The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 06, 1998, Page 3, Image 3
A tijjjdijl
RingHng Bros. and
Barnum & Bailey Circus,
Feb. 6 to Feb. 9, Carolina
Coliseum.
^Edwln McCain w/ Angie
Aparo, Feb. 19, Elbow Room.
Friday, February 6,1998
?nee upon a
USC Masters
student returns
; after three years
in Peace Corps
staff writer PENESHIA GRAHAM
Moving from one location to another is rarely an
easy transition. There are new faces to get to know
and new places to become familiar with.
Few people move to other countries, but gradu
ate student Heather Griswell accepted this challenge,
^ and she says she doesn't regret doing so.
In November of 1994, Griswell began a three year
stay in Western Samoa, a third world country in the
South Pacific. As a Peace Corps volunteer, her assignment
was to teach business education at a secondary
school in Samoa.
She remembers how she felt leaving her family
and friends behind to pursue this mission.
nI felt scared and nervous because I was leaving
my family and everything I knew," Griswell said.
"But I was leaving to better myself and my country,
and to make Americans more aware, and that
^ made me feel happy and excited about the whole
thing."
The selection process was not an easy one. First
she had to complete a very long, detailed application.
To apply you must be at least 21 years old with
an undergraduate degree. Next, she traveled to the
Peace Corps regional office in Atlanta to be interviewed.
The panel in Atlanta then recommended
Griswell to the headquarters in Washington, D.C.
where she went for her final interview.
After being chosen, she had to take the legal steps
to obtaining a passport and she had to be medically
I examined. Finally, she had to wait to be assigned to
an area that matched in terms of that country's need
and her qualifications. Sometimes the wait is a few
months, sometimes it's over a year. Griswell only
waited six months before she was assigned.
Twenty other people traveled with Griswell, but
they were placed in other parts of the country. Before
beginning her assignment, she had to complete
a three month training session. She also lived with
a host family for a month, which helped her to
learn to speak Samoan.
Eventually she learned the language, but other
things took longer to get used to.
"The food is very, very bland over there. It's different
from anything American," Griswell said. "They
eat a lot of bananas and rice, and a lot of seafood."
Unlike in America, secondary schools in Samoa
range from the ninth grade to 13th grade. Griswell
taught accounting to 10th to 13th grades and economics
to 12th to 13th grades at an all boys secondary
school.
This proved to be an especially difficult task because
the students received no text books, and the
curriculum was New Zealand-based, meaning that
the classes were to be taught in English, Griswell
said.
Before she left, Griswell was able to get text books
for students in 12th and 13th grades, as well as
four computers for the school, an accomplishment
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During her free time, Grisweil traveled to Tdhga,
Fiji, Australia, the Cooke Islands and American
Samoa.
She was a member of the# Outrigger's Club and
, o she enjoyed hiking and rafting. Her other activities
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erty where she found refuge
at a neighbor's house.
There were many times (top) Griswell lived wit]
that she was sick. family is pictured above
On one occasion, she her to master the langua
contracted Dengue Fever,
an illness similar to Malar- Griswell taught at a Sam
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several weeks, part of the
time in which she lost her sight.
Griswell said she collected a lifetime of memories
during her three-year stay in Samoa She made friends
for life, and her boyfriend is Samoan.
"When I left my family it was hard, but I knew I
would see them again in three years, I knew my family
would always be there," said Griswell. "But it was
30 times harder leaving my friends in Samoa. We
would be 15,000 miles apart, and I knew that we
might never see each other again."
When asked if she would consider doing it all over
again, she did not hesitate.
"Yes, definitely," she said. "I would love to do it
all over again, but not anytime soon."
Griswell is now pursuing a masters degree in Education,
and working as a graduate assistant for the
Administrative Information Management department
(AIME) located on the ground floor of the Coliseum.
Her goal now is to become a business education
teacher. She feels that the experience she obtained
from being a teacher and volunteer with the Peace
Corps will help her to better teach American students.
'1 learned how to deal with another culture. I was
able to teach when there were no resources available.
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SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
I) a Samoan family for a month. Part of the
in their home. The living experience allowed
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loan primary school. Now, at USC, Griswell is
Inr^itlrtn
I am better prepared to help American kids," Griswell
said.
Being a Peace Corps volunteer has made Griswell
realize what a rich country America really is, and
how unaware American people sometimes are, she
said.
- ' For three years she was a part of a society where
people's main concern was making sure they had food
to eat and trying to stay healthy. They make their
own clothes, modest in comparison to what we have
here, Griswell said.
1 have done a 360 degree turn around," she said.
"I am not the same person I was when I left here in
1994."
