S3E45: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Kingsadaphone Vongdala of Laos

In this our forty-fifth episode of Season 3, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international student Kingsadaphone Vongdala of Laos about her experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States just before her graduation! 

1:19 - Meet King!

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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  1:05  
Hey everybody! Welcome back to Seattle Colleges 'Conversations with!' Here at Seattle Central College. I'm super excited because this is our first guest from the country of Laos. You want to introduce yourself to everybody? Tell them who you are, where you're from, what city and country, what you're studying, or in your case, what did you study? Because she's graduating! And then, maybe how long you've been?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  1:41  
Almost three years in Seattle. 

Evan Franulovich  1:43  
Three years already. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  1:44  
But by the way, in August, it's gonna be three years.

Evan Franulovich  1:48  
Well, that's a long time. And always at Seattle Central? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  1:52  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  1:53  
Wow. So yeah, tell everybody who you are, and then where you're from, and what you studied?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  2:00  
Hi everyone! My name is Kingsadaphone Vongdala, but you can call me King. I'm from Laos, Vientiane. I'm studying at Seattle Central College. 

Evan Franulovich  2:13  
What's your major?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  2:14  
My major is a business. This is my last quarter here. 

Evan Franulovich  2:20  
So excited. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  2:21  
Today is the last day for me too, and also I'm graduating in two days.

Evan Franulovich  2:27  
Are you excited? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  2:28  
Yeah.  

Evan Franulovich  2:28  
Yeah, I'll bet. Is any of your family able to come for the graduation?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  2:35  
No, just only my boyfriend's family. 

Evan Franulovich  2:37  
Yeah, that's cool. Is he an American?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  2:42  
He's from Laos.

Evan Franulovich  2:43  
He's Laotian. too. All right, cool. So in two days, you'll put on your cap and gown? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  2:49  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  2:50  
Which you already have. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  2:51  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  2:52  
Cool. And what time is your graduation? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  2:55  
At 3pm.

Evan Franulovich  2:56  
Yes, I'll be there. I'm so excited. Yeah, so we'll take pictures.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  3:02  
I'm excited too. 

Evan Franulovich  3:03  
Yeah. So your major was business, and you were here for three years. Normally it's two years for an associate's degree. So what was the other year? Were you here for the Intensive English course first?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  3:16  
Yes, because I didn't take the English test. So I came here and took the English test. 

Evan Franulovich  3:30  
Right. But what you guys need to know is that we don't do it that way any longer. Now you have to do some sort of English Proficiency before you come. So when you apply now they have to provide scores like from IELTS or TOEFL or Duolingo, is fine. But when you did it, you didn't have to do that. You could come here and then get tested. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  3:52  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  3:52  
So what level did they start you at?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  3:56  
Level two.

Evan Franulovich  3:58  
So when you're at level two. All day long, all you do is English, yeah? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  4:03  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  4:04  
What you think?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  4:08  
I kind of learned a new environment. And also, it's kind of exciting to learn what I'm gonna do. The professor helped me to prepare, and then it's all good.

Evan Franulovich  4:26  
Then it was was all good. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  4:27  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  4:27  
So did you study English? You must have studied a little English in Laos. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  4:31  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  4:32  
Is it mandatory when you go to school in Laos, or is it an elective?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  4:39  
It's kind of a private school.

Evan Franulovich  4:41  
Oh, it is? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  4:42  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  4:42  
So private, secondary school, yeah? You graduated from high school in Laos. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  4:49  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  4:49  
What was the name of your school?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  4:50  
Sinxay. 

Evan Franulovich  4:51  
Shout out to Sinxay. Very cool. Did do the people at your high school know that you came to the US? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  4:59  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  5:00  
That's awesome.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  5:03  
I didn't tell them.

Evan Franulovich  5:05  
Well, now they'll know. So that's cool. So you came here, you did level two, then when you started level three, they had you take English, but they also allowed you to take a college class.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  5:20  
Yes, I take ISD. 

Evan Franulovich  5:22  
Yeah, that's kind of like introduction to college. How was that class?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  5:28  
They teach about different cultures and how to do well in the class.

Evan Franulovich  5:39  
Right. Did you find it helpful? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  5:43  
Yes, super helpful. 

Evan Franulovich  5:45  
Oh, that's good.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  5:47  
I learned a new thing that, 'Oh, in here, you cannot do this, do this.' Some if it is the same in Laos.

