S4E5: Seattle Colleges Conversations with! International Student Raquel Mendilaharzu of Argentina

In this our 5th (fifth) episode of Season 4, Seattle Colleges host Evan Franulovich interviews international student Raquel Mendilaharzu of Argentina about her experience here at Seattle Colleges and about life in the United States. 

1:19 - Meet Raquel!

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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  1:10  
Hey everybody! Welcome back to Seattle Colleges Conversations with! Here at Seattle Central College. Today is a beautiful day. Welcome to season four. We're getting into season four now. So glad to have a second guest from Argentina. Welcome!

Raquel Mendilaharzu  1:30  
Thank you so much, Evan. I'm so excited to be here. 

Evan Franulovich  1:33  
Good. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  1:34  
I'm really excited. I was looking forward to this interview. 

Evan Franulovich  1:37  
Yeah, awesome. Well, let's tell everybody who you are, where you're from, exactly in Argentina, what you're majoring in, and how long you've been here maybe? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  1:48  
Okay, I hope I remember. 

Evan Franulovich  1:52  
Probably you would do okay in this part.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  1:53  
Okay. My name is Raquel, but I prefer Rachel. I like it more; I feel like it's more my personality. And my last name is Mendilaharzu, a very difficult last name, but it's okay. I'm from Argentina, from the north, the smallest province in Argentina. It's called Tucuman, and in my opinion it's actually the most important, because we independentize in that city. 

Evan Franulovich  2:34  
You do what? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  2:35  
Independentized?

Evan Franulovich  2:37  
Oh, that's where you gained independence for the country. Ah, got you.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  2:40  
In that city. 

Evan Franulovich  2:41  
In that city? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  2:42  
Yeah, and we still have the house where it all happened, and it's a museum. 

Evan Franulovich  2:47  
Very cool. How big is the city? A lot of people live there, is it fairly small? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  2:53  
It's very small. 

Evan Franulovich  2:54  
Much smaller than Seattle?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  2:56  
Way smaller. 

Evan Franulovich  2:58  
Is it near the border with Uruguay or Brazil? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  3:04  
Bolivia.

Evan Franulovich  3:04  
Oh, with Bolivia? It's way out there.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  3:07  
Yes, we're close to Bolivia, Chile and Peru. 

Evan Franulovich  3:11  
Wow. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  3:12  
We have Tucuman, there's two more provinces up north, and then you have Bolivia.

Evan Franulovich  3:18  
Interesting. So when you flew out of Argentina to come here, did you have to fly from there to Buenos Aires, or did you go to?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  3:28  
Yeah, you have different options. But usually yes, you go to Buenos Aires for international flights, if you are a big family like mine, then you go in the car for hours to another city. Well, we went to Bolivia once to go to Cuba. 

Evan Franulovich  3:53  
So you flew out of La Paz?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  3:54  
We flew from Bolivia, but we went in the car from Tucuman to Bolivia, and It was like eight hours. 

Evan Franulovich  4:01  
But pretty drive, right? That's some gorgeous country out there.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  4:04  
Yes, the North is beautiful. 

Evan Franulovich  4:08  
Don't forget about that part of the country, guys, if you go to Argentina there's a lot of nice places to visit other in the capital. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  4:16  
Yes, it's beautiful. Yes, what was what else?

Evan Franulovich  4:24  
Okay, what's your major?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  4:28  
Associate degrees of art. 

Evan Franulovich  4:31  
Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  4:32  
I wanted to be a translator, because I also speak Portuguese pretty fluently, Spanish, Portuguese, English, and I don't know now, I really like arts, and all the subjects I'm getting in art, I don't know if I'm still in the translation program or not.

Evan Franulovich  4:59  
How long have you been here again?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  5:01  
I came here last year in April. 

Evan Franulovich  5:04  
Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  5:04  
Spring last year, so already a year? 

Evan Franulovich  5:07  
Wow. Goes fast, doesn't it? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  5:10  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  5:11  
It's amazing. When you arrived, did you arrive a long time before orientation? Or did you arrive and have to go right orientation?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  5:21  
No, I arrived and next week, I had an orientation. 

Evan Franulovich  5:26  
So you had a little time to settle in. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  5:31  
Yes, and I already been in Seattle. I already lived in Seattle since 2021. 

Evan Franulovich  5:38  
Oh, okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  5:39  
So I came back as a student this time. 

Evan Franulovich  5:44  
Gotcha. What did you do in the first case? Were you an Au Pair?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  5:48  
I was an Au Pair. 

Evan Franulovich  5:49  
How was that experience? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  5:50  
I had a beautiful experience with Au Pair for a year and nine months with the same family, I was taking care of three kids, and I loved it. They taught me a lot of things. I definitely grew up mentally and emotionally. It was the first time also being away from my family for so much time. And I'm a very family person, and I miss my mom every day, but it's okay. 

Evan Franulovich  6:25  
Yeah, yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  6:26  
They were really nice. The program helped me out in many things, and then I came back to Argentina for eight months. 

