“Quilts and Human Rights”
April 1; MSU Museum, Main Floor Gallery
“Quilts and Human Rights” will feature quilts that have been used to spread awareness and promote human rights issues around the world. Special tributes to Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks made in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Museum in South Africa will be included in the exhibit. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact pr@museum.msu.edu.
Third Annual Muslim Studies Program Conference
April 3 – 5; International Center, room 303
The Muslim Studies Program is sponsoring its third annual conference that will include keynote speakers from renowned universities, as well a journalist and political analyst. “Muslims, Race and the Public Sphere” is the theme of the conference.
For more information, contact Salah Hassan at hassans@msu.edu.
African Children’s Choir
April 12, 8 p.m.; Cobb Great Hall, Wharton Center
Children from Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya between the ages of 7 and 11 make up the African Children’s Choir that will be making a stop at the Wharton Center. The Children’s Choir uses African song and dance to represent the millions of African children orphaned because of AIDS and to provide hope for Africa’s future. Tickets range from $18 to $28.
For more information, contact Bob Hoffman at hoffma95@msu.edu.
“Feminism on a World Scale”
April 14, 3 – 5 p.m.; International Center, Spartan Room C
Dr. Valentine M. Moghadam, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Purdue University, will be lecturing on the relationship between globalization and feminism and shedding light on what the feminist movement looks like on a global scale. The lecture is sponsored by the Center for Gender in a Global Context (GenCen) and is open to the public.
For more information, contact Terri Bailey at gencen@msu.edu.

Sacred Vessels: Tower Churches of the Russian North
March 12, 7 – 9 p.m.; International Center, room 303
The Center for European and Russian Studies is hosting William Craft Brumfield, renowned photographer and historian of Russian architecture and current professor of Slavic studies at Tulane University. Brumfield has written numerous books on those topics, has worked in Russia for 38 years and his work has appeared in both the National Gallery of Art and the Library of Congress. Brumfield’s lecture is free of charge.
For more information, contact Alane Enyart at enyart@msu.edu.

Jin Hi Jim: Korean Komungo
March 17, 3:30 – 5 p.m.; Fairchild Theatre
Jin Hi Jim will introduce the komungo, a six-stringed instrument, to MSU in his lecture and concert sponsored by the Asian Studies Center. Jin Hi Jim is the creator of the world’s first electric komungo. Showing how Korean music can be reconciled with contemporary and even “space-aged” music is the topic of this performance.
For more information, contact Marilyn McCollough at mccull67@msu.edu.

The Language of Black Magic: Palo Monte and Afro-Cuban Ritual Tongues
March 19, 3 – 4:50 p.m.; International Center, room 201
The Latin American and Caribbean Studies Spring 2008 “Charla” Seminar Series will host Dr. Armin Schwegler, a professor of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California-Irvine. The lecture is free of charge.
For more information, contact Kristin Janka Miller at kristin@msu.edu.

This is Nollywood
March 27, 7:30 p.m.; Snyder-Phillips Theater
In 2006, 2,000 feature films came out of Nigeria. “This is Nollywood” profiles Nigeria’s flourishing film industry and discusses the growing popularity of video production in Nigeria and explores what that could mean for Africa’s cultural and economic landscape.
For more information, contact John Metzler at metzler@msu.edu.

