Molly Cole

As I stepped off the bus, my eyes widened taking in the scene before me. All of my senses struggled to adjust. Cars whizzed past, seemingly ignorant of the thousands of people swarming the streets. The acrid yet somehow sweet smell of the red earth beneath my feet filled the air and overwhelmed my thoughts as we approached the doorway of the orphanage, anxious to escape the intense heat of the day. I stepped barefoot into a room crowed with faces staring at me expectantly. Not two minutes after our arrival, a three-month-old baby girl was thrust into my arms. Her sleepy eyes opened revealing all of the pain she had experience in her short life. A rush of emotions suddenly came over me…tears were streaming down my face.

In the days before our arrival in India, I did not know what was in store. Almost halfway through my journey around the world, I already had so many surprising and inspiring experiences that it was hard to imagine a country that could surpass everything. The chaos of the bazaars in Casablanca, the intense beauty and wonder of the Namibian desert, and the raw humanity in the South African townships all seemed insignificant compared to the road ahead. We docked in the southern port of Chennai, not exactly a tourist hotspot but still a city bustling with life. Seeing such incredible luxury represented in five-star hotels juxtaposed with the extreme poverty and hunger of the less fortunate begging on the streets outside all constituted an experience unlike any other. An impromptu opportunity arose to visit an orphanage devoted to the care of children with HIV/AIDS and I was the first to sign up. When we arrived at the orphanage, I was overwhelmed by the connection I felt to the women and children I encountered. It made me realize just how lucky I am to have been born into a nation of comparative wealth, but at the same time how unfair life is to other citizens of the globe.

When I first began my journey with Semester at Sea in the spring of 2009, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into an exclusive documentary filmmaking seminar run by a professional filmmaker and a faculty member with a general interest in storytelling and documentary production. As a part of this small seven-person team, I was given the opportunity to not only explore all aspects of filmmaking in an intimate setting, but was also able to portray first-hand accounts of experiences in countries many people will never visit in their lifetime. I have always had an interest in film, but my past experiences in this area all seem unimportant compared to what was accomplished through this course.

My eyewitness experience of many peoples of the world has been a catalyst to move forward. Learning the policies of the United States and other nations, analyzing political behavior and values, comparing justice and injustice in our ever-shrinking world, I have come to believe I can make a difference by telling these stories. Whether it is exploring the conditions of an orphanage in Chennai or examining the lives of the homeless on the streets of Los Angeles, I believe filmmaking can be a means to make a difference in the lives of both my audience and my subjects. I aspire to affect, inspire, and mystify in both fictional and non-fictional contexts. I have personally witnessed what the hand of fate has caused for many in the grand scheme of our global lives. My only wish now is to help others share in my experiences.