S2E34: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Raingsey Tevy of Cambodia

In this our thirty-fourth (34th) episode of Season 2, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international student Raingsey Tevy of Cambodia about his experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States. 

(Originally recorded November 2023)

1:19 - Meet Raingsey!

Copyright © Seattle Colleges International Programs 2023. All rights reserved. For more information about being an international student at Seattle Colleges, please visit intl.seattlecolleges.edu

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Transcript

Evan Franulovich: 0:05

Welcome to Seattle Colleges, International Programs and our show Conversations with! where we talk to people that help you understand how you too, can be an international student in the United States and why Seattle Colleges should be your first choice. We'll talk to students and staff and agents and government folks, all kinds of people about what you can expect when you're getting ready to apply or travel here, what you'll experience while you're with us, and how it can all lead to an amazing life. Don't forget to check out the Seattle Colleges International Programs website at intl.seattlecolleges.edu where you can find a treasure trove of information about the school, the programs here and best of all, fill out and submit your application. Again, that's intl.seattlecolleges.edu Hey, everybody, it's Evan Franulovich. Welcome back to Conversations with! this young man who's come all the way from the country of Cambodia and is our first guest from Cambodia. Welcome Raign.

Raingsey Tevy: 1:23

Hello!

Evan Franulovich: 1:24

How are ya?

Raingsey Tevy: 1:24

Good. It's nice to be here.

Evan Franulovich: 1:26

It's great to have you. Thanks. I'm really interested in your story and where you're coming from. So let's get right into it.

Raingsey Tevy: 1:34

Okay.

Evan Franulovich: 1:35

You've been here how long?

Raingsey Tevy: 1:37

I've been here for about, I think five months.

Evan Franulovich: 1:41

Five months. All right. So not too long. But long enough to get a sense for what Seattle is like. Is this your first time in the US?

Raingsey Tevy: 1:49

No, this is my third time actually. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 1:52

Third time?

Raingsey Tevy: 1:53

Well, I went here with my sister and like, I... yeah, and there's a second time when I visited when she graduated and got her bachelor's. This is my third time.

Evan Franulovich: 2:03

Wow. Third time world traveler.

Raingsey Tevy: 2:06

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 2:07

That's great. Have you... Did you see any other parts of the United States when you came before?

Raingsey Tevy: 2:12

My first time coming here? I went to like several states on like a road trip with my uncle. He, he like travels a lot. And he like does like a lot of international like things. So he took us, he took me and my family around to like, like Texas. We went to California. We went yeah, like around the West Coast. Cool. And we also went to like Arizona.

Evan Franulovich: 2:35

Oh, yeah?

Raingsey Tevy: 2:36

And yeah, it was. It's like very interesting. How like, like, the country is so big. So different states with different cultures and traditions. And yeah...

Evan Franulovich: 2:45

Yeah. So having seen so much of the country, like what's been your favorite place?

Raingsey Tevy: 2:51

Oh, definitely. Seattle.

Evan Franulovich: 2:52

Really?

Raingsey Tevy: 2:53

Yeah. Cuz I really like the, like the people and I think... a lot of the people I talked to like my, the who came from Cambodia also, like really like, like my family. They also think that Seattle was one of the best. And, yeah, I like the city a lot. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 3:15

We'll Seattle is one of my favorite cities as well. My favorite city is New York. I love New York. I've never lived there. I've always lived on the West Coast. I love the west coast. But I want to visit New York someday. You should definitely do. But Seattle is like at the top. Top three. I love San Francisco as well. Did you go to San Francisco?

Raingsey Tevy: 3:33

Um, I think I heard a people in New York are louder and stuff, which like...

Evan Franulovich: 3:39

A little faster pace of life...

Raingsey Tevy: 3:42

And like people in Seattle are, like quieter or like they don't. I know. Like people say they leave you alone more. But I think it's like, and they don't really talk much. But I think that's a good thing. Because I don't. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 3:53

You're kind of quiet.

Raingsey Tevy: 3:55

Yeah, yeah. More quiet.

Evan Franulovich: 3:57

So well, that's really interesting. You say that. So people don't like talk to you on the street? Or...?

Raingsey Tevy: 4:03

Well, maybe if they have like a question on something. Not... there's not. There's like some small talk, I would say that they can like an elevator or something. But not like they just randomly like walk up to you. And just start a lot of kinds of conversations, long conversations.

Evan Franulovich: 4:20

Right. Well, I mean, we have a huge Asian community in Seattle, people from all over Asia. So they probably don't even realize you're an international student. They probably just think you're just another person from Seattle that was born here. And but yeah, the domestic students that you are in class with are. So let's talk about this your first quarter? Yep. Do you have a lot of domestic students in your classes?