Four pairs of pants. Eight shirts. Three pairs of shoes. A couple pairs of socks and underwear. When stuffed into Sam Singh’s backpack, they form the 40 pounds of weight that travels with him every day of his 16-month journey to what seems like just about every inch of the globe.
Sam Singh has created the perfect marriage between a popular game in fourth-grade classrooms and the ultra-idealistic, post-undergraduate dream. His itinerary could have been created by spinning a globe, closing both eyes and not opening them until his finger landed within the borders of a country that was a perfect outlet for his travels. And after enough hearty years in East Lansing, he took on the challenge of a constantly spinning globe, packed up and moved out with only one promise – that he’d probably be back in 16 months.
Despite what his epic plans might say about him, Singh is neither a fourth-grader using a spinning globe to propel his dreams of travel nor fresh off of MSU’s campus with a crisp diploma in hand. Just last year, Singh could be found serving as mayor of East Lansing and President and CEO of the Michigan Non-Profit Association. But years before that, he dreamed up an idea to experience all of the places and events he had since been adding to his “Worldlist” while doing non-profit service work along the way. Saving money for five years on the off chance that this trip might become possible, Singh decided to put it to use. When he reached a transitional point in his professional career and it came time to announce if he would be running for re-election, Singh said he would not; the rest of the world was calling.
“Two great passions of mine are working with non-profit organizations and travel. If I could marry those two things and see some of the sites I always wanted to see, I thought, ‘What better time to do it?’ For transition’s sake, it was the right time,” Singh said.
[singh6]With 12 years of local government under his belt and without a family of his own to leave behind, Singh parted ways with East Lansing on Dec. 28 and headed to Nassau, Bahamas to kick off his trip in the company of 22 friends and family members. By Jan. 3, Singh crossed Nassau and the Junkanoo Festival, a street festival unique to Bahamian culture full of costumes, dancing, and music, off his list and continued on to Central America.
When I first spoke to Singh, he was enjoying his last week in Central America by working with a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Santa Cruz, Costa Rica, building home drainage systems and a pavilion for neighborhood kids to play in. While traveling, Singh said, he is “trying to make sure that once a month [I have] a meaningful experience.” Arranging these in the form of service projects happens along the way. During his 10 days working in Costa Rica, Singh was lining up plans for a service project for his time in Argentina in March. His leadership of the Michigan Non-Profit Association gave him a strong network of people and organizations to draw from, while looking for connections to organizations abroad.
For 10 of the 16 months Singh is abroad, he will have company. Patrick Krips entered into a pact with Singh to make this trip a reality while they traveled the Greek island Ios together before the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. “By the end of breakfast [one] day, we committed to making it happen should we both be healthy enough, not be married and have the money to do it,” Krips said. As an avid runner, Krips is excitedly anticipating running a marathon in Antarctica on March 5, not only for the unusual terrain he will encounter, but also because it will move him closer to his goal of running a marathon on every continent. Opportunities to volunteer in a variety of different cultural settings is an ideal backdrop for both Singh and Krips because it emphasizes “that all around the world, people are people…[There is] no reason to be afraid of differences. Embrace them. Learn from them,” Krips said.
Embracing differences has not come without bumpy cultural transitions for Singh, especially while working with the permanent residents of the areas he is temporarily visiting. With his group of 14 fellow Habitat for Humanity volunteers whose Spanish, according to Singh, “is not that great,” he worked with a construction manager who spoke no English. “There are language issues at some times. But overall, it’s a really rewarding experience. We just had lunch with the families [we were working with] and I could definitely tell they are very appreciative,” Singh said.
[singhcostarica3]Experience in non-profit work and implementing the notion of “saving the world” reveals some inherent chauvinism in the entire idea of charity work. Do people in developing nations really want Americans to work in their schools, improve their water systems, write checks to certain families or send clothes to their doorsteps? Is naming a country “developing” rather than “developed” holding them to purely Western ideals rather than valuing a range of cultures? Singh’s work combats these questions by focusing on collaborative work rather than typical “charity” work. In the Habitat for Humanity program in Costa Rica, families work alongside volunteers and serve as the core of the decision-making process about what improvements should be made. “The pavilion was [the families'] idea and the drainage issues were part of their experience,” Singh said.
However, differences between American and Costa Rican experiences could be seen within his Habitat for Humanity volunteer group, Singh said. “Some of the people who have come here might have had a very American mindset – they were coming to help the poor. And they’re very surprised at how happy and content people are [in Costa Rica] with their lives,” Singh said. “I can see that some of my colleagues from America have grown a lot.”
By devoting time to service work that involves those who it will ultimately benefit, Singh becomes an ambassador as well as a traveler, and his efforts allow Central Americans to see their counterparts in the United States as something other than representatives of “not the best foreign policy toward countries in Central America,” Singh said.
