S4E2: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Mardiya Osman of Ghana

In this our 2nd (second) episode of Season 4, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international student Mardiya Osman about her experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States. 

1:19 - Meet Mardiya!

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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! We're here at Central again, with another guest from Ghana, and interestingly, the sister of Aisha, the first guest from Ghana. Welcome. 

Mardiya Osman  1:20  
Thank you. 

Evan Franulovich  1:21  
How are you? 

Mardiya Osman  1:21  
I'm doing good. How are you? 

Evan Franulovich  1:22  
Good. I just was saying to her, I hadn't seen her for a year.

Mardiya Osman  1:28  
Not that long. 

Evan Franulovich  1:29  
It's been a long time. Used to run into her in the hall pretty regularly, but now you're off doing things, which we're going to talk about in a minute. 

Mardiya Osman  1:36  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  1:37  
So I'm excited about that, but before we do, I know who you are, but tell our guests, everybody that's listening in, who you are, where you're from exactly, both city and country. 

Mardiya Osman  1:46  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  1:47  
What you studied because you've graduated now, yeah? 

Mardiya Osman  1:50  
Ish. We'll talk about that. 

Evan Franulovich  1:53  
And how long you've been here?

Mardiya Osman  1:54  
Okay, my name is Mardiya Osman. I'm from Ghana. I grew up in Tema actually, it's also another city in Ghana, and I came to the US summer of 2023. Is May summer?

Evan Franulovich  2:15  
Yeah, June is officially summer, but close enough.

Mardiya Osman  2:18  
I came here in the ending of May. So yeah, I'll consider it summer. 

Evan Franulovich  2:21  
Was it nice when you got here? 

Mardiya Osman  2:22  
Yeah, it was sunny, but still cold. 

Evan Franulovich  2:26  
Compared to Ghana. That's it? So what was the major again?

Mardiya Osman  2:36  
Oh, yeah, sorry. So when I came, my major was humanities, but I changed that a year into the major.

Evan Franulovich  2:52  
Nope. So you started as a humanities major. 

Mardiya Osman  2:56  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  2:57  
But then you changed your major? 

Mardiya Osman  2:58  
Yes, I changed it to nursing. That's why I took a break. That's why you're saying I graduated, but actually didn't, because I changed my major to CNA. 

Evan Franulovich  3:08  
Gotcha. 

Mardiya Osman  3:09  
Yeah, Certified Nursing Assistant, and it's under nursing, but I wanted to work with OPT with that major. That's why I changed my major to CNA. 

Evan Franulovich  3:17  
Gotcha. 

Mardiya Osman  3:18  
Right now, I'm pre nursing.

Evan Franulovich  3:20  
Okay, so we have a lot of students, or a lot of prospective students, that are interested in nursing. So I want to be clear, usually, to do the nursing program, you do about a year of prerequisites, and then you apply to the program, and then if you get accepted, then it's two years?

Mardiya Osman  3:35  
Yeah, for the undergrad.

Evan Franulovich  3:37  
For the associates in nursing?

Mardiya Osman  3:39  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  3:40  
So you've done the one year of prereqs?

Mardiya Osman  3:45  
No, I just started the summer of last year, I just did the CNA program. I haven't like actually started the prerequisites for nursing. 

Evan Franulovich  3:56  
Oh, good. 

Mardiya Osman  3:57  
I did take some classes that were included in the prerequisites for nursing, like, when I was doing humanities. So I just have like, six classes left. 

Evan Franulovich  4:04  
Oh, that's it? 

Mardiya Osman  4:05  
Yeah, I can continue the last two years of nursing bachelor's degree.

Evan Franulovich  4:15  
Okay, so you've done quite a bit, but you still have six more classes. But we know that to be a full time student, you have to have at least 12 credits, so those six classes aren't going to last very long for you. 

Mardiya Osman  4:26  
Yes. So I think I have just two quarters here at Central, and then I can transfer out.

Evan Franulovich  4:33  
So basically, fall and winter. 

Mardiya Osman  4:37  
Fall and winter. 

Evan Franulovich  4:39  
Is there a cohort that starts in the spring? 

Mardiya Osman  4:41  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  4:42  
Oh, okay. Will you be able to do spring, or will you have to apply for the fall? 

Mardiya Osman  4:47  
I would have to apply for the fall, but I don't want to wait that long, so I'm transferring out instead. 

Evan Franulovich  4:52  
Gotcha. 

Mardiya Osman  4:53  
Because I don't want waste so much time. 

Evan Franulovich  4:56  
Right. Transferring out to where?

Mardiya Osman  4:58  
I'm still thinking, I think maybe Bellevue. 

Evan Franulovich  5:00  
Oh, okay. 

Mardiya Osman  5:01  
I think they have the program open all year round.

Evan Franulovich  5:05  
Cool. When you're done with your pre reqs, will you try to come back to Seattle Colleges, or will you just do nursing wherever you go? 

Mardiya Osman  5:12  
I think I will just continue with nursing. 

Evan Franulovich  5:14  
Sure. I'm so sad that you are leaving, but that's okay. We're gonna have you for a couple more quarters. That's cool. 

Mardiya Osman  5:20  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  5:22  
Well, let's go back a little bit to when you were in Ghana before you became an international student. So who got here first?  You or Aisha? 

Mardiya Osman  5:32  
Aisha. 

Evan Franulovich  5:33  
That's what I thought. So did you come just because she did?

Mardiya Osman  5:38  
I think I came to Seattle just because she did. The plan was for me to come to the US to further my education. 

