S3E38: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Manuel Torres of Colombia

In this our thirty-eighth (38th) episode of Season 3, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international student Manuel Torres of Colombia about his experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States. 

1:19 - Meet Manuel!

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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 College's 'Conversations with!' We're here in Seattle Central College, and I want to welcome another guest from Columbia. We're very happy you're here. Do you want to tell everybody who you are, how long you've been here, what you're studying, that kind of stuff.

Manuel Torres  1:26  
Hello everybody! My name is Manuel Augusto Torres. I’m from Colombia, and I’ve been here for two quarters—so this is my second quarter right now. 

Evan Franulovich  1:38  
And you're from which city? 

Manuel Torres  1:39  
I'm from Bogota. 

Evan Franulovich  1:41  
Nice, the big city of Bogota. 

Manuel Torres  1:43  
The capital. 

Evan Franulovich  1:44  
Do you miss home yet? 

Manuel Torres  1:46  
So what? 

Evan Franulovich  1:47  
Do you miss home? Are you finding that you miss Colombia, or do you like Seattle so far?

Manuel Torres  1:56  
I like Seattle. I miss the people in Colombia a little bit, but the city here (Seattle), the people are great. I miss the weather sometimes, because this quarter was winter. It was cold, but in general terms, I think I love USA and I love Colombia too.

Evan Franulovich  2:20  
I was just in Colombia, and when I was in Bogota, it was a little chilly, it was a little cold. 

Manuel Torres  2:26  
I don't know degrees in fahrenheit, but it's like now, in the spring, it's not winter, but it is the same weather all year. There are no seasons at all. 

Evan Franulovich  2:43  
Bogota is higher. It's high in the mountains, so it gets a little cooler. 

Manuel Torres  2:50  
Yes. If you go up, you will get cold. And if you go down the coast, it's warm. Yes, Bogota is a little bit cold.

Evan Franulovich  3:02  
Barranquilla was not cold. 

Manuel Torres  3:04  
No, no, no, because it's in the coast.

Evan Franulovich  3:09  
Yeah, right on the Caribbean. It was really nice guys, highly recommend it. 

Manuel Torres  3:13  
Definitely. 

Evan Franulovich  3:13  
Well, what did you say your major is?

Manuel Torres  3:17  
I am studying business.

Evan Franulovich  3:20  
Business, very good. And what do you want to do with a business degree?

Manuel Torres  3:26  
Actually, my father and my uncles have a restaurant in Colombia. 

Evan Franulovich  3:37  
Yeah, yeah. 

Manuel Torres  3:37  
They have some branches, and they want to expand the business. In general terms, all my cousins study business, I think the cousins that are after me will also study business. We have a lot of a family businesses. Not only restaurants, we also have a cheese factory. Yes, I think a transportation business too. So there is a lot of work there in Colombia. 

Evan Franulovich  3:38  
A lot of work to be done. 

Manuel Torres  4:11  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  4:12  
Just for fun, do you want to shout out the name of your restaurant?

Manuel Torres  4:16  
Yes, the name of the restaurant is Los Torres. 

Evan Franulovich  4:21  
I usually go to Bogota at least once a year, sometimes twice. So I'll want to check out.

Manuel Torres  4:26  
We have branches in the downtown of Bogota, in the north of Bogota and in the south of Bogota. And we have branches in Medellin too. 

Evan Franulovich  4:37  
Oh, very good. 

Manuel Torres  4:38  
And we are in all the events in in Corfarias and Plaza Mayor, those are the biggest places of events in general terms.

Evan Franulovich  4:47  
Check out those restaurants. Well, let's go back a little bit to when you were younger in Colombia, as a young boy, did you always dream about being an international student, or was this something that you were suggested by your parents? Or how did you decide maybe you wanted to study outside of Columbia? 

Manuel Torres  5:11  
Um, I didn't want to study anything, really. I didn't want to study a career or anything, because when I was there, there were a lot of universities that you have to study four years. And for me, that was a lot of time. And I saw that the universities that are close to my home didn't quite fit with me, and the other ones were too far away. And you know, the traffic in Bogota is definitely the worst thing there. 

Evan Franulovich  5:48  
Yeah. 

Manuel Torres  5:48  
So I finished school in 2023, when I was 16. So I definitely didn't want to study anything. But I went to Spain with my cousins, I have some cousins there in Spain. So I travelled there, and while I was there, I thought about studying abroad and in USA.