Raingsey Tevy: 4:49

So I have classes in North and Central. Oh, and I have more domestic students in North than in Central.

Evan Franulovich: 4:57

Interesting.

Raingsey Tevy: 4:58

Oh, well. Actually, I think it's kinda unfair, because my central class is strictly for international students.

Evan Franulovich: 5:04

Yes, sure.

Raingsey Tevy: 5:05

It's the introduction to American college and it's called ISD 200. It's mandatory. Either I had the option to pick either IC 200 or HTC 100, I think. But that started at like 6pm to 7pm at North. So I thought it was too late. So I picked the one from 2:00 to 2:50 here.

Evan Franulovich: 5:25

Oh, cool. And what? So I've had a number of my guests talk about that class, but I've never actually had them a describe what it is. Can you talk about what is the introduction to American college, whatever.

Raingsey Tevy: 5:39

So at the beginning of the quarter, we talked a lot to each other. And we like exchange contacts with our like classmates, and we've been doing like group projects. And we, the teacher also brings like guest speakers from this school, like, we had a security, like the security department we had, like, sexual health... like a person come. And we learned a lot about Seattle, and our final like press exam or think it's actually a presentation, which we had to go to four different locations in the city by a Museum, a tourist attraction or library and the last ones escaping me, but I learned like a lot from like other people's experiences and like, well, one thing I can say is that, like, when you get a library card, you can also get a museum pass so that you can go to one of the museum or aquarium or Azusa Street for free. I did not know that. Yeah, a lot of people didn't know that, yeah. And I only learned it from another student who was doing that presentation. But there are some like restrictions. So you have to check their website. The Seattle Public Library website.

Evan Franulovich: 6:55

Good to know. Yeah. So if you're a student already here, and you didn't know that I'd check it out, because that's a really amazing benefit. So which museum Did you visit?

Raingsey Tevy: 7:04

Um, I went to see the Asian Art Museum and I found stuff from my country, which I was very excited about, because like, yeah, yeah, there's not much representation. Like, like, I don't hear when I watch US TV shows or movies or anything. Like, I don't hear much from Cambodia. So like seeing... just anything, it's like, really exciting.

Evan Franulovich: 7:24

Most Americans don't know where Cambodia is they...

Raingsey Tevy: 7:27

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 7:28

I mean, they know generally kind of where it is, but like, they would have a hard time finding it on a map. But it's a great country. If you haven't been to Cambodia, I highly recommend it. Most people go to Angkor Wat and check out you know, check out the it's a World Heritage Site. It's amazing. But Phnom Penh is a great city to which is where you're from? Yeah?

Raingsey Tevy: 7:50

Yeah, I was born and grew up there. But I've visited most of the country sites and stuff.

Evan Franulovich: 7:55

Yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 7:56

Yeah, I think it's very pretty.

Evan Franulovich: 7:59

It's really pretty.

Raingsey Tevy: 8:00

Yeah, I'll always stay in the city to live there. I don't think I can live in the countryside.

Evan Franulovich: 8:06

I took a bus from Phnom Penh to see Emery which was nice because it gave me a chance to see the countryside. I mean, because that's, it's a, I don't know, was it four or five hour bus ride? I can't remember.

Raingsey Tevy: 8:19

Was it a profit tour group or? It wasn't like...

Evan Franulovich: 8:19

Super cheap. No, I just took a public bus.

Raingsey Tevy: 8:24

Okay.

Evan Franulovich: 8:24

Which was great. I mean, it was like, I don't even remember but it was not very expensive.

Raingsey Tevy: 8:28

Yeah, but I don't think the public transportation system and what it's like nowhere near as good as here. So...

Evan Franulovich: 8:35

Well, that's interesting you say that. That could be but if you're a tourist like I was like in Phnom Penh, I would I'd hire a driver or, or I would get like a, an ebike and just cruise around on my own, which was great. And it was cheap. So yeah, yeah. I rented a scooter when I got to see Emery and I had it for like three days. And I think it cost me 15 bucks or something. It was really cheap. Yeah. It was cool. And I got to stay. Not to talk about my trip. Cambodia, just a really I promote it because not many people visit there. But they really should because it's got a lot to offer. I stayed in a tiny village outside of the city, out in the rice fields. And it was during the Chinese New Year because I was living in China. So I was there for vacation. And it was really dry. Hadn't the rainy season hadn't started yet. So it was really pretty really cool. And I got to experience village life, which is quite a bit different than being in the city.

Raingsey Tevy: 9:43

Yeah, so I grew up. I studied in an international school in Cambodia. And that's how like I'm speaking English like more fully than other people.

Evan Franulovich: 9:52

For sure.