Evan Franulovich  5:47  
Right. 

Mardiya Osman  5:47  
But because she was already here, I didn't want to start over again, getting to know how to use the the light rail. 

Evan Franulovich  5:54  
Right. Exactly.

Mardiya Osman  5:55  
So I just came here because my sister was already here. 

Evan Franulovich  5:57  
Cool. That's nice. You guys live together? 

Mardiya Osman  6:00  
Yeah, we live together. 

Evan Franulovich  6:03  
But, I mean, you have an apartment here together? Is it just the two of you or it has other people? 

Mardiya Osman  6:07  
Just two of us. 

Evan Franulovich  6:08  
Cool. Is it near Central or North? 

Mardiya Osman  6:11  
It's in Udistrict.

Evan Franulovich  6:11  
Oh, it's in Udistrict.

Mardiya Osman  6:13  
And with the train it's way shorted because its two stops from Capitol Hill.

Evan Franulovich  6:18  
Yeah. Very cool. So, I'm wondering, did you go to the same International School as Aisha? 

Mardiya Osman  6:25  
High School? 

Evan Franulovich  6:26  
Yeah. Did you go to the same high school? 

Mardiya Osman  6:27  
No.

Evan Franulovich  6:27  
Oh, you didn't. 

Mardiya Osman  6:28  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  6:28  
Did you go to Tema international? 

Mardiya Osman  6:30  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  6:31  
Which school did you go to?

Mardiya Osman  6:32  
She went to International School. 

Evan Franulovich  6:34  
Oh, cool. Well, shout out. 

Mardiya Osman  6:35  
I think one of the biggest public institutions we have, senior high schools, because it was for the British back in the day. I would say it's one of the biggest. 

Evan Franulovich  6:57  
So is that school in Accra, or is it in Tema? 

Mardiya Osman  7:01  
It's in Accra. Her school was three hours from where we live. She went to school far away. And it was an all girls school. But mine was mixed like regular.

Evan Franulovich  7:14  
So did you have to board there, or did you go home?

Mardiya Osman  7:16  
No.

Evan Franulovich  7:17  
No, I was gonna say. 

Mardiya Osman  7:19  
It's very common, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  7:21  
So, just you guys know, when I was in Ghana, I visited her family, which was awesome, shout out to you guys. But it was quite a drive to get from where I was staying in Accra to Tema. 

Mardiya Osman  7:33  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  7:34  
I mean, it was a cool drive, but it's a ways out there. I mean, I wasn't in Togo, but it was on the way. I could see it off in the distance. 

Mardiya Osman  7:46  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  7:46  
That's cool. So you applied and got accepted, of course. Did you get your visa on your first try? 

Mardiya Osman  7:56  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  7:56  
Okay, did you do what your sister did? And did you do your interview in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)?

Mardiya Osman  8:01  
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Yes, I did.

Evan Franulovich  8:03  
And did you do that on purpose? Or did you just like, I can get an appointment there quickly?

Mardiya Osman  8:09  
Honestly, I had no idea how that process worked. Aisha went in there and she got it so my dad just like...

Evan Franulovich  8:16  
Yeah, because we'd like to see the whole Osman family here. That would be great. And your brothers are coming up? 

Mardiya Osman  8:21  
I really want to, I want to see them. 

Evan Franulovich  8:23  
The two are younger, but your older brothers getting old. How old is he?

Mardiya Osman  8:27  
I don't have older brothers. 

Evan Franulovich  8:30  
I thought you did. I met some boys.

Mardiya Osman  8:33  
No, she's the first one. Oh, those are just like relatives. 

Evan Franulovich  8:36  
Oh, gotcha. 

Mardiya Osman  8:37  
My siblings, Aisha is the first, and I'm the second one.

Evan Franulovich  8:40  
So no boys?

Mardiya Osman  8:43  
Younger ones are boys, but the first three of us are girls. 

Evan Franulovich  8:48  
But you do have brothers?

Mardiya Osman  8:50  
I have brothers. Okay, the younger ones. 

Evan Franulovich  8:51  
Okay. 

Mardiya Osman  8:52  
Oh, I thought you meant that.

Evan Franulovich  8:53  
So your oldest younger brother? How old is he? 

Mardiya Osman  8:56  
16 years old. 

Evan Franulovich  8:57  
Because he was pretty tall. I remember him. 

Mardiya Osman  9:00  
He's 16 years old right now.

Evan Franulovich  9:02  
So he's actually old enough he could come for the high school completion program. That would be cool. Do you guys get along with your brothers pretty well? 

Mardiya Osman  9:11  
Yes, I mean, you know how sibilings are, sometimes we fight, but yes, we're all very close.

Evan Franulovich  9:18  
Yeah, cool. It's great family. 

Mardiya Osman  9:21  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  9:21  
Okay, so you went to your visa appointment in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). How long did it take for you to get the visa interview? Do you remember? It was a long time ago.

Mardiya Osman  9:31  
It was a long time ago. The appointment, right? 

Evan Franulovich  9:36  
Yeah, yeah. From the time you got your I-20. 

Mardiya Osman  9:38  
I wouldn't remember exactly, but maybe two months before I actually went to the interview. 

Evan Franulovich  9:52  
Right. 

Mardiya Osman  9:53  
Probably two months.

Evan Franulovich  9:55  
Yeah, that's about right. If you're in Ghana or anywhere in the region, the more time you have, the better. It takes a little time to get the appointment, so plan ahead, that's my advice to you. And then when you got there, how long was your interview? Do you remember? 

Mardiya Osman  10:11  
Very quick. Probably 10 minutes. 

