S3E13: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Archie MacKenzie of the U.K.

In this our thirteenth (13th) episode of Season 3 (and 99th overall!), Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international student Archie MacKenzie of the United Kingdom about his experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States. 

1:19 - Meet Archie!

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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.

Evan Franulovich  1:07  
Hey everybody! Welcome back to Seattle Colleges 'Conversations with' Happy Halloween!

Archie MacKenzie  1:14  
Happy Halloween!

Evan Franulovich  1:15  
Do you guys have Halloween in England? 

Archie MacKenzie  1:17  
Huh? 

Evan Franulovich  1:18  
Do you guys celebrate Halloween? 

Archie MacKenzie  1:19  
Yes, we celebrate Halloween. Actually, very similarly to the US.

Evan Franulovich  1:22  
Oh, so you go out for candy. 

Archie MacKenzie  1:24  
Yes, trick or treat.

Evan Franulovich  1:25  
Yeah. I'm not gonna wear this for the whole interview, but I did want to use it to say hello. So, yeah, welcome. So why don't you tell everybody who you are or where you're from, what you're studying? 

Archie MacKenzie  1:37  
Well, my name is Archie, or Archie. My accent from England, Oxford, and I'm studying political science here at Seattle Central College, after deciding to do political science after many different decisions, like geology to psychology, political science now. 

Evan Franulovich  1:57  
So you keep switching over.

Archie MacKenzie  1:58  
Keep switching by I like political science. And yeah, it's more my thing, actually.

Evan Franulovich  2:03  
Sure. Well, you know, hearing that you're from Oxford, it occurs to me that you guys have a small, fairly unknown university there. 

Archie MacKenzie  2:12  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  2:13  
Why did you elect to come to the United States to study? 

Archie MacKenzie  2:16  
Well, I was at college in the UK, and I said to my mom, how do I study in America? Just as a random conversation that you'd have, you know, with your parents. And then a week later, she met someone at a party who said, oh, my parents have students to stay in Seattle. And it was like this weird, serendipitous moment where it's like it came together perfectly. 

Evan Franulovich  2:41  
Really? 

Archie MacKenzie  2:42  
And one thing led to another, we got my visa, it all just worked out perfectly. And now I'm here. 

Evan Franulovich  2:47  
Wow. 

Archie MacKenzie  2:47  
I've been here for a year, and it's like, my life's changed so much. But, yeah, it's crazy.

Evan Franulovich  2:51  
Right, right. Well, we met right after you arrived. I mean, like, literally right after you arrived, it has been a year. It's crazy, how fast time goes and how's it going.

Archie MacKenzie  3:00  
Yeah, I'm loving it. I've met so many crazy people in the US and like yourself and, yeah, I mean, it's just so much has happened. And then I speak to my friends in the UK, and they just haven't changed at all, because life moves quite slowly where I'm from. So, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  3:21  
So you gotta invite him over. 

Archie MacKenzie  3:23  
I know, yeah, I've asked them many times. 

Evan Franulovich  3:26  
Have you seen the movie Love Actually? 

Archie MacKenzie  3:29  
I've heard of it. 

Evan Franulovich  3:30  
No, you haven't seen it. 

Archie MacKenzie  3:32  
I haven't seen it, no.

Evan Franulovich  3:33  
Okay, waste no more time. Go home tonight, download it and watch it. It's a great movie. 

Archie MacKenzie  3:39  
Yeah, the setting is in Seattle, isn't it? 

Evan Franulovich  3:41  
No, no. The English kid in the movie ends up going to Wisconsin. 

Archie MacKenzie  3:45  
Oh, right. 

Evan Franulovich  3:46  
And he picks up these ladies, while he's there. It's awesome. 

Archie MacKenzie  3:50  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  3:51  
That's great. I wondered. I mean, not that we want to go there, but just great experience for him. Hopefully you're having a similar kind of experience. So you, so you came about a year ago. Obviously, your parents were supportive. 

Archie MacKenzie  4:05  
Yeah, my dad was a little bit not because he was like, why? I mean, he just was so confused of how my mom was able to do this. And so my interesting story, my step grandmother used to own a manor of a little village nearby my village, and it was the manor of Brightwell, this little village, and former prime minister, Boris Johnson, all his life, has wanted this manner, basically. 

Evan Franulovich  4:34  
He wanted to buy it?

Archie MacKenzie  4:35  
Yes, yeah. And he basically said, oh, i will have that. So my step grandmother moved out. I don't think she's dead yet. I don't know yet. Maybe, but... 

Evan Franulovich  4:44  
Shout out to grandma. If you're out there. Yeah.

Archie MacKenzie  4:47  
No, I mean, I'm not very close to her. Yeah, she's another part of the family, but I haven't spoken to in a long time. But yeah, so Boris Johnson bought that, and he paid a lot of money for it, so my mom was actually able to afford. Uh, this um, adventure.

Evan Franulovich  5:03  
Thanks, Boris. 

Archie MacKenzie  5:03  
Yeah, thanks, Boris Johnson. And I've met him, actually. 

Evan Franulovich  5:07  
Have you met him what?

Archie MacKenzie  5:08  
 I used to work in a little frozen food place in the UK? Obviously lives quite close now. 

Evan Franulovich  5:13  
Sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  5:14  
Since that so I've met him, and he walks in and his deep voice echoes the room. It's very funny. 

Evan Franulovich  5:19  
Is his hair as great as it looks on camera? 

Archie MacKenzie  5:22  
Very wispy. Yeah, a little bit like a British Donald Trump. 

Evan Franulovich  5:27  
Right? 

Archie MacKenzie  5:27  
Yeah, exactly like that. 

Evan Franulovich  5:30  
Well, so you got on board with this whole studying in America thing. 

Archie MacKenzie  5:36  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  5:37  
You applied and got accepted fairly quickly, I'm guessing. 

Archie MacKenzie  5:41  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  5:41  
Yes. 

Archie MacKenzie  5:42  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  5:42  
And then you have to get a visa. So what was your visa process? You know, I hear from African students and Latin American students that have such a hard time. 

Archie MacKenzie  5:51  
Was it a different each time? 

Evan Franulovich  5:53  
Everybody's got a different experience really, yeah. What was yours like? 

Archie MacKenzie  5:56  
Well, I think it was pretty easy. 