Evan Franulovich  6:16  
Ah, interesting. Which city in Spain?

Manuel Torres  6:19  
I went to Madrid, and I went to Barcelona, and I went to Alicante in the south. 

Evan Franulovich  6:19  
Sure. 

Manuel Torres  6:20  
So I went to Alicante, a really small town called Torrevieja. That was my third time in Spain. Actually, I went to more countries, I took a cruise across the Mediterranean Sea. 

Evan Franulovich  6:53  
Yeah, yeah. 

Manuel Torres  6:53  
So I have one month of traveling to think.

Evan Franulovich  6:58  
That's awesome. You know, when I took Spanish in high school, we studied Castilian Spanish. 

Manuel Torres  7:06  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  7:06  
So when you go to Spain, do you find their accent is difficult to understand? 

Manuel Torres  7:12  
Um, I think we have a lot of jokes in Latin America about the Spanish. But the accent is practically the same, because we consume a lot of the content from there. 

Evan Franulovich  7:30  
Yes. 

Manuel Torres  7:31  
But yes, they are definitely different. All the countries that speak Spanish speak different. 

Evan Franulovich  7:38  
Right. It seems like it, yeah. 

Manuel Torres  7:40  
And the words have different meanings. The same word with a different tone can sounds sometimes weird.

Evan Franulovich  7:50  
Sure. So do they think that you have a cute accent, or do they think it's funny sounding? What do they say about you?

Manuel Torres  8:01  
The thing is, Colombia has a lot of immigrants all over the world, so they often listen. But the people often think that we have the same accent. And the thing is, in Colombia there is a lot of regions. 

Evan Franulovich  8:20  
Ah, yes. 

Manuel Torres  8:21  
They are more aware of the accents from Medellin, the Paisa region. 

Evan Franulovich  8:30  
Sure. 

Manuel Torres  8:31  
When you use this tone of voice, they think you are lying, or you are not talking sincerely. But yes, the thing is, we don't talk the same way in all of the regions. 

Evan Franulovich  8:31  
Gotcha. All right, so you went back, you graduated at 16, which is fairly young. And then you traveled a little bit, and then you decided to come to Seattle Colleges, or at least the United States. Did you apply to more than one school, or only to Seattle Colleges?

Manuel Torres  9:07  
I actually I applied for South Seattle College. 

Evan Franulovich  9:14  
South Seattle? 

Manuel Torres  9:15  
Yes, not Seattle Central, but I had to take English classes. So I need to finish taking classes here.

Evan Franulovich  9:26  
So are you done with the English Institute of English yet?

Manuel Torres  9:29  
Yes, I did English SCIE last quarter. 

Evan Franulovich  9:38  
Okay. 

Manuel Torres  9:36  
I skipped to level five, and I started to take classes in business now. 

Evan Franulovich  9:41  
Very good, cool. All right, so you applied, you got accepted. You are under 18. So a lot of people wonder about people that are under 18. So when you apply, and you do your application, you also have. Have to submit transcripts from your school. Is that true? 

Manuel Torres  10:03  
Yes, that's true, definitely. So you have to pay a translator to translate your bank account. 

Evan Franulovich  10:20  
All the classes that you took.

Manuel Torres  10:22  
Yes, the grades and those things. 

Evan Franulovich  10:25  
Gotcha, yeah. Okay, cool. And then if you're under 18, housing becomes kind of an issue. So when you came here, what do you do for housing? Where do you live?

Manuel Torres  10:38  
I live in Belltown. 

Evan Franulovich  10:41  
Oh. 

Manuel Torres  10:42  
Pretty close to the college. I choose this city because of my mom's best friend. 

Evan Franulovich  10:52  
Gotcha. 

Manuel Torres  10:54  
Now that I'm turning 18, I will change the contract to myself. She signed for me. 

Evan Franulovich  11:02  
Very good. 

Manuel Torres  11:03  
But now I want to be closer to the college, I want to rent a place here in Capitol Hill.

Evan Franulovich  11:10  
Ah, very good. How big is your apartment? 

Manuel Torres  11:14  
The size of the studio is 250 square ft. 

Evan Franulovich  11:20  
Oh, okay. It's fairly small. But, comfortable?