Evan Franulovich  10:19  
Oh, that's actually quite long. 

Mardiya Osman  10:21  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  10:22  
Do you remember what questions asked?

Mardiya Osman  10:29  
Maybe not all the questions, but I remember who was going to sponsor my education and had to show proof of that. Honestly, I don't even remember opening the envelope that I sent because I had a bunch of items. 

Evan Franulovich  10:44  
You have to be prepared. 

Mardiya Osman  10:45  
Yeah, evidence or something. I don't remember most of the questions, but I remember them asking me, who was going to sponsor me and what major I was going to do.

Evan Franulovich  10:57  
And what did you tell them? You just said I'm doing a humanities major, because that's pretty wide open. Did you have  something in mind for humanities major? Were you just trying to come and get your basics done? 

Mardiya Osman  11:11  
This will take us back. 

Evan Franulovich  11:12  
Yeah, go ahead. 

Mardiya Osman  11:13  
Okay, so in Ghana, senior high school is like the step before you go to a university. And for us in Ghana, they have classes, if you know you want to go to the uni, to go do any science courses, maybe pre med, nursing, or whatever, you can choose elective classes that are mainly focused on science. 

Evan Franulovich  11:42  
Right. 

Mardiya Osman  11:43  
And maybe take whatever you're trying to go to university to do, you choose those classes, so when you go to uni, it's not a new thing for you. You're not like, 'Oh, my God, this is so difficult.' So honestly, I was very sure that I wasn't going to do anything that has to do with science, because I really didn't like it. I didn't know exactly what what I wanted to do, like, what I wanted to do in the future, but I was like, let me just take the general art classes. And it's just a bunch of classes that you take if you're really not sure exactly what you want  to do. 

Evan Franulovich  12:18  
Sure. 

Mardiya Osman  12:19  
So that's the one that I remember, because I still was undecided at that time, but I was sure I didn't want to do anything that had to do with science. 

Evan Franulovich  12:26  
Well, now you're in science. 

Mardiya Osman  12:29  
Yeah, it changed. So choosing a major to come to the US to do, I still was very undecided, but I didn't want to also choose science, because I didn't want to do science. 

Evan Franulovich  12:43  
Sure. 

Mardiya Osman  12:43  
I just said, let me just take it whatever I want to do. I had a couple options. I knew I wanted to do international relations too, and the humanities, whatever. Honestly, I just went to humanities just because.

Evan Franulovich  12:56  
Yeah. 

Mardiya Osman  12:57  
Yeah, that's what I chose to come to. Yes, I did that in my first year. 

Evan Franulovich  13:01  
The whole first year? 

Mardiya Osman  13:02  
Yeah, the whole first year, I did that in Seattle Central College. 

Evan Franulovich  13:06  
So of those classes that you took for Humanities, what was your favorite?

Mardiya Osman  13:11  
Not the math.

Evan Franulovich  13:12  
Not the math. No, probably not. 

Mardiya Osman  13:15  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  13:15  
But I've had a couple interviews that said that math was their favorite. 

Mardiya Osman  13:20  
Yes, I took math classes. I took some humanities classes, and I also took a hip hop culture class. 

Evan Franulovich  13:38  
I think that was my favorite class. 

Mardiya Osman  13:39  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  13:41  
They focus just on hip hop? 

Mardiya Osman  13:43  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  13:43  
That's pretty cool.

Mardiya Osman  13:44  
Just hip hop, the late 90s, that's what the class was about. But it was the things I was learning in the class that made it interesting. I was just learning about US history back then. And also actually went about the statue across the street, the Jimmy Hendrix. 

Evan Franulovich  14:04  
Oh, Jimmy. 

Mardiya Osman  14:04  
Yeah, because he was a musician. 

Evan Franulovich  14:06  
Yeah, from Seattle.

Mardiya Osman  14:08  
So, yeah, I think that's my favorite.

Evan Franulovich  14:11  
That's cool. 

Mardiya Osman  14:11  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  14:12  
So, of all the music you listen to for that class, who's your favorite hip hop artist? Or do you have one?

Mardiya Osman  14:22  
Ice Cube.

Evan Franulovich  14:27  
Oh, maybe Ice Cube.

Mardiya Osman  14:29  
Yeah, I remember learning something about him. But yeah, I think it would be Ice Cube.

Evan Franulovich  14:33  
Cool. So if you guys are coming to visit, by the way, Jimi Hendrix was a singer songwriter, guitarist here from Seattle. His statue is right across the street, that's what she was talking about. Check it out, it's a great tourist place to go get a selfie. For sure. All right, so you got here, not too long after you did your interview, you hit the airplane and took off. So did your sister pick you up at the airport?

Mardiya Osman  15:00  
No.

Evan Franulovich  15:02  
No? 

Mardiya Osman  15:03  
She couldn't. 

Evan Franulovich  15:05  
She's too busy? 

Mardiya Osman  15:06  
Yeah, it was my uncle. 

Evan Franulovich  15:08  
Oh, very cool. 

Mardiya Osman  15:09  
He came to pick me up from the airport. I was living with them because they're out in Auburn, and it's far from Seattle, so I had to live with them for a couple days before I came. 

Evan Franulovich  15:20  
Ah, gotcha. Oh, then we'll forgive her. Okay, cool. And then then you moved on, went through orientation. How was orientation?

Mardiya Osman  15:29  
It was fun. I remember seeing you. That was the first time I actually saw you. 

Evan Franulovich  15:31  
Yeah? 