Evan Franulovich  5:59  
Yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  6:00  
All it was is applying for this document online...

Evan Franulovich  6:03  
Yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  6:04  
...On the US government thing. And then we go into... and then we wait to hear back from them, then we go into the US Embassy in London, which is a nice thing. 

Evan Franulovich  6:12  
Travel to London, okay. 

Archie MacKenzie  6:14  
And then we're interviewed by an American guys. 

Evan Franulovich  6:17  
Yeah, yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  6:17  
And me and my mom were there. So it was, it was nice, and it was actually pretty easy. It just took a while to get all the forms back, you know, and all the visas and stuff.

Evan Franulovich  6:25  
All right, so you got it on the first try. 

Archie MacKenzie  6:28  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  6:28  
Did he ask him any questions? Were you there for a long time? Did it take...

Archie MacKenzie  6:33  
No, not many, not many questions. I mean, he just, I think it was, just wanted to see my character, you know, as if I'm not, you know, insane or something. 

Evan Franulovich  6:42  
Right, exactly. 

Archie MacKenzie  6:43  
I think that's maybe that why they do it. 

Evan Franulovich  6:46  
Do you remember what specifically they asked you? 

Archie MacKenzie  6:48  
No, not particularly, just, I mean, why I'm going there, why I'm going to Seattle, and I mean, such a random thing to do. 

Evan Franulovich  6:54  
Sure, sure.

Archie MacKenzie  6:55  
Fair enough.

Evan Franulovich  6:56  
It's a big country, you know, so you narrow it down to Seattle. 

Archie MacKenzie  6:59  
Yeah, exactly, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  7:01  
But you knew about Seattle. Had you done research about Seattle before you came over?

Archie MacKenzie  7:05  
So I was, I mean, there's another part to the story. I was walking to college and I heard the song, hello Seattle in a car driving past by our city. I don't know if you know that song.

Evan Franulovich  7:17  
I know the the group, but I don't know that I've heard that song. 

Archie MacKenzie  7:19  
Yeah, it's the guy made fireflies. 

Evan Franulovich  7:21  
Yeah, great song. 

Archie MacKenzie  7:22  
Well, I just sort of did my research after that, and it was like, oh, Seattle seems quite cool. And then the conversation led to my mom. 

Evan Franulovich  7:31  
Okay. 

Archie MacKenzie  7:31  
It was just a pretty random moment, but I haven't actually heard much of Seattle before that. 

Evan Franulovich  7:35  
Okay. 

Archie MacKenzie  7:37  
So, yeah, so.

Evan Franulovich  7:39  
Did you know where it was? 

Archie MacKenzie  7:41  
I knew where it was, I knew it was rainy. 

Evan Franulovich  7:44  
Sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  7:44  
And I knew it was kind of far away from everywhere else, looking on a map, like Seattle is all the way up there. 

Evan Franulovich  7:50  
It's way away from Chicago, New York, all the big cities. 

Archie MacKenzie  7:53  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  7:54  
It is west coast, though. So it's close. You knew LA, San Francisco, those kind of cities you just mentioned that you heard it was rainy. Have you found that to be the case?

Archie MacKenzie  8:06  
It's not very strong rain, it's very light drizzle rain, all of the time.

Evan Franulovich  8:11  
Were you here? You were during the summer, though, right? 

Archie MacKenzie  8:13  
Yeah, so which made the trees grow taller and the grass greener? So the summer was beautiful.

Evan Franulovich  8:20  
Summer was amazing, right? 

Archie MacKenzie  8:21  
Yeah, it was really nice. 

Evan Franulovich  8:23  
But it has been rainy the last few weeks. 

Archie MacKenzie  8:24  
Yeah, but compared to somewhere like Oxford, I mean, Oxford's worst weather, like, in terms of worse. 

Evan Franulovich  8:30  
Worse?

Archie MacKenzie  8:30  
Yeah, absolutely, it's just windy and horrible. But I think people only compare Seattle to somewhere like Phoenix or LA where it's really hot. 

Evan Franulovich  8:42  
Sure, sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  8:42  
 It's just like, of course, it's the rainy city, comparing it to other Americans cities. So, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  8:47  
I mean Portland, Oregon. I think the northwest part of the United States has a rainy reputation anyway. 

Archie MacKenzie  8:52  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  8:52  
Unless you go to the east side, which is pretty dry, it's a high desert. 

Archie MacKenzie  8:55  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  8:56  
But it's not bad guys. Check it out. Come to Seattle. It's really great. 

Archie MacKenzie  9:00  
It's really pretty beautiful. 

Evan Franulovich  9:02  
So you must have had some preconceived idea of what you would experience when you got here. A lot of people watch American films and TV shows. I mean, is it been what you thought it was going to be, or has it been way different? 

Archie MacKenzie  9:14  
So, I mean, so many stereotypes have lived up to what the stereotype is. I mean, I didn't know what frat house was. 

Evan Franulovich  9:22  
Oh, sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  9:23  
And I've met some friends from udub, so I've been to an American frat party. 

Evan Franulovich  9:28  
Sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  9:29  
And it's like, it's full of, like, frat dudes who are all a little bit strange, if I'm honest. 

Evan Franulovich  9:34  
For sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  9:35  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  9:36  
Maybe you can explain to the listeners what is a frat. 

Archie MacKenzie  9:39  
So a frat is at college... Seattle Central College doesn't have any frats or sororities, which is the girls version. But frats basically a bunch of dudes pay to live in a house together. And I thought was just some weird thing. 

Evan Franulovich  9:52  
It's a big house. 

Archie MacKenzie  9:52  
A really big house, and they're all quite rich people, and I don't know, I think they're just paying for friends. 

Evan Franulovich  9:58  
Kinda. 

Archie MacKenzie  9:59  
Which is a little bit. 

Evan Franulovich  10:00  
Well, they would argue that it's a good networking opportunity. 

Archie MacKenzie  10:04  
Of course, absolutely. Maybe I just don't get it. 

Evan Franulovich  10:06  
But they do a lot of strange things. They have usually, initiation.

Archie MacKenzie  10:10  
Initiation, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  10:12  
They call it... 

Archie MacKenzie  10:13  
Hazing. 

Evan Franulovich  10:14  
Yeah, hazing. But they also call it rush. 

Archie MacKenzie  10:18  
Rush week. 

