Gello
Busy lil Director
“I think if I ever stop getting these butterflies, I should probably change businesses.”
-unknown
As many of you know, a month or so ago I released my first official short film online. It’s called ‘The Time Capsule’ and even though it isn’t perfect, watching it makes my heart flutter. I’ve been meaning to sit down and write about it but the truth it, I’ve been so busy and it’s been hard to wrap my head around it all. So here we are now, a bit late but here!
Right now, my third official short film is in the works. As crazy as it feels to say this, we will be filming it in SIX DAYS! It’s called ‘Lifeline’ and it isn’t for a class and I wrote it and will be directing it and have been co producing it with my friend and it is taking up literally all of my spare time and it is driving me absolutely crazy but despite all of that, I love making it.
The filmmaking process is hard. There are a lot of things to coordinate and work around and plan for. You have to have a plan B and C and D in case anything goes wrong. Right now, we’ve been struggling to make a schedule that fits everything into the three days, while also figuring out exactly how I want the actors to deliver their lines, what props are needed when, what I’m going to feed the crew, what equipment we want to use, what we want the shots to look like, where we’re going to park cars for locations not on campus (gotta love cities) and how much am I willing to spend to make this happen. On top of that, we’re also just hoping and hoping that there won’t be rain because that’ll ruin it all. Literally all of my spare time in the last week has gone into finagling the details of this to make sure it’ll work out.
Despite that all, it’s so worth it. I love feeling it coming together (even if it is so so slow) and I love the moment when you see your vision on a screen for the first time. I love that a group of my friends are willing to give up three entire days of their week (as well as countless hours beforehand) in order to help make my little script into a reality.
And I know my first film wasn’t that great. I know there were some definite issues with it, and I know this one will have some too. But I’m okay with that. I’m taking a micro budget class this term. It’s half a production class and half a film studies class rolled into one. For the production half, my best friend and I co created a short film together that will also be coming out soon. For the studies half, we’ve been watching the first films from directors who are now Oscar winners and well known, but back then, were just young adults with dreams and no money but a lot of motivation, just like me. It’s so amazing to see how they did just what I’m trying to do, and quite frankly, with just as many issues as I’ve been having.
So, if this post is long and confusing to you, here’s the summary: I’m making a lot of movies, and I’m going to get better at it. See you at the Oscars in, let’s plan for, 2025?
Okay welllll maybe not, but no matter what, I know that I will always enjoy this process. A lot of times when I tell people I’m a film major, they ask what I’m going to do in the future with my degree. Honestly, I’m still not sure. I don’t know if I’ll make it big, but I know I’ll never stop making whatever films I’m given the opportunity to make. As my good pal Walt Disney said, “we don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies.” So even if this ends up being something I can only pursue in between jobs that give me financial stability, I don’t ever want to stop doing it. It’s pure magic to see your ideas play out on a screen.
I’ve given up this entire weekend to help my friends make a short film. People are giving up their entire weekends next week to help me make mine. Everyone in this field has more passion and drive and willingness to work than anyone I know in other fields. We all love what we’re doing, and we know it’s going to suck when we don’t have steady jobs after we graduate, but when we do get to make our movies, we’ll be making happy. So there.
🙂
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
If you ask anyone who has met me for even 10 minutes to describe me in a few words, I can tell you what they’ll say. I’m bubbly, and happy, and giggly. Those are always my defining features because that is what I try to present myself as, even since I was a little kid. Everyone has always been amazed at how I’m so cheerful all the time.
And it’s good. I always like being the happy one. But the problem is, when you’re the happy one for too long, it seems like something you can’t ever take a break. You can’t ever be sad, or else the universe will explode and everyone will be angry at you for daring to have other emotions. It starts to feel like something you’re trapped in instead of something genuine, and that’s pretty scary.
But that’s all just a bit silly.
The reality is, we all get sad. and angry. and disappointed. and hurt. Despite what we let other people see, we all have the entire emotional spectrum. Even those of us who try to hide it.
And that’s okay.
But it’s so hard to admit that that’s okay, especially when you focus a lot on being happy. Recently, my roommate Madelynne wrote her own blog post about her feelings, and I realized that me and her are in the same place. And it’s an important thing to acknowledge.