Manuel Torres  11:24  
I think it's comfortable because there are two floors. The floor, and there is a place that you have the bed.

Evan Franulovich  11:34  
Oh, like a loft? 

Manuel Torres  11:35  
Exactly. 

Evan Franulovich  11:36  
That's kind of cool. 

Manuel Torres  11:37  
I have the bed, and then I have a loft. I can manage living there alone, you know? 

Evan Franulovich  11:47  
How did you find it? 

Manuel Torres  11:49  
I checked a lot of places, a lot of websites for finding apartments, finding rent. 

Evan Franulovich  12:05  
Right. 

Manuel Torres  12:05  
Um, finally, I decided on a big a real estate management that is called arboreal portfolio. They have a lot of places, a lot of small studios, and you can take the application, it's pretty easy, it's $40.

Evan Franulovich  12:24  
Oh, that's great. Are there other international students from this campus that live there? 

Manuel Torres  12:31  
I don't know, but I think could be. I'm not quite sure. 

Evan Franulovich  12:37  
Is it close to the busses or the subway?

Manuel Torres  12:40  
Yes. I can go walking from here, it's like 15-20 minutes. 

Evan Franulovich  12:47  
Yeah. 

Manuel Torres  12:48  
I can take the 8 bus. I can go to Westlake and take another bus, and it's like two blocks away. 

Evan Franulovich  12:56  
That's great. 

Manuel Torres  12:56  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  12:57  
Nice, that's a nice part of town too. I like that area.

Manuel Torres  13:00  
Yes, I think Belltown is good. Yes, it's downtown, but it's good. 

Evan Franulovich  13:07  
Yeah, great. That's true. Okay, so you applied, you get accepted, you get your I-20, then you need to make an appointment with the embassy to go through an interview. How long did it take for you to get your appointment?

Manuel Torres  13:24  
Okay. The appointment for the F-1 visa is different from the B1 or B2, because in Colombia, you have to wait two years to do the appointment for the tourist visa. 

Evan Franulovich  13:46  
Two years?! 

Manuel Torres  13:47  
Two years now. When I was a kid, I had my B1 visa. So the process to renew the visa, it's two or three weeks, but to get the visa for the first time, it's like two years now. 

Evan Franulovich  14:03  
Wow. 

Manuel Torres  14:03  
Because there is a lot of people applying, but for F-1 visa it's one or two weeks. 

Evan Franulovich  14:12  
Super fast. 

Manuel Torres  14:12  
Super fast. 

Evan Franulovich  14:17  
Let's get into this. 

Manuel Torres  14:18  
Yes, we will take over in a couple of minutes. The first time it takes like two weeks, and the second time one week. 

Evan Franulovich  14:30  
So fast. That's great. 

Manuel Torres  14:32  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  14:32  
Okay, but you are a little unique, because the first time you went in for your visa interview, you got denied. 

Manuel Torres  14:39  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  14:40  
So this is really interesting for our listeners, because we have many students who apply, they get accepted, and then they go and do their first interview, and they get denied. So tell us about your experience getting denied. 

Manuel Torres  14:53  
So the thing is, even if I had the B1 Visa. 

Evan Franulovich  15:04  
Yes. 

Manuel Torres  15:06  
I can come to the US. You have to fill the form the same. I filled the form, but I didn't fill it great. I filled it without translating some things. So I infer some things bad. And the 90% of the success of this appointment is the form, and you have to to fill it really good. So the second time I fill it with an agent, but I was with him doing it. 

Evan Franulovich  15:49  
Gotcha. 

Manuel Torres  15:49  
Because some people fill it with another people. 

Evan Franulovich  15:54  
Right. 

Manuel Torres  15:54  
But they feel it how they think.

Evan Franulovich  15:58  
I understand. Well, that makes sense. So let me ask you this, after you were denied for the first time, how long did you have to wait before you could try again? 

Manuel Torres  16:14  
It's not anytime you have you could try again the next week. Oh, but there is a lot of taboos in Colombia about the visa process, because 40% of the people that try, get denied. 

Evan Franulovich  16:35  
Wow, okay. 

Manuel Torres  16:37  
Almost the half of the people go without visas. 

Evan Franulovich  16:39  
Yeah, right. 

Manuel Torres  16:39  
The people said you have to wait at least six months, but I waited three months. I applied the first time to study here. So I got 70 points in the DET. There are a lot of tests that you can do, the TOEFL, the IELTS and the DET. The DET is only 65 bucks.