Evan Franulovich  10:18  
At the beginning of the season. They'll get everybody together. Yeah, it's called the Greek system. For those of you who don't know it, the Greek system exists on most major US universities. Smaller schools, generally don't have Greek system, and some do. But community colleges, I don't think, I've never heard of any community colleges having it. Wow. 

Archie MacKenzie  10:41  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  10:42  
Yeah, I actually belong to a mock fraternity. We're not big fraternity fans. No offense to anybody that out there that's in a fraternity. One of my best friends was in a sorority, so I don't speak ill of them, but I just didn't, wasn't for me. So we had a we had a mock fraternity called Achagas Norda and build the cat. I don't know if you know, build the cats. Probably before your time, build a cat was our mascot. We would all have to bow down...

Archie MacKenzie  11:10  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  11:10  
To build and then drink ridiculous quantities of beer. So it's really great. 

Archie MacKenzie  11:14  
Yeah, fun. 

Evan Franulovich  11:15  
Yeah. So, you have you been to the frat parties, how were they?

Archie MacKenzie  11:18  
...It was kind of crazy. I mean... 

Evan Franulovich  11:20  
Crazy. 

Archie MacKenzie  11:20  
I was explaining how to this American frat dude, how football in this country is American football. And they call football in my country, in Europe, socce. So I was explaining to him how, no, actually, in a different place soccer is football so and he just couldn't understand it. 

Evan Franulovich  11:41  
What? 

Archie MacKenzie  11:41  
And, I mean, he got a little bit angry that this was a new concept to him, and I sort of got annoyed myself, and I said this British phrase. I mean, I said, oh, bruv. And I was visibly annoyed. And he said, oh, dude, you said, bruv, that's so funny, oh, you're actually British. Yeah, just annoy me a little bit. 

Evan Franulovich  12:03  
Yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  12:04  
But he really lived up to the stereotype... 

Evan Franulovich  12:07  
That's great. 

Archie MacKenzie  12:08  
...of being an American frat dude. So yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  12:12  
You know, it really surprises me after you know, Ted Lasso has been one of the biggest shows that kind of talks about the difference between football and soccer. I mean, how do you not know? 

Archie MacKenzie  12:22  
Yeah, exactly. 

Evan Franulovich  12:23  
This guy must have been really dramatic. 

Archie MacKenzie  12:25  
Yeah, probably. 

Evan Franulovich  12:25  
Probably, or pissed, as you guys say. So, yeah, so are you big football fan?

Archie MacKenzie  12:32  
Not particularly. 

Evan Franulovich  12:33  
I mean, European football.

Archie MacKenzie  12:35  
Not particularly, no.

Evan Franulovich  12:36  
Not particularly.

Archie MacKenzie  12:39  
When I went back to the UK this summer for a little bit on holiday, I finally went to a British pub. I mean, I've been before, but, and I've actually tried to experience it. I know it is unique to that country. 

Evan Franulovich  12:50  
Sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  12:51  
So I went there, you know, and watched the Spain versus England final. 

Evan Franulovich  12:54  
Yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  12:55  
It's heartbreaking. 

Evan Franulovich  12:56  
Sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  12:57  
I have some videos, you know, everyone in the pub with the Guinnesses. Yeah, is it amazing? 

Evan Franulovich  13:04  
It's a great experience, yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  13:05  
It's really fun. And it's like, that's where I'm from. 

Evan Franulovich  13:08  
Right?

Archie MacKenzie  13:08  
Pretty cool.

Evan Franulovich  13:09  
Well, in next year, well, not next year, 2026 we're hosting some of the World Cup games. So, yeah, maybe you get... Are you gonna be around 2026 What's your plan after you?

Archie MacKenzie  13:19  
So I'm gonna be here for another year. 

Evan Franulovich  13:20  
Okay. 

Archie MacKenzie  13:21  
And if I can afford it, because I don't have any money after this. I mean, if I can afford or get a full scholarship to somewhere like ASU, or you know, another US university, which will be a dream. 

Evan Franulovich  13:33  
Right, right. 

Archie MacKenzie  13:35  
I'll go there, but that's only if I get a full scholarship, so I have to work really hard for that, or I go back to the UK and go to a university there, which would be really fun, actually.

Evan Franulovich  13:44  
It would be cool, yeah, but we'd love to see you stay. That would be great. Have you applied for scholarships here at Seattle Colleges? 

Archie MacKenzie  13:52  
Yes, a couple, yeah, I think so. But I haven't heard back, maybe yet, or not at all.

Evan Franulovich  13:56  
So in the winter, the Foundation Scholarship becomes available. 

Archie MacKenzie  14:01  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  14:01  
Did you applied for that?

Archie MacKenzie  14:03  
No.

Evan Franulovich  14:04  
No, you didn't. 

Archie MacKenzie  14:04  
No, I didn't hear about it then, but I heard about it after. 

Evan Franulovich  14:07  
Oh, okay. Yeah, so be sure, because it's coming up again, and you can apply every time. So definitely apply, because if you get it, it can be, you know, between $3500-4500 on average, which would help you stretch your money quite a bit. 

Archie MacKenzie  14:20  
Absolutely. 

Evan Franulovich  14:21  
And then there's some other organizations like, there's a, it's not a fraternity, but there's a, I can't remember, Phi Theta Kappa, or whatever.

Archie MacKenzie  14:32  
My friend, yeah, is in that. 

Evan Franulovich  14:33  
Yeah, and I think you can get a scholarship if you're a member. 

Archie MacKenzie  14:36  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  14:37  
I don't think you have to dress up like a buffalo or anything weird like that. But yeah, that's free money. And then are you working on campus?

Archie MacKenzie  14:46  
I applied for a couple jobs. Maybe at South Seattle, I remember doing that. But no. I mean, every other international student wants a job, so it's very difficult to get a job.

Evan Franulovich  14:56  
Well, the good news is, you you can apply it north you can apply at south. You can apply at the district office as well. So ask around, and then just stay plugged into the student community, because they seem to know where the jobs are.

Archie MacKenzie  15:10  
Yeah, I really want to be a RA.

Evan Franulovich  15:12  
Oh yeah, no kidding, right?

Archie MacKenzie  15:14  
Living with my family friends, you know, the host family, but it would be fun to have an experience being in, you know, RA, and it's basically free rent, and i have to do the works. I mean, that'll be quite fun.

