The Laughers and the Listeners
By Jacob Turner
There are two kinds of people at 4am: the laughers and the listeners.
This past Thursday, as 32 sleep-deprived students and professors huddled in the RDU lobby, I was a listener. It was my coping method for a) being conscious that early (or that late?) and b) embarking on an anxiety-inducing day/week.
The San Cristóbal beach at sunset, taken on the first day!
The laughers among us cracked jokes about the trio of Chrises (?). No amount of tired could hold down Chris Ocana’s sarcasm. Chris Hill, our logistics guru/DJ/British expat, was a whirlwind, consistently inundated by small requests while managing the intricacies of COVID-era international travel for about 28 college students. And for his part, Chris Kammerer was almost put on a separate flight because his banjo wouldn’t fit in the overhead. A true motley crew, and I listened to it all.
At the start of any trip, the uncertainty looms large, and for a group of journalists the unpredictability of this trip is equally exciting as it is terrifying. On the first day, we asked ourselves the most basic questions: do I have my passport? Did that source ever text back? Am I really going to Quito right now? When we arrived, the questions became more tailored: what if this source spends 30 minutes detailing World War II history? Or alternatively, what if they welcome me into the most intimate part of their life? (Both are based on true stories.)
To weather the storm of powerful stories and strict deadlines, of broken Spanish and helpful strangers, of sunburn—this is a personal addition—and inescapable humidity, we laugh and listen as much as possible.
I am jealous of you, reader, for having the benefit of knowing what comes after this week whether it is future blog posts or even our final website. As of this writing, most of us are tired, not totally sure of our angle, and see a mountain of obstacles between us and a final product. Each story has pivoted at least twice, and at this early stage, I would expect at least two more.
Know the 33 people on this trip were deeply privileged to spend 10 days being confused and sticky and giggly and serious (sometimes all of that simultaneously) while reporting on San Cristóbal, with particular gratitude towards the countless sources, coaches, and strangers who have helped us along the way. For now, we’ll keep laughing and listening.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jacob Turner
Hi, I’m Jacob, a junior studying Political Science, Journalism, and Data Science. Fun fact: I harbor an irrational fear of crabs, as the Galápagos islands have made clear—no reason. They’re just freaky.