Evan Franulovich  16:43  
You're talking about Duolingo, right? 

Manuel Torres  17:14  
Duolingo, yes. But if you want to take the TOEFL or the IELTS, it's like $240. 

Evan Franulovich  17:20  
A little more expensive, yeah. 

Manuel Torres  17:21  
Yes. So the thing is, when you do this test, you have to get 90 and above in all the sub scores. So I get 70, really, really low. 

Evan Franulovich  17:33  
It's not bad. 

Manuel Torres  17:34  
But I was in the second level or third level, in speaking and listening in the SCIE. 

Evan Franulovich  17:42  
Sure. 

Manuel Torres  17:44  
I took three months to study in an academy to improve my English. And the second time, after these three months, I got 90 points. 

Evan Franulovich  17:57  
That's great. 

Manuel Torres  17:58  
But I got 90, 95, 95 and 80 in production. So I had to take the classes in the SCIE.

Evan Franulovich  18:10  
And you started at level four?

Manuel Torres  18:14  
No, the computer system puts you in the third level. 

Evan Franulovich  18:21  
Third level, okay. 

Manuel Torres  18:21  
But in the first week, the teacher sees you, and they put you... there is no more listening and speaking 3, so they can't do anything, there is reading and writing 4. They advanced me one level. But during the last quarter, there are two ways to skip to level five. The first way is you get 90 in the class, that's difficult, really difficult. You have to do the all assignments, but it is possible. But the other way is to do another exam and pass. 

Evan Franulovich  18:21  
Okay. 

Manuel Torres  18:37  
So I did the exam another time with the two or three months that I was studying here in winter, and I get 105.

Evan Franulovich  19:15  
Oh, that's great. 

Manuel Torres  19:16  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  19:16  
Good. So that saves you a little bit of time. 

Manuel Torres  19:20  
Yes, and you can start studying what you want. 

Evan Franulovich  19:24  
That's great. So when you were in Intensive English, did you take college classes at the same time as you were taking English classes?

Manuel Torres  19:35  
It's supposed to be like that, if you are in fourth or five level. 

Evan Franulovich  19:39  
Yeah. 

Manuel Torres  19:41  
But the thing is, I was already enrolled in listening and speaking 3, so they don't drop me out of the class, right? So I have five credits in listening and speaking 3, and I have 10 credits in writing and writing 4. So I can't take any other classes. But if you're in level four, and you take 10 credits, you have five credits or eight credits to take another class. 

Evan Franulovich  20:11  
Yeah, I think you get seven, actually. So, this quarter, this spring, you are only doing college classes. 

Manuel Torres  20:21  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  20:22  
What are you taking? 

Manuel Torres  20:23  
I am taking English 101, that is one of the requirements. You have to take English 101, English 102, I am taking math and I am taking introduction of world music. 

Evan Franulovich  20:42  
Oh, that's cool. 

Manuel Torres  20:43  
Yes, I like music. I think I will not take that class in the future. But when I wanted to enroll in the classes, it was like two weeks after the enrollment was open. So, I had to take the classes that were available.

Evan Franulovich  21:00  
But I was just talking to a Vietnamese student that we have out there, and he's also taking that class, or he did take it. I don't know if he's taking it this quarter or he just took it, but he thought it was a good class.

Manuel Torres  21:11  
Yes, I think I have a lot of Vietnamese classmates, I think they are 20. I am the only person from South America. There were two Mongolian people, and two from Africa, the other ones were from Vietnam. 

Evan Franulovich  21:33  
Were there any domestic students? Any students from the United States?

Manuel Torres  21:37  
In English classes, no.

Evan Franulovich  21:40  
I meant in the World Music. 

Manuel Torres  21:43  
In the World Music there are more Americans.

Evan Franulovich  21:51  
When you have American students in your class, I don't ask this question very often, but do you get to interact with them a lot, and are they curious about you and where you're from, or do you not really talk to them much? 

Manuel Torres  22:03  
I think it could look like the people here are aloof, compared with the Latin people. 

Evan Franulovich  22:15  
You guys are so warm. 

Manuel Torres  22:16  
Yes, in the universities in Colombia, you see that the first day they have a group of friends. But I don't think they are aloof. They could be a little bit less talkable, but they talk. I had a group for two days, they asked me where I am from. They don't talk as much as we do, but they talk a little bit.