Evan Franulovich  5:58  
Good course, because it kind of orients you to what you're doing here, which is kind of nice.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  6:06  
Prepare before you gonna go to your courses. I think this one is very good.

Evan Franulovich  6:10  
Yeah, I agree. And then when you hit level four and five, they had you take more college classes at the same time, right?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  6:20  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  6:20  
And what did you take that when you were in level four? What classes did you take? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  6:26  
I took the Business 101. 

Evan Franulovich  6:33  
Oh, cool. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  6:34  
And also, I took Calculus.

Evan Franulovich  6:39  
How was that? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  6:40  
Oh, my god.

Evan Franulovich  6:44  
Challenging? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  6:45  
Yeah, the business class was online, it's kind of self paced, but it's good. 

Evan Franulovich  6:54  
Oh, good. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  6:55  
And also, pre-calculus is not easy at all.

Evan Franulovich  7:01  
It's not easy at all. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  7:02  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  7:02  
Now at Seattle Colleges, we do have a tutoring center where you can go and get extra help. Did you use that? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  7:09  
Yeah, I did for my business and also for my writing, the English class too.

Evan Franulovich  7:17  
That's really great. So I don't think I've asked any of my guests, how that works. So if you want to get some help, you just go to the office there and asks for somebody? How does it work?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  7:29  
Oh, you need to go to the office is and then put the email on it and then book the appointment. 

Evan Franulovich  7:36  
Ooohhh! 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  7:38  
If you don't know how to do it, you can go to tutoring, and then ask 'Oh, can you help me make an appointment?'

Evan Franulovich  7:47  
Gotcha. For those of you listening that haven't come yet, Starfish is one of our platforms, it's on the internet, or it's on the computer. And that's where you make your appointments. Very helpful. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  8:01  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  8:01  
Very cool. Okay, so then you graduated from SCIE, and then you got right into all your college classes, so three years later, now you're getting your associate's degree. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  8:11  
Yay, finally!

Evan Franulovich  8:13  
What are you gonna do now? What's the plan?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  8:16  
Can I say first? 

Evan Franulovich  8:18  
Sure. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  8:18  
Okay, first I thought I'm gonna transfer, and then I changed my mind again, I'm gonna do OPT. 

Evan Franulovich  8:28  
Oh, good. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  8:30  
And then... 

Evan Franulovich  8:31  
Yeah?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  8:33  
I change my mind again, like, 'Oh, I'm gonna go back home first.' 

Evan Franulovich  8:39  
Oh, so you keep changing your mind. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  8:41  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  8:42  
But so you're gonna go home during the summer break? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  8:46  
Hmm... 

Evan Franulovich  8:46  
You're not sure.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  8:47  
Yeah, I'm not sure, but I think it's forever. 

Evan Franulovich  8:51  
Well, forever? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  8:53  
Maybe I will come back in five or six years later, because I'm gonna help my mom learn business too. 

Evan Franulovich  9:03  
Sure, yeah. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  9:03  
And also I'm gonna do my business, and also working too. 

Evan Franulovich  9:07  
Cool! What kind of business does your mom have? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  9:10  
It's kind of a house business.

Evan Franulovich  9:17  
Cool. And you'll help her out? You guys will work together? That's cool. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  9:22  
Accounting or something. 

Evan Franulovich  9:24  
Well, great. Well, we wish you luck. Do you already have a plane ticket home? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  9:29  
Yes, thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  9:30  
Yeah. When do you leave?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  9:34  
After I graduate, I will travel a lot in Seattle. 

Evan Franulovich  9:37  
And then you're gonna go. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  9:39  
Because I cannot stay longer. 

Evan Franulovich  9:42  
You have 30 days or something? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  9:44  
60 days.

Evan Franulovich  9:45  
Oh, 60 days. So will you use that entire 60 days before you go? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  9:49  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  9:49  
Oh, cool. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  9:50  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  9:50  
So when you say you're going to travel, are you going to go to other states as well?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  9:54  
I think California, because I have my cousin there too.

Evan Franulovich  10:00  
Oh, in which city?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  10:04  
Oh, my God, I'm not sure.

Evan Franulovich  10:06  
San Francisco, Los Angeles? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  10:08  
Yeah, I think so.