When you plan to visit 25 countries on all seven continents in 16 months, as Singh does, ambassadorial duties must be somewhat limited. Constant travel means sacrificing the time needed to form deep relationships or to actually experience everyday life in any one place. Singh acknowledges this, but believes that he will have the opportunity to participate in local life during long-term assignments on return visits. And while his time in one place might be short-lived, meeting people and making connections has certainly been possible. In January, Singh was invited to a wedding in Antigua by a family he met in Guatemala. While working for Habitat for Humanity in Costa Rica he made connections with the families he worked with, despite their conversations in broken English and Spanish.
For now, Singh is adjusting to his new jet-setting lifestyle, which differs significantly from his previous 70- to 80-hour work week in East Lansing. Because he is not carrying a cell phone, he has adopted e-mail at Internet cafes as his frequent form of communication. He occasionally buys a calling card and arranges a specific time to phone home. But it’s the simpler things that Singh finds himself missing. “Obviously I miss my friends and family and most especially my dog. Every once in a while I find myself thinking about a Crunchy’s burger or a salad at El Azteco when you’re eating rice every day,” Singh said.
A month into his trip, it is the simplicity of people’s lives and the sense of community between families that Singh said is most profoundly different from life in East Lansing. Families in Costa Rica share responsibilities like watching children and cooking meals. Expensive electronics, art or furniture cannot be found in most homes. “East Lansing has a better sense of community than a lot of cities in the United States, but I definitely could tell the speed and pace at which people do things and the material things that they own are different. I really noticed the sense of community [in Costa Rica] and material things are much more compact,” Singh said.
[singhguatemala2]Making material items a much smaller and less important part of one’s life is something Singh is aiming to achieve throughout his trip as well. His backpack containing food and toiletries is accompanied by a smaller carry-on bag that carries a video camera, a digital camera, a computer and a few books. He’s restricting himself to these two bags for the entirety of his trip. “I’m trying to commit myself to the idea that whatever I want to have, I have to carry with me. I’m not picking up new items or souvenirs, but I might trade out a shirt or shoes at some point,” Singh said.
The first four months of Singh’s trip are outlined on his Web site and include leading non-profit seminars in Nigeria, hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, doing conservation work on the Galapagos Islands and completing a half-marathon in Antarctica. The details of these adventures are provided on his blog, which he updates regularly. After the first four months, the itinerary for the remaining 12 remains a work in progress. Singh has identified regions of the world he plans to be in during certain months, but specific plans will fluctuate depending on what connections he makes along the way. “I think as I go along this journey, the people I meet along with the people on my blog will have a lot of input in where I go. If there is an opportunity to make a cultural connection through friends and family, I’m going to do that,” Singh said. It’s essential to realize that when setting off on a trip around the world for more than a year, no plans are going to be firmly cemented. Therefore, being flexible is imperative, Singh said. Comparing the rough itinerary he thought up in 2007 with the actual one he follows will be part of the fun.
Like his itinerary, Singh expects his financial well-being to fluctuate as well. While he found the American dollar to be strong in Central America, he is bracing himself for the impact of the weakened exchange rate upon arriving in Europe and Asia. Actually getting his hands on money has not proved to be a major obstacle so far. Singh has found ATMs to be readily available and much prefers to use those over travelers checks because he can get a current exchange rate and know when he is getting a good return.
As a 1994 MSU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in history, Singh’s connection to MSU carries with him throughout his trip. During his stay in Nigeria, Singh met up with a group of former members of local government and non-profits to conduct seminars about managing non-profit organizations. The program was sponsored by MSU’s Center for Advanced Study of International Development (CASID). Meeting up with MSU study abroad groups or other alumni living abroad are all opportunities Singh is happy to capitalize on. And whatever continent he might find himself on, Singh carries a Spartan flag with him and can be seen on his blog displaying it in places like Guatemala City and Nicaragua.
[singh5]When Singh does return to East Lansing in April of 2009, he expects the familiar sites of the college town to be just that – familiar. But as for how he’ll be different, it is too early to tell. “Sixteen months is not that dramatic a change for a community or state or country. I’m just beginning to spend more time with different cultures, and you begin to question your own and how you live,” Singh said. “I know I’ll be a changed person. I can’t quite figure out what those changes will be 15 months from now. But I know it’ll have a specific impact on my life.”
The constant changes from country to country and continent to continent, along with the stories of the families and adventures within the countless cultures Singh is in the midst of experiencing, will continue to be relayed on his blog. He wants to make it possible for anyone with an Internet connection to live vicariously through his adventures because only about 30 percent of Americans have passports. “I always feel that as Americans we need to travel more. As individuals we can be ambassadors for our country and it expands our horizons as individuals about our own public policy. I hope this inspires people to travel more and get involved,” Singh said.
Four pairs of pants. Eight shirts. Three pairs of shoes. A couple pairs of socks and underwear. In April 2009, Sam Singh will return to East Lansing carrying the same 40 pounds he left with. But the 25 extra stamps in his passport, seven continents he can claim he has seen, countless places he can cross off of his “Worldlist” and innumerable cultural and human experiences will undoubtedly have made an impression on his life and, he hopes, will be heavy enough to inspire the East Lansing community and beyond.