Evan Franulovich  15:26  
Have you talked to Olivia? 

Archie MacKenzie  15:29  
Olivia... 

Evan Franulovich  15:30  
She's the housing coordinator. 

Archie MacKenzie  15:31  
I emailed her. 

Evan Franulovich  15:32  
Okay, cool.

Archie MacKenzie  15:33  
Yeah, she'll email me, I think when a space opens up. 

Evan Franulovich  15:38  
Right on. 

Archie MacKenzie  15:38  
But that's yet to happen.

Evan Franulovich  15:40  
Okay, well, hopefully it will. It is a great job. 

Archie MacKenzie  15:43  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  15:44  
There are other great jobs too, like an IA position or front desk positions. Those are really great. And you know, we're always having turnover because people are transferring out. So just keep asking. 

Archie MacKenzie  15:55  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  15:56  
If I hear anything, I'll certainly let you know. Yeah, let marketing people know that you're looking because we hear sometimes like, oh, who did I talk to that needed a job? 

Archie MacKenzie  16:05  
Yeah, thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  16:06  
Yeah, yeah, sure. The gym seems to be quite popular. 

Archie MacKenzie  16:09  
Gym is really fun. Yeah, I go to every now and then. 

Evan Franulovich  16:12  
No, but, I mean, for a job. 

Archie MacKenzie  16:13  
For a job.

Evan Franulovich  16:13  
Yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  16:14  
Well, I mean, it would be fun to work in that. I know some people who work there, and I see a lot of new people in there all the time. So, I mean, I'm sure the job is regularly available. But yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  16:26  
I don't know how many hours there. I mean, you can work up to 20 hours. I don't think anyone does. I think it's more like 10 to 15 hours on average, people are working. But like Telvin, you know, Telvin down at the information center, he's from Kenya, I think he has three different jobs. 

Archie MacKenzie  16:40  
Really? Wow.

Evan Franulovich  16:41  
So, yeah, look around. And are you a writer at all? 

Archie MacKenzie  16:45  
How do you mean? 

Evan Franulovich  16:45  
Like journalism, kind of articles, can you put together interesting stories?

Archie MacKenzie  16:52  
Yeah, I love English 102, a class I'm taking this quarter. I really do enjoy, yeah, actually.

Evan Franulovich  16:58  
Well, because the Seattle Collegian, which is our paper, they'll pay for articles so you can talk them. 

Archie MacKenzie  17:07  
I have a couple friends there. Really good articles, actually.

Evan Franulovich  17:09  
There you go. 

Archie MacKenzie  17:10  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  17:11  
But yeah, look into keeping your GPA up, and a lot of schools, when you transfer, will offertransfer scholarships. 

Archie MacKenzie  17:18  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  17:18  
So the higher your GPA, the more money you can generally get. So I know that we had, I don't know, 7 to 12 students transfer from here, when they graduated to Seattle Pacific University, and they all got some pretty generous transfer scholarships. 

Archie MacKenzie  17:35  
Were they international students?

Evan Franulovich  17:36  
Yeah, all of them. In fact, I think they were all... Well, seven of them at least, were from Africa. They were students that I had either interacted with, because that's my territory when I recruit so. But yeah, there's a bunch. So there you go, make those dollars stretch. 

Archie MacKenzie  17:52  
Hopefully, all yet to come.

Evan Franulovich  17:55  
So you started in Geology. 

Archie MacKenzie  17:58  
Geology, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  17:59  
And you decided that wasn't for you. 

Archie MacKenzie  18:01  
No it was little bit... It was, yeah, not really my thing. 

Evan Franulovich  18:05  
Okay. 

Archie MacKenzie  18:07  
I mean, obviously I've changed as a person myself. 

Evan Franulovich  18:10  
Right. 

Archie MacKenzie  18:10  
Throughout this entire year. And geology, I really like the subject, I find it really interesting actually, but it as a job, the dream that job that I would have wouldn't be very, you know, quite hard to get into. And a lot of geology jobs are oil related. So then that was boring, and it's like, okay, I actually don't want to do this. And then I moved on to psychology, because I didn't know what else to do. And I, you know, I thought I would, just might try it out. 

Evan Franulovich  18:38  
Sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  18:38  
That lasted for one quarter. And then... 

Evan Franulovich  18:42  
That's okay. You gotta try them out. 

Archie MacKenzie  18:43  
...and then I went to California and afterwards to Phoenix on a little road trip. And then I went to California to see my mom's old friend who has this horse ranch there that is really cool. And we, I mean, we just spoke, had a really nice conversation in these California mountains, it was really beautiful. And then we're just talking about, you know, degrees and everything. And he opened my eyes up to the idea of political science, like, oh yeah, actually, the things that I would want to do in my life and how I enjoy life relates to that, actually a lot. 

Evan Franulovich  19:21  
Oh, that's great. So did you, you have a car then. 

Archie MacKenzie  19:26  
No, I went with a friend. 

Evan Franulovich  19:27  
Oh, you went with a friend, so you did this road trip. 

Archie MacKenzie  19:30  
Yes, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  19:30  
Well, that's the big American dream, right? The American Road Trip is cool. So you went to California, then you went to Phoenix. 

Archie MacKenzie  19:37  
Phoenix first, met a bunch of people there, crazy people. And then took a bus from Phoenix to California, and my friend, who used to go to primary school with me in the UK, lives in Tucson.

Evan Franulovich  19:53  
I wish I'd known you were going to Tucson, because two of my older sons live in Tucson, and they own a business there. Should have gone to, if you didn't. 

Archie MacKenzie  20:01  
Yeah, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  20:01  
They own a business called The Breaking Point. Did you happen to go there. 

Archie MacKenzie  20:04  
I haven't. I was only in Tucson for a couple days, but reunited with my, you know, old best friend...

Evan Franulovich  20:10  
That's so cool. 

Archie MacKenzie  20:10  
...since 7 years. It's amazing, actually, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  20:12  
Yeah? Did you guys just sit around and visit or did you go do stuff? 

Archie MacKenzie  20:16  
He's got a car, so we went up to Mount Lemmon. 

Evan Franulovich  20:20  
Yeah, yeah. Mount Lemmon is awesome. 