Raingsey Tevy: 9:52

And for our field trips, we would visit the country size and we will stay in next one some of their buildings with like our classmates.

Evan Franulovich: 10:00

Yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 10:01

And it's always like, great to like spend time like playing games and at night we will see the stars together. The food is always like the best because sometimes they just grow with their or... Yeah, its great.

Evan Franulovich: 10:13

Have you found... now we were talking earlier about um... You know, there's a lot of Vietnamese restaurants in Seattle. There's a lot of Thai restaurants, but any Cambodian restaurant? I haven't found any.

Raingsey Tevy: 10:28

So like when my parents came, or like family came here, we they can't really eat like Western food. It's because like, they only grew up with Asian food. So like, we always looked for like Cambodian restaurants. But we, we couldn't find much. So the closest was like Thai or Vietnamese.

Evan Franulovich: 10:46

Right, right.

Raingsey Tevy: 10:47

Yeah, cuz...

Evan Franulovich: 10:48

Tons of that. And do you like Thai and Vietnamese food?

Raingsey Tevy: 10:53

Yeah. But I want to like experiment with other like, food from other countries, of course.

Evan Franulovich: 10:59

Right.

Raingsey Tevy: 11:01

I want to try eating like more Western and more like, African cuisines?

Evan Franulovich: 11:08

Yeah, amazingly, we have a very large African community. So there are quite a few African restaurants to choose from. But it's very international cities, so you can find just about anything. If you know of a Cambodian restaurant out there, let us know. Send us a message in the comments or something. And we'd like to find it.

Raingsey Tevy: 11:27

I know some restaurant with Cambodian owners, but they don't like serve Cambodia food. I think there's this one place, I think it's like Long Beach, California or something that has like the biggest Cambodian population.

Evan Franulovich: 11:41

Right.

Raingsey Tevy: 11:42

But yeah, we're not close.

Evan Franulovich: 11:46

Yeah. But if you get down to LA, I mean, LA has a lot to offer for sure. Well, that's really cool. So you are going to an international school. In Cambodia, your sister had already left for the United States.

Raingsey Tevy: 11:58

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 11:59

And did you always know you wanted to be an international student? Or you were just inspired by her?

Raingsey Tevy: 12:04

Well, I didn't always want to, but like, the more I grew up, like, the more I heard from her about, like, the more like I visited the US, I really like, yeah, it grew on me. So I want to make a change of scenery. So yeah, my parents were supportive of it.

Evan Franulovich: 12:24

Oh, they were?

Raingsey Tevy: 12:25

Yeah, they're very, like, they're, they're the reasons that me and my sister get to come here at all. So yeah. I think I like it. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 12:34

Is it just the two of you?

Raingsey Tevy: 12:35

Yeah. It's just us.

Evan Franulovich: 12:37

So your parents basically are?

Raingsey Tevy: 12:40

I have cousins, too.

Evan Franulovich: 12:41

Oh, sure. Yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 12:42

Yeah. But my parents are still in Cambodia.

Evan Franulovich: 12:44

Gotcha. So, but you didn't wait until you graduated from high school to come here?

Raingsey Tevy: 12:49

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 12:51

You know, we have what's called the high school completion plus program here. And a lot of international students don't fully understand it. And we want to keep promoting it. Because it's such an amazing opportunity. Can you tell the listeners, what it is, and why you and your parents thought it was such a great deal.

Raingsey Tevy: 13:12

So I'm 16. And studying here in the high school completion program. And how I found out about was from my sister. And how she found out about it was from like club fair in one of the international schools in Cambodia, where they promoted like the program, which allows people that are 16 to come to the US and I'm not sure. I think it's in like some states, not all states.

Evan Franulovich: 13:46

It's really just the state of Washington.

Raingsey Tevy: 13:48

Yeah. And you're allowed, you're able to get your Washington High School Diploma here and continue your study to. And yeah, and she found about it through Green River College. They had like one of the booths and she talked to them and learned about it there. So it will be really good if Seattle Colleges had that.

Evan Franulovich: 14:09

Yeah, sure. We're working on it.

Raingsey Tevy: 14:12

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 14:14

Well, that's good to know. So it's so you all so the high school completion plus program, he's he's finishing a US high school diploma, at the same time, that he's doing his first two years of university work. I think that's what a lot of people don't understand. They think, well, he's just going to the US to go to high school, but that's not the case.

Raingsey Tevy: 14:35

I forgot to mention.

Evan Franulovich: 14:35

Yeah. You're really doing university work.

Raingsey Tevy: 14:38

Yeah, I'm doing my, um, in two years. I'll get my Washington High School diploma and my associate's degree, and I'm studying a pre engineering right now. Yeah. I want to become a computer engineer in the future.