Follow Sam Singh as he continues his journey by visiting www.singharoundtheworld.com.

Urbanization and Health in Africa: Exploring the Interconnections Between Poverty, Inequality and the Burden of Disease
Feb. 1, 12 p.m.; International Center, room 201
This installment of the Friday Forum lecture series is sponsored by the Center for Advanced Study of International Development (CASID) and Women in International Development (WID). The lecture will feature Dr. Jacob Songsore Dean from the University of Ghana as its speaker. For more information, contact Pamela Galbraith at galbrai3@msu.edu.

Rushing to Sunshine: Seoul Diaries and Pyongyang Diaries
Feb. 13, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Bessey Hall, room 108
Solrun Hoass’s two separate documentary style films, Seoul Diaries and Pyongyang Diaries , illustrate the effect of government-instituted policy, as well as everyday life in both North and South Korea. These two films serve as the second installment of the “North Korea from Every Angle” film series that continues through the month of February and is hosted by the Asian Studies Center. For more information, contact Marilyn McCollough at mccull67@msu.edu.

Antarctic Visit: Photography by Johanna Wielfaert
Feb. 1-28, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wild Birds Unlimited, 1739 W. Grand River Ave., Okemos
Wild Birds Unlimited will be featuring a photography exhibit from Johanna Wielfaert’s trip to Antarctica as a part of their artist series throughout February. Featured artists specialize in nature photography and change every few months.
For more information, call 517-337-9920.

Rania Matar Exhibit
Jan. 1-31, Communication Arts and Sciences Building
Matar’s work as a documentary photographer is on display throughout the month of January on campus. This specific exhibit focuses on the aftermath of the war in Lebanon, as well as the course of women’s lives throughout the country’s turmoil.

International Book Club
Jan. 16, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; East Lansing Public Library
East Lansing’s International Book Club will hold its monthly meeting to discuss A Memoir by Wangari Maathai. Refreshments from the region highlighted that month will be provided, and guest speakers are often invited to attend. If it’s too late to get started on the January book, check out The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, which is the February selection.

Sycophants and Slaves: Codependency in American Women’s Literature
Jan. 18, 1:30 p.m.; International Center, room 305
Lynn Makau from MSU’s English department will be lecturing on “Sycophants and Slaves” as a part of the GenCen Colloquia Series. GenCen stands for the Center for Gender in a Global Context, and the event is free.
For more information, contact Terri Bailey at gencen@msu.edu.

Spring Study Abroad Fair
Jan. 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Spartan Stadium Tower, LaSalle Room
Sift through more than 100 exhibits detailing MSU’s more than 240 study abroad programs to figure out when you’ll be saying “bon voyage” to East Lansing for a few weeks or an entire school year.
For more information, contact Cheryl Benner at bennerc@msu.edu.

The International Print Portfolio
Dec. 1-31, West Gallery, MSU Museum
A collection of prints from all over the world are making their way to the MSU Museum for the month of December. The theme of the collection is “Artists’ Expressions of Universal Human Rights.” The exhibit is open during regular museum hours and is free.
For more information, call (517) 355-7474 or visit museum.msu.edu.

LAAN World AIDS Program
Dec. 1, 11 a.m.; Hannah Community Center
The Lansing Area AIDS Network (LAAN) event, in recognition of World AIDS Day, will include community members discussing what it is like to live with HIV/AIDS, a performance by The Gay Men’s Chorus and the debut of the Names Project Quilt.
For more information, call (517) 333-2580 or visit cityofeastlansing.com.

Visit with Santa
Until Dec. 24, Meridian Mall
You tell yourself you’re too old, but you’re not. Santa has made the journey from the North Pole and has selected Meridian Mall as his place of choice to display his holiday cheer before he departs on a one-night globetrotting mission known as Christmas Eve. Pay him a visit while you can.

History Department International Film Festival: Four Days in September
Dec. 4, 7 p.m.; Life Sciences, Room A-133
Four Days in September is the dramatic story of the kidnapping of Charles Burke Elbrick, the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil in 1969.