Archie MacKenzie  20:22  
Yeah, it's amazing time. And then we said goodbye, I went up to Phoenix again, and then took a bus to California, and then little plane back to Seattle after that.

Evan Franulovich  20:30  
Yeah, yeah. So when you went to California, you went to LA and then got up picked up?

Archie MacKenzie  20:35  
Palm Springs. 

Evan Franulovich  20:35  
Oh, okay. 

Archie MacKenzie  20:36  
Because his ranch is in Palm Springs, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  20:40  
Yeah, yeah. Was does he ranch in Palm Springs? It's kinda the desert? 

Archie MacKenzie  20:44  
Yeah, no, and it's in the mountain, so it's interesting. But yeah, if you hear me pronouncing ranch as ranch. 

Evan Franulovich  20:52  
Yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  20:53  
I mean, when I whenever I order coffee, I have to say my name is Archie (American accent) in a very strong accent, because whenever I say Archie (British accent), they spell my name wrong, A, O, C, A, it's like, what have you not heard? So, yeah, so I've kind of gotten used to putting on a very strong accent. 

Evan Franulovich  21:11  
Yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  21:12  
So if you notice that, then...

Evan Franulovich  21:14  
I noticed for sure, and I'm sure my listeners noticed, yeah, no, that's great. You have to do what you got to do. People aren't used to that, especially here on the West Coast, I don't think we get quite as many tourists from the UK as say the East Coast does. If you're in New York, maybe it wouldn't be a big deal. Do you find that we have a unique accent in the Northwest compared to what you heard in, say, California? 

Archie MacKenzie  21:38  
Actually on the plane back from California to Seattle, everyone was so, like, positive, you know, California accent? Oh, no way, you know, oh, my God, it really was. You could notice it being an outsider. 

Evan Franulovich  21:54  
Sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  21:54  
And then I got back to Seattle, and everyone was boring. No, I mean, that's the stereotype. But people are very chilled out on the West Coast, which i like.

Evan Franulovich  22:04  
Yeah, yeah. Have you spent any time on the East Coast? 

Archie MacKenzie  22:08  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  22:08  
Not at all. 

Archie MacKenzie  22:09  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  22:10  
Yeah. The pace of life out there, in my opinion, don't beat me up in the comments, but pace of life out there is a lot faster, a little more intense, you know, let's do business kinds of stuff. But out here, it's like, dude, let's go surfing. So cool. Well, you know, the Northwest is really known for its outdoors activity, have you had a chance to take advantage of any of that.

Archie MacKenzie  22:30  
 Yeah, absolutely. 

Evan Franulovich  22:31  
What have you done?

Archie MacKenzie  22:32  
I've been on many hikes. I went to Mount Rainier a couple of weeks ago. That was beautiful. And we went there to see the autumn colors, you know, in the trees and stuff.

Evan Franulovich  22:40  
New snow?

Archie MacKenzie  22:42  
A little bit of snow at the top, which was, yeah, but um, I mean, I've made a lot of friends through church. 

Evan Franulovich  22:49  
Sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  22:49  
Which I like to go to, because I mean, instantly you have, I have a bunch of really strong connections, great community. Almost instantly as I move away, and even they knew people that knew people from Oxford, which is weird. 

Evan Franulovich  23:04  
Really?

Archie MacKenzie  23:04  
Yeah, so I went on a nice little hike with them, and then I'm going to a lodge in the mountains with the same people this weekend, which would be fun. Do you know which lodge? It's in Snohomish or Snoqualmie or somewhere like that. 

Evan Franulovich  23:21  
Is it rustic? Is it gonna be?

Archie MacKenzie  23:23  
Yeah, yeah. It's in Baring. I don't know if you know that, but it's a tiny little unincorporated community, but yeah, that would be really fun.

Evan Franulovich  23:31  
Yeah, yeah. Very different than what you're used to, I'm sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  23:34  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  23:35  
Well, that's cool. Have you, so winter? Did you try skiing or snowboarding? Did you get out? 

Archie MacKenzie  23:41  
No, I've never. I mean, have you? Do you go skiing or snowboarding much in this state? 

Evan Franulovich  23:45  
Oh, yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  23:46  
Is it possible? 

Evan Franulovich  23:46  
Oh, for sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  23:47  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  23:47  
45 minutes. You can even take a bus, I think, up to the paths. 

Archie MacKenzie  23:52  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  23:52  
And go skiing there snowboarding. Last year, well, last two years, International Programs has done a tubing event where you load up on a bus, I think you pay a small fee. They take a bunch of international students up there, and you go tubing for the afternoon. 

Archie MacKenzie  24:08  
I think I was invited to that. 

Evan Franulovich  24:09  
It's really fun. You should check it out this year, because it's really cheap to do. 

Archie MacKenzie  24:15  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  24:16  
But yeah, I think. And then if you go north to the North Cascades National Park area. There's some really great skiing up there, and you can cross the border into Canada. And Whistlers really well known.

Archie MacKenzie  24:28  
I have some friends in Vancouver, and the husband is from my village, and the wife is from Vancouver, and they met in England. So I went to stay with them last spring a couple days, and then we went up to Whistler, but we didn't ski because it was, we were busy and we don't have much time. I think next time maybe. 

Evan Franulovich  24:48  
It's really pretty up there. 

Archie MacKenzie  24:49  
Really, really pretty. 

Evan Franulovich  24:51  
Now, because you're a UK resident or a passport holder, you don't need a visa to go into Canada, right? 

Archie MacKenzie  24:57  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  24:59  
Why do you say it that way? 

Archie MacKenzie  25:00  
No, well, I mean, I needed to sign my F-1 visa document thing. 

Evan Franulovich  25:06  
Your I-20. 

Archie MacKenzie  25:06  
I-20, sorry. 

Evan Franulovich  25:07  
Yeah, that's okay. No, when you travel to Canada, you have to have your I-20 signed.

Archie MacKenzie  25:12  
I-20 signed. 

Evan Franulovich  25:13  
Yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  25:14  
And when you get it signed by your someone at school an official, it lasts six months when you can basically, means you leave the country, which reminds me, because I have to do it this Christmas when I go back. 

Evan Franulovich  25:25  
Sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  25:26  
But I mean, I was allowed into Canada, being a British citizen. 

Evan Franulovich  25:30  
Subject. 