Evan Franulovich: 14:50

Very cool. And then he'll transfer to a four year school in, he'll do his junior and senior year and be done with his bachelor's degree. So for you, you'll be 20 years old when you have your bachelor's degree.

Raingsey Tevy: 15:03

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 15:03

That's amazing. That's a really great.'A' you save all that money that you would have spent on tuition at a private school in Cambodia. And you save those two years of time. Yeah. And by going to a community college for your first two years of university work, you save a bunch of money that way as well. So it's a huge win.

Raingsey Tevy: 15:23

Yeah. And you just have to, like, be prepared, be ready. Just love the preparation that comes and you had to, like say goodbye to your family. Yeah, it's hard. But you can I think anyone listening can do it.

Evan Franulovich: 15:41

Yeah, if you're a little adventurous. And if you're a good student, I think it's a great program for

Raingsey Tevy: 15:47

I'm also like, very privileged to be able to you. Yeah. come here at all. And not a lot of people get the opportunity. So like...

Evan Franulovich: 15:55

Right. I mean, it's nice. Your sister is already here. So let's talk about housing for a second. You're living with your sister.

Raingsey Tevy: 16:02

Yes. So originally, when she came here, she lived in a dorm with her other classmates or something.

Evan Franulovich: 16:11

Sure.

Raingsey Tevy: 16:12

Yeah. And now she has like an apartment that she's renting. So I'm staying with her.

Evan Franulovich: 16:18

Right. Which which part of the city? Do you guys have an apartment?

Raingsey Tevy: 16:21

It's in Lake City.

Evan Franulovich: 16:25

I don't know where that is.

Raingsey Tevy: 16:26

Oh, it's more north. Yeah, I'm only going to be in Central for one quarter. All my classes are going to be at North from now.

Evan Franulovich: 16:35

Gotcha.

Raingsey Tevy: 16:36

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 16:37

So you'll be all at North Seattle College. Cool.

Raingsey Tevy: 16:40

I think I actually prefer the North Campus over this.

Evan Franulovich: 16:43

Really? why is that?

Raingsey Tevy: 16:44

Um, well, I don't like living in the city. So like, but like the design of the buildings are better here. But it's more quiet at North. And yeah, I think I prefer that

Evan Franulovich: 17:02

Sure. Well, that's the cool thing about our over... school is that we have three campuses to choose from. We've got south, central and north. And you really can kind of pick and choose like the environment where you're going to thrive in your case you like something a little quieter. Yeah, Central is definitely a little more rowdy, I guess because we're in the city. Rowdy is not the right word. It's a little more. A lot more people walking around and a lot more active. So yeah, maybe it's more lively, I suppose is the right word. But, but I like North too. I think it's kind of cool. It's got kind of a campus feel to it. And it is quiet. But there's enough students. There's quite a few international students there.

Raingsey Tevy: 17:45

Yeah. Actually, one of the only other person I know that's doing the high school completion program is also from like North like mainly studies at North. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 17:58

And what country are they from?

Raingsey Tevy: 17:59

Vietnam.

Evan Franulovich: 18:00

Oh, from Vietnam.

Raingsey Tevy: 18:01

Yeah. Mostly, most of the people I've met are Vietnamese. And I've only met like one person that was like Thai. No, Cambodians.

Evan Franulovich: 18:08

Really? I think you may be our only Cambodian student at this time. Oh, we are trying to change that. Gina Nakamura is our regional representative that handles Southeast Asia. So if you're in Cambodia, or actually anywhere in Southeast Asia, you can contact her and get information about coming to school here. That kind of thing. Wow, really cool. What do you do for fun?

Raingsey Tevy: 18:36

I play bass and guitar. Really? Yeah. I like to listen to music. So like, sometimes I just, I don't want just listen. So I want to do something with it. So sure. I will try. I try to sing too. Yeah, but it's not as good. And yeah, I also like to draw because we'll during like my classes. Sometimes I get bored. So I just do it a lot. Just like and at home I like to just do full on drawings.

Evan Franulovich: 19:02

Well, since you're going to be at North, You know North has a really great art department there. So if you have the opportunity to take some like electives. There's some great art classes. I don't know about their music program. But as far as music goes, you know, Seattle's a great city for music. Yeah, you're 16. So maybe a little young to get into the clubs. But there's some places you might be able to get into where they have both younger and older people because they're just showing bands. But yeah, check out the music scene. You know, there's the famous band Nirvana and Pearl Jam. They're from Seattle. So yeah. You ever played in a band?

Raingsey Tevy: 19:42

Well, in my old high school. We had like concerts where the teachers were group a bunch of students from different like, like from drugs from violence and stuff.