Evan Franulovich  10:11  
Well, you better find out. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  10:12  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  10:12  
There's a really large Laotian community in Los Angeles. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  10:17  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  10:18  
And also around San Jose, San Francisco. So those are the big two population areas. There's a huge Vietnamese community in San Jose.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  10:28  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  10:29  
So probably one of those places. Yeah, have a good trip. Are you gonna drive? Are you gonna take the train? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  10:38  
My boyfriend gonna drive. 

Evan Franulovich  10:40  
Is he gonna go back as well?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  10:43  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  10:43  
What's he doing? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  10:44  
He works at the airport. 

Evan Franulovich  10:48  
Oh, okay, cool. So he's gonna stay? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  10:52  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  10:53  
It's gonna be hard, right? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  10:57  
It's okay. 

Evan Franulovich  10:58  
It's okay. We can handle it. Nice, cool. Okay, well, let's go back a little bit. So when you were younger, you graduated from high school, when did you decide at what point did you think, 'Oh, I think I would like to go to school in another country.' 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  11:18  
In eighth grade, my mom said, 'Oh, you need to study abroad or something like that.' At first, I was gonna go to Australia. 

Evan Franulovich  11:32  
Oh, yeah? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  11:33  
And then my mom said, 'Just finish high school first, and then you can go later if you want to go somewhere else.' So I finished my high school, and then my uncle in Seattle said 'Oh, come to Seattle, and study.' So I said 'Yeah, let me see.'

Evan Franulovich  11:58  
And you thought, 'Oh, it looks pretty nice.' Yeah, that's great. So you have an uncle here?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  12:09  
Yes, I have my uncle and my auntie here. And also at first, I felt kind of scared because during that time it was COVID-19when I graduated. 

Evan Franulovich  12:32  
Yeah. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  12:32  
Everything shut down. I didn't know what to do. I tried to talk with myself, spend time with my family, and think about what should I do. If some country open, I think I should go, because I don't want to waste my time. 

Evan Franulovich  12:45  
Right. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  12:46  
During that time, I think I had a gap year. 

Evan Franulovich  12:50  
Oh, okay.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  12:50  
I felt like I should do something.

Evan Franulovich  12:57  
Yeah, had you already applied to Seattle Colleges when COVID hit, or did you apply after? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  13:05  
After. 

Evan Franulovich  13:06  
Okay. So you took a gap year, did you just work with your mom then? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  13:12  
Yeah, I worked with my mom and also study English. 

Evan Franulovich  13:17  
You studied English. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  13:19  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  13:19  
If you got some down time, that's a really good thing to do. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  13:22  
I feel like when you study by yourself, you get lazy sometimes.

Evan Franulovich  13:28  
You must have improved a little bit, because when you got here, you were level two. So that's good. You must have improved. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  13:38  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  13:39  
Did you just study on your own, or did you go to a language school? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  13:44  
Yeah, I went to language school. 

Evan Franulovich  13:45  
Cool. Wow, that's great. How long has your uncle been in Seattle? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  13:54  
Oh, my God. More than 10 years. 

Evan Franulovich  13:58  
Oh, he's been here a while. What does he do? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  13:59  
Working in Franz bakery.

Evan Franulovich  14:06  
Oh, yeah? Franz is a brand of food here, and they have a big bakery here in Seattle. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  14:15  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  14:17  
Yeah, that's cool. So that makes me wonder, for housing, you must live with them, or do you have your own apartment? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  14:24  
I live with them. 

Evan Franulovich  14:25  
And are they here close? Do they live near the Franz bakery?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  14:30  
Beacon Hill. 

Evan Franulovich  14:31  
Oh, yeah. Nice, nice area of town. That's great. And not too far from Central.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  14:37  
Yes, I think 30-40 minutes to take the link light rail.

Evan Franulovich  14:42  
Oh, you take the link? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  14:42  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  14:43  
From Beacon Hill?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  14:45  
From Columbia station. 

Evan Franulovich  14:47  
Oh, Columbia station. We have a really great public transportation. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  14:53  
Yes, I like it. 

Evan Franulovich  14:55  
It's so easy. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  14:57  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  14:58  
I think it's safe. Sometimes you see some interesting people, but usually there's no problems. Good, I'm glad. And they must be sad that you're going to be leaving.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  15:10  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  15:13  
Are they going to your graduation?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  15:14  
Um, I think yes. Maybe they are busy. Maybe they can't. 

Evan Franulovich  15:20  
Did you invite them? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  15:23  
Yeah. I hope they say yes. 

Evan Franulovich  15:25  
I hope so. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  15:27  
I understand, probably because of their job, so it's kind of important.