Archie MacKenzie  25:31  
Exactly, and then, but coming back, I had to have the thing signed, because obviously it's going back into the US. 

Evan Franulovich  25:38  
Sure, sure. 

Archie MacKenzie  25:39  
Yeah, it's complicated.

Evan Franulovich  25:40  
But way easier than, like, a lot of international students that are here, they have to actually get a visa on top of all that. 

Archie MacKenzie  25:47  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  25:48  
Which is much more. So you got a pretty your Commonwealth, so that makes a lot of sense. But Canada is, yeah, I really love going up there. It's for, like, anyone that hasn't traveled outside the country before. It's like, international travel light. It's a good way to try to get started. They speak English, you know, they use litters instead of gallons, so it freaks you out a little bit. Wow, it's really expensive for gas. 

Archie MacKenzie  26:15  
Well, I know you've been to Europe, and what was that like with an American, you know, passport.

Evan Franulovich  26:22  
Oh, no problem. You just walk in basically, it's really great. Yeah, I've been, well, I first wentto Europe back in the day. I went in 1983 as an exchange student to Belgium, and I lived there for a year. And at that time, you know, it wasn't the EU so everywhere I went, like I would cross the border from, say, the Netherlands into Germany, and they'd come on and check your passport. You don't have to do that anymore. So, yeah, it was a different thing. 

Archie MacKenzie  26:50  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  26:50  
And this will give you a little bit of an idea. There was no tunnel, obviously, when I was there, so we would take the hovercraft from Calais over to Dover. 

Archie MacKenzie  26:58  
Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  26:59  
Crazy. 

Archie MacKenzie  27:00  
I've never done that. 

Evan Franulovich  27:01  
Oh, it's awesome. The day we went, they canceled all the ones behind us because it was stormy, but the hovercraft would go down to the bottom of one wave, and you'd look up and see the top. 

Archie MacKenzie  27:11  
Really? Wow. 

Evan Franulovich  27:12  
It was it was nuts. 

Archie MacKenzie  27:13  
Crazy. 

Evan Franulovich  27:14  
And I was fine. There were a lot of people that were sick. I didn't get sick until we took the bus ride. I got into London, got into my hotel room, and then I lost it, and then it was like, oh, my God. 

Archie MacKenzie  27:25  
You held it in, good. 

Evan Franulovich  27:26  
Held it in. 

Archie MacKenzie  27:26  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  27:27  
That's right. Well, cool. Well, what's been the funnest thing you've done since you've been in the US? I mean, you took this road trip. You've been hiking. 

Archie MacKenzie  27:35  
Very good question. 

Evan Franulovich  27:35  
Yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  27:36  
Funnest thing I've done, I went to Florida with one of my very good friends, yeah, that was great. He has a bunch of people or family who lives there. So we went and stayed in there. 

Evan Franulovich  27:48  
Awesome. 

Archie MacKenzie  27:49  
Which is great. And that was really fun. I really enjoyed that. 

Evan Franulovich  27:52  
Yeah, yeah.

Archie MacKenzie  27:54  
But Florida is crazy. All of our Uber drivers were like, insane. The weather was crazy. I mean, we went into a target, okay, it was bright, beautiful, Florida, sunny day, and I thought it was gonna stay like that. We went in, bought some groceries, and about five minutes later we walked outside, I mean, the heaviest rain I've ever seen in my life. And then it just stopped. Oh, okay, he's like, oh, great.

Evan Franulovich  28:19  
That's the South! Yeah, pretty crazy. 

Archie MacKenzie  28:22  
That's really fun, actually experiencing that, and that felt more American than I've would anything I've ever done on the West Coast. I don't know. Maybe that's because it lives up to more stereotypes of how British people view America, you know, like the movies and stuff. 

Evan Franulovich  28:36  
Maybe. 

Archie MacKenzie  28:36  
But Florida was crazy. 

Evan Franulovich  28:37  
Which part of Florida were you in? 

Archie MacKenzie  28:38  
I was in Tampa Bay. 

Evan Franulovich  28:39  
Oh, you were in Tampa. Okay, nice. 

Archie MacKenzie  28:42  
Yeah, it was great. 

Evan Franulovich  28:42  
Wow. 

Archie MacKenzie  28:43  
Well, you've traveled a lot then, since you've been here, no wonder you don't have any money to go to school.

Evan Franulovich  28:46  
You have been traveling so much.

Archie MacKenzie  28:47  
I know.

Evan Franulovich  28:48  
You got to go to Hawaii.

Archie MacKenzie  28:49  
Oh, really? Well, actually, that's true. Still part of the US, isn't it? 

Evan Franulovich  28:53  
Yes, it is. You don't need your I-20 sign for that. 

Archie MacKenzie  28:57  
Good idea. 

Evan Franulovich  28:57  
I mean, and if you watch the sales, sometimes you can find pretty cheap tickets. 

Archie MacKenzie  29:01  
Yeah, exactly. What I was gonna say that, yeah. I mean, cheap tickets. Very lucky. 

Evan Franulovich  29:06  
Seattle is a great place to be, actually, because you can go to Asia, actually, sometimes pretty cheap, if you watch the sales, and you go to Alaska from here, sometimes you can get really cheap tickets to go to Alaska, which I highly recommend, since you're in this part of the world. 

Archie MacKenzie  29:21  
Well, I saw a really cheap ticket to LA, 26 hour flight. But you go to from Seattle to LA, which usually would be about three hours, but you go to Taiwan first and then you go to LA, oh, you know, trip to Taiwan, I won't get the plane to LA. And it's like, oh, I could just do that. 

Evan Franulovich  29:41  
How much was it? 

Archie MacKenzie  29:42  
It's about 800 which is still... 

Evan Franulovich  29:44  
That's ridiculous. 

Archie MacKenzie  29:45  
Still pretty good for... 

Evan Franulovich  29:47  
to go to LA?

Archie MacKenzie  29:49  
But obviously you're going to Taiwan first. 

Evan Franulovich  29:51  
Can you get off the plane in Taiwan and go see it.

Archie MacKenzie  29:53  
Yes, lay over flights?

Evan Franulovich  29:54  
I guess that's not bad. 

Archie MacKenzie  29:55  
Well, I don't know, maybe. 

Evan Franulovich  29:56  
That's crazy. That's really weird. 

