Seattle Colleges International Programs presents... Conversations with!
Seattle Colleges International Programs presents... Conversations with!
S2E17: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Sophia Bruscato of Brazil
In this our seventeenth (17th) episode of Season 2, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international student Sophia Bruscato of Brazil about her experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States.
1:37 - Meet Sophia!
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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.
Evan Franulovich 1:08
Hey, everybody! It's Evan Franulovich here 'Conversations with!', conversations with Sophia. Welcome. How are you?
Sophia Bruscato 1:17
Thank you. I'm good. Thank you for having me.
Evan Franulovich 1:20
So great. I'm so glad you're here. This is our first episode, our first guest from Brazil. So yeah, welcome. Tell everybody who you are what you're doing here? What are you studying? That kind of stuff?
Sophia Bruscato 1:33
My name is Sophia. I'm from Brazil. And I'm getting an Associates Degree in Arts.
Evan Franulovich 1:39
The arts!
Sophia Bruscato 1:40
Arts and humanities.
Evan Franulovich 1:41
Really? Like, what kind of art?
Sophia Bruscato 1:43
Um, well, mostly I focus my degree in music, anthropology and journalism or creative writing.
Evan Franulovich 1:52
Really?
Sophia Bruscato 1:53
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 1:54
Interesting. That's so cool. I think you're the first person I've talked to you with that...
Sophia Bruscato 1:58
Really?
Evan Franulovich 1:58
... Kind of focus. That's really great. So what are you planning to do after you graduate? Where does your pathway lead? Do you think?
Sophia Bruscato 2:07
So, I'm graduating now in December 15.
Sophia Bruscato 2:10
Oh, congratulation.
Sophia Bruscato 2:11
Thank you. I'm applying for OPT, which is the yeah, the only way international students can work off campus. So it's a year of like an internship or a job in within your area. So I'm working on finding that position now.
Evan Franulovich 2:27
Okay. So you haven't found the position yet?
Sophia Bruscato 2:29
No, not yet.
Evan Franulovich 2:30
All right. Do you have some ideas where you want to go?
Sophia Bruscato 2:32
I do. I really would love to stay at central in central's community. And there's a, I believe, a job at the library.
Evan Franulovich 2:40
Oh, great.
Sophia Bruscato 2:41
So I'm looking at that and a couple other places in Seattle too.
Evan Franulovich 2:44
Alright. Well, good luck.
Sophia Bruscato 2:46
Thank you.
Evan Franulovich 2:46
A lot of our listeners asked about OPT. So what's the process of applying for it? How do you get in the mix.
Sophia Bruscato 2:56
So you need to gather some documents, like your visa, your passport, if you have one, a social security number, all these things and then apply through the USCIS, which is the US government. And then once you have all those documents gathered, you need to talk to your international advisor who's going to then update your i 20, which is another document.
Evan Franulovich 3:18
Right.
Sophia Bruscato 3:19
And then you're going to submit that application and in a couple months, you get an employment authorization card from the government. And then you're allowed to work. And so there's that it's a 60 day grace period between the end of your visa and that start of the OPT and those 60 days are kind of tricky, because you can't leave the country without that card or else you can't get back in. I'm not gonna have a family this Christmas.
Evan Franulovich 3:44
Oh, yeah. But what are you going to do? What are you gonna do with those 60 days?
Sophia Bruscato 3:49
Um, well, mostly good to spend them on finding a job. But also, I'm going to California for Christmas with my boyfriend. That's fine. Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 3:59
Which city?
Sophia Bruscato 4:01
Berkeley.
Evan Franulovich 4:01
I love Berkeley.
Sophia Bruscato 4:02
Me too.
Evan Franulovich 4:03
Are you gonna check out the UC campus while you're there?
Sophia Bruscato 4:05
Oh, yes, I've done so before. It was the first time I came to America. I went to California.
Evan Franulovich 4:10
Oh, really?
Sophia Bruscato 4:11
It's a special place. Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 4:12
San Francisco is probably one of probably my second favorite city behind New York.
Sophia Bruscato 4:16
Is the first one Seattle?
Evan Franulovich 4:18
No, Seattle be like number three. New York is hard to beat. San Francisco is awesome. But Seattle is really great too there. Yeah, they're just great places. Wow. So that's cool. You'll get to go down there for Christmas. What do you what do you do while you're there? Do you just get a hotel? Yeah, walk around?
Sophia Bruscato 4:35
He has family down. Okay, so we're gonna stay with them. And then I don't know.
Evan Franulovich 4:41
Well, this is a topic I've never brought up with when I guess but you said you're going to California with your boyfriend. So he's your boyfriend from Brazil? Or is he from the United States?
Sophia Bruscato 4:49
He's from Seattle. He's American.
Evan Franulovich 4:51
Well, you know, I'm sure that there are listeners out there that are thinking maybe I'll meet someone when I come to the United States. Do you mind if I ask? I know this is personal. Is it Okay?
Sophia Bruscato 5:01
Of course.