Evan Franulovich  15:36  
Well, we hope you're able to make it, if you're out there, or you did make it by the time this episode goes live, it'll be over. Hope they make it, that'd be great. So when you arrive, did they pick you up at the airport? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  15:50  
Oh, yes. 

Evan Franulovich  15:51  
Did they? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  15:51  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  15:52  
Was this your first trip outside of Laos? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  15:52  
Oh, no. 

Evan Franulovich  15:52  
You traveled about a little bit. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  15:58  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  15:59  
Where'd you been? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:02  
Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, China. 

Evan Franulovich  16:08  
That's cool. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:09  
Hong Kong too. 

Evan Franulovich  16:10  
Yeah, yeah. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:11  
Australia.

Evan Franulovich  16:12  
Oh, you'd been Australia? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:13  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  16:14  
What do you think of Australia?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:16  
I like the weather, it's kind of good. 

Evan Franulovich  16:18  
It's very sunny.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:21  
But it's kind of hot. I've been there during summertime, that's why it's kind of hot.

Evan Franulovich  16:30  
Well, we're glad you came to the US instead of staying in Australia. So that's really good. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:34  
Also, this is second time for me. 

Evan Franulovich  16:38  
This is your second time. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:39  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  16:40  
When did you come the first time? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:41  
2018. 

Evan Franulovich  16:44  
Just as a tourist? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:47  
Yeah, I went to my sister's wedding. 

Evan Franulovich  16:54  
So she lives in the United States?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  16:57  
Yeah, in Florida.

Evan Franulovich  16:58  
Florida? Wow. Is she still there? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  17:02  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  17:02  
Well, that's great. Is she married to an American? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  17:08  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  17:09  
How did they meet?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  17:11  
I'm not sure about that, but I think they worked together or something like that. 

Evan Franulovich  17:17  
How does she like Florida?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  17:21  
Heat, beaches, sea.

Evan Franulovich  17:27  
Well, we think Seattle's a little nicer than Florida. So did she come visit you here?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  17:33  
Not yet. I think maybe she's gonna go back to Laos.

Evan Franulovich  17:39  
Oh, she is. Gotcha. Wow, that's cool. But you didn't travel to Florida while you were a student?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  17:47  
No, because my mom said, 'Just focus on your study.'

Evan Franulovich  17:54  
You know, after you do three quarters, you can take a vacation quarter. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  17:59  
Oh, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  17:59  
Did you take vacation quarters? What did you do during your vacation quarters?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  18:06  
Relax. I didn't go outside of Seattle, but I traveled a lot in Seattle, like Parks or Museums. 

Evan Franulovich  18:16  
Yeah, yeah. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  18:17  
And also Seattle Pike Place market. 

Evan Franulovich  18:20  
Yeah, very famous. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  18:22  
I just been alone.

Evan Franulovich  18:24  
So you do all the touristy things. That's cool. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  18:27  
You can take a bus, take the light rail, I don't need to have a car or something like that. 

Evan Franulovich  18:38  
It's easy to get around. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  18:39  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  18:41  
Now, one thing you guys need to know is she had a job while she was here. What'd you do? What were your jobs?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  18:49  
I'm a student ambassador in the Information Center.

Evan Franulovich  18:54  
So I always see her wave to her through the window. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  18:58  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  18:58  
What did they have you do as a student ambassador?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  19:02  
Um, we serve students.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  19:06  
So you met a lot of domestic students as well. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  19:12  
Yes. They ask us to find their classroom or the Wi-Fi password, or something like that. 

Evan Franulovich  19:15  
Right, right. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  19:17  
We can help with that. 

Evan Franulovich  19:25  
That's really cool. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  19:28  
And also, we do the campus tour too. 

Evan Franulovich  19:31  
Oh, you do? I didn't know that. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  19:32  
We do. 

Evan Franulovich  19:33  
So you walk people around?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  19:34  
Yeah, for domestic students.

Evan Franulovich  19:40  
I know that they just did an orientation for new students. Were you a part of that?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  19:46  
Not this time, but last quarter, yes.

Evan Franulovich  19:49  
That's really fun. So you get to meet a lot of people. How do the domestic students respond to you? Do they know you're an international student? Are they curious about where you're from? Do they ask you questions? Are they shy?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  20:09  
I think they know that I'm an international student, but they they think I'm from Vietnam or maybe China. 