Archie MacKenzie  30:00  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  30:01  
Well, so you had a lot of classes in a lot of different areas. You've taken some science with geology. You've taken social science with psychology. 

Archie MacKenzie  30:10  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  30:10  
What's been your experience with the classes themselves? Do you feel like the approach to education, like the way the classrooms are managed, where the education is delivered, is delivered, is a lot different than what you experienced back home? 

Archie MacKenzie  30:22  
Absolutely. 

Evan Franulovich  30:23  
Oh, yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  30:23  
Well, this time in my life, when I'm 16 to 18, although I'm 19 now, you'd take that in the UK, you take A levels. 

Evan Franulovich  30:33  
Right? 

Archie MacKenzie  30:34  
And you choose three subjects, and you do those three subjects for two years and not change anything. So you can pick, you know, I picked, what did I pick? Chemistry, Biology and geography. Really difficult. I mean, it's like, so insane. So I come here and I take three subjects for one quarter, and then the next quarter I'm doing a bunch of different subjects. 

Evan Franulovich  30:59  
Whatever you want. 

Archie MacKenzie  31:00  
It's amazing. Yeah, it's like, perfect, because I'm now no longer bored of the other subjects. And it's like a new, bright, you know, brand new area to learn. 

Evan Franulovich  31:08  
And actually, you can take more than three if you want. 

Archie MacKenzie  31:10  
Absolutely, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  31:11  
You can take. 

Archie MacKenzie  31:11  
It's very daring. 

Evan Franulovich  31:12  
If you're daring. Yeah, you can take four or five classes. But I don't recommend that, because it's a lot. So what's been the most interesting class you've taken?

Archie MacKenzie  31:24  
Very good question. I think public speaking. That was really fun. 

Evan Franulovich  31:30  
Right. 

Archie MacKenzie  31:30  
Yeah, that was really good. As I don't know Daichi, who was on here before. 

Evan Franulovich  31:35  
Yeah, yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  31:35  
He was in the class with me. That's how I met him. 

Evan Franulovich  31:37  
Very cool. 

Archie MacKenzie  31:38  
Yes, yes. So that was a really fun experience, actually, you know, writing speeches and meeting everyone. It was really good, interesting. 

Evan Franulovich  31:46  
Do you have anything like that back home? 

Archie MacKenzie  31:48  
Not particularly, I think everyone's a little, everyone's a little bit in their bubble. Where I'm from. I don't know if you've seen, you know, Jeremy Clarkson? 

Evan Franulovich  31:58  
It's not hanging up there. 

Archie MacKenzie  31:59  
Top Gear. 

Evan Franulovich  32:01  
Oh yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  32:01  
Well, he's one of the guys there. He now owns a farm in the countryside, which is very close to where I live. And all the characters, other than Jeremy, who's been everywhere in his life, all the other characters are sort of like in their little bubble, you know, they've lived in this village their whole life. And, I mean, it's a reality show, and it's real people on this farm was working. It's really, it's really funny, but it's like, Caleb, this guy, he's lived on this little farm his whole life, and he hasn't been anywhere else, even London, I mean. And there are people that are in my life in England that are exactly like that, and it's like, wow, I really want, you know, take them to the US and have great fun. Show them what's what.

Archie MacKenzie  32:43  
Show them around, or at least to go to London man. 

Archie MacKenzie  32:46  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  32:46  
You know, there are people like that in the United States too. Honestly, I grew up in a very small town on the Oregon coast, and you know, some of the people there had never even been out of the county, hadn't been to the capital of the state, or even to the biggest cityof Portland. But yeah, you know, some people just don't seize the day and go do other stuff, and maybe that's okay for them. I like to travel. So whatever. 

Archie MacKenzie  33:10  
Great. 

Evan Franulovich  33:11  
Yeah. So we try to get into the part of the show where we ask a few questions. Oh, do you hear that? There it is. So we're gonna ask you a few questions. These are trivia questions. If you get them all right, you get on the wall of fame. And if you get them wrong, okay, you'll probably cry yourself to sleep tonight. So here you go. Question number one. Now there are five. Sorry. There are three national parks surrounding the city of Seattle. We've already kind of mentioned them. Can you remember one of them?

Archie MacKenzie  33:49  
Mount Rainier National Park? 

Evan Franulovich  33:50  
Yes, very nice. 

Archie MacKenzie  33:52  
I've been there. 

Evan Franulovich  33:53  
Question number two, within 1000 feet, how high is Mount Rainier.

Archie MacKenzie  34:02  
14,000 feet. 

Evan Franulovich  34:03  
Dang, that's really good. I thought I was gonna get him on that one. That's really impressive. Nice job. 

Archie MacKenzie  34:10  
I remember. 

Evan Franulovich  34:11  
Yeah, all right. Question number three, what is the highest mountain in North America?

Archie MacKenzie  34:21  
Oh, it's in, is it in Alaska? 

Evan Franulovich  34:25  
Yes. 

Archie MacKenzie  34:27  
What's the name? Such? Oh, really, that's annoyed me. Okay, well, I've forgotten the name. 

Evan Franulovich  34:33  
I will give you a hint. It starts with a D. 

Archie MacKenzie  34:35  
Oh. 

Evan Franulovich  34:37  
Or an M, depending if you use the Aboriginal name, or if you use the white man name.

Archie MacKenzie  34:45  
Pass. 

Evan Franulovich  34:46  
All right, Denali. 

Archie MacKenzie  34:47  
Denali, yeah, of course.

Evan Franulovich  34:49  
And national park, too. Denali National Park. That's all right. No worries, that's a tough one. All right. Question number four, if you are an international student, how many credits do you have to take to maintain your visa. 

Archie MacKenzie  35:04  
12. 

Evan Franulovich  35:04  
Yeah, nice job. And last question, what was the last movie you saw in the theater?

Archie MacKenzie  35:13  
Inside Out 2. 

Evan Franulovich  35:15  
Really? correct. How was it? 

Archie MacKenzie  35:17  
Yeah, it was great fun. It was because I watched the first one with my mom. 

Evan Franulovich  35:20  
Yeah, yeah. 

Archie MacKenzie  35:21  
So it was nice to see the second one. 

Evan Franulovich  35:23  
Yeah.

Archie MacKenzie  35:23  
It was really a good film, actually. 

Evan Franulovich  35:24  
Where'd you see it?

