Was it Really That Easy?

The first image is our first sight of the IE office, taken by Melissa; the second is our group with Travis Quezon, our interviewee, taken by Chetanya Robinson from Melissa’s phone on Oct. 23, 2017. (As shown: James, Melissa, Travis, Derrick, Sage, Erica)

Walking through the door to the office of the International Examiner was like releasing a breath after holding it for too long. From the shuffled, mismatched chairs to Travis’ friendly introduction, we were almost immediately calmed of our pre-interview nerves. The interview flowed easily, and we all found ourselves thinking about how good of a story teller Travis was. As Erica put it: “He was engaging; his stories were really interesting.” We found it extremely easy to talk to Travis, and he made it effortless to get any answers we needed. We all agreed that he made asking questions simpler than expected by the way he tended to answer multiple questions in one swoop. It was amazing experiencing first hand Travis’ sense of purpose for the information that the IE puts out, and his honest, open personality was refreshing. After leaving, James said that he was candid and a “cool cat.” James summed up his feelings by saying “I’d have a drink with him.”

Overall the office itself was unexpected. We first imagined a large, independent building and individual offices. We were instead faced with a homey, creative space with a very chill environment. It was surprising but made it easier to feel comfortable in the end. We all agreed it was an enjoyable experience.