Mardiya Osman  15:32  
I think I got the dates wrong and I missed it. And then I came later, when they were just sharing pizza, and I was like, 'Oh, when it's orientation?' And they told me it was already gone. 

Evan Franulovich  15:43  
We did it already. You didn't miss too much.

Mardiya Osman  15:45  
Yeah, because I came to the international office, and I just asked questions that I wanted to know.

Evan Franulovich  15:53  
Right. Just so you guys know, if you're a new student, orientation is mandatory, and you do pay for it, so come to it. And it is a lot of fun. You get to meet all the people in your cohort, which is really great. And then they overwhelm you with information. There's so much information, but it's still really good to come to. And we've upgraded from pizza since you did orientation. Now we're doing more and more middle eastern food, which is really good. So yeah, we'll see what happens in the fall, if they're gonna stick with that or not. Well, great. So what has been the most surprising thing for you about living in the US like, you see it in the movies all the time. You're like, 'Oh, you think you know what the US is gonna be like a little bit.'

Mardiya Osman  16:36  
Yeah. This is really not about the city, when I first came, I went straight to Auburn, most of the houses, didn't have gates. It's very common back in Ghana. 

Evan Franulovich  17:01  
Yeah. 

Mardiya Osman  17:02  
I think that was one thing that really surprised me. 

Evan Franulovich  17:04  
It's true. 

Mardiya Osman  17:07  
What was the question you asked again? 

Evan Franulovich  17:08  
I was just like, what was the most surprising thing you experienced?

Mardiya Osman  17:10  
Yeah, that was one thing. I think it was a lot. Right now, I wouldn't remember exactly, but if I see them again, 'Oh yeah, this is very shocking.' But right now, nothing really comes to my mind. Because I had just come to the US, and I was like, 'Oh, there wasn't any gates around most of the houses.'

Evan Franulovich  17:26  
Very rare. There is a house where I live up north, in Mount Vernon. There's a house down the street. They have a gate in front of theirs, and their house looks like it's not from the United States. I think it's someone who immigrated and then they built a house based on what they kind of like. 

Mardiya Osman  17:43  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  17:43  
So it looks different. It looks a little out of place, but yeah, it works.

Mardiya Osman  17:47  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  17:49  
So you got here. Now you're studying. You have a lot of time, what do you do for fun? 

Mardiya Osman  17:57  
Eat.

Evan Franulovich  17:58  
Eat? 

Mardiya Osman  17:59  
Yes, I got to eat. 

Evan Franulovich  18:01  
Oh, you don't cook? 

Mardiya Osman  18:03  
I cook sometimes. 

Evan Franulovich  18:04  
How's your Jollof rice? 

Mardiya Osman  18:06  
Very good. 

Evan Franulovich  18:06  
Is it? 

Mardiya Osman  18:07  
Yes, please be able to ask anyone that has actually tried it.

Evan Franulovich  18:10  
I haven't tried your Jollof rice. 

Mardiya Osman  18:12  
One day. 

Evan Franulovich  18:12  
I would like to that would be great. We should have you guys come up to the lake. That would be cool. We can have a Jollof festival. And I can invite some of the Nigerian students. And you guys can, like,

Mardiya Osman  18:22  
we can actually better go back. Yeah, Ghana, Jollof is better than Nigeria.

Evan Franulovich  18:27  
I don't know if you heard the podcast I did with the girl from Togo, but I said, 'Do you guys have your own jolla rice?' 

Mardiya Osman  18:34  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  18:34  
Not the same kind of rivalry.

Mardiya Osman  18:36  
Yes, most of the West African countries have Jollof rice. 

Evan Franulovich  18:40  
Right, right. 

Mardiya Osman  18:41  
But everyone is just like 'Mine is better.'

Evan Franulovich  18:44  
Well, I love it. I think it's great. So you're switching now to nursing. Why the switch? Did you meet some nursing students and say, 'Oh, yeah, that sounds good.' Did you just try a class out that has to do with nursing? And then you were like, 'That's cool. What was the switch?'

Mardiya Osman  19:03  
Honestly, it was looking for a more stable career for me. 

Evan Franulovich  19:08  
Yeah. 

Mardiya Osman  19:09  
Obviously all majors are good too. But I just kept thinking, and I was like, 'I know I really don't like science, but I'm looking for a more stable career path for me.' And I just decided to change to nursing. It really was just an idea at first, but I was like, 'You know what? Let me just put it in motion and put in action.' So I spoke to my mom and dad, and then they're like, 'Yeah, if that's what she wants to do, yeah, it's fine. Go for it.' So that was in spring of last year, and then by then, I'd already started putting the plan in motion. I applied for the CNA program, because I know it was one of the prerequisites to get into nursing. 

Evan Franulovich  19:48  
Right. 

Mardiya Osman  19:48  
So I applied for the prerequisite, but I missed the spring deadline. So they told me that it would have to be summer... 

Evan Franulovich  19:54  
Gotcha. 

Mardiya Osman  19:56  
...of last year. Actually, I took a break from school at that time, because I had to wait and I couldn't take any classes.

Mardiya Osman  20:04  
So that was your vacation quarter? 

Mardiya Osman  20:06  
It was my vacation quarter. 

Evan Franulovich  20:07  
What'd you do?

Mardiya Osman  20:08  
Nothing. I was working at the MAC at that time. 

Evan Franulovich  20:12  
Oh, yeah, that's right.

Mardiya Osman  20:13  
I was still in school, but not taking classes, I was working at the MAC.

Evan Franulovich  20:18  
But you're not there anymore. 