Evan Franulovich  22:47  
They're a little more slow to be friendly and see who you are, that kind of stuff.

Manuel Torres  22:51  
Definitely the American guys are more talkable than the Asians. 

Evan Franulovich  22:57  
Oh, okay. 

Manuel Torres  22:59  
I think it's not a problem to make friends, but I am a little bit shy, so I don't have a lot of friends now, but I think it will change in the middle of the quarter.

Evan Franulovich  23:14  
For sure. They have many activities for international students, so that you have the opportunity to meet other students and make friends. Have you done any of those activities yet? 

Manuel Torres  23:27  
No, I don't think so. 

Evan Franulovich  23:28  
Well, I would recommend it. One of the events we have coming up in the spring is a baseball game Seattle Mariners, you can go and it's very inexpensive for students. 

Manuel Torres  23:38  
Okay, okay. 

Evan Franulovich  23:39  
So that's a really fun activity to do. And then later in the quarter, they have a talent show of both international and domestic students. So if you have a talent, you could perform, but if you just want to be in the audience, that's okay too. So that's coming up. If you go into the International Programs Office. I think they have a flyer that shows the events that are coming, but those are really fun. For example, in winter, they had a bus, and they took international students up to the snow, and people went snow tubing, and it was really fun. 

Manuel Torres  23:39  
So I will definitely go to the talent show. I don't have any any talents, but I will see what the people are doing.

Evan Franulovich  24:16  
Yeah, it's really fun. I've been to the last one, and you know, they have four judges, and students get up and they perform. It's really cool. 

Manuel Torres  24:31  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  24:34  
Good way to meet people. Okay, so you got your visa and then you came. How much time between the time you got your visa and the time you got on the plane to fly here?

Manuel Torres  24:44  
I think I got my physical visa November 20, probably something like that, and I took my plane on the 25th. 

Evan Franulovich  24:44  
Five days later? 

Manuel Torres  24:49  
No, 25 of December.

Evan Franulovich  24:59  
On Christmas? 

Manuel Torres  25:03  
On Christmas. I said 'Hello guys, Merry Christmas.' And I took the plane in the morning, not in the afternoon, but the ticket was really cheap. 

Evan Franulovich  25:23  
I bet it was cheap. 

Manuel Torres  25:24  
Yes, I didn't take the 24th ticket at 11:50. 

Evan Franulovich  25:28  
Sure. 

Manuel Torres  25:28  
But I took it at 4am, so my friends and my family go to the airport a little bit early after they say Merry Christmas. 

Evan Franulovich  25:39  
Yeah, that's great. So when you arrive in the United States, does anyone meet you at the airport? Or how did you get from there to your apartment?

Manuel Torres  25:48  
No, I stayed the first two weeks with my mom's best friend.

Evan Franulovich  25:57  
Nice. Oh, so they picked you up? 

Manuel Torres  26:01  
Yes. And it took a couple weeks until I got an apartment. 

Evan Franulovich  26:06  
Gotcha, gotcha. That's great. That's really nice. Well, you had to go to orientation, right?

Manuel Torres  26:16  
Yes, I came to the orientation.

Evan Franulovich  26:21  
I don't talk about orientation very often, but maybe you can tell our listeners, what was orientation like? What kinds of things did you?

Manuel Torres  26:29  
I think we met you first. 

Evan Franulovich  26:33  
Maybe I was there. 

Manuel Torres  26:35  
Yes, you were there, you were in the international office.

Evan Franulovich  26:42  
Maybe. I think I came to Central's orientation, but I didn't make it to the other one. 

Manuel Torres  26:47  
Exactly. We met you, and after that we went to our conference. 

Evan Franulovich  26:53  
Yes. 

Manuel Torres  26:53  
We saw what is going on here, where is the classrooms. I think this college is pretty easy to get to know. 

Evan Franulovich  27:05  
I agree. 

Manuel Torres  27:06  
I think it's only difficult to know where is the exact number of the class.

Evan Franulovich  27:16  
It's true. Especially with Seattle Central, we pretty much just have this STEM building, Science Technology building, and then we have the main building here, and we have other buildings as well, but most of the classes are in these two buildings. 

Manuel Torres  27:31  
Yes, exactly. 

Evan Franulovich  27:33  
Easy to find. 

