Written by Matthew Carroll
Photo by Leah Kennedy
With the smell of pizza in the air, Ethosians and non-Ethosians alike gathered last Thursday at Cozmic Pizza to enjoy Stories From Abroad. The event was organized by Ethos staff member Jay Peters, along with the Development team. After visiting family in Australia Peters was motivated to create an opportunity for students to share their own stories of traveling around the world. The event was also inspired by Journeys Abroad, a section featured in Ethos’ print magazine.
The tales of the night spanned the globe from Argentina to the far coasts of Japan, and touched each member of the audience in different ways. The stories ranged from problems while traveling abroad to experiencing culture shock, but the theme of telling exciting tales remained constant throughout the event.
“The theme appealed to me because I’d never done something like this and have wanted to,” Peters says.
Many storytellers provided comic relief for those who are worried about studying abroad. One storyteller, Ayan Jama, made audience members laugh out loud with her comical account of a trip to Spain gone awry. From her hilariously detailed accounts of riding the atrocious Atlanta International Airport subway train to her description of the dreamy Frenchman who got her safely to Spain, Jama kept her audience entertained throughout her time on stage.
Knowing a few of his friends had stories to tell, Peters invited them to present alongside Ethos staff members. One friend of Peters, Simone Walter, terrified the audience with her story of being incarcerated in Zimbabwe after being suspected of being a government spy. Another storyteller, Tim Zabinski, shared his adventure of risking his life to save endangered sea turtles from a catastrophic Japanese typhoon.
The stories told were so moving that one member of the audience got up and shared her own account of traveling to Istanbul, Turkey. Jocelyn’s stories told audience members of traditional life in Turkey, which most people wouldn’t see while traveling abroad as a tourist.
Regardless of the types of stories told, one theme was apparent: Stories from Abroad was an event that left the audience and participants thirsty for adventure.
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