Evan Franulovich: 19:54

Yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 19:55

It's not like technically a band, but I played in like concerts like most years. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 19:59

Cool. Do you miss music? do you miss playing in a band kind of situation?

Raingsey Tevy: 20:03

Yeah. I wanted to start a band when I came here, but I'm not sure if that's the... cause like, I'm still meeting more people. Sure. So yeah. If it's possible, then I would. Yeah. But I miss it. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 20:18

Right. Well, there's some great events that the international programs, or the international ambassadors, which are students like you who get into positions of leadership. They put on events every quarter, like this quarter, they did like an international night, which featured talent. So you could have played that show if you'd wanted to. They also did a Halloween party. Did you go to the Halloween party?

Raingsey Tevy: 20:40

I did. The one at central, Right?

Evan Franulovich: 20:42

You did?

Raingsey Tevy: 20:43

Yeah. I went to the north one and the central one.

Evan Franulovich: 20:46

North had a Halloween party?

Raingsey Tevy: 20:47

Yeah. But it was like more quiet. Where like everyone was seated in. Yeah. And it was just talking but in here everyone was standing and dancing. Yeah, it was like they do at night too. Yeah, it

Evan Franulovich: 20:57

This was a party. was. It was really fun. It was really fun. Yeah, I was there taking pictures... I don't remember seeing you. I mean i have to look through my footage.

Raingsey Tevy: 21:07

I came later in the like, like halfway. And yes, that was my first Halloween too.

Evan Franulovich: 21:15

Yeah. Cool. Did you wear a costume?

Raingsey Tevy: 21:18

I did. I went as Harry Potter. Because that's great. Yeah, cuz a lot of people say look I look like him.

Evan Franulovich: 21:23

A little bit. Yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 21:24

Yeah. So yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 21:26

Have you read the books?

Raingsey Tevy: 21:27

I've only seen like, half? Like, like, seven of the movies?

Evan Franulovich: 21:32

Seven. Oh, my gosh.

Raingsey Tevy: 21:33

I don't know. They make a lot. So I don't remember how much but I haven't read the books.

Evan Franulovich: 21:37

Right, right. Well, I have a friend of mine. And she like keeps trying to get me to read the books. I'm like, I just can't do it. Can't do it.

Raingsey Tevy: 21:44

I want to but they're really long, right? Like...

Evan Franulovich: 21:47

They're pretty long. Yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 21:48

And there's a lot of them. So like, it's intimidating.

Evan Franulovich: 21:51

Yeah. So one thing a lot of people ask about is getting a visa. And sometimes Southeast Asia students in Southeast Asia have a harder time getting a visa but wonder what your process was like?

Raingsey Tevy: 22:08

So I would meet with like an agent.

Evan Franulovich: 22:12

Oh, you did?

Raingsey Tevy: 22:13

Yeah. I don't think it costed money. So like it was through it was part of like this, I think is like a school called ACE. And they would arrange like, my I-20 or anything I needed. And they will talk me through the process of like getting to the interview, like the requirements.

Evan Franulovich: 22:35

Right?

Raingsey Tevy: 22:35

Yeah. And and I had last year, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to talk about this. But I went to the like embassy the US embassy to do an interview. That lasted, the actual interview was quite short. They just asked like, some questions, some basic questions so that they know that you're prepared.

Evan Franulovich: 22:50

Right.

Raingsey Tevy: 22:50

But there's like a long like line. And yeah, and the wait was like, they tell you like immediately, like, after you're done with the interview, like if you got the visa or not,

Evan Franulovich: 23:02

Right.

Raingsey Tevy: 23:02

So like leading up to that I was so like, nervous.

Evan Franulovich: 23:05

You're nervous.

Raingsey Tevy: 23:06

Yeah. Like, I know, you weren't supposed to, like tell people that you're going until like you know for sure. I told some of my close friends. So if I didn't get that visa, and I stayed here after all. It would've been not good.

Evan Franulovich: 23:24

So from the time you got your I-20 to the time you actually had your interview in Cambodia, what's the waiting time?

Raingsey Tevy: 23:34

To get my I-20?

Evan Franulovich: 23:36

Once you get it, like then you use the I-20 to set up your interview. So when you set up your interview, how long was it before you actually went and did it?

Raingsey Tevy: 23:48

Let me, I'm not 100% sure. Maybe it was like a month.

Evan Franulovich: 23:53

Okay.

Raingsey Tevy: 23:54

Cuz it's also like the first time I got my I-20 it was the wrong major. It was like liberal arts or sciences.

Evan Franulovich: 23:59

Okay.

Raingsey Tevy: 24:00

So I asked him to switch it to a pre engineering degree.