Traveling to a third world country as a Peace
Corps volunteer is a tough responsibility, but a longtime
dream Griswell said she's glad she fulfilled.
The Peace Corps was started in 1961 by President
John F. Kennedy, and more than 150,000 people
have participated in the program since then. Volunteers
serve in 132 countries around the world.
She can be contacted at the AIME department at
777-6622 for details about the Peace Corps.
To learn more about the opportunities available
through the Peace Corps or to receive an application,
call is 1-800-424-8580.
AY, FEBRUARY 7,1998
10AM-5PM S))j
- vtS* /
visions of St. EOM, Christmas lights at Tiny
vn with a genuine cowboy, Grandma Prisby's
ition Mountain all in one place \ROUNA
STATE MUSEUM
CERVAIS STREET H0
alizing in men's cuts
ilso cuts for women
$8.00 cut
?1.00 (with student ID)
$7.00
its. necessary, walk-ins only
a
I
1
TTSf! nliin
the help of Paul Talbot and f|g
William Cooke, who also co-di- 11 J
rected. Michael Smith does the 11
special make-up effects in the ip
films. Smith's work includes crafting
plastic body parts and do- ||| ||
ing special-effects make-up.
Smith, Talbot and Miller co- jjflP
wrote the second film, which Talbot
directed. jeff M
Miller's first two films have sct of
shown atthe Nickelodeon The- pj-odu*
ater on Main Street Freak Show
has sold 70,000 copies around
the country and also has sold in foreign
countries. Hellblock 13 will come on
video this spring. Twenty years ago,
they would have played in the drive-in
movie when they were common," Miller
said.
Twenty years from now, everything
might be done by computers.
Miller's newest movie, Head Cheerleader
Dead Cheerleader, is about a
madman who harasses a group of cheerleaders
the night before a big football
game. Also, he comes into contact with
some of the football players and spooks
them.
Miller's goal is to finish it by Halloween,
an appropriate time for a new
horror film. He will be promoting the
movie with newspaper articles, fliers
and radio announcements.
The movie should be on video sev
eral months after its release.
"With the releases of the very successful
Scream,Scream 2, an&IKnow
What You Did Last Summer, it could
get a good release," Miller said.
As far as auditions are concerned,
Miller is looking for interested newcomers
between the ages of 18 and 25
as well as actors and actresses affiliated
with the movies.
"I am trying to discover the next
Neve Campbell," he said.
Some of Miller's past roles have been
filled by Giinnar Hansen, Veronica Carlrz~
_,
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Jeff Miller is in the midst of |||||f
re-making a movie Head Cheer- \Bm
leader Dead Cheerleader that hp 11111111
attempted five years ago.
However, the script is very i
different this time. Miller seems iBl
very enthusiastic about his new j|||||
movie, for which he is the writer,
director and producer.
It is the first time he has fully
assumed all three roles in
the making of his movies. ?M
A USC graduate with a de- Wm
gree in media arts, Miller has ||||||
been producing movies for five ||P||f
years in Columbia. In the past,
his movies have included USC pffi
students and graduates. His three ijfli
works are horror films Freak gpigj
Show, Hellblock 13 and Head llpp
Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader. 1:|||1
Miller wrote Freak Show with I ?
Find out jbbotHhe Peace
Corps. |
ittp//ww#^aicecorps.gov
anus
produce
ror flick
HHl A '. . I II
SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
tiler, USC alumnus, works on the
his upcoming movie. Miller writes,
ces and directs.
son, Debbie Kochon, J. J. North and
Amy Swaim. Hansen starred in
Freak Show with Veronica Carlson
and in Hellblock 13 with Rochon, North
and Swaim. Rochon and Swaim will be
in Miller's upcoming film, too.
Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader
is a very witty concept from the title to
the plot," Rochon said.
Auditions for Head Cheerleader
Dead Cheerleader will be between 10
a.m. and 4 p.m. Feb. 7 in the meeting ^
room at the Hampton Inn off 1-26 and
Highway 378 (Exit 110).
All the auditions are for speaking
roles, so Miller suggests those who are
interested in acting and who like hor
ror films should come out and try for
a part. After reading a dialogue, auditioners
will be asked to read and act
it out at the same time.
It wilt be a good learning experience,"
Miller said.
Those who receive a part will only
be needed for one or two days in late
spring and possibly a few days in the
summer, depending on the part. There
is no pay, but each person will receive
a percentage of the movie's profits.
Miller's future plans include an action-thriller
script and a biography on
a prominent figure.
He believes that these will be bigbudget
if they are made. In the meantime,
he will be working on other lowbudget
projects, too.
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