What I did on my
SPRING BREAK
OPTION No.1
A wet, wild, wonderful week in South Padre
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS
Story and photograph by Dave Breitenstein
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS
—Spring break. Just those two words conjure up images of packed beaches, alcohol and road trips.
Most college students yearn for the week in March when schoolwork and jobs take a backseat to partying.
But I never had a fun spring break—until last week when I left the book bag at home, loaded up the car and head to South Padre Island, Texas.
The 16-hour, 1,099-mile trip from Lawrence was a bit boring, and once I finally was there, I wanted to get crazy. But there were a few immediate problems—the spring break agency booked us in the wrong hotel, the pullout sofa bed had the bar from hell running through it, and the sun wasn't shining.
corporations, such as Coca-Cola and Nestea, sponsored huge beach bashes. Almost every student was drinking cheap beer and having a blast. My parents warned me about safety at Padre, but with so many security officers patrolling the area, I felt safer than I do in Lawrence.
Walking along Padre Blvd. was proof that college men still have no clue what sexual harassment is. "Shake it, baby" and "Take it all off" replaced the standard, cheesy pickup lines. Padre did prove to be a place where students showed off their bodies, and I think I've seen enough bilinis, chests and dance contests to last me for a while.
But when the clouds broke that afternoon, I was ready to experience a real spring break. Several large
The dance clubs were probably the most exciting part of spring break. Where else can you put thousands of drunk, sweaty, horny 20-somethings in a confined area and have no problems? I never saw a fight or argument. Wild disc jockeys threw free
T-shirts and hats to partyers on the dance floor. The clubs also brought in big-name musicians, such as Rob Base and Vanilla Ice, as well as up-and-coming local bands, such as Norman, Okla.-based Wakeland, whose hit song will appear on tonight's Melrose Place.
Thousands of college students pack the beaches in South Padre Island, Texas, each year during spring break. Corporate sponsors provided students with free T-shirts, CDs, beverages and on-stage entertainment.
A must for every spring breaker is a shopping trip in Mexico. Three dollars pays for a bus ride to and from the border to nearby Matamoros, Mexico. Taxi drivers did not care if they bumped into another car, hit a curb or even a person.
Shop owners would attempt to use minimal English to persuade you to purchase a knicknack. Bargaining with the owners was fun as neither side wanted to give in. But in the end customers usually walked away with something new. Little girls would follow you down the street tugging on your shirt, hoping you would buy gum or cigarettes from them.
Just laying on the beach provided entertainment. Small airplanes struggled to pull huge advertisements behind them, and it was fun to see a pilot give up and turn around because the wind was too strong. So
many beach junkies were burned or peeling, and it just made me want to slap them on the back and say, "I'm sorry. Did that hurt?" The water was freezing, so few people actually braved the waves to get wet. But parasailing, jet skiing and bungee jumping quenched many students' quest for excitement.
Looking back on my spring break, I wonder why I waited until my senior year to finally have fun.
I encourage all KU students to party at South Padre; Daytona Beach, Fla; or Cancun, Mexico sometime during college because once you're in the real world, people expect you to be sober most of the time.
OPTION No.2
Students spend week in cities helping others
While most students prefer spending their spring breaks on a beach, soaking up rays and sucking down frozen drinks, two groups of KU students chose to do something less glamorous.
Story by Amanda Arbuckle
These students spent their vacations learning that for many unfortunate Americans, life is not a beach.
Thirty-five philanthropists sponsored by the St. Lawrence Catholic Center traveled to Denver, Chicago, Dallas or Conception, Mo., and worked for nonprofit groups.
The students who went to Denver worked for the Neighborhood Housing Partners, an organization that remodels old
buildings into homes for those who cannot afford regular housing. The students spent their days in a poor Hispanic-American neighborhood, doing everything from demolition to painting.
Laura Gomez, Overland Park senior, chose this trip because she knew it would be a unique, rewarding experience. She also knew her fluency in Spanish would be an asset.
"I've already done the Padre thing." Gomez said. "I'd like to know that I've made a difference in someone else's life."
Paul Brune, Olathe junior, attended this year's Chicago trip and worked for the Apostolic Volunteers in North Lawndale, a
community where drugs and gang activity are major problems.
