By putting together some of the clips I recorder throughout this experience and putting into practice some of the skills I acquired at my apprenticeship, I managed to make a video that showed a little of what my experience was like.
Throughout these months I kept learning something new about this outstanding country and I kept questioning why is there so little knowledge about it, at least from what I’ve heard from other fellows and my own experience back home. People just don’t know that much about Ecuador.
I felt a strong responsibility of telling my story and my experience when I would come back home, defending it against false facts, ignorance and stereotypes. We had already been prepared to face these things, and to do it in the best way posible in order to not come across awkwardness or conflict with the people around us, but still make justice to the people and places that helped us become who we are now.
Honestly, this was one of the things that scared me the most from coming back home. This incomprehension that we’ve all probably faced by now. And it’s probably been the hardest part about coming back home.
The capstone project, in my own experience, was definitely something that helped me find closure from these months. It wasn’t easy going through all the videos that I took since day one and seeing the whole experience pass in just a couple of hours. But it was also kind of heartwarming in a way, there was a lot of laughing and crying from one clip to another. It was definitely something that I would’ve had to do one day or another.
In this audiovisual way, I decided to show part of my experience with the idea of trying to make it justice, as well as something to bring back for others to see. Many will be able to relate to some parts of it, but in a way it is also a very personal gathering of clips, kind of what I have seen through my eyes throughout these months, which is not even comparable to anyone’s experience, because they are all so different from each other.
Finally, this is also a video to be used to show to future fellows or people who are pounding on the idea of a gap year or even people who never had this idea crossing their minds, no matter if they’re high schoolers, undergraduates who are about to finish their studies, workers, parents, travelers… this is for everyone and anyone, and I hope any person who sees it is able to capture the main idea, this overall definitely positive experience and this love that many of us have felt by leaving a big part of us in our host country.
[vc_video link=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4VQrfrgsvg’]