Manuel Torres  27:34  
And you have the gym. There is a lot of places to do, a lot of activities. 

Evan Franulovich  27:39  
Yeah, do you go to the gym often? 

Manuel Torres  27:41  
I go almost everyday. I will not go today, because I didn't come with the tennis. 

Evan Franulovich  27:47  
Oh, sure. 

Manuel Torres  27:48  
But I think I will go to my home, and I will come back and I will go to the gym today.

Evan Franulovich  27:54  
What do you do when you're at the gym? 

Manuel Torres  27:57  
I go to the weightlifting room. 

Evan Franulovich  28:09  
Yes, yes. 

Manuel Torres  28:13  
There is a lot of machines, there is everything that you need.

Evan Franulovich  28:18  
Yeah, we have bikes, we have treadmills, rowing machines. Yeah, there's lots of weights benches. 

Manuel Torres  28:27  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  28:28  
Yeah, I go as often as I can. I've been a little lazy this week, but normally I go to the gym and work out. There's an indoor track, it's really cool.

Manuel Torres  28:37  
Yes. And it's really good, safe, and it's included in your tuition. So if you are planning to come, it's a good deal. 

Evan Franulovich  28:37  
And as far as activities go, we have a lot of sporting activities as well. Like every quarter there's either a basketball tournament. I think this quarter there'll be a soccer, football. Now Columbia has a pretty good soccer team, right?

Manuel Torres  29:03  
Yes. We believe a lot in our nation. 

Evan Franulovich  29:12  
Yes. 

Manuel Torres  29:13  
We love football. These couple of months were terrible for our team. We were in the top of the charts, and now we are not in the bottom, but in the middle. 

Evan Franulovich  29:29  
Okay. 

Manuel Torres  29:30  
But we love the soccer team, it's really good. The people said that we could win the Copa America and the World Cup. But I don't know what is happening, sometimes they are good, sometimes they are bad. 

Evan Franulovich  29:30  
The World Cup, they're gonna have some games here in Seattle, did you know that? 

Manuel Torres  30:04  
Yes, they will be here in Mexico and in Canada. I think if we take this seriously, we could do it.

Evan Franulovich  30:14  
All right. Well, we hope to see you guys, you Colombian soccer players, out there at the World Cup. That would be cool. Very good. Oh, do you hear that? It's Trivia Time. Well, this is the part of the show where I ask you five trivia questions. If you get them all right, you're on our wall of fame. And if you get them wrong, it's okay. You just cry yourself to sleep tonight. 

Manuel Torres  30:38  
Let's start. 

Evan Franulovich  30:38  
It'll be fine. Okay. Question number one: Since we're talking about football/soccer. 

Manuel Torres  30:45  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  30:45  
The city of Seattle has a professional soccer team. Do you know the name of that soccer team?

Manuel Torres  30:55  
The Sea Wolves? 

Evan Franulovich  30:56  
That's a good guess, but it's not the Sea Wolves.

Manuel Torres  30:59  
Mariners is not either. 

Evan Franulovich  31:01  
Mariners is Baseball. 

Manuel Torres  31:05  
I heard it, but I don't remember it.

Evan Franulovich  31:10  
It's the Seattle Sounders. 

Manuel Torres  31:14  
Yes, I heard it, and I asked, what is that? Because I have never heard that. 

Evan Franulovich  31:23  
So in the future maybe, you get to go see a game here at Seattle Sounders. 

Manuel Torres  31:30  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  31:30  
I don't know if they have any Colombian players on the team. I know they have a number of players from other countries, but I don't know who makes up their thing. 

Manuel Torres  31:38  
Yes, yes. Last time I see a football player here in Tacoma, I didn't recognize him, but the people recognize him. He's from Panama, so could be. It's close Columbia. 

Evan Franulovich  31:53  
Cool. All right. Question number two: We are in the northwest part of the United States. 

Manuel Torres  32:00  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  32:01  
We're in the state of Washington. 

Manuel Torres  32:03  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  32:04  
Just to the south of the state of Washington is another state, it's between here and California. What is that state? 

Manuel Torres  32:10  
Oregon. 

Evan Franulovich  32:11  
Yeah, nice Oregon. Have you been to Oregon? 

Manuel Torres  32:15  
No, but I love geography.