Evan Franulovich  20:19  
Yeah. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  20:20  
Maybe because of my face or something I don't know. 

Evan Franulovich  20:22  
You are clearly asian, yeah. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  20:24  
Oh, I tell them I'm from Laos, and they say 'Yeah, I don't know.' 

Evan Franulovich  20:30  
Nobody knows Laos. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  20:31  
But you know Thai or Vietnam? And they say, 'Oh yeah, I know them.' 

Evan Franulovich  20:35  
Yeah, usually they'll know Thailand or Vietnam.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  20:39  
Yeah, I'm from Laos.

Evan Franulovich  20:42  
If you haven't been to Laos, I had the good fortune to visit Laos, and I gotta say, it's a really great place to go. I was there in January, and it was pretty hot. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  20:52  
Of course. 

Evan Franulovich  20:52  
When's the cooler season? When does it get cooler? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  20:56  
I think it's October-November, It's kind of raining. I feel like that time is kind of perfect for travel. I recommend you to visit Luang Prabang for Laos New Year. 

Evan Franulovich  21:16  
Yes. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  21:17  
You should go there, it's so fun. 

Evan Franulovich  21:21  
I flew from Vientiane to Hanoi for Vietnamese New Year. It's probably near the same time, right?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  21:31  
Um, I think the Vietnamese New Years is in February, but we are in April.

Evan Franulovich  21:40  
You're a little later. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  21:42  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  21:42  
Gotcha. Well, the year I went, it was late January, and we arrived to Vietnam, and there was people partying. It was crazy. But yeah, highly recommend via Laos, if you haven't checked it out. If you don't know where it is, get out a map and find it because it's kind of a cool country. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  22:03  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  22:04  
You can see Asian elephants walking around. It's so cool. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  22:08  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  22:08  
I mean, they're not in Vientiane, but yeah, you can see some great temples.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  22:14  
Yes, super cool. 

Evan Franulovich  22:17  
It's really amazing. Very peaceful, people are very friendly. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  22:24  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  22:25  
Yeah, you'll have a good time.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  22:28  
Have some coconut things.

Evan Franulovich  22:31  
All right. Yeah, it's inexpensive, compared to Seattle, for sure. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  22:36  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  22:37  
So you can eat great food. Did you find any restaurants in Seattle that serve Laotian food?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  22:49  
I think they have near the old station. 

Evan Franulovich  22:53  
Really? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  22:55  
Near the old station. They say Vientiane grocery. 

Evan Franulovich  23:01  
Yeah, yeah.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  23:02  
They have it, but it's a small one. The restaurant gonna say Laos-Thai restaurant or something like that.

Evan Franulovich  23:12  
And pretty good? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  23:13  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  23:15  
Do you cook? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  23:16  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  23:17  
You do? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  23:17  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  23:18  
So you don't need to go to there, you just cook for yourself.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  23:22  
Only my boyfriend.

Evan Franulovich  23:25  
Gotcha. Does he cook as well? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  23:27  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  23:27  
Oh, that's great. If someone were to go to Laos, what would be the one dish that you recommend that they try?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  23:35  
Do you know Larb?

Evan Franulovich  23:38  
Well, I'm sure I do. I'll see it, and I'll go 'I had that.'

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  23:43  
In English, I think they call meat salad or something. 

Evan Franulovich  23:49  
Oh, okay. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  23:51  
Larb is super good, super amazing. Well, you'll be home soon, you can have some. And also papaya salad.

Evan Franulovich  23:58  
Oh yeah, that sounds great. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  24:00  
So good. 

Evan Franulovich  24:01  
Yeah, great. Anywhere actually, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, great food in Southeast Asia, and Thailand of course. Is Lao food more like Vietnamese food, or is it more like Thai food? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  24:13  
More like Thai food. 

Evan Franulovich  24:14  
Oh, it is. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  24:15  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  24:16  
Oh, okay. Interesting. So is it a little spicy?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  24:21  
Not a little. I feel like it's spicy.

Evan Franulovich  24:23  
It is spicy. I love spicy food. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  24:26  
Really? Oh, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  24:27  
Well, I lived in Chengdu, which is super spicy. Well, very cool. Okay, so you applied and got accepted. People want to know about your visa process. Once you got your I-20, how long did it take for you to get an appointment at the embassy?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  24:49  
Only three weeks. 