Mardiya Osman  20:19  
I actually did ask the manager to come back, because I'm coming back during the fall and I still want to work there.  

Evan Franulovich  20:26  
Cool. 

Mardiya Osman  20:26  
It's easy access.

Evan Franulovich  20:29  
And just so the listeners know, what does the MAC stand for?

Mardiya Osman  20:33  
The Mitchell Activity Center. It's basically the gym for Seattle Central. We have the running track, the gym, basketball and few other games that's really fun.

Evan Franulovich  20:46  
Yeah, it's a really great center. I personally like the upstairs track. 

Mardiya Osman  20:50  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  20:51  
Because in the winter it gets dark and rains, not all the time, but it rains a lot, so I like to go in there and run. 

Mardiya Osman  21:02  
So yeah, I started in CNA in summer of last year. It was just one quarter of a class. It was one and done. 

Evan Franulovich  21:15  
Wow. 

Mardiya Osman  21:15  
And then after that, I could have just continued taking my classes and then graduated the associate's degree actually. 

Evan Franulovich  21:23  
Right. 

Mardiya Osman  21:24  
But I wanted to work as a CNA, just to get the experience. I mean, I know it's not really the same thing, but I didn't want to just continue and jump into nursing. I just wanted to see how it was, like, what is this thing about? 

Evan Franulovich  21:42  
I think that's really smart. 

Mardiya Osman  21:43  
Yeah, getting the experience is very funny, especially seeing that like, I want to make it like my life career. I just wanted to see what it was about and get the experience. So that's when I decided to graduate, make the CNA my major, so I can work doing ops, I can work with the for OPT what you're doing now. Now it's ending next month, but it's been a year since.

Evan Franulovich  22:09  
It's been a year, so you finished the CNA program, then applied for OPT. 

Mardiya Osman  22:14  
Waited three months, because that's when you get approved to get the card to start working.

Evan Franulovich  22:20  
Gotcha. And then where are you doing your OPT?

Mardiya Osman  22:25  
In assisted living in Queen Anne.

Evan Franulovich  22:28  
So Assistant living, are these older patients?

Mardiya Osman  22:31  
Yes, the seniors. 

Evan Franulovich  22:32  
Nice. 

Mardiya Osman  22:37  
Seniors who want people that are at the same age as them around them, that's where I work. So basically, just taking care of the older generation.

Evan Franulovich  22:48  
Okay, yeah, cool. And they pay you? 

Mardiya Osman  22:51  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  22:51  
Cool. So, tell me, how do you like working with older patients?

Mardiya Osman  23:00  
It was new. 

Evan Franulovich  23:01  
Yeah. It's a challenge. 

Mardiya Osman  23:03  
Yeah, I wouldn't say it was something expected. I don't know what I was expecting is not what I meant to me. But it's been 10 months since I've started working. So I would say I did get used to it, and I think that I like working that, especially like the people around you make you recognized. So, and I'm actually, like, getting my experience, and I know nursing for sure, like, for sure now, like, I know nursing is something I actually want to do, right? So I did.

Evan Franulovich  23:34  
You've dealt with dirty diapers, you've dealt with blood, vomit. 

Mardiya Osman  23:38  
Everything. 

Evan Franulovich  23:39  
So you can handle that.

Mardiya Osman  23:41  
I actually did plan to switch to pediatrics, just like to weigh my options. 

Evan Franulovich  23:48  
Sure, yeah. I think that's smart. 

Mardiya Osman  23:52  
I was actually planning on applying to Seattle Children's hospital just to see, I mean, if it doesn't work out, it's fine.

Evan Franulovich  24:03  
Was it easy to find your OPT job? Did you have to apply to a lot of different places? 

Mardiya Osman  24:08  
No. Honestly, I got the job before I even got the card, but I had to decline because I couldn't stop working. 

Evan Franulovich  24:21  
Oh, that's great. 

Mardiya Osman  24:22  
So yeah, I think right before I even got the card, I could had a job already. 

Evan Franulovich  24:28  
So you guys know, healthcare workers are in demand. 

Mardiya Osman  24:32  
In high demand.

Evan Franulovich  24:33  
Yeah, finding a job is not a problem. So if you're going to do OPT, finding work for OPT shouldn't be an issue at all. If you're in healthcare at all, and we have a lot of different healthcare kinds of areas of study, not just nursing, but a lot of other places. So check out our website. 

Mardiya Osman  24:49  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  24:49  
Cool. And now you're going to come back in the fall, and you might go back to the MAC maybe? 

Mardiya Osman  24:57  
No, I'm sure. 

Evan Franulovich  24:59  
Okay. So tell everybody, because I always get asked by students about finding jobs. How did you find your job in the first place? 

Mardiya Osman  25:09  
Indeed.

Evan Franulovich  25:10  
I mean your job on campus. 

Mardiya Osman  25:17  
Oh, yeah.

Evan Franulovich  25:20  
How did you find the MAC job? 

Mardiya Osman  25:22  
I think everyone wanted to work at the MAC. 

Evan Franulovich  25:24  
Everybody applies there, yeah, because it's a cool job. 

Mardiya Osman  25:27  
It is.

Evan Franulovich  25:27  
So when I first came in, it was Paul that I met, and I asked for a job. I went to just ask if they had any openings. And then at that time, they told me they didn't have any openings, because he had already selected whoever was to work at the MAC for the summer. 

Evan Franulovich  25:43  
Sure. 

Mardiya Osman  25:43  
But he just gave me a document, so I could go get a Social Security number. 