Celebrating Rumi in the 21st Century
Nov. 3, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.;Parlor C, The Union
Come celebrate Rumi’s 800th birthday! The medieval Islamic poet, philosopher, and scholar will be celebrated during this conference and cultural event. Admission is free.
For more information contact Emine Evered at evered@msu.edu.

Peace Corps General Information Meeting
Nov. 7, 6-7:30 p.m.;Room 201, International Center
Find out what it is like to be a Peace Corps volunteer and how you can become one. The meeting will provide information about how to apply to the Peace Corps and what the benefits of service are. Anyone interested is welcome.
For more information contact msupeace@msu.edu.

Global Plate Dinners
Nov.13 – Nov.15; Residence Hall Cafeterias
Eat your fair share of curry, bangers and mash and falafel when residence halls on campus serve dinners featuring food from India on Nov. 13, Ireland on Nov. 14, and Greece on Nov. 15. Representatives from the Office of Study Abroad will be available to discuss international opportunities in select dining halls.

Latin Dance Night
Nov. 14, 7-11 p.m.; McDonel Hall Kiva
La Casa, a Spanish Writing Center located in McDonel Hall, invites you to a night of Latin dancing. Free lessons will be provided beginning at 7 p.m., and an open dance will follow at 8:30 p.m.

Sweet Honey in the Rock
Nov. 16, 8 p.m.; Cobb Great Hall, Wharton Center
Sweet Honey in the Rock is an a cappella ensemble group that incorporates blues, gospel, rap, jazz and traditional lullabies into their sound. Their performance at the Wharton Center is open to the public and tickets range from $20 to $33.
For more information contact Bob Hoffman at hoffma95@msu.edu.

College of Arts and Letters Signature Lecture by Orhan Pamuk
Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m.; Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center
Orhan Pamuk, 2006 Nobel Prize winner in Literature, will be presenting his lecture titled “The Right to Hospitality: Migration, Accommodation, Globalization; A Symposium of Film and Philosophy.” Admission is open to the public and free for students.

International Opportunities Fair
Oct. 17, 12-5 p.m.; MSU Union Ballroom
If you’ve ever thought about interning, volunteering, teaching or working abroad, come check out what more than 50 MSU international units and other international organizations have to offer.
For more information, contact jensen@msu.edu.

“Frida”
Oct. 18, 7 p.m.; Room A-133, Life Sciences Building
The History Department will be showing “Frida” as part of their International Film Festival. The movie chronicles the life of artist Frida Kahlo as well as her relationships with Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky. It’s open to the public.

Global Drum Project featuring Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju & Giovanni Hidalgo
Oct. 20, 8-10 p.m.; Cobb Great Hall, Wharton Center
Grammy-winning world music artists have reunited and are making a stop in East Lansing while on their “Global Drum Tour.” Tickets are $15 dollars per student and can be purchased at the Wharton Center box office.
For more information, contact Bob Hoffman or email wharton@msu.edu.

An Evening of Indian Music
Oct. 20, 7-9 p.m.; Kellogg Auditorium
In honor of India Week, Anurag Harsh will be performing and accompanied by tabla and harmonium players. The event is sponsored by the Asian Studies Center and is free.
For more information, contact mccull67@msu.edu.

MSU Study Abroad Fair
Sept. 20, 12-6 p.m.; Second floor, MSU Union
Start planning your globetrotting future by touring MSU\’s host of study abroad options on all seven continents.
For more information, contact bennerc@msu.edu or call (517) 432-5166.

Japanese Picnic
Sept. 23, 2-4 p.m.; Clarence Lewis Arboretum
Sushi, calligraphy, martial arts, and Japanese music will all be featured at the fourth annual Japanese Picnic. The event is free of charge and is sponsored by the Asian Studies Center.
For more information, contact mccull57@msu.edu or call (517) 353-1680.

Kaffestunde
Sept. 26, 7-8:30 p.m.; Espresso Royale Cafe
Held every Wednesday, Kaffestunde offers an opportunity to play German board games, read German magazines, and engage in friendly German conversation. The MSU German department serves as host to the party.

\”Zuzu Angel\”
Sept. 28, 5 p.m.; Room 206, Old Horticulture
Based in Brazil, this movie tells the story of the torture and murder of a fashion designer\’s son. The film will be shown in Portuguese and is an installment of the Romance Languages Film Series.