Evan Franulovich  32:19  
Me too. Do you plan to travel a little bit while you're in the US?

Manuel Torres  32:23  
Yes, I want to go to Oregon, Portland. I want to go to the center of the country, because I was in the boat coasts in California, Florida, Virginia, you know. But I've never been in the central part of the United States. 

Evan Franulovich  32:46  
You know what's so interesting when I was in Columbia, I forgot how close Columbia is to Florida. It's really a very short flight, like a few hours to Miami.

Manuel Torres  32:59  
I think it's closer than here to Florida. 

Evan Franulovich  33:04  
Yeah, for sure. 

Manuel Torres  33:04  
So from here is seven hours. 

Evan Franulovich  33:07  
Yeah, it's a long ways.

Manuel Torres  33:13  
It's only 3000 miles, or something like that. 

Evan Franulovich  33:20  
So did you travel to Florida as a tourist? What did you do in Florida? 

Manuel Torres  33:25  
Yes, I went twice. One when I was like six years old or seven years old. 

Evan Franulovich  33:32  
Oh, sure. 

Manuel Torres  33:33  
And once, when I was like 9-10, I went to the parks. I went to Miami. 

Evan Franulovich  33:39  
Oh, cool. 

Manuel Torres  33:40  
I took a cruise to the Bahamas. 

Evan Franulovich  33:44  
Yes, really nice. Well, cool. All right. Question number three: There are three national parks surrounding the city of Seattle. Can you name one of those national parks?

Manuel Torres  33:59  
National parks around Seattle? I don't know how far is Yellowstone. 

Evan Franulovich  34:12  
It's really far. The three that are just within a short drive of Seattle, one of them is the Olympic National Park. 

Manuel Torres  34:22  
Okay? 

Evan Franulovich  34:23  
If you go down by the Puget Sound, and you look across the water, that's the Olympics. 

Manuel Torres  34:28  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  34:29  
Mount Rainier National Park, that's the big mountain just to the south of us a little bit. 

Manuel Torres  34:33  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  34:34  
And then to the north of us are the North Cascades National Park.

Manuel Torres  34:37  
So I would never guess. 

Evan Franulovich  34:38  
Yes, that's all right. No big deal. Okay. Question number four: If you wanted to travel to say Mexico or Canada, what would you have to do with your I-20?

Manuel Torres  34:54  
If you want to travel, I think you have to sign it. Yeah, there are two pages. The first pages is all information. And the second page you have to get signed the DSO, he allows you to go away. 

Evan Franulovich  35:20  
That's right. 

Manuel Torres  35:21  
But if you want to go to Canada, and if you come from the countries that have to get a visa to go there, you have to first get your visa and your passport.

Evan Franulovich  35:33  
That's very true. Now, do you have a visa for Canada?

Manuel Torres  35:35  
I've never applied for the visa, but I think I will apply. I have a friend there in Vancouver. 

Evan Franulovich  35:44  
Really close. 

Manuel Torres  35:46  
Yeah, really close. But she will come, or I will go there,.

Evan Franulovich  35:49  
Sure, yeah. You can go there by train. We have Amtrak that goes to Vancouver, it only takes a couple hours at the most. 

Manuel Torres  36:00  
Like three hours. The flights are one hour. 

Evan Franulovich  36:02  
Yeah, it's super close. 

Manuel Torres  36:04  
It's only 30 buck, it's really cheap to go there.

Evan Franulovich  36:10  
Yeah, it is. Do you have a car? 

Manuel Torres  36:13  
Not now. I want to get one in the next months, because in the US you have a really good public transportion here, but if you want to go to Redmond or Woodinville.

Evan Franulovich  36:41  
Some of the outlying areas.

Manuel Torres  36:42  
Yes, Tacoma, Kent, you have to have a car.

Evan Franulovich  36:47  
Yes, although we do have a really great public transportation system, you can get to most of the places he just described by bus. It just takes a long time. 

Manuel Torres  36:57  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  36:58  
Sometimes it's not very convenient. 

Manuel Torres  37:00  
You have to take different busses. 

Evan Franulovich  37:02  
Yes.

Manuel Torres  37:03  
For example, if you want to go to Woodinville, you could go this way to Redmond, but you have to go to Kirkland and go up. I think it's really mere convenience to have a car, but the car insurance is expensive, so you have to consider that 

Evan Franulovich  37:26  
Fuel is expensive, insurance is expensive. mechanics are expensive.