Evan Franulovich  25:50  
Oh, yeah. 

Mardiya Osman  25:53  
He added me to the list of people that they would consider to bring.

Evan Franulovich  25:56  
Gotcha. That's nice, because you got that social security card, and you're ready to go. 

Mardiya Osman  26:01  
And I'm ready to go. So that's what I did. And I actually just kept going back until they had an opening. So I think, I got the job fall of 2023, and I continued working until fall last year. I was working at the MAC for a year. 

Evan Franulovich  26:27  
And did you do any work before MAC? I mean, did you get another job first?

Mardiya Osman  26:34  
No, that was right when I came to the US. 

Evan Franulovich  26:36  
Okay. The other thing, of course, you know, a lot of the students I talked to in Africa, and the Middle East and Latin America, where I recruit, they always want to know about scholarships. I know your sisters applied for and gotten scholarships. Did you apply for any of the scholarships? 

Mardiya Osman  26:56  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  26:57  
Any luck?

Mardiya Osman  26:58  
Yeah, I got a scholarship twice. 

Evan Franulovich  27:00  
Which one?

Mardiya Osman  27:01  
The Foundation scholarship.

Evan Franulovich  27:02  
Cool. 

Mardiya Osman  27:03  
I got that last year and I got that this year again. 

Evan Franulovich  27:05  
Nice. 

Mardiya Osman  27:05  
Coming to fall. 

Evan Franulovich  27:07  
That's really great. Was it difficult to apply for? 

Mardiya Osman  27:11  
Not really. 

Evan Franulovich  27:13  
You have to write an essay.

Mardiya Osman  27:14  
You write three essays, they have the purpose, the personal statement and something else I forgot. If that's something that you want you then you actually put in the time and write the essay. I'm very grateful.

Evan Franulovich  27:29  
Yeah, very nice. Good job. Don't forget to apply for it guys, between January and March is the application period. 

Mardiya Osman  27:35  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  27:37  
And if you're considering which campus to go to know that South Seattle College has their own foundation in addition to the district foundation, so you actually have two opportunities to get scholarship money, if you go to South Seattle College, which is kind of interesting. So if you're thinking about which one South might be more money, what about Phi Theta Kappa? Have you done any honor society stuff?

Mardiya Osman  28:02  
No, I know they gave me an invite.

Evan Franulovich  28:07  
They've got money there, plus you get a lot of other cool experiences.

Mardiya Osman  28:11  
Yeah, I should actually look into them, because I remember when I got the invite, but that was a long time ago. I just forgot to forward it back.

Evan Franulovich  28:18  
What about the LewerMark scholarship? Did you apply for the LewerMark scholarship? 

Mardiya Osman  28:22  
I don't think so. 

Evan Franulovich  28:24  
What about Project Baldwin? I know it's for guys.

Mardiya Osman  28:29  
I did, they did help with my tuition last year. 

Evan Franulovich  28:35  
That's so great. 

Mardiya Osman  28:36  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  28:36  
But that's interesting you say that because I thought Project Baldwin was just for men of color. 

Mardiya Osman  28:41  
That's right, but they did help anyone that went in there and needed help.

Evan Franulovich  28:47  
I understand that they're developing something called Project Maya. So it'll be Project Baldwin for the guys, Project Maya for the women. 

Mardiya Osman  28:55  
Nice. 

Evan Franulovich  28:56  
So guys, keep an eye out for that if you are a student of color, and that could be Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean, Middle East. I mean, all over the world, pretty much. You can go in there and they'll offer you mentoring. There's a lot of great other services, but I know some students get a little financial help, so that's very cool. 

Mardiya Osman  29:16  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  29:16  
Wow. You guys got it set. So you guys just must roll around town in your Mercedes, just making it rain wherever you go. They got so much money over there. It's nice. Well, very cool. I've got to wrap this up, because we got another podcast guest coming in, but there's a couple of things I'm doing for season four. Welcome to Season Four. Kind of a get to know you, your sister didn't do this. 

Mardiya Osman  29:42  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  29:42  
This is for you. It's just 10 quick questions. You just tell me this or that, all right? You'll figure it out. So just tell me which one you prefer. Ready? 

Mardiya Osman  29:52  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  29:53  
Coffee or tea?

Mardiya Osman  29:55  
Latte, so I'll say coffee.

Evan Franulovich  29:58  
Good coffee in Ghana too.

Mardiya Osman  30:01  
I wasn't a coffee person back in Ghana. 

Evan Franulovich  30:03  
No? 

Mardiya Osman  30:04  
I came here and I just love lattes. I always get latte, so I'll take coffee. Not strong black coffee, but lattes.

Evan Franulovich  30:13  
So when I go to West Africa, I usually pick up two things to bring home, chocolate, of course. 

Mardiya Osman  30:18  
Of course. 

Evan Franulovich  30:22  
And then I usually get coffee. I'm going to Africa in just a couple weeks, I'll be back in Ghana, but only for a day. I mean, it's not even enough time to sail. 

Mardiya Osman  30:30  
It's a long flight just to go for one day.

Evan Franulovich  30:32  
Yeah, I'm flying from Nigeria on the 26th we do the thing on the 27th, then I leave that night. 

Mardiya Osman  30:38  
No way.

Evan Franulovich  30:39  
Ridiculous. 

Mardiya Osman  30:40  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  30:41  
I'm just out of time. Okay, next question, mountains or the beach? Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?

Mardiya Osman  30:48  
I recently went hiking and the views were very nice. I'll say mountains. 

Evan Franulovich  30:53  
Nice. Where'd you go? 