Evan Franulovich 5:01
So like, where did you guys meet? And has it been? I mean, obviously you're still together. So it's a positive experience. But has there been an adjustment? It's like, oh, it's weird going out with an American guy.
Sophia Bruscato 5:15
We met at Central actually at the art gallery where I also work.
Evan Franulovich 5:19
Okay, that's a cool gallery, by the way.
Sophia Bruscato 5:21
Yeah, I love it.
Evan Franulovich 5:22
I'll have you talking about it.
Sophia Bruscato 5:23
Of course, so he came in, like last year, and then he transferred to Udub, but that's how we exchanged contacts and got to know each other.
Evan Franulovich 5:33
Is he at Udub Seattle or Udub Bothell?
Sophia Bruscato 5:35
Seattle.
Evan Franulovich 5:36
Okay, cool. What's he studying?
Sophia Bruscato 5:38
Construction Management.
Evan Franulovich 5:39
Oh, good. Cool. All right. So you are cool. Well tell us since we just talked about the art gallery here at Central.
Sophia Bruscato 5:48
Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 5:49
It's really cool.
Sophia Bruscato 5:50
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 5:50
You want to tell how you got started working there?
Sophia Bruscato 5:53
So when I first moved here, about almost two years ago, I had to find a job on campus. And that was the first job that I found. And Megan, who was my boss had just started working at the gallery.
Evan Franulovich 6:08
Yeah.
Sophia Bruscato 6:08
So I kind of started at the same time as home school. And yeah, that was really cool. We had a really nice team, and then some of, a part of the team, you know, moved on graduated. So now we have a different team.
Evan Franulovich 6:20
Sure.
Sophia Bruscato 6:20
But it's called the Rosetta Hunter gallery. And Rosetta Hunter was the dean here about 20 years ago. And she was great. So that's in her honor. In Yeah, we have exhibitions from local artists, artists over the country and students too.
Evan Franulovich 6:37
Oh, yeah.
Sophia Bruscato 6:37
So yeah.
Evan Franulovich 6:38
What's being featured right now?
Sophia Bruscato 6:41
Right now we have less computation, which is a show involving four artists. And it's digital media. So it's about it's about bridging the gap between humanity and arts and technology. So it's a very interesting, and it's a beautiful show too.
Evan Franulovich 6:58
I will check that out. I've gone in there many times. Now. I think I've met Megan that talk to her at least a couple times. The first show I went in, and what looked at had paintings that depicted life, say like in Central America, there were some very indigenous looking people. It was so cool.
Sophia Bruscato 7:18
Was that last fall?
Evan Franulovich 7:19
I think it was last fall because I started in the fall. Yeah, so would have been the first one.
Sophia Bruscato 7:23
I remember that, that was Viva la comunidad.
Evan Franulovich 7:26
Exactly.
Sophia Bruscato 7:26
Celebrating Latin Heritage Month.
Evan Franulovich 7:28
Yeah.
Sophia Bruscato 7:29
So that was an awesome show to work.
Evan Franulovich 7:31
Really amazing pieces of art. And what happens to that art when the show runs its course.
Sophia Bruscato 7:36
So if it's student are or faculty it, it can go back to the artists or they can choose to donate it to us, and we keep it in a collection. And then we exhibited, but it also goes to different offices on campus. But it fits for that show, specifically, since it involved artists from outside of the school, it went back to them.
Evan Franulovich 7:56
Oh, gotcha.
Sophia Bruscato 7:56
So yeah.
Evan Franulovich 7:57
Alright. And do you have any say, do you give input on what would be coming up next?
Sophia Bruscato 8:04
No, that's Megan's job. The creator. but I do give some some input on lighting and how we should maybe place things and so she's, she's very open to that.
Evan Franulovich 8:15
Cool. So how did you find that job? Did you just walk in and ask if they had a job?
Sophia Bruscato 8:19
No, I didn't even know there was a gallery on campus. So I was just I think I don't remember, I think I came here to the international offices and asked, How can I find a job on campus?
Evan Franulovich 8:31
Right.
Sophia Bruscato 8:31
That was one of the openings. And I was like, oh, art gallery. I like art.
Sophia Bruscato 8:35
Cool.
Sophia Bruscato 8:35
So yeah.
Evan Franulovich 8:36
And how many hours? Do they work you per week?
Sophia Bruscato 8:39
About 10 hours? 10 to 15? It varies. But yeah, as an international student, you're only allowed to work, I think 16 hours per week. So...
Evan Franulovich 8:51
But I wonder like, I know, we work our students here in the International Programs Office, 16 hours. But I don't know if they do that in all the other parts of the schools. So...
Sophia Bruscato 8:59
Yeah, yeah, that's a standard, I think.
Evan Franulovich 9:02
Right on. So one of the things I was talking to you about before we started rolling, was how good your English is.
Sophia Bruscato 9:08
Thank you.
Evan Franulovich 9:09
It's like hard to even tell that you're not from the United States.
Sophia Bruscato 9:12
Thank you so much.
Evan Franulovich 9:12
That's really great. Did you? Are you fully Brazilian or is one of your parents from the United States?