Manuel Torres  37:31  
Yeah, the cars are not as expensive as Colombia or in other countries, but the insurance and the maintenance is expensive.

Evan Franulovich  37:33  
So you can get a car cheap in Columbia? 

Manuel Torres  37:43  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  37:46  
And the roads in Columbia are not quite as good.

Manuel Torres  37:50  
Exactly. I think the roads are getting better. But in general, the shape is very curvy, because of the mountains.

Evan Franulovich  38:07  
Have you driven to Pereira?

Manuel Torres  38:14  
Yes, you have to cross the Cordillera of the Andes. There is three, the east, the central and the West. So you have to cross the central and the east. 

Evan Franulovich  38:28  
Two. 

Manuel Torres  38:30  
Two.  

Evan Franulovich  38:32  
It's pretty curvy. 

Manuel Torres  38:43  
Yes. It's like eight or nine hours.

Evan Franulovich  38:47  
Oh, that's a long way. All right. Well, the last question is really easy, what was the last movie that you saw in the movie theater?

Manuel Torres  38:58  
The Trap, it's in Netflix. The last movie I saw was The Trap.

Evan Franulovich  39:09  
Oh, was it good? I don't think I've seen this movie. 

Manuel Torres  39:14  
The Trap is really a scary movie. 

Evan Franulovich  39:21  
Is it? 

Manuel Torres  39:21  
Yes. It is about a man that went to a concert with his son, with his daughter. And he's a serial killer. 

Evan Franulovich  39:32  
I've heard about his show. 

Manuel Torres  39:34  
There was a lot of things that happen. He kidnapped women, and took them to his place. In the end, he went to the police.

Evan Franulovich  39:59  
Spoiler alert. Cool. Well, that's it. Good job on the trivia game. Missed a couple, but that's okay, no big deal. 

Manuel Torres  40:06  
I get three. 

Evan Franulovich  40:07  
Yeah. So the last couple things we do, is saying something in Spanish. Many of our viewers have heard that language before, but you know, maybe you have some things in Colombia that they don't say, and they're part of the Hispanohablante, different Spanish speaking countries.

Manuel Torres  40:40  
*Manuel message in Spanish*

Evan Franulovich  40:42  
I agree, most welcome here. And then the last thing I always ask my student guests is, you've been through the process now, you've got on an airplane, you've come to Seattle. What advice would you give to kids back in your region if they were thinking about coming to a community college or to Seattle or just to the United States in general, what kind of advice would you give?

Manuel Torres  41:06  
So in general terms, take it easy. It is a large process. It is not as hard as you think. You have to apply, you have to attend the appointment. I think the acceptance rate is like 80% here  in the college, so it's pretty easy to get acceptance, they accept a lot of people. They will help you with the process, and you have to do it, and you can always defer the quarter so take it easy. And when you move here, you will be alone. I think the first couple of weeks you will hear them say that you will be homesick. You think that you won't feel it, but you will feel it. You will miss your your place, but take it easy, because things get better.

Evan Franulovich  42:16  
Sure.

Manuel Torres  42:16  
Yes, definitely. 

Evan Franulovich  42:17  
Make friends. That helps a lot, for sure. 

Manuel Torres  42:19  
Yes, make friends and activities. 

Evan Franulovich  42:24  
Yeah, that's really good. Good advice.

Manuel Torres  42:26  
Yes, yes, yes.

Evan Franulovich  42:27  
Thanks so much for your time today. Thanks for coming in. We're so excited that you're here. It will be fun to see how you progress through to graduation. After you graduate, where do you want to go?

Manuel Torres  42:38  
I don't know if I will go to a university. As I said that, I think four years is a lot, but let's see where I will go. 

Evan Franulovich  42:41  
All right. Well, we'll be watching. Thanks so much. 

Manuel Torres  42:54  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  42:54  
Guys, keep watching the show. We're here every Wednesday. We have a lot of great information for students and parents and educators and counselors that are thinking about the United States as an educational destination. We are here every Wednesday, please, like, subscribe, share with everybody you know. We want to spread the word about this. Glad you're here.

Manuel Torres  43:17  
Sensational podcast. 

Evan Franulovich  43:19  
Yay. Thank you so much! Take care, guys, bye, bye! 

Evan Franulovich  43:23  
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.