Mardiya Osman  30:56  
Rattlesnake. 

Evan Franulovich  30:57  
Oh, yeah, very popular. 

Mardiya Osman  31:00  
Oh my God, it was a very difficult hike because elevation was very high, but the view was worth it.

Evan Franulovich  31:07  
Amazing. Cool. Good for you. Early Bird or night owl?

Mardiya Osman  31:14  
Night Owl, but I have to work. My job is from 6am I really don't like it, I have to wake up a five, but I have to do the job. But not early bird.

Evan Franulovich  31:25  
All right. Do you prefer books or movies? 

Mardiya Osman  31:28  
Movies. 

Evan Franulovich  31:30  
Texting or phone calls? 

Mardiya Osman  31:32  
Texting. 

Evan Franulovich  31:32  
All right. Cats or dogs? 

Mardiya Osman  31:34  
Cats. I'm actually scared of dogs.

Evan Franulovich  31:36  
Do you guys have cat at home? I don't remember. 

Mardiya Osman  31:38  
The last time I was home, we had 13 cats. We had a lot. Maybe you just didn't see them. 

Evan Franulovich  31:49  
They're outside, right? 

Mardiya Osman  31:51  
Yeah. They like going out and coming back. But we still have cats at home.

Evan Franulovich  31:55  
Wow, that's a lot of cats. 

Mardiya Osman  31:57  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  31:57  
Do you have a favorite cat, one that's kind of your cat? 

Mardiya Osman  32:02  
No, I love all of them. 

Evan Franulovich  32:05  
Very good. City or country? 

Mardiya Osman  32:08  
City. 

Evan Franulovich  32:10  
Adventure or chill at home?

Mardiya Osman  32:14  
It's both at the same time. 

Evan Franulovich  32:18  
Okay, fair enough. Summer or winter? 

Mardiya Osman  32:21  
Summer. 

Evan Franulovich  32:22  
Cooking at home or eating out?

Mardiya Osman  32:28  
Eating out.

Evan Franulovich  32:29  
They know the answer already. Yeah, I love eating out. When I lived in China, I ate out every night. I think I only cooked five times. Well, cool. Do you hear that? It's Trivia Time. This is part where we ask you five questions. See how much you know about the Seattle area. Okay, question number one: We have three national parks around the city. Name one of them. We have three national parks, kind of like Yellowstone. 

Mardiya Osman  33:03  
Yellowstone. 

Evan Franulovich  33:04  
Yellowstone is in Wyoming. I'm just giving you an example. 

Mardiya Osman  33:08  
I don't know. 

Evan Franulovich  33:10  
Mount Rainier National Park. 

Mardiya Osman  33:11  
I know Mount Rainier.

Evan Franulovich  33:14  
Olympic National Park and North Cascades National Park. 

Mardiya Osman  33:17  
But I know Mount Rainier, I should have said it. 

Evan Franulovich  33:19  
Okay, we're gonna take it down a notch. Little easier question. Okay, we live in the United States here, but if I drive south, I'll run into a different country. What country will I run into if I go south from the United States? 

Mardiya Osman  33:30  
Canada? 

Evan Franulovich  33:32  
That's north. If I go the other direction. 

Mardiya Osman  33:36  
I don't know my maps. 

Evan Franulovich  33:37  
Think tacos.

Mardiya Osman  33:39  
Mexico.

Evan Franulovich  33:41  
We gotta get you out. Okay. Question number three: Ghana known for its soccer, right? It's football. 

Mardiya Osman  33:49  
Yeah, like most of the African countries.

Evan Franulovich  33:51  
Yeah, most was African countries. Seattle's known for soccer as well. What's the name of our team?

Mardiya Osman  34:06  
Seattle soccer?

Evan Franulovich  34:07  
That's Seattle Sounders. 

Mardiya Osman  34:09  
Seattle Sounders. 

Evan Franulovich  34:12  
That's the men's team. 

Mardiya Osman  34:14  
Oh. 

Evan Franulovich  34:14  
Question number four: The women have a professional soccer team too. Any idea what they're called? 

Mardiya Osman  34:23  
Seattle Birds?

Evan Franulovich  34:24  
The Reign. I just learned that yesterday, so don't feel too bad. We're gonna let her off the hook on that one. Okay, we'll do another question. What is the thing you need to do if you go to Mexico, what do you need to do with your I-20 In order to get back into the country? What do you need to have your DSO do to your I-20 before you go? 

Mardiya Osman  34:50  
Update it?

Evan Franulovich  34:53  
You need to have them sign it.

Mardiya Osman  34:55  
Oh, sign it.

Evan Franulovich  34:56  
Make sure you get that done, yeah. 

Mardiya Osman  34:58  
Get the signature.

Evan Franulovich  35:01  
All right. Question number five, last question, I'm gonna change this up. Well, let me ask you, what was the last movie you saw? Because you said you like movies better than books, either on Netflix or out in the theater.

Mardiya Osman  35:18  
I watch so many different shows every day. 

Evan Franulovich  35:23  
She does study, though, don't worry.

Mardiya Osman  35:30  
Wednesday, it's not a movie.

Evan Franulovich  35:33  
Yeah, the kind of Gothic girl. All right, cool. 

Mardiya Osman  35:38  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  35:39  
That's interesting. Here's the new question that I want to ask for season four. What are you listening to currently? Like, what singer or band can you not get enough of right now?

Mardiya Osman  35:56  
My sister can testify, it's Reggae.

Evan Franulovich  35:59  
It's Reggae? 

