friendly environment, there is something for everyone in the family to enjoy while there. It is the perfect place to spend a Saturday or Sunday. My survey showed again, 28 out of the 30 students surveyed from UW-Stout have been to Govin’s and enjoyed their experience. It is most popular in the fall when the students are coming back to campus and the haunted corn maze is open.
When I went to Govin’s, I was there with a group of friends to attempt to tackle the haunted corn maze. The atmosphere was very relaxed as you would expect a farm to be. There were children and families picking out pumpkins, farm dogs lounging in the grass and the barn, and a chilled breeze to give a spooky vibe in the corn maze. The whole experience is something my friends and I will never forget and would definitely do again in the future.
The Mable Tainter
Figure 4: courtesy of Wikiversity
The Mable Tainter Theatre is located in the heart of downtown Menomonie, Wisconsin overlooking Lake Menomin with restaurants and shopping just steps away. The theater was built in 1889 by Andrew and Bertha Tainter as a memorial for their daughter, Mabel, who had passed away due to a ruptured appendix at age 19 in 1886. Mabel’s parents decided to build a theatre for not only the good of the community, but also in tribute and memory of Mabel, because she loved the dramatic arts. This Memorial symbolizes Mabel’s love of music and the arts. (Doane “Mable Tainter Memorial” 11 March 2020) The Mabel hosts over 60 events a year featuring the best entertainment from around the region and across the country including comedians, classic rock, holiday favorites, and four featured productions presented The Menomonie Theatre Guild.
Figure 5: courtesy of Conrad Schmitt Studios
When you walk into this theatre its beauty almost takes your breath away and always gives a great atmosphere for a wonderful performance. Knowing the interesting history of this building makes the experience even more special because of the meaning it has. In my survey, only 16 out of the 30 people have been to The Mable Tainter and 4 of those 16 said it was their favorite place in Menomonie.
In conclusion, Red Cedar State Trail was the most popular attraction for students at the University of Wisconsin Stout. I would have to agree with those students as Red Cedar was also my favorite spot in Menomonie with Govin’s farm coming in at a close second. Finally, the last question in my survey asked these students what they wished Menomonie had to offer that it didn’t already. The most popular answer was a Chipotle or Canes, target, and shopping places. One answer I found intriguing was that they wished things were in walking distance from campus because you need a car to get to most of these places. This is mostly true, two out of these three locations are within walking distance and are even cost friendly which is music to all college student ears. I would encourage everyone to go out and experience these top three attractions Menomonie has to offer that should help solve students’ problem of “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do.”
I have had several unexplained paranormal experiences and would like to share one of them with you. When my son was very young, around three or four, his great nana passed on. Shortly after, we would sometimes see him playing in his room and having conversations with someone unseen. When we would ask him who he was talking to he would simply say that he was talking to his angel. We never thought much about it until one day my mother-in-law sent us a picture of my wife and her nana, which she thought we should have. When my son saw the picture, he pointed to his great nana and said that was his angel. He had never seen her before.
A poll has revealed that around 45 percent of Americans believe in ghosts or that people’s spirits can return in certain places and situations. That number becomes a little higher when you add other crypted creatures in, around 65 Percent. The reality is, many folks have had experiences that they just can’t explain or have witnessed mysterious, eerie sights, sounds and sensations that could only be a paranormal. If you’re one who would answer yes when asked if ghosts are real, what’s your reason? Is there proof? What else could explain sudden cold spots, disembodied voices and footsteps, floating orbs appearing in photographs and the sensation that something is touching your shoulder when no one is there. Spooky as it may be, the world of the paranormal still has an enticing allure for us. Horror movies and paranormal TV shows are widely popular, and who hasn’t swapped a ghost story around the campfire? Today, one can even participate in “paratourism” and visit sites with ghostly history for thrills of one’s own. Here are a few places here in Wisconsin worth checking out, if you dare…
Shaker’s Cigar Bar
Shaker’s cigar Bar
Shakers Cigar Bar Milwaukee might have the creepiest histories of any restaurant in the city. A former brothel and hideout for Al Capone, Shaker’s Cigar Bar is one of the creepiest places in Wisconsin and was even featured on Netflix’s documentary show, “Dark Tourist”. Today, Shakers Cigar Bar is well-known for their hand-rolled cigars and impressive drink list. However, those aren’t the only spirits you can find here. Shakers comes with a long history. The current building was constructed in 1886, and now stands on a former cemetery.