So this is it. This is me saying that sometimes I’m sad. Sometimes I hate the whole world and I feel like everything is terrible and I don’t want to smile ever again. And a lot of times, those feelings are happening when I’m out giggling with my friends and hiding my feelings. Because it’s scary to let people know how you feel. And it’s scary to feel like you’re letting people down. And it’s scary to think that maybe people won’t like the real you.
Madelynne and I have been opening up to each other more recently. And even if it’s just one person we’re letting see us in our saddest states, it’s better than keeping it all in. We’ve been crying a bit and hugging a lot and letting each other know when we’re having a bad day. And I’m super glad we’re finally embracing how we feel.
And guess what? Once you have someone else who knows what’s going on, it’s so much easier to be happy again. Even if you need professional help, or if it’s just your friends, or two wonderful guys named Ben and Jerry, you’ll be able to get out of your funk with some help. So don’t be afraid to open up.
Just take some deep breaths.
It’ll be okay, even if it’s not right now.
PS:
Here’s a list of things that can always make you at least a little happy if you need a quick fix:
- friends
- ice cream
- dogs
- flowers
- sunny days
- cleaning your room
- wearing your best clothes
- going for a run outside
- picnics
- sunsets
- sunrises
- making to do lists and getting everything done
- playing your favorite song loudly on repeat
good luck out there guys!
Make America Kind Again
“Let us fight with love, faith and courage so that our families will not be destroyed.” – Sophie Cruz
As we all know, I spent four months abroad, traveling the world and meeting people from different countries, cultures, religions, and ethnicities. I spent four months being told over and over by my wonderful professors that you can’t group cultures together, you can’t single story people based on arbitrary facts like their race or religion or gender. I spent four months seeing that with my own eyes, seeing people of different ways of life living in one place and being lovely people, welcoming me into their home countries with no second glance.
And then I came home to be reminded of how small minded people can be. To be reminded that not everyone remembers all the lessons we had on not discriminating back in primary school. I’m sorry to my family who may not agree with my views, but I’m 18 now, I’m in college, and I’ve been all around the world by myself. I have my own opinions now.
You can argue that Trump is trying to protect US citizens from terrorists with the ban and that’s a Christian thing to do, but that’s not quite right. The fact is, most “terrorist” attacks in the US have been played out by Americans. The fact is the banned countries, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, did not play a part in 9/11, or most other attacks since. The fact is many of the people affected are permanent US residents who now cannot return to the only home they’ve ever really known. The fact is the common denominator of most attacks in the US is guns, not foreign attackers. The 9/11 attacks were by citizens of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Lebanon, none of which were part of the ban, likely because Trump has business deals with them. The Boston marathon bombers were Russian. The Charleston Church shooter was a US citizen. The Colorado Planned Parenthood shooter was a US citizen. The San Bernardino shooters were a US citizen and a Pakistani citizen. The Orlando shooter was a US citizen. The Ft. Lauderdale Airport shooter was a US citizen. The fact is, the people being banned entry have done nothing wrong.
The fact is if I learned anything from my religion, it’s to love one another.
A large amount of the people being affected are US residents, people with valid visas, and students who are studying here. There are university students out there just like me on F1 visas, trying to return to school from their breaks and visiting home and study abroad programs, and now they can’t come back. These people have legal documentation, have worked hard to get here. Had I been born in a Middle Eastern country, this could easily be me. That’s so scary.
We’re going back in time, not moving forward. What happened to accepting people even if you disagree with their values? Another plan that the President has is to make it legal to refuse to serve people based on their sexual orientation. LGBT parents will be able to not be allowed to adopt based on their sexual orientation, employers will be allowed to refuse to let people work for them, employees will be allowed to refuse service. The first amendment says “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…” However, that is what Trump is trying to do. He is attempting to make the United States a Christian Nation, but it isn’t. Therefore, you shouldn’t be allowed to discriminate based on your religious beliefs.
The whole world is not Christian, and that’s okay. It’s not okay to ruin people’s lives because of it. It’s not okay to not let people come back to their homes because of it. It’s not okay to not let loving parents adopt children who otherwise wouldn’t have a home because of it.
