Oral History Project in Tanzania – Being unsure about your future is never satisfying and can be quite scary. Its hard as a young man, or woman to think about what you want, or need to do in order to reach a level of success that makes you feel fulfilled, proud and accomplished. I believe thats what NSCC International tries to do. I could say for me, thats exactly what they have done.  Travel, meeting new people, story telling, documentation and preserving history are career traits that motivate me. NSCC International has allowed me to experience all of those and for that I’m forever grateful.

Ive struggled for awhile trying to figure out my passion and purpose, but its a lot more clear now that I have had the amazing opportunity to go into the field and challenge myself. The things I’ve done, the people I’ve met, and the sights I’ve seen will be with me forever. I have been able to build some beautiful relationships with people that I’ve learned so much from. I was lucky enough to work on skills I wouldn’t be able to back home and I created a list of things I now know I need to work on. I don’t think I could of prepared myself better for the industry than coming to Arusha and Mikumi to get extra hands on experience. I came here with an idea of what it would be like and I couldn’t have been more wrong about the good things and the bad things.

Although this trip has changed my life, it has not all been sunshine and rainbows. There were some harder times that challenged me physically, mentally and emotionally. Ive had experience traveling in the past and I like to think I handle stressful or uncomfortable situations well, but there are things that will always effect you and they come in different forms. During this trip one of my newest cameras I was using to document and interview people with broke, and I can not get it fixed until I return home. Not only will this effect the content I produce but it will make shooting video and photo a lot more difficult for me. I have to work around it and make due with what I have. On top of that I may have pulled a muscle in my upper quad which has demotivated me and makes it harder to get around. Although it would be the perfect excuse to take a day off and rest up I couldn’t imagine stepping back from the daily activities to take a break. These are a few of the big challenges I’ve had to deal with, but they have only made me stronger.

I can say my experience has been more positive then negative. Ive learned more skills behind the camera taking photos and shooting videos. I have been documenting a lot of this trip so I’ve practiced things I did not know much about like audio, composition, lighting and media management. One of my favourite things to do is talk to people, and Ive luckily been able to work on my communication skills while being over seas. The skills I’ve discovered and the skills I’ve worked on during this trip have made me a better interviewer, a better journalist, and a better friend. Having the ability to communicate allows you to gain access to situations you wouldn’t normally have the chance to be apart of, because of this I’ve built amazing relationships with great people that will be apart of my life for a very long time. I’ve had the chance to work in extremely diverse groups with people from all different cultures, races and religions. We all kept a strong, open mind and learned a great deal from one another. I’ve gratefully seen so many beautiful sights. No exaggeration when I say my breath has been taken away from the large mountains and hills that are surrounded by bright green vegetation.

Because of this adventure I have learned a lot about myself and where I want to be in the future, for that I am better off.

Joshua Saunders

Radio & Television Journalism Student

NSCC Ivany Campus