The first death reported to have occurred at Shakers was before the building was even constructed. Sometime in the 1850s, a young girl named Elizabeth apparently fell out of an apple tree behind the cemetery where the cigar bar now. Ever since, the ghost of a small girl has been spotted wandering the rooms and the lady’s bathroom.
Then In 1922, Shakers opened as a speakeasy owned by notorious gangster Al Capone. The establishment was frequented by all the seediest characters in the city and had a reputation for illegal dealings. In fact, the “soda distribution company” Capone ran out of the building was actually a front for a liquor running operation. At least two mob-deaths are suspected to have occurred during this time. Chillingly, there is a 7-foot by 3-foot rectangle in the foundation of the building that most assume is the final resting place of a murder victim.
The establishment was also a brothel on the second and third floor. Local lore says that an unfortunate prostitute was hacked to pieces by a disgruntled client. Now employees of the current bar refuse to enter the room where the murder occurred, claiming that the aura of the room is incredibly oppressive and uncomfortable. Bones have also been discovered hidden in the walls of the establishment, presumably those of unfortunate homicide victims. Some say that the ghost of Al Capone himself has popped up to say hello now and then.
The Elk Lake Dam
Ghost of Elk Lake
While the Elk Lake Dam may not be cursed itself, the surrounding area is. In 1974 the body of 25-year-old Mary Schlais was found in a snowy ditch 90 miles east of the Twin Cities in Dunn County, WI. Three hours after she left her apartment hitchhiking to an art show in Chicago.
Mary had been stabbed several times in a brutal attack. An autopsy showed that she had defensive wounds on her hands suggesting that she struggled with her attacker. A witness reported seeing an orange or gold colored compact car leaving the scene of the crime; however investigators were unable to identify the make or model. This same witness called police after observing the suspect dispose of her body in the snowy ditch and then flee the scene. To this day her purse and coat still have not been found.
There have been many strange occurrences around Elk Lake, according to multiple reports. One such includes two fishermen who were on the dam when one said, “There is a glowing white woman behind us.” “I know,” the other man replied, “But I’m not turning around.” others claim to have seen the ghost of Mary at and near the site that her body was found on 408th Ave. The ghost has been seen as both full and partial manifestations of a young woman said to match the description of Mary. It is really not possible to determine if any of the sightings of phantom female forms seen around Elk Lake are Mary Schlais. Maybe if her murder were to be solved and the apparitions are no longer seen, we would know that Mary Schlais has found peace at last.
Siren Bridge
Legend says a family – mom, dad and a young daughter – slipped on icy roads and crashed their car over a bridge in the 1980s in Siren WI. Ghost hunters have researched this incident in Siren, WI and found the actual accident. it was Rick and Rose Kringle and their daughter Jody.. One night during a Halloween Blizzard the Kringle family was driving on County Highway B when the Rick lost control and drove the car into the swamp below, and the whole family perished.
Residents alive at the time say the accident happened on a small strip of land crossing a marshy creek off county Hwy. B, and although there’s not actually a “Siren Bridge.”, There was family that had an accident and were trapped and they died in the car. Now motorists say when they are driving down this strip of road, people sometimes say they hear a little girl crying through their radios, “Mommy help me, I can’t get out.” Regardless of the details, there are enough facts to this story that make it even more creepy, far away, but if you dare please go and check it out.
Kate Blood
Riverside Cemetery in Appleton is home to one of Wisconsin’s most notorious legends: The grave of Kate Blood. Visitors have reported seeing blood dripping from the gravestone on a full moon nights. Some have touched the stone and felt it to be warmer than other nearby markers. All are drawn to the grave by the stories that Kate Blood was a witch who murdered her husband and children with an axe and still looks for victims. But the truth is a whole different story Kate Marcia “Kitty” Blood Miller was a beloved member of the community and was just 23 when stricken with tuberculosis, and moved south to stay with family in a warmer climate, where She soon dies in Lawrence, Kansas, and her body was brought back to Appleton and a grieving community. she left behind a 2-year-old daughter and husband George Blood later remarried and His second wife is buried in the same plot.