Sophia Bruscato 9:19
No, I was born and raised in Brazil. Both my parents are Brazilian. I just started learning English at a very young age, as we usually do in Brazil, but when I decided I wanted to pursue this and get out of the country, and I went to a specialized language school...
Evan Franulovich 9:38
Okay.
Sophia Bruscato 9:38
And studied there for a few years, but what really helped me was YouTube, social media, music, Netflix, and then of course, coming here.
Evan Franulovich 9:47
Alright.
Sophia Bruscato 9:48
So yeah.
Evan Franulovich 9:49
I have a buddy back in China that I worked with, and he he watched episodes of friends to improve his and his English was amazing. It was really great. So before you came, you had to obviously take a test of some sort to show that you had English proficiency. Which did you taken?
Sophia Bruscato 10:06
I took the TOEFL? I don't know how to pronounce.
Evan Franulovich 10:09
Yeah. I think it's right.
Sophia Bruscato 10:10
I had a partner once. Who had to take that test. And we called it Teufel. Which in German means devil.
Evan Franulovich 10:17
It was the devil. Right?
Sophia Bruscato 10:18
Yeah. But um, it went fine.
Evan Franulovich 10:20
Yeah?
Sophia Bruscato 10:20
It was an in person test. There are some some listening, some talking. And that was the one I took. Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 10:26
So, for people say young people in Latin America, if you were going to give them advice on how to prepare for a test like that, what would you tell them?
Sophia Bruscato 10:36
Um, don't spend a lot of time you know, trying to perfect your grammar or looking at the textbooks. Listen, that's the big thing listening. And as, as Evan just said, watching shows, and If you can interact with native speakers, try to always speak to your teachers in English. So yeah, that's the thing that helped me the most, because I was never like a, I didn't ever really pay attention to the, like the math of grammar, and trying to perfect that it was always like, I'll listen. And then it grows within me. And then it's there. I don't know. Just, just relax. And listen.
Evan Franulovich 11:19
Relaxing is good. Yeah. I started a couple years ago, when I was in China, I started studying Brazilian Portuguese.
Sophia Bruscato 11:25
Really?
Evan Franulovich 11:26
Just I don't know why I was like, that sounds cool. I mean, because I studied Spanish in school. I was like, how hard can it be, you know, and i also speak French. So yeah, I started. So those are, but I don't think I speak very well. Because I've never really actually had a chance to use it except for like, a week or so when I was in Brazil. So yeah, if you can find native speakers to practice with. That's a really great idea, because I haven't and i'm just kinda stuck.
Sophia Bruscato 11:51
I would love to hear it, can you say a sentence?
Evan Franulovich 11:53
(Evan says a sentence in Portuguese). Yeah. So yeah. And you know, there's enough crossover between Spanish and like, I can figure out conjugating verbs is pretty easy. But yeah, I'm working on it. I got to travel back down to Brazil, probably in March. So I got to practice a little bit before I get there.
Sophia Bruscato 12:18
Yes. Where are you planning to go?
Evan Franulovich 12:20
Well, the itinerary hasn't been fully set, but for sure, Sao Paulo. I've heard Cote Tiva. I've heard Rio. I've heard Porto Alegre. Exactly. So where are you from? I can't remember.
Sophia Bruscato 12:35
I'm from the state of Sao Paulo. But it's a smaller town about two hours away from Sao Paulo called (??????).
Evan Franulovich 12:42
Is it close to Campinas?
Sophia Bruscato 12:44
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 12:45
Okay. Gotcha. Yeah. Last time I was there, we went to Campinas to do some school visits, which was really fun.
Sophia Bruscato 12:52
I bet.
Evan Franulovich 12:53
The kids were awesome. Shout out to the Brazilian kids that I met. It was really amazing. Actually, the country is just really amazing. If you haven't traveled to Brazil, go. I know you. You know, a lot of people here hear how dangerous it can be. But it's, I thought it was
Sophia Bruscato 13:10
fine. Just just have to know where to go. Right. It's a beautiful country.
Evan Franulovich 13:16
It was amazing. Yeah, it was really great. I'm excited to go back. All right. So you're studying here? How has the transition been from what you did in Brazil to what you're experiencing in the United States, like in the classroom?
Sophia Bruscato 13:31
So when I came to America for the first time, I mean, to live here, I came through an exchange program for my senior year of high school.
Evan Franulovich 13:39
Oh, cool.
Sophia Bruscato 13:40
So I was in Anacortes, which is a town...
Evan Franulovich 13:43
That's where my grandfather is from.
Sophia Bruscato 13:44
Oh, really?
Evan Franulovich 13:45
Yeah.
Sophia Bruscato 13:45
So that's, I lived there for about a year and went to high school there. So that's, I got to know the school culture.
Evan Franulovich 13:53
Yeah. You probably met my family. My cousin Paula runs the kitchen at the high school.
Sophia Bruscato 14:01
Oh, okay.
Evan Franulovich 14:02
Yeah!
Sophia Bruscato 14:03
That's awesome.