Gendered Processes of Adaptation: Understanding Parent-Child Relations in Chinese Immigrant Families
Sept. 28, 1:30-3 p.m.; Room 305, International Center
Professor Desiree Qin from the Department of Family and Child Ecology will present her research on the topic of immigration, adaptation and gender. This lecture is an installment of the GenCen Colloquia Series which presents new research on women and gender from both local and global perspectives. The series is presented by the Center for Gender in Global Context.
For more information, contact gencen@msu.edu or call (517) 353-5040.

[front]The life of a tuba connoisseur shows on every wall as versions of the instrument, ranging in age and vivacity, line the restaurant. The story of a world traveler is displayed through the world maps that serve as sporadic wallpaper. The menu, like a small novel demanding acute attention, tells of tastes and smells from millions of miles away. And the guy in the pink, furry bear hat sitting next to you – well he just reminds you that you are not in any run-of-the-mill establishment. The Traveler\’s Club is a place where worlds collide.
On the corner of Hamilton and Okemos Roads for the past 25 years, the Traveler\’s Club offers an around-the-world trip in one meal without leaving the comfort of the Lansing area. The 15-page menu includes flavors and dishes from all corners of the globe and every month a specific region is highlighted by a multi-course, regionally themed meal. The Traveler\’s Club uses as many locally grown products as possible to create meals that are not locally inspired. The restaurant, which doubles as a self-proclaimed tuba museum, has been encompassed by the same four walls for the entirety of its existence, but offers a welcome change from a steaming bowl of Ramen noodles and other college-student-inspired fare.
\”We have a theory that if you eat something different everyday for the rest of your life, you still won\’t be able to try every dish that is made around the world,\” Traveler\’s Club owner Will White said. \”Variety is the spice of life, and of course you have to have food to go along with it.\”
White opened the Traveler\’s Club in 1982 with his partner, Jennifer, as a way to satisfy his own worldly cuisine binges as well as to promote the addiction to others. The couple spent time traveling to regions such as Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe. Upon returning to the states, their appetites mimicked their travel pattern, and they found themselves eating Indian food for a week, becoming bored and moving on to a different genre. It was these practices that fostered White\’s knowledge of worldly cuisine, as well as his experiences growing up in ethnically diverse Detroit. White embodies the theory behind the Traveler\’s Club Epicurean Omnivore card, which offers specials such as one free entree or sampler after the purchase of twelve. He eats everything and enjoys it all.
The wide array of dishes offered at the Traveler\’s Club is what customers find most attractive, White said. \”Everybody appreciates something different so the large menu allows families or large parties can satisfy their desires. If someone wants Mexican food and the other wants Chinese, they can get both; or a kid might want grilled cheese and the parent might want something fancy,\” White said. Not only are the options for food endless, but for drinks as well. An extensive wine list is topped only slightly by 120 different beers to choose from, including Tuba Charlie\’s, which is brewed on the patio of the Traveler\’s Club, distinguishing it as the smallest brew pub in Michigan.
Maintaining a menu that caters to all continents is not simple, and because the Traveler\’s Club grows some of its own food and supports local farmers and businesses, the upkeep is even more difficult. The four page stock list is some indication of the quantity and variety of food necessary to have on hand to keep the restaurant running. Rhubarb and herbs are examples of some ingredients grown on the Traveler\’s Club premises and local businesses such as Asian supermarkets are popular outlets for White\’s grocery list. White sees supporting local farming and businesses as not a revolutionary idea, but rather an old one because, \”That\’s the way it used to be, everything was local.\”
The local feel of the global restaurant is created by more than knowing that the eggs in your Ethnic Special Eggs breakfast are fresh from an Omega Farms coop in Haslett. Virgins to the Traveler\’s Club blend with old customers to create a cast of characters that would be difficult to stumble upon in any other Lansing area restaurant.
\”There is a certain type of people there – it has it\’s own little atmosphere,\” said Sam Haapaniemi, a political theory and constitutional democracy sophomore and a Traveler\’s Club enthusiast.
[inside]Across from my own table were two booths. In one sat an unassuming, 20-something male sporting a pink, furry bear hat that buckled beneath the chin and was complete with the cutest furry, pink bear ears I had ever laid eyes on. Apparently this bear hat was a fact of life for him because he thought nothing of it and perhaps forgot he even had it on. In the other sat an impeccably ironed couple, neither of which had a hair out of place, who seemed to be discussing matters of great importance, however that would be defined. Each character flanked each other, but none of them seemed to be thinking, \”now this would make a great picture.\”