Kate Blood Video
The fact that the grave is a bit off the beaten path and you probably could not find it unless you know where to look this has no doubt helped perpetuate the myth While most legends have some basis in fact, the myth surrounding Kate Blood seems to be entirely unwarranted and some Appleton residents have made it their mission to clear her name. Even if the Kate blood story is untrue The Riverside Cemetery in Appleton is still known to haunt visitors who claim to see a hooded figures running around and vanishing into thin air while others say they have seen blood ooze from her tombstone so go and visit if you dare..
Home of Ed Gein
The Butcher Of Plainfield
Small towns often get a bad rep for being a little creepy, but sometimes it’s for good reason. Located less than two hours from Milwaukee, you’ll find the tiny town of Plainfield is filled with some insane paranormal activity. In the Plainfield Cemetery you will find the sight where not only the serial killer Ed Gein the “Butcher of Plainfield” a grave-robber, murderer, necrophile and serial killer. Ed Gein’s grisly crimes have been the inspiration behind many horror characters including Buffalo Bill, Norman Bates, and Leatherface.
Ed Gein exhumed the corpses of freshly deceased women who reminded him of his mother to fashion himself a “woman suit” to re-animate his beloved dead mother. Here in the Plain Field Cemetery Gein is buried, along some of the women he would dig up. People have reported hearing women cry seeing apparitions and faucets turning themselves on. With everything that happened here in this town it’s no wonder there is so much unrest and if you resemble Ed’s mother beware.
We have looked at some interesting stories some close, some far. Famous people and unknown, but all with a creep factor. A wide variety of phenomena are attributed to ghosts, from a door closing on its own, to missing keys, to a cold area in a hallway. is such phenomena even possible, simply because they did not see something doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Most are still convinced that they had experienced something mysterious, or eerie.” Thus, many people who go on record as claiming to have had a ghostly experience didn’t necessarily see anything that most people would recognize as a classic “ghost,” and in fact they may have had completely different experiences whose only common factor is that it could not be explained. Part of the difficulty in investigating ghosts is that there is not one agreed-upon definition of what a ghost is. Some believe that they are spirits of the dead who for whatever reason get “lost” on their way to The Other Side; others claim that ghosts are instead telepathic entities projected into the world from our minds. Still others create their own special categories for different types of ghosts, such as poltergeists, residual haunting’s, intelligent spirits and shadow people. Although not all of us believe that the paranormal is real, sometimes it’s just about the journey. It can be fun to go and try to experience or debunk something unexplained. maybe you and some friends want to go and check out some of these places for yourself.
College is the time to make the memories that will last a lifetime. It is a time to see the world and learn new things about yourself that you might not learn if you don’t take a giant leap out of your comfort zone. While not many college students are in the financial situation to jet off to Rome or Paris for the summer, traveling the world may not be as far out of a college kids’ budget as you might think. It’s important for kids to travel and experience different cultures to broaden their point of view.
On Sunday, March 1st, 2020 I interviewed my friend Alyssa, a UW- Stout student who in the Summer of 2019 traveled around the continent of Europe for six weeks with her sister, a backpack, a few thousand dollars and a whole lot of adventure. This trip was the definition of traveling the world on a shoestring. Alyssa’s adventure that she had with her sister, illustrates how students can travel to extravagant places on a budget. Traveling through Europe doesn’t have to be expensive; it’s only expensive if you make it expensive.
Many college students are jumping into their cars and traveling across the country, admiring the beauty that is found all over the United States. But for many students, staying confined within the US borders is not the adventure they are looking for. Hopping on a plane and flying across the ocean is another option.
One thing that needs to be taken care of before leaving the country is getting a passport. This needs to be done in advance as the processing of a passport usually takes about six to eight weeks. The next step would be to start thinking about is travel insurance. This is important for any vacation you are going on, no matter where the destination is. Travel insurance helps protect you and your property if the unexpected were to happen. These unexpected events can include loss of luggage and any medical emergencies or assistance that may occur along the way. Travel insurance, if an emergency does occur, can save you thousands and thousands of dollars.
Plane tickets are usually one of the priciest expenditures when planning a vacation. When it comes time to looking for a plane ticket, many people start by looking on google flights. By using google flights, the search engine can look through multiple different airlines and provide many different options available. There is even an option to view the ‘date grid’ which can show which days its cheapest to fly. One thing that can be very helpful to reduce the price of tickets is having flexibility in the dates of your trip. With flexibility, finding the cheapest ticket is much easier and can help to reduce the overall price of the trip by hundreds of dollars, in a lot of cases.