I have friends from the Middle East who are sweet and loving and kind. I have gay friends who are loyal and selfless and beautiful inside and out. But in the end, it doesn’t matter what labels they have. It doesn’t matter if they wear a headscarf, it doesn’t matter if they believe in God, it doesn’t matter if they don’t associate with the gender they were born with. None of this shapes their heart.
When I was in Morocco, I sat on a sand dune in the desert with two berbers, head scarfs and no shoes and all, who talked simply about how they love when Americans come to visit because they love to share their culture and learn about ours.
When I was in Senegal, a local man spoke for hours about the definition of happiness and about how he is stereotyped and how all he wants is a little porch under the stars to share with someone he loves.
Throughout my travels there were countless charming cab drivers, store vendors, and waiters from different cultures who accepted us, in our loud, boisterous American manner, and were so kind to us. And I hope if they ever come to visit us here, we can respect them in the same way.
Home, At Last
Hello!!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Hello!
I’m writing this blog from the comfort of my bed, on land, able to check facebook in between paragraphs, with my lovely dog sitting next to me, and about to go cook my own food for breakfast. Seemingly normal things that still, after a week of being home, feel a bit strange.
The last stretch of time on the ship was 9 days long but it flew by in maybe a day, at most. Between finals, signing people’s maps, and probably a total of 30 hours of sleep in that 9 days, I’m exhausted.
And I should be. It’s been an exhilarating journey and as much as I miss the people, my new best friends, the sunrises, the wonderfulness of it all (I need to stop myself before I start to cry) it’s good to be able to sleep in and have no plans.
Home is a strange concept to me right now. I know this is my home, as I was born here and my family is here, but it’s when I think about how comfortable and familiar the ship got to be so quickly, how homey and perfect that environment was, I get… confused. If I’ve learned anything in the last 4 months, it’s that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling you just can’t shake. And I definitely made a home on that little ship sailing around the world.
More blogs will be coming soon about the beauty of home, starting up normal land school again, and a little more insight into SAS. For now, have a wonderful day guys.
Love,
Rebekah
Last Port, Best Port
Costa Rica is a beautiful country, and it was a great place to be the last stop of our voyage. We spent five lovely days there.
The first day wasn’t too adventurous for me. We didn’t dock until 10am, so we decided to just eat lunch on the ship and leave around 12. We walked around Puntarenas, the port city, for a bit, ate some icecream, got some souvenirs, drank a coconut. Really not that much. We went back to the ship pretty early because I had a field class that was meeting at 4:15am the next day.
Day 2 I woke up at 4am, met up with my class in the library, and we ate a quick breakfast before heading out. We drove for two hours to Manuel Antonio National Park, which is a beautiful protected area. We walked on the sloth trail and saw sloths and monkeys. Two of the park officials talked to us about animal trafficking and why we shouldn’t feed the animals and how harmful it is to them. It was really impactful. After that, we walked on the beach and through some more of the park trails, until it was time for lunch. We ate, then went on a crocodile riverboat tour and saw some crocs and the sunset over the river. It was so beautiful. Once we were done that, we just drove back to the ship.
Day 3 Danie and I left at 8 to go on a ferry her tour guide the day before had told her was super cool. It took an hour and a half to get there. We got off the ferry at Playa Naranja and there was literally nothing there. Like, it was not at all cool. We were very confused. We went to a little hotel with no one in it to get food and figure out what to do and we got these weird nachos. Did not like them. We realized it would make more sense for us to just get back on the ferry so we did and headed back. It was funny but at least the ferry ride was pretty. Once we finally got back to Puntarenas we just walked around some more. We got icecream, rode some bikes, got shoes for the Alumni Ball. We walked down the beach and I went swimming. Sunsets in Costa Rica are really beautiful. From my experience, it’s always cloudy and seems like it won’t be a good sunset, then it breaks through the clouds and it’s so lovely. After that, we went back to the ship and just hung out.