Evan Franulovich  24:51  
Oh, that's pretty fast. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  24:52  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  24:52  
And then when you went, how long did the interview take? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  24:57  
I'm not sure, maybe 5 or 10 minutes. 

Evan Franulovich  25:02  
Pretty fast. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  25:03  
Yep. 

Evan Franulovich  25:04  
What kind of questions did they ask you?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  25:06  
They asked 'Why are you going to the US? Where are you gonna live? Who's gonna sponsor you? Did you come here before?' They didn't ask me if I will go back after I finish. They did ask, 'When you finish your school, what you're gonna do?'

Evan Franulovich  25:10  
Cool. And you got it on your first try?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  25:10  
Yes, but I recommend you to speak English.

Evan Franulovich  25:10  
Oh, yeah. Well, before you came here, your English has improved a lot since you arrived. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  25:10  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  25:12  
So before was it a difficult interview for you? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  25:59  
The interviews before me, they spoke to them in Lao and they had to translate. But my uncle said, 'Oh, you need to speak English. They're gonna approve you.' Yeah, that's why I recommend to speak English during the interview.

Evan Franulovich  26:37  
I think if you can speak English, that's always helpful, for sure. If you don't have a choice because you just don't speak English, but maybe you're coming because you want to learn then you got to do what you got to do. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  26:49  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  26:50  
Well, that's really great. They were nice? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  26:54  
Yeah, so nice. 

Evan Franulovich  26:55  
So it's not too scary.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  26:58  
Yeah, it's not too scary. They just say, 'Hi, how are you? Just try to relax you first.

Evan Franulovich  27:03  
Oh, good. And that was right there in Vientiane, right? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  27:07  
Yeah, the capital. And also I feel like, for me, I had more time because I got there early. I got inside at 10:30, and then I had the interview at 11-12, I had time to listen to what they were asking about.

Evan Franulovich  27:30  
Yeah, so you weren't first in line. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  27:33  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  27:33  
That's nice. Wow. Did you see other students getting their visas, or did you see a lot of people getting rejections?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  27:43  
The tourist visas, most of them got rejected. But I think five or three student visas passed before me. 

Evan Franulovich  27:55  
Oh, great. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  27:56  
And me too.

Evan Franulovich  28:01  
So don't worry, just go do your best. Good chance you'll get your visa. Rght now there's a bit of a pause on visa interviews and stuff. But try not to despair too much. We're working on that, so stay tuned, and hopefully we can get you guys in. Because we love having students from all over the world. It adds a lot of diversity, and we love having you guys here. So you did student ambassador, you get paid for that job, right? Which is great. How many hours a week do they have you work? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  28:33  
This quarter is 16 hours per week.

Evan Franulovich  28:37  
Oh, that's great. Very good. How did you find that job in the first place? Did someone tell you about it, or did you just go in and ask, how did you get that job? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  28:48  
Okay, going back to 2024.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  28:58  
Yeah.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  28:58  
They had a poster that said that they're hiring student leadership. My friends said, 'Okay, we gonna do it together, okay?' And then I said, 'Are you sure you're gonna do it?' And then she said, Yes, I'm gonna do it.' I submitted my application last minute.

Evan Franulovich  29:28  
But it got accepted. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  29:29  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  29:30  
Did you have to interview? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  29:31  
Yeah, I had to interview. 

Evan Franulovich  29:32  
Oh, nice. Was the interview difficult? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  29:32  
Yeah, it was. 

Evan Franulovich  29:37  
How long was the interview?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  29:40  
I don't think it took long, it's 30 minutes.

Evan Franulovich  29:43  
Still pretty long, it's a half hour. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  29:45  
But if you have a quick question or something, just 20 minutes something.

Evan Franulovich  29:50  
Well, you got hired. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  29:51  
At first, I was interested in the student ambassador position because I tried to email the info center, and they said 'Oh, this one is for work study students.' You need to be a domestic student to qualify for work study.

Evan Franulovich  30:20  
Gotcha. So if you're interested in getting a job on campus, look out for posters. Sometimes there's tables set up. People are talking about them. You can ask other students, because a lot of students know where the jobs are. So lots of opportunity. And if you can't find one at the campus you're at, we have three campuses and a district office, and you can look for jobs at any of those. So we also have a lot of activities that the international ambassadors do. Have you participated in many of the activities?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  30:54  
Campus tours?

Evan Franulovich  30:56  
No, no. I mean, for example, the talent show night, or the snow tubing?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  31:02  
Oh, yeah, I've been to the snow tubing, and Valentine's day. 