For currency exchange, there are a few options. The first option is to exchange currency at an airport kiosk. This option may sound the best and the most convenient to many people but if you can this should be avoided. There are extremely high exchange fees that must be paid in most places, sometimes up to 20% in fees! One of the best options is to rely on your credit card. It first has to be pre-approved to use abroad. Credit cards get the best rates and offer the closest value to the official rate. Debit cards can also be an option. Although there are many foreign transaction fees and such, that can go along with the use of the card. It is hard to know how much is in the account as it may take days to weeks to know how much was charged for purchase. Foreign currency cards can also be a good option, pre-loaded with the amount of foreign currency on it. There are high fees that can go along with this option as well. Alyssa found that for cash, exchanging in the country they were in worked the best for them as they could get the amount they needed, and the fees weren’t so outrageous (CompareRemit, 2019). Having a majority of your money on some sort of card can be helpful to keep track of how much you are spending each week, keeping track of your budget overall.
Looking for a place to stay can be kind of nerve-racking when you’re halfway around the world, but many different tools can be very beneficial and helpful to use during the search. The HostelWorld app allows users to search hostels near them quick, easy and cheap! A hostel is a place where travelers can go and stay, and other travelers are staying in the same place. It is a shared accommodation, instead of renting a private room with private bathroom, you get to share it with others that you may not know. Hostels have become very popular for travelers as they can be very affordable and a great place to interact and meet new people. Alyssa and her sister took full advantage of the hostels on their journey, and the relationships they built here were one of the best things they took away from the trip, as these relationships evolved into adventures they might not have ventured on if they stayed in their own private accommodations. Staying in a hostel is a great way for students traveling on a limited budget to save some extra cash. If staying with other people in close quarters is not the ideal situation, the Airbnb app can help students find cheaper private accommodations near them. Airbnb’s tend to be more expensive than hostels, but they do come with private bathrooms and other facilities. Not all Airbnb’s are expensive as in Croatia Alyssa and Hailey found an oceanside room for $11 a night. The location you are staying in can affect the price of a room, no matter if you are looking for a place to meet up with fellow travelers for the night or crash in your own bed and catch up on some sleep in your Airbnb.
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller Location: Manarola, Italy
When I sat down with Alyssa, I was originally thinking I wanted to learn about how she traveled and what she and her sister did to save money while they were there to make sure they had enough to remain in Europe without depleting their funds too fast. The more we talked, I became more interested in why she was inspired to travel and what kind of things she. Learned along the way. These questions had more interesting answers.
Alyssa and her sister Hailey had a dream to travel through Europe and see all of the beautiful tourist hotspots you hear about from others that have traveled Europe. They saved up a few thousand dollars each by cutting back on the everyday things that can add up over time, like eating out once or twice a week or the mini shopping sprees that do not need to happen. Every little bit of money you save goes a long way when you are trying to plan a trip as a student. Next, they got on their computers and searched flights to Zürich, Switzerland on google flights. They found a round trip ticket for the right dates for about $430. They booked their flights and soared off to follow their dreams.
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller
A day in the life:
“It was crazy actually, when I think about it now. It was so exhausting. I remember the first night being so concerned because we just ended up at this little hostel called ‘Otter Hostel’; we walked there, and it was the most expensive place we stayed the entire trip- $40 per person.” To calm herself down Alyssa tried to pretend like she was in living in the United States, rather than sleeping in a room with her sister and two strangers an ocean away from home. It took time for the girls to get used to traveling to a new place every day. They were always on the run. When Alyssa and Hailey had seen all they wanted to see in a place, they moved on. They would look for a cheap bus ticket and head on their way.
