While most students were spending their winter break trying to keep warm, sixteen students, divided between School of Media Arts and Studies and School of Journalism, were basking in the Ecuador sun.
As part of a three-week study abroad program in non-fiction storytelling and production, these students spent their time collaborating to create 12- to 15-minute short films, most of which are already available online.
“Professor Frederick Lewis and I traveled to Ireland in the summer of 2012 and, after returning, began working on getting a trip to study and work in Ecuador together,” said Kelly Matousek, a senior studying video production. “After spreading the word throughout the College of Communication, Professor Lewis was able to carry out the program and involve students in the School of Journalism as well as the School of Media Arts & Studies.”
As they were based within the city of Quito — the capital of Ecuador — students aimed to make shorts that spoke to the city’s struggles to provide proper housing for its widening population, among other topics that were pertinent to their experiences in the country and to the citizens around them.
“My experience is something that can’t fully be translated into words,” said Nick Sander, a senior studying post-audio production. “We filmed a documentary about the graffiti culture in Ecuador. I was taken in like family by some of these artists. We got to experience situations and environments that I would have never had access to if we weren’t filming.”
In addition to these films, students also participated in bi-weekly presentations from local filmmakers, who screened and then discussed their work.
“I am immensely grateful for the paths and avenues of experience I was led to,” Sander said. “One thing that I took away was a sense of accomplishment, more so for myself than what we created. I feel that if I can leave the country and make something out of it, then I can go on to do even more incredible things. It was almost like a test for myself and I passed.”
For many, the trip not only provided a learning experience in film, but also in navigating the world.
“This was my first time in Ecuador and my first time leaving the country,” Sander said. “I have been on a total of six planes now just from that trip. The people are what stuck with me the most. The culture has a much more intimate style of living, everyone packed into areas.”
Although not everyone spoke Spanish, many said they were able to learn valuable lessons from the trip.
“The biggest thing that I learned is that I can accomplish what I put my mind to,” Sanders said. “If I truly want something to happen, I can make it happen. Something I learned about the culture however is that you should never judge someone who can’t speak your language very good. It’s incredibly eye opening to be on the other side of that.”
The location also provided a great chance to meet and understand the culture and people of the region.
“The one thing that stuck with me the most was the kindness of the people,” said John Householder, a senior studying screenwriting and producing. “So many people opened their homes and lives to us without ever having met us before. The time we spent with the charitable organization, TECHO, showed me how much joy can come from simple acts."
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