Evan Franulovich 14:05
Her last name is limbo. So...
Sophia Bruscato 14:07
I don't recall it probably, yeah.
Evan Franulovich 14:09
Wow. that's cool.
Sophia Bruscato 14:10
It's a very small town. So.
Evan Franulovich 14:12
Right, which exchange program was that?
Sophia Bruscato 14:14
It was Anacortes.
Evan Franulovich 14:15
Okay.
Sophia Bruscato 14:16
I don't recommend them by the way. But yeah, so I got familiar with the culture. I improved my English a lot living in that town. And then I went I had to go back to Brazil and I was there for about a year and a half because of COVID. So I couldn't come back into the country. But while I was living in at Anacortes, I got to know Seattle and I really liked it. So that's what prompted me to come back.
Evan Franulovich 14:44
Right. Well before he started rolling out so was talking to you about most Brazilian students that I talked to that were thinking about coming to the United States they were like, I'm gonna go to Florida you know, or something like that because they're used to the weather. But you you like Seattle. I mean, you like the weather?
Sophia Bruscato 15:02
I do.
Evan Franulovich 15:05
I mean, it's definitely cooler it is.
Sophia Bruscato 15:07
It's very different. I mean, you have nine months of rain. I have 12 months of sunshine stuff, but I'm in Brazil. I used to love the rain whenever we got it. And you know, we have rainy season. But when I came here, it was so much rain on so little sun that I was like, Wait a second, maybe I don't like rain all that much. But no, it's, it's great. It's a. I like the weather. And I like the people and it's beautiful in the summer and in the fall and all seasons. So I've never been to Florida, but I think it's a valuable experience to just switch your scenery completely.
Evan Franulovich 15:45
Right.
Sophia Bruscato 15:45
Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 15:46
There you go. Don't go to Florida. You've seen Florida come to Seattle.
Sophia Bruscato 15:52
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 15:52
Yeah. The Northwest. Really. I've been all over the United States. And I really feel like the northwest part of the US. That's Oregon, Washington, Idaho. It's just some of the most beautiful country that we have to offer. So check it out. And you know, honestly, last time I was in Brazil, I was there in the fall. And when I arrived in Sao Paulo, I was glad that I had brought my jacket because it was freaking cold. Everybody was saying how and how strange it was. And I think in Porto Alegre it snowed or was really cold.
Sophia Bruscato 16:25
That's quite south, so yeah.
Evan Franulovich 16:27
So yeah.
Sophia Bruscato 16:27
We get some of that.
Evan Franulovich 16:28
That's interesting. Yeah. Well, cool. So let's talk about housing. So you stay where what did you decide to do for yourself?
Sophia Bruscato 16:38
Right now, So the family I stayed within Anacortes was friends with a family in Seattle, and they happen to be renting their basement. So it was perfect. Yeah, I so I've been living with them for almost two years now. And finally, they're deciding to sell the house. So I'm moving out soon.
Evan Franulovich 16:58
Gotcha.
Sophia Bruscato 16:59
Yeah, that's how it happened. So it's been great.
Evan Franulovich 17:01
That is great. Wow, so that you didn't have dorms? You didn't do any of that. You just went straight to their house?
Sophia Bruscato 17:12
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 17:12
Wow. That's really cool. I don't hear that kind of a thing very often. That's really great.
Sophia Bruscato 17:16
I mean, the downside is that it's far away from campus. So it takes me about an hour to get to campus.
Evan Franulovich 17:24
Oh, where's your?
Sophia Bruscato 17:25
Greenwood. It is North Seattle.
Evan Franulovich 17:28
Okay, cuz I live in Edmonds.
Sophia Bruscato 17:30
Oh, yeah.
Evan Franulovich 17:30
So is it close to Edmonds?
Sophia Bruscato 17:31
Um, I guess is that North?
Evan Franulovich 17:34
Yeah. So like, if you go to North Gate, the subway station.
Sophia Bruscato 17:36
Yeah, It's pretty close.
Evan Franulovich 17:37
And then I have to catch a bus from North Gate to Aurora, which is up in like, 200.
Sophia Bruscato 17:43
That's where I live Aurora.
Evan Franulovich 17:44
Okay, so we're in the same area. So yeah, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour. So do you use public transportation?
Sophia Bruscato 17:51
I do every day. Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 17:52
What do you think of our public transportation?
Sophia Bruscato 17:55
It has its problems. It's not sometimes it's not very reliable. But I love it. I love taking the bus. It's a moment of relaxation, really, because you're here. And I always wear my headphones. And you know, there's stuff going on around. Pay attention, but it's, I like it. I like it a lot.
Evan Franulovich 18:15
So it's always hard to hear that kind of feedback, because we take pride in our public transportation, but she's absolutely right. It can be unpredictable.
Sophia Bruscato 18:23
Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 18:23
Like sometimes for some reason. Usually, it's because they can't hire enough people. Like all of a sudden, like the 302 line won't be running. And i'm like what? So I have to wait another 20 minutes for the next bus or something, which is really annoying sometimes.