Evan Franulovich: 24:02

Right.

Raingsey Tevy: 24:03

So yeah, I think you just have to check for sure. Like, if you want to know.

Evan Franulovich: 24:09

Right, a month is about right. But check the State Department site if you're in Cambodia, and you're interested in how long it will take before... because you can apply to the school.

Raingsey Tevy: 24:19

Oh, yeah, one thing I want to mention is that you also can only come to the US a month before the program starts. So and I actually went six hours early. So I was like, kind of a bit like stressed in the airport because they asked to like look and check because like, I like there's like the timezone differences too. So accident got wrong. But everything ended up being fine. They let me in.

Evan Franulovich: 24:47

So you mean so you can be here 30 days early, but you were six hours before 30 days.

Raingsey Tevy: 24:52

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 24:54

Did they noticed it or you did?

Raingsey Tevy: 24:56

They noticed it. I didn't know until at the... I was already in like San Francisco...

Evan Franulovich: 25:00

Right.

Raingsey Tevy: 25:01

It was like, I went from Cambodia to Taiwan to San Francisco to Seattle.

Evan Franulovich: 25:07

And well, I mean, I can't imagine they would have held you up. I mean, what would they have done? I put you in a hotel or I don't know what they do. Wow. Okay, so you got through. That was good. And then you just came your sister picked you up at the airport?

Raingsey Tevy: 25:22

Yep. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 25:23

So you know, you'd already been here twice before, but like, what's been your biggest culture shock? Like a lot of students ask about, you know, they kind of think of living in America is going to be different.

Raingsey Tevy: 25:34

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 25:36

And It is. But like, what's been your, like, the strangest thing or?

Raingsey Tevy: 25:42

This isn't a good thing. But the drug problem. Yeah, there's a lot of like marijuana stores? And in Cambodia, it's like prohibited.

Evan Franulovich: 25:50

Oh, for sure. Yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 25:51

Like, you see a lot of people smoking but no one doing drugs. It's usually more hidden. So coming to the US was like, like, every where you go, you see the green symbol. Yes. And it's a bit like shocking. I also like thought that most of American people. Like I heard a lot of stories about like racism and stuff. So I was worried about that. But like, people are

Evan Franulovich: 26:17

Oh, great. I'm glad you've had that experience. really nice. So note about the drugs. But so it's true. The use of marijuana in the in the state of Washington is legal. It's still illegal on a federal level. But within, I think I don't remember how many states in the United states have passed laws where it's legal within that states for personal use. So that is different. That is very different, for sure. But yeah, I mean, it like most industrialized countries around the world, you know, we have a drug problem with certain segments of the population.

Raingsey Tevy: 26:54

Some good cultural shocks as well. I'm not sure if this counts, but it's like my first time seeing like the leafs turn red and going through the season. So I'm really excited about that.

Evan Franulovich: 27:04

Right.

Raingsey Tevy: 27:04

My country is just hot, or it's like wet and dry seasons.

Evan Franulovich: 27:08

Pretty much.

Raingsey Tevy: 27:09

Yeah. And there's also like, the public transportation system, like, although sometimes it's a bit messy with like, being like late and or buses arriving early. But most of the time, it works really well. So I can go like, anywhere I want.

Evan Franulovich: 27:26

Right? Yeah. It's amazing. You can do buses. You can do water taxis. You can do subways. I mean, there's all sorts of different things. Have you taken the train?

Raingsey Tevy: 27:36

The light rail?

Evan Franulovich: 27:37

No, Amtrak?

Raingsey Tevy: 27:38

Well, I don't think I did.

Evan Franulovich: 27:40

Yeah. Like say you want to, let's say you want to go down to Portland, Oregon for the weekend or something you get on the train here in Seattle, and go down to Portland, hang out in Portland and take the train back. And it's fairly inexpensive. And it's really comfortable. Yeah, they've got food on the train. They've got Wi Fi. It's really amazing.

Raingsey Tevy: 27:59

Do you know how much it costs? Or is it free for people under 18?

Evan Franulovich: 28:03

It's not free, but I think you check their website, but it's not super expensive. I recently went to Eugene, Oregon, which is much further in Portland. And I think one way was maybe 40 to $60 or something like that. Oh, so round trip. I think it was like maybe 80 or 90 bucks, which isn't too bad.

Raingsey Tevy: 28:23

Yeah, I didn't know. Is it common to just go like, for one day like? Or is it do you use these days, multiple days, because it's a long trip?