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller Location: Spieze, Switzerland
From Switzerland they traveled to Italy. When planning the trip, the girls expected to stay in Italy for 10 days or so; they wanted to travel through Milan, Venice, up and down the coast. They took a bus from Zürich to Milan and they were terrified; it was not the experience they were expecting to have at all. They ditched their plan and ditched Italy. “That’s why not having a set plan on a trip like this is huge. We planned on spending ten days in Italy and we only spent two days there… the best experiences we had on our trip were unexpected. We never planned on traveling to Hungary, but our experience in Budapest was literally so amazing.” Alyssa said. She put a lot of emphasis on not planning things and just going with the flow. You’ll never really know where you’ll want to go until you get there. As Alyssa and Hailey went on their way, they met so many different people that instructed them on where they should go and see things. “Taking suggestions from strangers that are in your situation is so much better than listening to the internet,” Alyssa said.
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller Location: Budapest, Hungary
“One of the best things was meeting all the different people in the hostels. We met two girls from Australia and one girl from Canada and we all instantly became best friends. I remember we went the kabob place in Munich Germany at like 3 am and got a plate of this nasty food and we were all just eating it after getting back from the clubs… those are some of the memories you’ll never forget. That was crazy; probably the craziest time of my life,” Alyssa expressed. Growing up as a kid, you always hear about stranger danger, but making these connections on trips, can create some of the best memories and great relationships with people from so many different places in the world.
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller Location: Germany
As the weeks went on their bodies and minds needed a break. It was exhausting to be constantly moving from place to place. Taking a rest day can make a person feel guilty, being in a beautiful place, but the only thing that you want to do is sleep all day. After walking an average of 17 miles a day, every day, for two weeks, their feet were blistered, and they started to get sick. The break days were essential.
Alyssa’s Travel Experiences:
Alyssa and her sister grew up in a very small town in north-western Wisconsin and she knew that there was so much more out in the world that she wanted to see than her little tiny town. “I want to see everything and everywhere; there’s a lot of cool places out in the world and I want to see them and take pictures of all these cool places and things,” Alyssa states. Structured planning was not a huge focus on this trip, as when they were flying into Zürich, Alyssa and Hailey they didn’t even have a place to booked for the first night, “we were really just winging it.” The sisters had made an outline of a few things that they had in mind on what they wanted to do and where they thought they wanted to go. Other than their plane ticket to Zürich, their schedule was clear for the next six weeks.
When they were searching for places to stay the night, their go-to search engine was the HostelWorld app. Here they searched for nearby hostels to crash at and get a decent night’s sleep to recharge for the next day of adventure. As the weeks went on, staying at a hostel every night was not ideal as there were always a lot of different people around and there wasn’t anywhere private. “We’d look for Airbnb’s if we wanted to relax and actually hangout there, because you didn’t want to hang out in the hostels- they could be gross and scary, but cheap as hell,” Alyssa recalled. On the days that the girls needed a break from traveling, whether it was because their feet were too blistered from walking or their bodies were just physically drained from always adventuring day in and day out, they would splurge a little bit and get a room they could have all to themselves.
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller Location: Budapest, Hungary
Saving money was important for the girls as they only had what they saved, and they were scheduled to remain in Europe for six weeks. There were many little things they did to make sure they didn’t deplete their funds too soon into their travels. One thing that saved them a ton of money was to dine in, not out. Yes, of course they tried some of the famous cultural cuisines while abroad, but they made sure that they were saving a majority of their cash to spend on making more memories on adventures, rather than eating everything in sight. Bread was their go-to meal as they could buy a loaf for twenty-cents to a dollar.
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller Location: Italy
Public transportation is very popular in Europe as so many different countries are only a bus or train ride away. As much as they could, the sisters road the bus. “Riding a train was a faster way to get places, but they were definitely more expensive… for a bus ticket to go from Slavonia to Hungary, which would be a few hour bus ride, we could find a ticket for like $11.”. Once Alyssa and Hailey got to their destination, the rest of their transportation happened on foot. They walked everywhere. “We’d take the buses to the cities and then we would just walk everywhere from there. We would walk like 10 miles at a time with our backpacks on,” Alyssa said. When they were estimating out the trip, they were expecting to be spending up to $200 a day, but throughout the trip they learned how to slum it a little in order to save as much money as possible, even if that meant only eating bread. Obviously, if there was an interesting ‘must have’ meal, they would get it, but the goal of this trip was to see the world, not just eat it.
