Meet the Hoosiers

One thing that really surprised me about the whole experience of studying abroad was how welcoming and eager to talk to me people seemed to be in my first few weeks (and for my entire time there for that matter). Even after being there a few days, it became clear to me that most Hoosiers (the name for people from Indiana) have never even met someone from the U.K before. The way I spoke was something out of a movie for most of the people I met, I suppose in the same way most American culture is to me. Upon meeting people, I would receive a quick second-glance at the sound of my voice which would almost certainly be followed by the words “Oh my god, do you have an accent?”, so I mean it literally when I say that I must have heard that sentence at least once a day.

I have been using the time in between my studies to see as much of the U.S as I can. I went with friends down to Anderson County in Kentucky where we went bungee jumping, and then the next day went hiking and cliff jumping in Red River Gorge national park. The bungee jump was one the best experiences of my entire life. The 240 foot drop from the platform of a disused train bridge to the Kentucky River beneath induced a feeling of fear, adrenaline and excitement of which it would be hard to come by again. And Red River gorge was an adventure in itself. We spent the day walking along trails in the dense forest underneath the red hot sun, clambering along beautiful rock formations such as what’s known as the Sky Bridge. A natural rock formation of a bridge which the trail leads you over and then takes you back around underneath. Later that day we also came to a part of the river that runs through the national park known as Jump Rock. Here people were swimming in river, which was surprisingly pleasant, and deep enough so that you could jump off a rock around 12 foot above the surface of the water that protruded from the banking.

In terms of my studies, the relaxed nature of my lessons has certainly become a little bit more stressful as the pressure starts to build up. Luckily for me my classes are more coursework based as opposed to having exams to take. I really thrive off of the individual and creative nature of my assignments. I have learnt so much practical knowledge about the things that interest me in terms of my professional goals. For example I now know how to fully devise and professionally format a screenplay. And I can utilise the settings of a camera in a creatively enhancing way, whilst also being able to develop my own rolls of film and print the photographs myself in a dark room. Furthermore I know how to think in terms of lighting and plan accordingly when filming for my Video Production class, and my Telecommunications Management class has taught me how to think in terms of running my own freelance business, which may very well be my entry point into the film and television industry.

 

Endless Corn Fields

I can say with confidence that I absolutely loved everything about my first few weeks on my

study abroad placement at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, in the heart of the United

States’ mid-west.

 

I remember the one-hour car ride from the airport to the small town of Muncie very well.

Even after over twelve hours of travelling, the site of the Indianapolis skyline with the Indiana

Colts’ famed Lucas Oil American football stadium in the foreground didn’t fall short in filling

me with excitement for my forthcoming adventure. As we got further away from Indianapolis

I began to see the real Indiana. I was struck by the natural beauty of its rural setting. The two

words “Corn” and “Fields” would suffice in perfectly describing what the general terrain looks

like throughout the state. The earth is flat for miles in every direction and all you can see is

clumps of trees growing sparsely amongst the vast agricultural landscape. To put it into

perspective, if you ever happen to be driving through Indiana you could you fall asleep in the

car and wake up an hour later to find that the view from your passenger window hasn’t

changed at all. That just about sums up the endless, and no less beautiful, setting that

comprises the state of Indiana.

 

It didn’t take me long to settle in to ‘college life’ once the semester commenced. I was placed

in Studebaker East, which is Ball State’s dormitory for international students, however there

were American students there as well. The mix of Americans and fellow international

students was great as it meant that I had a group of friends to experience this new culture

with, and then friends who were keen to show us their culture and vice versa. This meant we

had a great group with which to go to the college American football games, and basketball

games which really became a big part of our weekend most weeks. The tailgate parties that

preceded every college football game were a lot of fun. It felt like a very American experience;

with people dancing next to big trucks that had huge speakers on them whilst others were

grilling burgers on their portable Barbeques. And then we would all venture off to the game

itself.

 

Academically, I found that Ball State’s system took a little bit of getting used to, simply

because it was different to what I am used to in England. I really like how Ball State students

could pick classes from different departments within reason. For example, I took two classes

from the Telecommunications department, a class from the English department and a class

from the Art department. I benefitted from this variety as it allowed me to steer my education

in the direction I wanted it to go. My classes in the end were Photography, Screenwriting,

Advanced Video Production and Telecommunications Management. As my degree is Film, you

can see why these courses were beneficial to me. The class-room based, more relaxed

teaching styles made classes feel more personal and enjoyable. Particularly in the

Telecommunications classes (Advanced Video Production and Management), both of my

instructors filled their classes with clear information and helpful anecdotes of their

experiences in the industry I wish to work in.