Sophia Bruscato 18:37
Yeah. And I understand that I'm about to interview because I also worked for the school's newspaper, and I wanted to interview one of the King County's operators of the year.
Evan Franulovich 18:47
Oh, cool.
Sophia Bruscato 18:48
And talk to them and hear their stories because I bet they have a lot to share.
Evan Franulovich 18:51
I bet they do.
Sophia Bruscato 18:53
Yeah, it's weird, all human. So I get it.
Evan Franulovich 18:57
Sure. Yeah. Usually, it's pretty good. I like the subway. I've had no problems on it. Sometimes there's, you know, somebody who's homeless that's sleeping on it. But they usually don't bother anybody in from the time I started this job and started taking public transportation until now, it seems like they've really beefed up their security presence. Like there's a lot more people out there that are taking care of things. So that's been encouraging. So yeah, and I think they're doing a lot of hiring like I'm not seeing over the last few months. I haven't seen as many delays as I had. Like during the summertime. Maybe it's getting better. I don't know, hope so. But it is really good, but can be unpredictable, still. Alright. Well, you had mentioned earlier, you had been here then you went back to Brazil. But in order to get, so when you were here in Anacortes, what visa were you on for that?
Sophia Bruscato 19:52
It was a J1-visa.
Evan Franulovich 19:53
It was a J1-visa. So you had to go back to Brazil and switch up your visa.
Sophia Bruscato 19:57
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 19:57
What was that process like?
Sophia Bruscato 19:59
Um I had to go to the US. Embassy down in Brazil a couple of times to get the F1 visa the student visa approved. And I think I had to get another passport because mine is expired. But it wasn't very hard at all. I believe I had to first apply to Seattle Colleges, and then get that letter of admission and then take I-20. Yes. But it wasn't hard. It took a few months. But yeah.
Evan Franulovich 20:31
Your waiting time from the time you got your I 20 to your visa appointment was how long?
Sophia Bruscato 20:37
I really don't remember.
Evan Franulovich 20:38
Okay.
Sophia Bruscato 20:39
It was, I don't remember being bothered by Oh, this is taking so long.
Evan Franulovich 20:43
Right. Do you remember the interview?
Sophia Bruscato 20:46
Um, it was very quick.
Evan Franulovich 20:49
Okay.
Sophia Bruscato 20:49
I don't even remember it.
Evan Franulovich 20:52
Alright.
Sophia Bruscato 20:53
Yeah, it was I remember being nervous. And I Oh, are they gonna let me in or not? It was because you get really worked up. I mean, you hear about these things, and but it was very tranquil. It was.
Evan Franulovich 21:04
Good. Well, I think it's helpful that you'd been to the United States before and then traveled back to Brazil, I think they look at that as encouraging that, oh, you'll probably go back to your country after you're done with your education. That's what they like to see. So yeah, if you have the opportunity to travel to the United States as a tourist or as an exchange student, I think it does help your chances of getting your visa. But unlike a lot of the Latin American students I talked to, you know, there's always the worry that they're going to get rejected for their visa. So I know a lot of people want to hear about your experiences. Well, that's really great. I'm wondering about your culture shocks, and you'd already been here. Maybe you could talk about your culture shock when you were an exchange student in Anacortes, because you'd already been here.
Sophia Bruscato 21:52
Yeah. Um, it was, there wasn't that much culture shock since I grew up, watching all these American movies and TV shows and writings and studying the language. But I guess I remember one thing that I found was so weird that every time we had like guests over for dinner, or I was a guest at someone else's house, in that it was time to go home, they would just get up and leave on their own and like, the people wouldn't walk them to the door and wait for them to get in the car, which is what we do in Brazil. So that was weird to me.
Evan Franulovich 22:25
That's different. That's not how it works in my family, by the way.
Sophia Bruscato 22:28
Oh, okay.
Evan Franulovich 22:29
That's really interesting.
Sophia Bruscato 22:30
Okay, maybe it was?
Evan Franulovich 22:31
Well, you know, we're a melting pot here in the United States, and you get all kinds of different people.
Sophia Bruscato 22:37
I really like that about America. Yeah, I don't know. I think that was it. And then definitely dealing with the language because when I came, I thought I was so prepared, because I had studied English, and I thought my accent was so good. And I could understand all these things. But then I came here, and it's actually wait a second, I can't express myself the way that I want to, I can't. So I had this moment where I just hated English. I hated everything. I just. So I started, cuz I've been journaling for a long time. For a while, I was reading in English. But then when I came here, and actually had to use English to get by, I just started writing back in Portuguese just out of spite. Because interesting, but, you know, time went by and I met some people. And I was like, okay, I can. That's, yeah.
Evan Franulovich 23:26
They talk about what she's talking about is very common experience. I think for a lot of students. They talk about kind of this resistance. And I was an exchange student to Belgium when I was in high school, and I went through that very same thing. First, it's all exciting. And then you start to resist, and in the end, you start to just relax and get into it. So expect that and they'll talk about that during the orientation. They try to try to prepare you but until you've gone through it yourself.