Evan Franulovich  31:09  
Oh, yes, Valentine's day. Yeah, I forgot about that one, actually. Yeah, good. How was the snow tubing? Because there's not a lot of snow in Laos. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  31:19  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  31:21  
Did you like it? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  31:22  
Yeah, I like it. But this year wasn't as snowy as last year.

Evan Franulovich  31:28  
Oh, there's not as much. Oh, you've done it twice. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  31:30  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  31:30  
Oh, it's such a good event. You went back, that's cool. Not as much snow. Interesting. I thought it snowed pretty well this year. I think we were at about average, but maybe the year before was a lot of snow. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  31:45  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  31:45  
That's cool. So what do you do for fun around Seattle?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  31:51  
Actually, I like to go walking, parks, something like that. And also hanging out with friends. 

Evan Franulovich  32:01  
Sure, of course. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  32:02  
And also my boyfriend. 

Evan Franulovich  32:04  
Of course, yeah. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  32:06  
Shopping is easier to go, I can take the link to Southcenter. 

Evan Franulovich  32:13  
Yeah. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  32:14  
I've been to the outlet mall...

Evan Franulovich  32:17  
Yeah. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  32:17  
...in Tulalip.

Evan Franulovich  32:23  
So I'm curious, was your boyfriend an international student as well? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  32:28  
Oh, no. 

Evan Franulovich  32:30  
So you met him in the United States? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  32:33  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  32:34  
That's so interesting that you would find another... I mean, there aren't a lot of Laotians in Seattle. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  32:40  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  32:40  
So how did you guys meet? Where did you meet? Is there a community center or something? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  32:48  
I know his mom.

Evan Franulovich  32:54  
Okay, that makes sense.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  32:55  
And then we met eachother.

Evan Franulovich  32:57  
That's so cool. That's really great. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  33:00  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  33:00  
Cool story. All right, let me see scholarships is the other thing always get asked about when I go to education fairs, did you apply for any of them?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  33:12  
Nope. 

Evan Franulovich  33:12  
You didn't? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  33:14  
No, because I tried doing it last time, but I don't have time to write application. 

Evan Franulovich  33:21  
Right. Yeah, so the Foundation Scholarship is the big one, and it does require an essay. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  33:26  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  33:26  
So some students elect not to do it because they're busy or whatever. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  33:30  
But I think next year they're gonna have it again.

Evan Franulovich  33:34  
Yes, every year January to March is the opening for it, and you can go after it. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  33:39  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  33:40  
What about Phi Theta Kappa? Did you participate in Phi Theta Kappa? That's the Honor Society. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  33:45  
Oh, the PTK? Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  33:46  
I gotta remember to call it PTK. So you were a member? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  33:52  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  33:53  
And did you participate in their activities? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  33:59  
I want to say no, because I'm working. They have meetings while I'm working, so I can't go there. 

Evan Franulovich  34:19  
What about scholarships? I think they offer a scholarship. Did you apply for a scholarship through them? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  34:27  
No.

Evan Franulovich  34:28  
Well, you can't get the money if you don't apply for it. Well, that's okay. Everything seems to be going great for you, and now you're almost done. Do you hear that? It's Trivia Time. This is the part of the show where we ask you five questions, and if you get them all right, you'll be on our wall of fame. If you don't, it's okay, you'll just be depressed. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  34:53  
I hope I know just a bit. 

Evan Franulovich  34:54  
Well, you've been here for a long time, so you should know all the answers, I'm pretty sure. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  34:56  
I hope. 

Evan Franulovich  34:57  
All right, let's start with an easy one. How's that sound? So there are many cities in in the state of Washington which is the biggest city? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  35:10  
Seattle? 

Evan Franulovich  35:12  
Yes, it's Seattle. Seattle is the largest city in the state of Washington. Okay, good job. One of the things Seattle is known for is its entrepreneurial spirit. Lots of businesses begin here. Can you name one really well known company that comes from Seattle?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  35:41  
Amazon? 

Evan Franulovich  35:42  
Amazon, that's right. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  35:44  
Google? 

Evan Franulovich  35:45  
Well, actually, Google doesn't come from Seattle. We do have offices, though. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  35:50  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  35:51  
But Amazon did start in Seattle. Are you a coffee drinker? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  35:56  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  35:57  
Starbucks is another one. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  35:59  
Oh, yeah, Starbucks. Oh my God. 

