A taste of home - a documentary mini-series exploring overseas culture through international student-athletes
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Abstract
This creative project used the media format of a documentary mini-series to investigate the experiences of collegiate level international student-athletes at Ball State University. It used qualitative interviews, conducted in the athlete’s native language with the aim of immersing the audience in the culture of the country, as well as learning about the athlete’s personal experiences and opinions on life in the United States (US) compared to home. Two athletes from two different sports, swimming and field hockey, were interviewed as well as one of their teammates across three separate interviews, two individual and one joint. The production was conducted by myself and a crew of Ball State Sports Link students that each had roles to fulfill during the production process. The project highlighted many positive and negative issues the athlete’s had with transitioning to the US such as missing family and building new friendships. It also gave an insight into many cultural aspects such as the landscapes and foods that were portrayed using engaging and immersive content. This project will help international student-athletes by providing them with a platform to express themselves in the most accurate and fun way, thus potentially improving their experience in the US.