Sophia Bruscato 23:57
Yeah, exactly.
Evan Franulovich 23:58
It's really hard. That's really great. All right. Well, cool. I wanted to know about the timing for you. When I was in Brazil. A lot of in probably this goes for a lot of countries that are southern hemisphere. Many of the countries graduate their students from high school, not in the spring, but in the fall, right? You graduate right before December...
Sophia Bruscato 24:23
But yes.
Evan Franulovich 24:24
... from high school. So when you so when you graduated from high school to come here, what was your first semester or what was your first quarter?
Sophia Bruscato 24:32
So that there was an overlap, and I ended up doing kind of like a double senior year because I left Brazil in September, which was the middle of the school year for my senior year. So I had already done half of my senior year in Brazil, and then I did a full senior year in America.
Evan Franulovich 24:53
Okay.
Sophia Bruscato 24:53
So, yeah, that was how that worked.
Evan Franulovich 24:56
So you graduated with a diploma from Anacortes high school.
Sophia Bruscato 24:59
I did.
Evan Franulovich 25:00
Cool. I don't remember what's their mascot.
Sophia Bruscato 25:03
Um... Seahawks! Yeah, the Seahawks.
Evan Franulovich 25:07
Seahawks. That's right. The Seahawks. If you haven't, if you're here visiting Anacortes is a really it's a pretty little town. It's right on the water. And there's a lot of boats.
Sophia Bruscato 25:18
The ferry. Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 25:20
Have you done much traveling within the state of Washington? Like have you been to the national parks or?
Sophia Bruscato 25:24
Not at all. I've only been, yeah, Seattle and the San Juan Islands.
Evan Franulovich 25:29
Oh, yeah.
Sophia Bruscato 25:29
That's all Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 25:30
All right. Well get your boyfriend take you out to like maybe Mount Rainier or have you tried snowboarding yet?
Sophia Bruscato 25:36
No, no...
Evan Franulovich 25:36
No winter sports?
Sophia Bruscato 25:38
When I lived in Anacortes that was the first time I saw snow.
Evan Franulovich 25:41
Oh, really? The first time? That's so cool.
Sophia Bruscato 25:44
It was very exciting.
Evan Franulovich 25:45
It is very exciting. I always forget about that experience. Yeah, I use I grew up on the Oregon coast. And when we would see tourists come from interior the United States, like maybe they live in Utah or Kansas, and they'd never seen the ocean before. It was always fun to watch them get out of their cars or get to the beach and then experience that for the first time. That was really cool. You know, the thing about Brazil, it was so great. When I was there is how, well as seemingly extroverted everyone is. Everyone's there's a joie de vivre. Everyone's super into life. Have you found the United States to be less of that?
Sophia Bruscato 26:26
Definitely. Yeah, that was yeah, I should have said that during our culture shock shocks moment.
Evan Franulovich 26:32
Right, right.
Sophia Bruscato 26:32
I forgot about that. It is true. It's Brazil was much more informal than America, I would say there's not so much of this hierarchy that we see here socially, but also, just when you go, you gonna order a coffee, or you're riding the bus, the people talk to each other, and they talk to each other as equals as humans. So when you take the bus in Brazil, and someone will sit by your side and just start talking about how they're in bad terms with their daughter or something. Here, everyone is very reserved on their phone.
Evan Franulovich 27:06
Right, right.
Sophia Bruscato 27:07
And I mimic that when I'm here. But it's definitely a big difference.
Evan Franulovich 27:14
But you said you'd met I think you said earlier in the interview that you'd met some other students. So you have a social group, you have a group of friends, are they mostly International? Do you interact with domestic students as well?
Sophia Bruscato 27:27
I have, I would say it's pretty 50-50 at this point, Americans and international students, but at first, all of my friends, were international for sure. It's just, it's easier to form that connection, since you're both looking for friends and that big thing in common which is your so far in different parts of the world. Yeah. But as time went on, I got situated in at Central and then also with my jobs on campus that really helped me make more friends. So yeah, I have a small circle, but get people.
Evan Franulovich 28:02
Cool. Do you? Are you involved in any clubs or community groups? Like for example, I just interviewed somebody and they were telling me how they were involved with. Actually it was Andrea, she's from Spain. And she's part of this Spanish association that kind of is between Oregon, Washington and Vancouver, Canada. And there are a group of people that are originally from Spain, and they they get together socially, but they also like they've tried to lobby for flights direct from Madrid to Seattle. Do you do any of that kind of stuff? Have you done? Clubs?
Sophia Bruscato 28:39
No, I, I'm the vice president of the study club...
Evan Franulovich 28:42
Oh!
Sophia Bruscato 28:42
... here and we just found that club, like a month ago.
Evan Franulovich 28:46
Oh, cool.
Sophia Bruscato 28:47
Yeah. We thought that the you know, the hours of the library, It closes pretty early, and we thought students want study buddies and to get ready for fall and everything. And so we got our own room and hours.
Sophia Bruscato 29:02
Really?
Sophia Bruscato 29:03
Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 29:03
You mean they gave you a room to use for your club?