Evan Franulovich  36:01  
Now I know that they grow coffee in Vietnam. Do you guys have coffee grown in Laos?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  36:07  
Yes, in the South.

Evan Franulovich  36:14  
Yeah, I love coffee, I don't think I've had Laotian coffee. So I'm going to have to check into that. That would be good. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  36:20  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  36:21  
All right, great. Question number three, there are three national parks near Seattle, around the city, can you name one of the national parks?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  36:36  
Mount Rainier National Park.

Evan Franulovich  36:40  
Yes, Mount Rainier National Park. Good. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  36:45  
Olym...?

Evan Franulovich  36:47  
Olympic National Park. Good. Ooh, there's one more. Do you know the last one? It's a little further away, but it's not too far. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  36:55  
I don't know.

Evan Franulovich  36:57  
It's called the North Cascades National Park. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  36:59  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  37:00  
If you have a car, that's really easy to get to. If not that, that one is more challenging. But the other ones are pretty close by, and if you have friends, you can get out there and see them. Good job. All right. Next question, if I am a student at Seattle Colleges and I want to maintain my visa status, how many classes or how many credits do I have to take each quarter?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  37:27  
More than 12.

Evan Franulovich  37:29  
More than 12. Great job. That's really good. Okay, and the last question I have for you is, what was the last movie you saw at the movie theater.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  37:44  
The Minions. 

Evan Franulovich  37:44  
The Minions. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  37:46  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  37:46  
Oh, cool. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  37:47  
I've been with my friends. 

Evan Franulovich  37:50  
Do you find that seeing a movie in the United States is a lot different than in Laos? 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  37:55  
Yeah, so different. I feel like in here, not a lot of people go to the theater. 

Evan Franulovich  38:19  
Yeah, that's true. I think a lot of people are buying really big TVs and staying home and watch a movie. Well, good job. You did really well on the trivia game, so not a problem. Well, I gotta wrap it up, so I always ask a couple of things at the end. The first thing is, probably not a lot of people have heard the language that you speak. And if you don't mind speaking 10 or 20 seconds in your first language. Laotian would be your language. So yeah, if you don't mind doing that.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  39:06  
*Kingsadaphone's advice in Laotian*

Evan Franulovich  39:13  
It sounds a lot like Thai, can you understand Thai?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  39:22  
Yeah, I understand and speak Thai.

Evan Franulovich  39:26  
Oh, you do speak Thai. Oh, very cool. All right, so the last question I always ask is, especially now that you're going to be an alumni, you're going to be a graduate, you've been here three years, you know a lot about the process. What advice would you give to someone who's just getting started or thinking about coming to the US?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  39:48  
For me, I feel like everyone is gonna feel scared. But I feel like, don't be scared. Everyone here is so friendly, open,diverse, and everything. Don't be scared to ask. 

Evan Franulovich  40:11  
Don't worry. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  40:12  
Yeah, I think that's it. 

Evan Franulovich  40:18  
That's great advice. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  40:20  
At first, I think everyone's gonna be definitely scared to get a new environment.

Evan Franulovich  40:26  
Yeah, but it does take a little effort. You need to introduce yourself to people, and sometimes that's a little scary. People are friendly. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  40:41  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  40:41  
And then the other international students are friendly too. And they want to meet people. So everybody wants to meet people.

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  40:48  
Yes. And also domestic students ask where you are from, they want to get to know you.

Evan Franulovich  40:51  
Actually, we had another guest on the show, Tyler, he was at South Seattle campus, and he's actually a domestic student, but he's half Japanese. And he was saying, 'We want to meet international students, so don't be shy.' The domestic students, not everybody's super outgoing. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  41:18  
And also we have the International Club. 

Evan Franulovich  41:21  
Yes, that's true. International Club, check it out. Who do they talk to? Do they just go to the information office?

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  41:30  
They can go to student leadership and then go and ask information about that.

Evan Franulovich  41:35  
There you go. So great to meet you. Congratulations on graduating. That's so great. I'm excited to watch you get your diploma on Friday, it's so close. Guys, thanks for joining us. We really appreciate it. We're here every Wednesday. Great information on the show. Like, Subscribe, and share with all your friends and family. Thanks for being here, thanks for coming. Appreciate it. Bye. 

Kingsadaphone Vongdala  42:03  
Bye!

Evan Franulovich  42:05  
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.