Strangers No More #3: Matus (5 images)

Matus is a friendly, hard-working, serious-minded, aspiring filmmaker from Slovakia. So how did I meet him? Well, we are currently coworkers. We're both working this summer at a KOA Campground just outside Glacier National Park. I am here as a retired nomadic "workamper", living in my trailer, working, and spending free time exploring the area. 

He is among about a dozen college students from such diverse countries as Slovakia, Mongolia, and Columbia participating in a U.S. student exchange program called J-1. Formally, "the Exchange Visitor non-immigrant visa category is for individuals approved to participate in work-and-study-based exchange visitor programs".

What that means is that these college kids are spending the summer gaining some work experience, improving their English, and learning more about the U.S. It is a fun group of young people I'm getting to know a bit. They will head back to their homes in the fall to continue their studies.

Except Matus Trisc. 

In Slovakia, he has already just earned his Masters degree in Screenwriting from the Academy of Performing Artists. So, instead of going back to school, he will be trying to get started in that challenging industry, with the goal of becoming a movie screenwriter or director. 

He would have been a "J-1" last year if not for Covid19. At 24, Matus is more mature by four or five years than the other students. He is anxious to get his career started and is always kicking around one or more ideas for screenplays in his mind.

Matus is well aware of the challenges ahead of him. One job he has already taken is writing film reviews for mojakultura.sk ("my Slavic Culture"). It will help develop his writing skills and hopefully help build some useful connections. He will also be looking to take on additional roles, hopefully in that industry. And working on more screenplays. Always working on screenplays. One of his favorite quotes is this one from Alfred Hitchcock: "To make a great film, you need three things, the script, the script, and the script."

I see big things ahead for this young man. It has been my pleasure to get to know him. We are strangers no more.