The varied customer base includes families, students, and even tourists. With only a small budget for advertising, White relies mostly on word of mouth for promotion. The Traveler\’s Club sign, boasting not only international cuisine but also a tuba museum is enough for most driving by to put on the brakes and take notice. Many of the out-of-town customers have read about the Traveler\’s Club in roadside attraction books or travel magazines, White said, making the restaurant a most humble tourist attraction. Other events, such as board game night every Monday through Wednesday, bring the Lansing area together. Games are supplied by the restaurant, and customers are encouraged to bring their own as well because after all, what could be better than a heated game of Chutes and Ladders with a dollar-off pint on the side?
\”I like the atmosphere the most because it is so quaint, and the decorations are fun to look at – the maps, instruments, the plants,\” political theory and constitutional democracy sophomore Sam Titze said.
Word travels fast among MSU students and the allure of the Traveler\’s Club overshadows its distance from campus. \”I\’m surprised how well known it is for such a small restaurant that is so far away from campus,\” Haapaniemi said.
A history of the Traveler\’s Club is embedded within its customers and employees alike. John Dickerson grew up in Haslett and remembers frequenting the Traveler\’s Club for breakfast as a kid and loving the variety of wall decorations. Dickerson now works at the Traveler\’s Club and said jokingly that besides beer, the people at the Traveler\’s Club make working there worthwhile. \”There are a lot of characters here and a lot of people who have been here since it first opened,\” Dickerson said.
Barbara Herman, a Lansing area resident, said she has been eating at the Traveler\’s Club for years. Ever since she heard that the Traveler\’s Club was the place to come for good, healthy food she has not looked back since. \”There\’s such a variety of food, you never get bored. It\’s the kind of stuff I would serve at home,\” Herman said.
So why the tubas?
\”Music and food are two things that can be appreciated without speaking a specific language. Both are the spices of life in different ways, and both are universal forms of global communication,\” White said.
The tuba museum was launched when White would leave his tubas laying around the restaurant after playing with live bands. After a while, the restaurant began to look like a tuba graveyard so White started hanging them on the walls and then proclaimed it a museum. Every tuba in the Traveler\’s Club belongs to White, who is continually adding to his collection. \”Collectors never stop collecting. I have more in the basement but I don\’t have any room to hang them up right now,\” White said.
[tuba]An entirely new wing of the tuba museum is in the works for the next year, as White has an expansion plan in place. The plan would create more room for the brewery area of the restaurant and would set the stage for an even larger project that would change the face of the entire Hamilton and Okemos Roads corner. White wants to expand the corner to include another restaurant, a coffee shop, and 26 condominiums. Keeping the project environmentally friendly is important to White, who wants the expansion plan to encourage walking. \”I walk to work,\” he said. \”I walk to lunch. I walk everywhere. Sometimes I don\’t drive anywhere for a week. Once gas gets to be $5 a gallon more people are going to start walking, and they should be. That\’s why I want the project to be environmentally designed,\” White said.
Despite ambitious plans for expansion to an already wide ranging business, White sees the Traveler\’s Club not as competition to others in the local business pool, but as an asset. Because the Traveler\’s Club offers their customers American fare to fall back on, people feel safer trying more exotic flavors present in regionally specific foods like Thai or Indian, White said. By exposing people to other flavors, White is supporting the growth of regionally specific restaurants as well as his international restaurant. \”I like to go to regionally specific places, too, and I want to make sure all the small businesses survive because it really contributes to the quality of life,\” White said.
The Traveler\’s Club experience is one that is difficult to forget. Whether it is the assortment of tubas clinging to the walls, the changing regional specialties offered on the menu, or the guy in the pink bear hat scanning the menu, it becomes hard to discern whether or not you have in fact traveled to somewhere other than Okemos Road. Whatever your reasoning for walking through the cherry red doors, you become subject to colliding worlds and White\’s view of the Traveler\’s Club as a \”world peace statement in a small way, through the stomach and the taste buds.\”