Sophia Bruscato 29:06
But yeah, that's, I mean, it's scheduled, and it's over the student leadership field building. But yeah, it was great. It was a very easy process of creating a club.
Evan Franulovich 29:18
So you're the, you said president?
Sophia Bruscato 29:20
Vice president.
Evan Franulovich 29:20
You're the vice president, who's the president?
Sophia Bruscato 29:22
The president. Her name is Jinny. And I met her at an English class that we're both taking this quarter.
Evan Franulovich 29:29
Well, hopefully some of you listeners are already students at Seattle Colleges. And if you're interested in the study club, go and talk to these guys because they can give you the info. And you can get some study buddies. That's a really great idea.
Sophia Bruscato 29:42
Yeah, I think so too.
Evan Franulovich 29:43
Yeah. And I think it's really important since the end of COVID. You know, people are not used to interacting with one another as much anymore. So that's a really cool opportunity.
Sophia Bruscato 29:54
Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 29:55
What do you do for fun around town?
Sophia Bruscato 29:59
That's a hard question. I really like just going downtown to Pike Place Market its always nice, It was a very cliche answer, but and there are some parks gasworks parks. It's really pretty. But I don't know I like trying new coffee shops.
Evan Franulovich 30:21
Yeah. We've got a lot of coffee. Yeah.
Sophia Bruscato 30:24
Going to museums, galleries. But I also like. Oh, I like open mics. Music. Writing. Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 30:35
When you say open mics, is that like music? Or is that comedy?
Sophia Bruscato 30:38
Music.
Evan Franulovich 30:39
It's music. You know, I'm fairly new to Seattle. I, I'm not from Washington originally. So I've only been here a little over a year, where's the best place to go for open mics?
Sophia Bruscato 30:50
There's a really nice community at (??????), and it's actually in Greenwood. So right near you. And they meet every Wednesday at seven. And it's everything you can perform whatever you want. You can do comedy acting or music. And I've been involved with them for maybe as long as I've been here, and it's a really just sweet community.
Evan Franulovich 31:13
Do you perform?
Sophia Bruscato 31:15
I do. I haven't in months, but I used to.
Evan Franulovich 31:18
What did you do? What was your act?
Sophia Bruscato 31:20
Opera singing.
Evan Franulovich 31:22
Oh, my gosh, you do opera?
Sophia Bruscato 31:24
I do.
Evan Franulovich 31:26
I'm not gonna put you on the spot. I would love to hear it. But wow, that's really amazing.
Sophia Bruscato 31:31
Thank you.
Evan Franulovich 31:31
Yeah. Is that something you have entertained doing? professionally?
Sophia Bruscato 31:36
I have. I have thought about that. Some of my singing teachers and some of my family really want me to pursue that. But I'm not quite sure. Because it's a new world for me. I only started singing about two or three years ago. So, but it's something I love.
Evan Franulovich 31:54
Have you thought about doing an OPT with the Seattle opera?
Sophia Bruscato 31:59
I have that was the first place I looked at okay, actually, they're not hiring right now. But it's I really love the Seattle opera.
Evan Franulovich 32:07
Yeah. So could do quite a few of their performances.
Sophia Bruscato 32:10
I've been and I wrote some articles about their opening nights. And it's yeah.
Evan Franulovich 32:16
Do they give a deal for students or tickets? Cheaper for students?
Sophia Bruscato 32:20
No.
Evan Franulovich 32:23
So sad.
Sophia Bruscato 32:23
Yeah.
Evan Franulovich 32:24
Maybe you can lobby them? Say, Hey, give us a discount. We're poor. Poor students. That's really good. Oh, do you hear that? That means it's Trivia Time. Trivia Time, we ask you five questions. They all are all loosely related to Seattle Colleges or the area. So if you answer them all correct, you're on our wall of fame. And if you don't answer them all correct. We shame you to end. No, no. Not really. It's a safe space here. Don't worry. There will be no shaming. Alright. Question number one. The Seattle area is surrounded by water on two sides. Can you name one of the bodies of water?
Sophia Bruscato 33:09
The Pacific Ocean?
Evan Franulovich 33:10
Well, kinda. Yeah. But what's the body of water inside all the islands?
Sophia Bruscato 33:19
I don't know.
Evan Franulovich 33:20
That's the Puget Sound.
Sophia Bruscato 33:22
Right. Right. Right, right.
Evan Franulovich 33:23
That's right. But we'll take, we'll take the Pacific Ocean because it is connected to the Pacific Ocean. But with the body of water inside is the Puget Sound. Very good. Alright. Question number two. The State of Washington is fairly large. There is most of the people living in the West, in the cities in the West. Can you name one city that's in the eastern part of the state?
Sophia Bruscato 33:48
Pullman.
Evan Franulovich 33:49
Wow. Yes. And you, bonus question. Do you know what's special about Pullman?
Sophia Bruscato 33:55
The university?
Evan Franulovich 33:57
Yes, the universities there. Washington State University. Cool. Have you been to that campus?
Sophia Bruscato 34:02
No, not yet.