Day four we set out at 6:45am to go to a ecoadventure park. It’s a long story, but basically someone else was organizing the whole trip but backed out at the last second, but we were determined to do it ourselves. My friend Becca had a taxi friend named Pablo, so we organized our own transport with him. We were originally told the park was 2.5 hours away but turns out it’s 4, so we got there around 11, which sucked. It was fine though because it was a really great group of people so we had fun and talked a lot on the way there. When we got there, we immediately got to see crocodiles being fed. All the animals at the park were rescue animals that couldn’t be released back into the wild so it was good to see that. After my field class and learning about the hardships caged animals go through, it was good to know these ones needed help and were being taken care of. We saw a bunch of butterflies, different types of pretty birds, of course some monkeys, but best of all was a sloth. Her name was Lucy and she got burnt by some telephone wire she mistakenly grabbed on to. She has only been there for a month. She was really active when we were there, which is unusual because sloths basically spend their entire lives sleeping. She licked our hands through the bars of her caged room and it was so amazing. Love that girl.
Anyways, after that we went to the zip lining place. We did a LOT of ziplines and it was so cool. There was one where we had to lay down like superman and it was a whole minute long (a mile.) There was a baby free fall jump thing, where you jump and feel like you’re actually falling for a couple of seconds and then it catches you. There was a wobbly bridge where you walk over crocodiles. Then, of course, there were like 4 or 5 other ziplines we did. Once we finished zipping, we got lunch/dinner/ and got back in our van to head back. We had wanted to do more but it was raining and it was already getting kind of late considering we had a 4 hour drive ahead of us so that was basically it. It was worth it though. On the way back we stopped at the Costa Rica version of Walmart which was interesting. It seemed more like a Costco kind of, but also less nice. We finally got back to the ship at like 9ish. We unpacked and packed what we needed for the next night super fast and headed back out right away. We got in a taxi to Jaco, which was about an hour away. We got there, checked into our airbnb, then walked around the town for a while. It was a really cute little town, very hipster and beachy and surfer. I liked it a lot. We walked to the beach, then we went back to the airbnb and ate and played cards and talked a lot and tried to watch a show but the internet wasn’t working. We didn’t go to sleep until 3:30/4, then we woke up at 5 to see the sunrise.
We walked to the beach and sadly, it wasn’t that great because of the clouds, but the company was amazing 🙂 After that, we walked around the town some more, got breakfast and some souvenirs, went back to the beach and saw some dogs. We had wanted to surf but the tides were way too low in the morning so we didn’t get the chance to, but we still had a lot of fun. We caught the bus back to Puntarenas at 11 with basically all the rest of SAS. We got to the port at like 1 and Becca and I sat on the beach finishing up our snacks and talking for a bit, then we got in the security line at about 1:45. It took us until 2:45 to get on the ship. On ship time was at 3 and everyone was pushing it super close. But then again, it was the last time we’ll be on foreign land for a indefinite amount of time. We deserve to push it close.
Only 9 more days left, so I’ll see all of you soon…
Pura vida!
Rebekah
All You Need is Ecuador!
They say that Ecuador is very diverse of a country and has a little bit of everything, and after spending four days there I know that’s true.
Day one in Ecuador was my second field class, this time for photography. It was the coolest “school day.” I literally just spent the day walking around the streets of Guayaquil and in the botanical gardens, taking pictures. My professor brought us all icecream and it was so nice. It was homemade, and I know the doctor lady on board our ship would have told us not to eat it, but it was so good. After my field class we went back to the ship and I had an hour to get ready to go to the airport to go to Quito with some of my friends. Quito is the capital city, in the mountains, and that’s about all I knew about it beforehand. We didn’t land until 10, and we didn’t get settled in the hostel until nearly midnight, so we didn’t really do or see anything that first night.
Day two we didn’t end up heading out until 10 ish. We had breakfast at our hostel and it was delicious. I really liked our little place. Anyways, we went to this place called La Mitad del Mundo, meaning the middle of the world. It’s where the equator is, and there’s a little area around it with a planetarium, a monument, and other attractions. We chilled out there for a while, walked on the equator, no big deal. After that, we were ready for lunch. It was a struggle to find. We wanted to stay by that area, but the taxi drivers told us it was best to go back to the main Quito city in the historical district. So, we drove down some windy streets and got there. We ate at a little place that was very local. I had plantain and rice and avocado, which doesn’t sound that great but I was happy. Mom, I hope you stock up on avocados for when I get home. After lunch we walked around for a bit, then it started to rain. A lot. We came back to the hostel until it lightened up, then walked to this little cute hip restaraunt area and ate some food. Yum yum.