Archie MacKenzie  35:25  
 In Northgate? 

Evan Franulovich  35:27  
Oh, yeah, I like Northgate. 

Archie MacKenzie  35:27  
Which is very close to North Seattle College.

Evan Franulovich  35:30  
Are you living in that area? 

Archie MacKenzie  35:31  
No, I live 10 minute walk away from here. 

Evan Franulovich  35:34  
Oh, really close. Wow. So you're in Capitol Hill? 

Archie MacKenzie  35:37  
Yeah, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  35:38  
So cool. 

Archie MacKenzie  35:39  
Very easy. 

Evan Franulovich  35:40  
And you said you're staying with family. 

Archie MacKenzie  35:41  
Host Family, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  35:42  
Oh, wait a minute, host family. 

Archie MacKenzie  35:44  
Host Family, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  35:44  
So they're not related?

Archie MacKenzie  35:46  
No. Family Friends. 

Evan Franulovich  35:47  
Family friends. 

Archie MacKenzie  35:48  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  35:49  
They just said, yeah, stay here. 

Archie MacKenzie  35:50  
Yeah. Well, they've had students before stay. 

Evan Franulovich  35:53  
Oh, they have. 

Archie MacKenzie  35:53  
And they've actually come here.

Evan Franulovich  35:54  
Really cool. Wow, do they have kids? 

Archie MacKenzie  35:58  
They have three kids, yeah. Well, the daughter is how my mom met these people. But they're all, you know, like, grown up now. 

Evan Franulovich  36:04  
Oh, they're all grown up. 

Archie MacKenzie  36:05  
Yeah, yeah. One lives in New York, and one still lives in Seattle, here,

Evan Franulovich  36:08  
And you've met them all? 

Archie MacKenzie  36:09  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  36:10  
Oh, cool. Do you get your own room?

Archie MacKenzie  36:13  
I live in the attic.

Evan Franulovich  36:15  
Oh, right on.

Archie MacKenzie  36:17  
Yep, pretty much. 

Evan Franulovich  36:18  
Come down to breakfast, whatever. 

Archie MacKenzie  36:20  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  36:21  
That's cool. Well, great job on the trivia questions. 

Archie MacKenzie  36:24  
Thank you.

Evan Franulovich  36:24  
The last question we always ask our guests is, you know, now that you've been around 10 months, almost a year, you are wise and learned, so you can share your suggestions with the rest of the world. What would you say to students back home in the region could be some Scottish kid or maybe a Belgian kid that is thinking about coming to the United States to be a student. What would be your advice to them?

Archie MacKenzie  36:55  
I think go ahead and do it. I think the UK has a lot to offer, but it's very limited compared to what the rest of the world actually can offer you in terms of being an experience and building your character and becoming a better person. And if you have an opportunity like I've had, you should absolutely take it, because it's crazy. 

Evan Franulovich  37:21  
Yeah, that's pretty fun. Yeah, I agree. Just do it guys, if you're thinking about it, I did, you know, when I'm out on the road recruiting a lot of kids I talk to, they're actually trying to decide whether to go to the UK, to go to school or go to the United States. 

Archie MacKenzie  37:35  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  37:36  
And I'm like, just come to the US. I mean, I think I've told you, but I worked for Staffordshire University in Oxford, Brooks. 

Archie MacKenzie  37:43  
Oh, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  37:44  
I worked for Sterling. And so I'm familiar with the, at least the university system in the UK. And I got to say, personally, having seen both worlds. 

Archie MacKenzie  37:54  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  37:55  
I prefer the US. 

Archie MacKenzie  37:56  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  37:56  
And I'm trying to be as impartial as possible. But I really do prefer it, like, everything camedown to the tests or the big project or whatever. Here, I mean, if you're doing your assignments, even if you just show up to class, you get credit for that. So, like, even if you bomb all your tests, if you've been coming to class regularly and you do well on your assignments, you can still pass. I mean, I kind of like that. 

Archie MacKenzie  38:21  
Very accessible. 

Evan Franulovich  38:22  
Yeah, yeah. And I do like the variety that you're talking about, which is pretty cool. Wow, cool. And then last thing, I usually have our students speak in their first language. So we're gonna ask you to say, like, 20 seconds worth of your native language.

Archie MacKenzie  38:39  
Hola, me, no, no,

Evan Franulovich  38:43  
Maybe use the Queen's English.

Archie MacKenzie  38:45  
What should I say? Good afternoon, everybody. It's currently 1:44 in Seattle, PM, and it's a very beautiful day with rain.

Evan Franulovich  38:59  
Is it raining?

Archie MacKenzie  39:00  
It's raining right now, yeah, pretty sure. 

Evan Franulovich  39:01  
Man. 

Archie MacKenzie  39:02  
But, uh, anyway, well, I'm gonna go and drink my tea now. 

Evan Franulovich  39:06  
Oh yes, of course. 

Archie MacKenzie  39:07  
With my milk and my, what else, crumpets. 

Evan Franulovich  39:10  
Spot of tea. 

Archie MacKenzie  39:11  
Spot of tea. Absolutely,

Evan Franulovich  39:13  
Yeah, yeah. Very nice. Well, that's great. Everybody probably would have understood that maybe a few people got lost. 

Archie MacKenzie  39:19  
Maybe, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  39:20  
Very cool. Well, I'm so glad you're here. It's been really great to get to know you, and thanks for coming on the show sharing all your interesting insights. 

Archie MacKenzie  39:29  
Good stuff. 

Evan Franulovich  39:29  
Yeah, yeah. You guys don't forget to subscribe, like, tune in every Wednesday for other interviews. 

Archie MacKenzie  39:37  
Do that. 

Evan Franulovich  39:38  
And happy Halloween. You'll probably get this after the holiday, but maybe before Christmas. So, Happy Christmas, everyone. You guys say Happy Christmas?

Archie MacKenzie  39:47  
Merry Christmas. 

Evan Franulovich  39:48  
Do you guys say Merry Christmas? 

Archie MacKenzie  39:48  
Merry Christmas, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  39:49  
I thought you guys say Happy Christmas. 

Archie MacKenzie  39:53  
Happy Halloween and Merry Christmas. 

Evan Franulovich  39:54  
And Merry Christmas. Yeah. All right, take care. Thanks. 

Evan Franulovich  40:01  
'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.