Brune and other vo unteers
Brune and o worked in an after-school youth center, taught literacy classes and helped women study for the G.E.D. exam. "It's an opportunity to live out the teachings of the church," he said. "I can im m er s e myself in an experience I could not do here in Lawrence."
dents more than just practical experience.
"These students have expressed
Jennifer Bagby, outreach minister for the St. Lawrence Catholic Center, said these trips gave stu-
March 31,1997 Page 8A
Projects in the Community, is in its third year. Sixty-five students traveled to Philadelphia, New
An other group of KU students spent their breaks performing volunteer work and earning college credit. The HDFL 606 class. Special
York; Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, San Antonio, New Orleans, El Paso, Texas, and Elgin, Ariz. to work with volunteer organizations.
Each group specialized in a specific service and had to research the organizations they would be working with and the issues they would be confronting.
Some groups dealt with poverty, education or gang prevention.
Upon returning, each group will give a presentation of what they experienced and learned.
The students also will discuss how this experience affected their own view of the world.
Last year, Abigail Hankin, Overland Park senior, volunteered in New York City.
"It was a huge culture shock," she said. "It's difficult to appreciate our own opportunities and how privileged we are as college students. It made me rearrange my priorities."
OPTION No.3
Story and photographs by Dave Morantz
Southwestern adventure leaves student exhausted
Far from the maddening crowd. In the mountains of New Mexico, even the sorrows of the NCAA tournament seem distant.
My friend and I took a road trip through Colorado and the Land of Enchantment to do some camping and hiking in the mountains. It was a welcome change of pace and atmosphere. But traveling 2,600 miles in six days left us exhausted by the end of the trip.
After driving to Denver and visiting friends, we headed south through the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains in southern Colorado. The snow-covered mountains gave us a sign of the cold that was to come.
The next morning we began to set up our propane stove and cook breakfast, but we realized that we forgot to bring a cooking pot. We drove back into Taos and ate a wonderful Mexican breakfast at a small diner.
We ate a decent dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Taos, N.M., and camped in Carson National Forest, which is south of Taos.
More than 10,000 years ago, Pueblo Indians built cliff dwellings and a village of mud and sand. Today, the ancient ruins rest less than 10 miles from Los Alamos, N.M., which is considered the birthplace of the Atomic Age.
After buying a cooking pot, we drove to Bandelier National Monument, north of Albuquerque, N.M.
As we continued south through the mountains and a small blizzard, we stopped at a bath house
Hungry, tired and cold, we drove into Lincoln National Forest to camp. After failing to start a campfire, we slept in the van and woke up every hour to gather more blankets for protection from the bone-chilling cold.
The warm sun of Mexico sounded appealing. We drove south to El Paso, Texas, parked the van and walked over the Rio Grande into Juarez, Mexico, – the armpit of North America.
The next day we journeyed to White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico. Miles of wind-swept, stark-white sand dunes, coupled with cold winds, created an eerie, moon-like scene.
in Jemese Springs, N.M., where mineral water is collected from a natural spring and pumped into tubs made of mud and sand.
That night the temperature was predicted to dip into the 20s. Thankfully, friends in Albuquerque gave us a warm place to stay.
"What do you want?" one store owner asked. "All types of gifts," he said pointing to cheap T-shirts with Bart Simpson plastered on them.
We couldn't find any cheap souvenirs to buy as gifts.
We bought a cheap bottle of liquor and quickly came back to the United States.
After driving east through the Texas panhandle, we arrived at Guadalupe National Park, a patch of beautiful mountains in the desert of Texas.
We then visited Carlsbad National Park, a maze of amazing
caves in southern New Mexico.
But we realized that we only had $40 left and 1,500 miles to travel home. Poor, dirty and smelly, we headed back to Lawrence. A warm shower was more appealing than all the mountains and rivers in New Mexico.
ABOVE: Road trips are common for spring breakers. And many times automobiles become small hotel rooms for travelers.
RIGHT: The wilderness provides tranquility and an escape from the hustle of city life. National forests are not usually busy during early spring months and camping space is usually available.
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