The third day we woke up and had breakfast, then headed to a park to go to the founding of the city parade, a 51 year old tradition. It was so cool. I got a cool umbrella hat and some cotton candy. There was dancing and music and marching bands. After that, we went to the cable car and went up that. It was super long, and took us to 13,000 feet above sea level. When we first got to the top, it was super foggy because we were in a cloud, but then it cleared up nicely. There were some local people selling hot chocolate up there so we got some, it was kinda weirdly spiced but it was super cold up in the mountain so I was happy with it. Anyways, after that we got on some horses to ride them for a bit. It was fun for a while, until we started heading back and the horses got crazy. One guy fell off, another horse and mine started fighting, then my horse started running down the hill. It was pretty scary man.
Anyways, once we were done with that, we went down the cable car and hung out in this little amusement park/ fair type thing for a bit. We went on a sketchy rollercoaster and played some arcade games. Then, we went for dinner and dessert and a cute little place near to the park we were at for the parade. It was pouring but we wanted to hang out near there until 6pm, when a concert was supposed to begin. Luckily, the rain lightened up a bit so we went over to the concert. It was so good! There were four bands playing but we only stayed for the first two. It was full of locals, super jam packed, and we actually knew a lot of the songs which was cool. After that we went back to the hostel to sleep.
The last day we had brunch and then packed up and went to the airport. Not super eventful but still a good last day. The ride to the airport was beautiful. We went through the mountains on little windy streets and I loooved it. Once we got back to Guayaquil we walked around for a little bit, then headed back to the ship.
All in all, it was a really good trip. One more port! 😦
Holy Guacamole, I’m in Peru!
Our ship docked in Peru in the Port of Callao, very close to the city of Lima. While a lot of my friends flew off to Cusco and Machu Pucchu, four of my friends and I got an airbnb in Lima and stayed there the whole time, and I don’t regret it. We were specifically in the cute little coastal town San Miguel, and it was really fun.
The first day, we went to a truffle making class at a chocolate museum. It was just us five and the instructor who was super nice. We got to take truffles with us. Afterwards, we walked around, found a cute lunch spot, ate some typical Peruvian food, then went to Kennedy Park where there were a bunch of stray cats. It was super fun. One just came and sat in my lap. That night, we went to the food store to get some snacks and food and I got the ingredients to make guacamole and then I made the best guacamole ever. It was SO GOOD.
We also paraglided in Miraflores. It was so much fun. My instructor was a guy named Eduardo. We introduced ourselves and he asked me how I was feeling. I told him I was nervous and he said “me too.” So that was comforting. Haha. He didn’t really tell me what was happening or any information, we just put on the harness and he got the kite in the air and then we were off. It was crazy and so so cool. We were in the air for around 10 or 15 minutes. We talked for most of the time and he was a really interesting guy.
Another day, we went surfing. It was such an amazing experience. I thought I was going to be really bad at it because I was bad at the on land portion of the lesson, but once I got in the water it was so much easier. I got to stand on the board on a wave a few times! I really enjoyed it and I’m hoping to do it more in Costa Rica.
We also spent a day just walking around the downtown area, shopping, talking to locals, etc. I got a lot of souvenirs. Everything here is made out of alpaca fur and it’s SO SOFT!!
Thanksgiving was while we were in Peru, and we had plans to cook, but after coming to terms with the fact none of us were good at cooking and our airbnb’s kitchen was not well furnished, we decided just to order a pizza. We also got a cookie pizza and it was delicious. Best thanksgiving meal ever! (just kidding)
I’m happy because from now on we’re just in Spanish speaking countries. In Peru I got to speak a little bit of Spanish and it was fun. I also bought a book in Spanish so we’ll see if I’m able to read that. Hopefully I will but who knows.
I’m writing this blog a bit late so we just docked in Ecuador. We aren’t allowed to get off the ship until tomorrow.
