NUREYA NAMAZ, Film & Video major, writes: It's been 10 years since I've last traveled the globe. Let me write that again: 10 freaking long years. Going to Shanghai has made me realize just what I've missed over those 10 years: critical growth experiences. It was always the same excuses, mostly related to a lack of monetary funding. But as we all know, it's really all about a lack of initiative. Who needs money? Find the money, make the money, borrow the money; do whatever you have to do legally to just travel. We get so stuck living the now instead of living a much better one. Of course, the best time to travel is when you're a student. You have a set schedule to follow, you're traveling with future friends, and mostly everything is just comfortable because you're sharing the experience.
I truly loved the Shanghai experience. The people were awesome, the food amazing (Iwill probably never eat at an American Chinese restaurant again), and the experiences priceless. Learning about Chinese contemporary art in Shanghai actually made me feel a part of the movement. Right now the common thought in China is, "I can do anything!" but in their introspective special way, a way that's made me think differently about myself as a cinematographer. The experience opened my mind to more than the usual day-to-day grind that I definitely need a permanent break from. I sincerely hope to return and live around the world.