Evan Franulovich 34:03
It's really that's worth going out to the east and checking that out. Yeah, the East is really pretty. It's a kind of rolling hills and a lot of agriculture. It's really great. All right. Very good. Nice job. I'm impressed. All right. Question number three. What, there are, how many quarters in the Seattle Colleges schedule? How many quarters are there?
Sophia Bruscato 34:30
Four?
Evan Franulovich 34:31
There are four quarters great. And true or false? You can start during any of those quarters.
Sophia Bruscato 34:38
True.
Evan Franulovich 34:39
That is true. Good. All right. Your last question. Who is your favorite American actor?
Sophia Bruscato 34:48
Tom Hanks.
Evan Franulovich 34:50
Tom Hanks is really great. What's what movie? Do you like him in the most?
Sophia Bruscato 34:54
Um, "Big". I find it such a sweet movie.
Evan Franulovich 34:59
Wow. That's pretty good. Yeah, "Big" is really a great movie. He's so young in that movie.
Sophia Bruscato 35:04
He really is.
Evan Franulovich 35:04
It's pretty funny when I watched that, and now the newer stuff that he's done. I'm like, Oh, he's definitely aging.
Sophia Bruscato 35:11
Another one that I really like with him is "Catch me if you can" with Leo.
Evan Franulovich 35:16
Yes!
Sophia Bruscato 35:16
Yeah, love that movie.
Evan Franulovich 35:18
Yeah, I haven't seen that movie for a long time. And if you liked the story, I recommend the book. Because it's a really great book, too. And it's just a little different than the...
Sophia Bruscato 35:26
A real story.
Evan Franulovich 35:27
Yeah, it's based on a true story. That's really well. Well, good job. Nice.
Sophia Bruscato 35:32
Thank you.
Evan Franulovich 35:32
You're on the wall, we will put you on the wall of fame. That's awesome.
Sophia Bruscato 35:34
Thank you.
Evan Franulovich 35:35
Fantastic. Well, in the end here, what we like to do is give you the opportunity to give your wisdom to the people in your region, specifically Brazil. But you know, we have listeners, you know, there are quite a number of Portuguese speaking countries in Africa. And that's part of my region. And of course, I was just in Portugal, and they speak a little Portuguese in Portugal. So...
Sophia Bruscato 35:58
I published a book and it was published in all Portuguese speaking countries. So two countries in Africa.
Evan Franulovich 36:03
Yeah.
Sophia Bruscato 36:04
Portugal and Brazil.
Evan Franulovich 36:05
Well, let's see if you can answer this question. Name one Portuguese speaking country in Africa.
Sophia Bruscato 36:11
Cabo Verde.
Evan Franulovich 36:12
Very, very cool. Yeah, for sure. Mozambique, I think is Portuguese. Cool. All right. So yeah, final words of advice that you would give to young people in Brazil thinking about coming?
Sophia Bruscato 36:27
Come definitely. Give it a shot. It's don't be nervous about the interview. It's gonna be, it's gonna go great. Relax. Don't set up any expectations for things to be just like the movies. They will be, they will be, but not, not all of it. So yeah, just, just relax and just honor yourself.
Evan Franulovich 36:53
That's good advice. I'm going to say one thing about it, though, the, the interview will go well, if you prepare, if you don't go in knowing your stuff. That can be, that can be problem.
Sophia Bruscato 37:05
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 37:05
So make sure you understand your education plan. Make sure you understand where your money is coming from, because they're going to want to know you can support yourself.
Sophia Bruscato 37:12
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 37:13
But yes, if you come well prepared, you shouldn't have any problem.
Sophia Bruscato 37:17
Yes.
Evan Franulovich 37:17
And you'll feel more confident too. If you feel like you know. Really good device. That's good. The other thing I've been doing in season two is giving the opportunity for you to say some sort of words of encouragement or advice or whatever you want to say in Portuguese. In your case, it's Portuguese. To the people back home, you know, maybe just to 20-30 seconds.
Sophia Bruscato 37:43
(Sophia's advice in Portuguese)
Evan Franulovich 37:51
Cool. That's great. Well, thanks so much for your time today.
Sophia Bruscato 37:56
Thank you!
Evan Franulovich 37:57
That's great. I have 1000 more questions. But we're out of time. So you know, hopefully, we'll meet again, and good luck to you for your continued education.
Sophia Bruscato 38:08
Thank you!
Evan Franulovich 38:08
Since you're graduating soon. Will you come back to actually walk for the graduation?
Sophia Bruscato 38:12
No, I don't think i will.
Evan Franulovich 38:15
It's kind of too bad because it's in the baseball stadium, which is really cool. All right, well, good enough. Congratulations, and have a great, great week.
Sophia Bruscato 38:24
Thank you, you too!
Evan Franulovich 38:25
Bye bye.
Evan Franulovich 38:29
'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 podcasts as this helps others discover the show. Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube at Seattle Colleges Intl, that's Seattle Colleges Intl. And be sure to check out all of the shows here on 'Conversations with!' Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.