“I think when you travel as a student you realize you can actually do anything. Traveling by yourself or with a friend, you learn to become so much more independent and you realize how much is actually possible and how far you can go with a backpack on your back and a couple thousand dollars.” Alyssa expresses. “I have the confidence now, that if I want to go anywhere, I can. I’m not afraid to buy a plane ticket by myself. That’s a cool feeling.” She goes on to talk about how if she can survive 6 weeks in Europe with just a few things, she feels that she has the confidence to do almost anything. “Going alone places is scary, but if forces you to take a big step out of your comfort zone. Confidence is a huge thing and knowing you can do a trip like this cheap, because then it doesn’t just become a once in a lifetime trip, it’s always an option to me to go back, because I did it before.”
“Traveling makes you grow a lot as a person as you’re being put in uncomfortable situations that you’re not used to,” Alyssa said. “When Hailey and I landed [in Zürich, Switzerland] we were like, ‘where are we staying tonight?’ We were literally in the airport, our phones weren’t working, we didn’t have any wi-fi, nobody around us spoke English… we didn’t know how to get on a train and we weren’t sure how we were going to get where we wanted to go.” Alyssa and her sister questioned how they were going to make it in Europe for six weeks; they couldn’t even figure out how to get out of the airport. That experience set the tone for their trip as they knew in order to be able to make it, they were going to have to push through the hard times, “It was scary, but just from that experience alone, I know I can handle a lot. Traveling and being in these uncomfortable situations is huge for young people, especially our generation; it just proves that we are capable and can do many things.”
“Experiencing the culture in these different countries is so different than the American culture. Nobody drinks until they’re passing out. Everyone drinks a few and has a good time and get home safe,” Alyssa said. Getting to live life in a different culture than the culture you grow up in can open a person’s mind up to so many new things. Students getting this experience now, while they’re young can be so beneficial and influence the way they see the world.
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller Location: Vernazza, Italy
The landscapes differed greatly from place to place. Alyssa described, “When we got to Croatia, Hailey and I were like ‘where are we’? Croatia was kind of like being on Mars. The ground looked weird, the trees looked weird; it was like nothing I have ever seen before. The water was crystal clear blue with dolphins jumping around and it was amazing. Croatia is awesome and so cheap.”
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller Location: Croatia
Some of the best tools that Alyssa packed for the trip included things such as a package of baby wipes, a pocketknife, and a rain jacket. The baby wipes were very helpful for many reasons on her travels. She considered them, “A shower in a bag.” Baby wipes can come in handy in many situations you might find yourself in, along your journey. A pocketknife is also one of those tools that can have many different uses, whether its for opening packaging, slicing up pieces of food, or cutting sea urchin spikes out of the bottom of your feet, as Alyssa and Hailey had to do after an incident they had in Croatia. A light rain jacket that you can roll up and stuff in the bottom of your backpack is also a great idea as weather is always unpredictable. A jacket can also be used as a pillow for a bus ride from one country to the next or if you just want to take a little nap by the ocean. Some other items that might come in handy are aqua iodine tablets for water purification. It never hurts anyone to be on the safe side of things, as getting sick from drinking contaminated water would be a real damper on your trip.
A have-to-see place: Switzerland. Alyssa’s favorite cities were Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen Switzerland. She describes them as this tiny, perfect Swiss town in the middle of the mountains. To get to Lauterbrunnen from Interlaken the girls took a 15-minute train ride through the valleys of the Alps. Every country they travelled to was magnificent and had their own, different qualities that set them apart from one another, but Switzerland is on the top of the list for must-see places in the world.
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller Location: Interlaken, Switzerland
Traveling on a shoestring has changed Alyssa’s life. Not only has she been able to see some amazing places on this planet, she has gained a variety of soft skills along the way, such as confidence, assertiveness, and independence that will aid her in her future plans. Experiencing these different cultures also gives her new perspectives on situations that are going on in the world around her.
Not every affordable vacation for students has to be living out of a backpack for six weeks, trekking across Europe, but Alyssa’s story shows that an affordable trip is possible. There are ways to make an amazing vacation affordable, and still make memories that will last a lifetime.
Photo taken by: Alyssa Foeller Location: Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Advice for students that want to travel:
“Just do it. Buy a plane ticket and go see the world. You don’t need to have a big extravagant plan. You can just figure it out as you go and save on the little things. There are so many amazing memories that can be made along the way, you just have to step out of your comfort zone and do it!” -Alyssa
RIPE Magazine | Volume 1 