Evan Franulovich: 28:30

Well, when I go, I usually stay like a weekend or you know, three days. Usually. My mom lives in Salem, Oregon, so I'll take the train down to see them sometimes. Or I have a buddy who lives in Eugene, Oregon. So I'll take the train to go down there. You know, I leave here in like 7:22 in the morning, and I arrive in Eugene, which is quite aways by

like, 1: 28:50

15 in the afternoon. So it's, it's great.

Raingsey Tevy: 28:54

Okay.

Evan Franulovich: 28:54

I can get, I can get a lot of work done on the train because no one's bothered me, it's really cool. But for international students to keep it focused on you guys, it's a great way to see some of the countryside. I mean, because the views from the train are pretty good as you go down to your destination than when you get to your destination like Portland has a great light rail system. They have great bus system so you can get around the city if you need to. Or you know, get a couple international students together and do a little trip. You can also go to the eastern part of the state like I know you can get on the train here and go to like Spokane or even further even beyond that. Go into Montana. So, but you need time, but like you know, we have the Christmas holiday coming up.

Raingsey Tevy: 29:38

Oh, yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 29:39

What do you have plans for that?

Raingsey Tevy: 29:41

Not really, like, my it's just me and my sister. So we don't really celebrate like Thanksgiving or Christmas. But I mean, Yeah, there you get two weeks. Three Quarters. Yeah, seeing the decorations outside. It's nice.

Evan Franulovich: 29:59

It's pretty cool. Oh, oh, dear. That means it's Trivia Time. All right, well, you know that this is the part of the show where we ask you five questions. And if you get them all right, you'll be famous. If you get them wrong, shame upon your household. I'm just kidding. It's a safe space. There's no big deal if you get something wrong. All right. So first question of the day. What is the main way to get from Capitol Hill at Central to North Seattle College? What is the main source of public transportation?

Raingsey Tevy: 30:37

I use the light rail, which you can walk straight from North onto like a bridge to the light rail system. And I had someone introduce me like walk me over there.

Evan Franulovich: 30:51

Yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 30:51

It was it was very nice.

Evan Franulovich: 30:52

It's very easy to use. Nice. Good job. Now, second trivia question. What is the name of that line?

Raingsey Tevy: 31:02

E Line?

Evan Franulovich: 31:03

Not the E line. I'll give you a hint.

Raingsey Tevy: 31:12

One line.

Evan Franulovich: 31:13

It's the one line. That's right. They call it the one line because the one line starts at Northgate and it goes all the way down to...?

Raingsey Tevy: 31:20

to Angle Lake.

Evan Franulovich: 31:21

Yeah. All the way down past Angle Lake. Great. Okay. Third question. In Seattle, we have one really big major international airport. What is the name of that International Airport?

Raingsey Tevy: 31:37

SeaTec?

Evan Franulovich: 31:39

SeaTec! Very good. So if you're an international student, you're gonna be flying in. You'll be going through SeaTac. Great. What time in the morning. What time of the day did you arrive? Was it nighttime was a day?

Raingsey Tevy: 31:51

Oh, it was nighttime. Yeah. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 31:54

How long was your flight from Cambodia?

Raingsey Tevy: 31:56

Hopefully 15 hours. But when I arrived, it was like 2am or something?

Evan Franulovich: 32:04

Oh, really? That early.

Raingsey Tevy: 32:06

It was really late or early.

Evan Franulovich: 32:09

So was it a direct flight?

Raingsey Tevy: 32:10

No, no way.

Evan Franulovich: 32:11

No, you had to go. What? Singapore?

Raingsey Tevy: 32:13

No, Taiwan then San Francisco.

Evan Franulovich: 32:15

Taiwan and San Francisco. Oh, that's right. You said that earlier.

Raingsey Tevy: 32:17

Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 32:18

Right, right. Question number four. In the state of Washington, we have a capital just like the United States as a capital. What is the name of the city? That is the capital of Washington? It's a tough one.

Raingsey Tevy: 32:36

Like Seattle?

Evan Franulovich: 32:37

No, Seattle's not the capital. It's the biggest city in Washington. in the state of Washington.

Raingsey Tevy: 32:47

Like, um...

Evan Franulovich: 32:49

Starts with an O.

Raingsey Tevy: 32:54

Wait, can you repeat it again?

Evan Franulovich: 32:56

Sure. So what is the name of the capital of the state of Washington?

Raingsey Tevy: 33:03

The name? Um... Olympia?

Evan Franulovich: 33:09

Yes, it is Olympia! You pulled that out. That was amazing.

Raingsey Tevy: 33:14

I was trying to think of it for so long.

Evan Franulovich: 33:16

Wow. Good job. Yeah. Olympia and Olympia is on the Amtrak line. So if you want to just go down to Olympia for the day and check out the state capitol, walk around downtown, which is kind of a cool downtown. You can totally do that. And it would be cheap and not very far. Cool. Good job. All right. Question number five. Since you're a musician, who is your favorite band?