Until next time,
Rebekah Joya
An Uplifting Experience
Yesterday, we went through the Panama Canal. It was SO COOL! We woke up at 6am (a regular thing for me now honestly) and went on the bow to watch. It was such an uplifting experience. (Get it? Because the Panama Canal takes you up? haha) It took all day to get through so there weren’t any classes which was really great. I think we all really needed a day on ship without classes to just hang out.
Yesterday was also the finale day of the SEA OLYMPICS, a three day event. There were many fun competitions and it was a great way to bond with our shipmates. I didn’t really do much to compete besides make the music video for my sea, the Baltic Sea. It ended up tying with another sea, taking us to being tied for first place! We had a quick competition on stage to break the tie and MY SEA WON! This means we get off the ship first when we get to San Diego but honestly I don’t really want to because I’ll just have to sit and wait for my friends to get off too so whatever. So happy we won though. It was so cool.
Also, all semester I’ve been stage managing a play on ship and tonight is our first performance. So many exciting things happening all at once! I’m really excited to see how that works out.
Besides for that, this week has been pretty good. Time is really winding down, which is so sad, and there’s a lot of work to be done. I’m done with most of my big assignments for this week so I’ll probably just be chilling out for the rest.
This was just a short update blog. It’s currently 1800 (6pm) (dinner time!) but we have a lifeboat drill in a couple of minutes so there’s no dinner until 1900 😦 I have to go put on my life jacket and get ready.
Love,
Rebekah
The One Where I Didn’t Do Enough
Trinidad taught me a lot of things. The first is, two days is definitely not enough in a place. Not even close to being enough.
The second is something I already knew, but a good reminder never hurts. Sometimes, your plans can get messed up, or your plan of being spontaneous can not work out, but you can still have a good time. You just have to try.
Trinidad was my first port with absolutely no plans, and now I know that maybe plans are good. Day one we left the ship around 9am. We were planning to walk around, go to some shops, then go to the beach. It ended up not working out as we planned. All the shops were closed because it was Sunday. We were walking around, unsure of what to do, when a taxi van thing pulled up next to us and asked if we wanted to go to the beach. At this point, we didn’t know what else there was to do, so we agreed. We got in and we drove all through the mountains to get to a beach on the north coast. It was pretty and we stayed there for a few hours. A lot of SAS people ended up going there. Like, a lot. It was crazy how many. Also, a lot of them got drunk and fulfilled the stereotype that we’re just a bunch of rich kids partying on a ship for a semester. It was really sad honestly.
After that, we went back to the ship. We showered and all that and then Danie and I were planning to walk around to find food. We started to walk but realized it was a kind of shady area and it was starting to get dark, so we turned around. We decided to order a pizza to the terminal. I mean, sure, it wasn’t a culturally immersive choice, but it’s exhausting having to try new things constantly. We just wanted some Dominoes. So I looked up the nearest one and we called them and asked if they’d deliver to the cruise ship terminal. They said yes and we told them our order and she told us it’d be twenty minutes then hung up. After I hung up I realized they never asked for my name or phone number or anything but we figured it’d be fine. After thirtyish minutes, we called back, and they had no record of our order. So we placed the order AGAIN and hung up. We waited a bit and called back and again they didn’t have our order. WHAT. So this time we placed it and they asked for my phone number. I gave it to them and they said they couldn’t place the order unless we had a Trinidad phone number. So I hung up because I didn’t know what to do. this whole time we had been sitting by the port gate because we thought we were going to get the pizza delivered, and we had been talking to the security guard. We told him about our dilemma and he ended up calling and placing the order for us. He was so nice. After that, it took a little bit longer until we finally got it delivered to us. All in all, we waited like two hours for the pizza. Felt like home.
Then we went and sat in the terminal and ate the pizza. It was a good pizza.
The next day Carolyn and I walked around the town. We got some souvenirs, went in a lot of little local shops, etc. It was cool because the shops and a lot of things about the place reminded me of home. We basically just had a chill day wandering around.
Overall I wish I had done more in Trinidad. I was super excited for this port but we just didn’t really plan it well and we didn’t really end up doing much. I still had a great time but at the same time it could have been better.
Anyways, we are off through the Panama Canal to Peru. We made some plans for there so it should be great.
PS: I can acknowledge that it’s sad my most exciting story from this port has to do with trying to order a pizza. oops haha
Cities and Waves 