Mardiya Osman  36:00  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  36:00  
Any particular artist? 

Mardiya Osman  36:02  
Lucky Dube. 

Evan Franulovich  36:03  
Oh, man. I'm getting ready to go to Jamaica in October. Very cool. Yeah, I like reggae. I can only do reggae in small doses, though. I can listen to it for maybe a half hour.

Mardiya Osman  36:15  
I think that's it with every genres.

Evan Franulovich  36:19  
Cool! Well, great job. Well, I don't know if I told you this, but we end the show usually by having you do 15 or 20 seconds in your first language, which is English, right? English is your first language. Do you speak a second language? 

Mardiya Osman  36:34  
Oh, yes, Hausa.

Evan Franulovich  36:37  
Can you do 15 or 20 seconds in Hausa? 

Mardiya Osman  36:39  
I have to think of what to say. 

Evan Franulovich  36:40  
I know, right? It's a long time. 

Mardiya Osman  36:45  
I still speak that language with Aisha back home. 

Evan Franulovich  36:51  
You can say something to your family back home, or you can give encouragement to other students in Ghana. Here's the thing we we're low on students from Ghana right now. We need more students from Ghana? Yeah, I don't know why. We used to have quite a few, and it's just kind of been going down other countries.

Mardiya Osman  37:07  
I think everyone's going to the East Coast of the United States Instead. 

Evan Franulovich  37:11  
Come to the West Coast. 

Mardiya Osman  37:13  
Please, we need more people like us here. 

Evan Franulovich  37:15  
And why is the west coast so great? 

Mardiya Osman  37:18  
The weather, I think it's like a good balance, to be honest. 

Evan Franulovich  37:21  
I think it's a good balance too. 

Mardiya Osman  37:22  
I think it's a very good balance. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect coming here. People online have their opinions about people from Seattle, that they're not friendly, but it's honestly not true. I have friends here, and then they're very great people. And everyone is just so nice, so please come to Seattle instead, where everyone here is fun and nice.

Mardiya Osman  37:52  
Yeah, it's a great place to be. 

Mardiya Osman  37:54  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  37:55  
Okay. So, go ahead, whenever you're ready.

Mardiya Osman  37:57  
Um, the English one? 

Evan Franulovich  38:00  
The Hausa. This is the toughest part of the interview.

Mardiya Osman  38:10  
It's not just me, right? 

Evan Franulovich  38:12  
It's not just you, other students did that too. 

Mardiya Osman  38:13  
But is there anything that you don't want me to say?

Evan Franulovich  38:17  
As long as it's clean. 

Mardiya Osman  38:21  
I'll just say it to my family. 

Evan Franulovich  38:22  
Sure, whatever you wanna do. 

Mardiya Osman  38:30  
(*Mardiya advice in Hausa*) 

Evan Franulovich  38:32  
Awesome. Well, cool. And then the last question, you have been through the process now. You've traveled across the ocean, move to the United States. You've been living here a while now.

Mardiya Osman  38:43  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  38:43  
What's your wisdom that you can share with other students, either in Ghana or anywhere in West Africa that are thinking about coming to the United States? What advice would you give them?

Mardiya Osman  38:53  
I would just say, don't be scared to try new things. I'm the type of person that if I haven't tried it, I'm going to try because  I just like being used to what I know already. But please try new things. I started hiking this year, and it's been so fun. I didn't think it's something I would ever try to do. But yeah, be adventurous.

Evan Franulovich  39:21  
Good advice. You don't have big mountains in Ghana, right? Maybe in the north a little bit. 

Mardiya Osman  39:30  
Not in the cities. 

Evan Franulovich  39:31  
Not in the south. We have mountains here. 

Mardiya Osman  39:34  
The greens are very nice too. 

Evan Franulovich  39:36  
Rattlesnake is kind of a tough hike, right? 

Mardiya Osman  39:37  
It is. That was my second time. The view is very worth it. 

Evan Franulovich  39:46  
It's worth it. Yeah, cool. Well, so great to have you on the show. Great to see you again.

Mardiya Osman  39:52  
I mean, you would see me next month. 

Evan Franulovich  39:55  
I'm looking for it. Well, I'll be back in November. I'll be in Africa all of September. So look for me on the road guys, hopefully you'll see this podcast while I'm in Africa. That would be great. So look for me. I'll be in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, and what's the one I'm missing? Ethiopia.

Mardiya Osman  40:21  
You're doing most of the most of the east African countries.

Evan Franulovich  40:23  
A lot of East. Four in the east, two in the West. We did Cote d'Ivoire one year, and I did go back a second time, but it's not on the list this fall. 

Mardiya Osman  40:33  
I hope you have fun.

Evan Franulovich  40:34  
Oh, of course, I love going to Africa. It's great. If you haven't been there guys. 

Mardiya Osman  40:38  
Please do. 

Evan Franulovich  40:41  
Ghana is a great country to start with.

Mardiya Osman  40:45  
Honestly, yeah, I would say Ghanaians are very hospitable and English speaking. I mean, people are surprised when I tell them that Ghana's official language is English. I mean, we do have a lot of tribes, but Ghana, the official language is English, so communication shouldn't be a problem.

Evan Franulovich  41:05  
Not a problem. Cool. Well, thank you guys for joining us. We appreciate it every Wednesday, right here on Conversations with! Don't forget to like, share and subscribe. Thanks so much. Hello to the Osman Family! Bye, bye!

Mardiya Osman  41:21  
Bye.

Evan Franulovich  41:26  
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. And be sure to check out all of the shows here on 'Conversations with!' Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.