Raingsey Tevy: 33:45

Arctic Monkeys.

Evan Franulovich: 33:46

I like the Arctic Monkeys. That's kind of cool. Alternative. All right.

Raingsey Tevy: 33:53

I prefer playing rock songs too, because they're more exciting.

Evan Franulovich: 33:56

Oh, yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 33:57

But yeah, I listen to like music depending on my mood.

Evan Franulovich: 33:59

Right. Arctic Monkeys. Cool. Any really great Cambodian bands you recommend?

Raingsey Tevy: 34:11

I'm not sure about bands, but I know good art, like single artists.

Evan Franulovich: 34:16

Who's your favorite? It's gonna be Cambodian.

Raingsey Tevy: 34:20

Well, the most popular one is Vanda. And yeah. I don't listen to much Cambodian music. But yeah, he's very popular.

Evan Franulovich: 34:30

I'll check him out on AI music or iTunes or whatever. Well, cool. Well, great job. You did really well on the trivia portion of the program. Well, before we wrap this up, you know, I always give an opportunity to give your wisdom since you've been here a little while now. And they're starting to have gone through the process. There are people back home that are thinking about maybe doing it, they're a little nervous. What kind of advice would you give those kids that are thinking about it? Or the parents.

Raingsey Tevy: 34:58

Um, can I like give advice like before? Like, so like, I think...

Evan Franulovich: 35:08

You're on my podcast, you can do whatever you want.

Raingsey Tevy: 35:11

The people back home I think they should just like really enjoy the time in like high school, like before coming here, because like I really miss my friends a lot.

Evan Franulovich: 35:20

Yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 35:21

And yeah, I think if you want to, you should definitely like, Seattle Colleges has so much programs that will help you. The people are really nice. I don't think you should be like afraid. But yeah, please do it.

Evan Franulovich: 35:35

Yeah, it was do it.

Raingsey Tevy: 35:37

Yeah. Do a lot of research. Like know what to do. What you need to come here.

Evan Franulovich: 35:45

Yeah.

Raingsey Tevy: 35:45

Talk with people who are knowledgeable. Yeah.

Evan Franulovich: 35:49

Cool.

Raingsey Tevy: 35:50

Just basic advice.

Evan Franulovich: 35:51

And we need more Cambodian students. So don't be afraid, please. He's all by himself. So sad. Yeah, we got to give more Cambodian students. That would be cool. So we'll make a goal next year. Let's have five.

Raingsey Tevy: 36:04

Five?

Evan Franulovich: 36:06

I think that's a good goal. Don't you think? we can recruit five of your friends from your old high school.

Raingsey Tevy: 36:15

I'll tell them about it.

Evan Franulovich: 36:16

Yeah, get ready guys, pack your bags. Last thing is I get I've been giving my guests an opportunity to say something in their own language. There's probably a lot of our listeners who've never heard Cambodian before. I keep saying Cambodian. But that's not really the name of the language.

Raingsey Tevy: 36:31

Yeah, it's Khmer.

Evan Franulovich: 36:34

Yeah. It's very good. Thanks.

Raingsey Tevy: 36:35

You see in some documentaries, people say kmeh or like something, but it's Khmer.

Evan Franulovich: 36:41

Yeah, cool. Well, if you don't mind, you know, maybe like 15-20 seconds, worth of whatever you'd like to say, could be about going to school. It could be just saying hi to your family. Whatever you want to do. In my language? Yeah. Cool.

Raingsey Tevy: 36:57

(Raingsey speaking Khmer) I just want to thank everyone for just giving me the opportunity to come here and like the programs and the people in Central... and North and Central that that helped so much.

Evan Franulovich: 37:42

Well, you are welcome. We're so glad you're here. You know, we want people from all over the world because it creates diversity. And I think people can learn from each other about different cultures. And so glad you're here. It's really great. Well, thanks again for coming on the show or super thrilled that you're here. We'll see you around the north campus after this quarter. But thanks for stopping in.

Raingsey Tevy: 38:07

Thank you.

Evan Franulovich: 38:07

All right. Have a good one. Take care. Bye bye."Conversations with" is painstakingly crafted for you by the Seattle Colleges International Programs department and supported by the lovely folks here on our campus. This show is produced and edited by me Evan Franulovich. We welcome your emails and questions about coming to Seattle Colleges. Please reach out to us via our website or just give us a rating and a review on Apple podcast as this helps others discover the show. Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram Facebook, Tik Tok, or YouTube at SeattleCollegesIntl that's SeattleCollegesIntl and be sure to check out all of the shows hear conversations with thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.