I sat down outside on a nice autumn day with Cory McAbee, a good friend, world traveler, father of three, musician, and talented filmmaker who’s made great films such as The American Astronaut, Stingray Sam, and Crazy & Thief.

In addition to making films, Cory’s an actor, director, graphic designer, and so much more! Cory does a lot of traveling with work and loves every minute of it. He travels to film festivals and also across the country playing music and teaching classes. Most recently, he’s been working on a global collaborative project called Captain Ahab’s Motorcycle Club. The project has people around the world contributing music and graphic design, with individuals designing chapter patches that represent the club in their own countries and languages. The end result of this project will be a feature film shot in many countries called The Embalmers Tale. 

But back to the interview. I smiled awkwardly; it was the first time I had done a verbal interview. Luckily, Cory is a very gracious friend and made me feel at ease.

ANEVAY: First question. Out of all the places you’ve visited, which was your favorite?

CORY: It’s difficult to say, I like different places for different reasons. It depends on the company I keep and the reasons for being there.

ANEVAY: Maybe your top five?

CORY: Russia. In Moscow and St. Petersburg I had an amazing time unlike anything I’ve experienced before. I also loved Brazil. I’d really like to live in Tasmania, Australia. It’s beautiful, with very clean air. There’s no land mass between there and Antarctica.

I also love Edinburgh, Scotland. It’s physically the most beautiful city I’ve seen. In Mexico, I love the food, and I spent a week going to where all the monarch butterflies migrate. It was magical.

ANEVAY: Why do you like to travel?

CORY: I like the adventure. Wherever I’ve traveled, it’s usually been for work, and I like to work. I wanted to create something where money wasn’t the goal, and build a dialogue between people around the globe. Captain Ahab’s Motorcycle Club is the global community that will eventually create the feature film, entitled The Embalmer’s Tale, about Abraham Lincoln’s funeral. Crazy and Thief’s festival tour provided an opportunity to expose CAMC to international film audiences.

ANEVAY: How has international experience impacted your life?

CORY: International experience has made me understand where I’ve come from and has made me appreciate what I have. It has also made me understand people from other countries a lot better.
 

ANEVAY: How can international experience change people’s lives?

CORY: It really depends on the individual.

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I totally agree that what a person gets out of travel and international experience varies depending on the individual. For example, if I were to spend time in a country for a week instead of three years, then I would get to know that place on different levels. From my experience, staying for a long time in one place allows me to get to know the culture better than if I were only staying a week. Also, a herdsman from Mongolia will have a different impression of the jungle in Peru than I might.

Cory, thank you. I appreciate the time you took to tell me about your travels and your work, and can’t wait to see The Embalmers Tale!

Anevay Darlington is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program

All photos courtesy and copyright Cory McAbee