Evan Franulovich  6:36  
Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  6:36  
It was going to be less time, but my family.

Evan Franulovich  6:41  
So when you went home after your Au Pair work, is that when you applied, or did you start the application before you left?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  6:49  
No, when I left the program, I wasn't really sure if I was going to get a visa for a student visa. 

Evan Franulovich  7:00  
Right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  7:02  
And I kind of desisted, but then I really wanted to come back here and live here for longer time, and maybe live by my own. And I started there. Kind of started here, paid here, the application, and then start doing all the paperwork back home. Also getting English classes for the exam, the TOEFL exam. 

Evan Franulovich  7:31  
Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  7:31  
Which I really recommend to take. 

Evan Franulovich  7:34  
Good Idea. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  7:35  
The TOEFL exam, I think is one of the most complete exams. I like Duolingo, it's really nice. And I took it, and I have friends who took it, but I feel like TOEFL is more complete. 

Evan Franulovich  7:52  
Interesting. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  7:53  
It's longer though, and I feel like it's a little bit more difficult, if you want to take a good exam, obviously, but I feel it's pretty much complete.

Evan Franulovich  8:06  
And it's face to face, yeah? You can't do it online.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  8:10  
Yes, I did it online, but it was in a place, I went there and they put me on a computer. 

Evan Franulovich  8:18  
Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  8:19  
I was doing my thing with cameras.

Evan Franulovich  8:21  
Right, right. So when you did the speaking portion of that test, there was a native English speaker on the other end of the camera? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  8:28  
Okay. 

Evan Franulovich  8:29  
And then they have a conversation with you?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  8:33  
No. The English part is you simply replying to either questions you read or to what you understand from a text or from a video or from an audio.

Evan Franulovich  8:53  
So there's no portion of the text... 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  8:54  
You don't talk with anybody. 

Evan Franulovich  8:57  
Really? Interesting. And how long does that test take? Is it an hour? Two hours? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  9:05  
I think it's a maximum four hours. 

Evan Franulovich  9:07  
Oh, it's a long test. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  9:09  
It's a long test, for sure. But I didn't do it in four hours, it two and a half or something. I took a long time for sure. 

Evan Franulovich  9:19  
And did you have to go to Buenos Aires for it? Or could you do it in your town?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  9:24  
No, they have one place in my town. It's only one place in my entire province that has it,  but I was able to take it there.

Evan Franulovich  9:33  
Okay. So did you just find a testing center on their website or something like that? How did you find where to go?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  9:41  
I think my English teacher at that time told me where to get it. 

Evan Franulovich  9:47  
That makes sense. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  9:47  
Yes, I told her, 'Hey, I need classes. I'm preparing for this exam.' And she was like, 'Yeah, I prepare students for that exam specifically.' 

Evan Franulovich  9:56  
Right, right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  9:56  
And she knew all the exercises and the dynamic of the exam.

Evan Franulovich  10:06  
I mean, your English is quite good, so it must have been pretty decent before you took the test, because you'd been here for two years.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  10:13  
Yes, I've been here for two years, and I learned English from a baby, from a two-year old baby, and I think that's why it helped me. 

Evan Franulovich  10:21  
I would think so. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  10:24  
I quite understand a lot of accents.

Evan Franulovich  10:30  
I'm sure.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  10:32  
My host mom, she's Indian, she's from India. Her mother and her father was living in the house for a while too. 

Evan Franulovich  10:45  
Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  10:46  
I was around a lot of cultures, for sure. 

Evan Franulovich  10:50  
Yeah, yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  10:51  
And being an Au Pair is just gonna connect you with from people from all over the world. 

Evan Franulovich  10:56  
For sure. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  10:56  
I have friends from China, France. It was really nice.

Evan Franulovich  11:01  
So this is not anything to do with Seattle Colleges. I'm just curious. So when you become an Au Pair, do you do some training in country first, like before you even leave Argentina? Or do you come here to do training first and then go to your family? How does that work?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  11:17  
Yeah, I haven't checked on my program recently. I usually help other girls to come with the program. 

Evan Franulovich  11:26  
Get them settled. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  11:28  
But just by myself. And they're just girls from my town that know me usually, and they're like, 'Oh, how did you do this? Can you help me?' And I help them with the paperwork, especially. 

Evan Franulovich  11:37  
Right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  11:38  
Because you gotta go to the police and all the stuff. 

Evan Franulovich  11:41  
Sure. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  11:43  
Doctors, everything. Not all the programs, but my program specifically, you have some requisites to get in. 

Evan Franulovich  11:56  
Yeah, yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  11:59  
You need to work with kids and have hours, references as well. You got to be training, like to do CPR.

Evan Franulovich  12:12  
First aid, like CPR? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  12:15  
Yes. Other stuff like that that you need to be prepared to take care of a kid. And then once you're done with that, you create a profile with a lot of questions and things, videos, photos, and then families see your profile. They can text you and say, 'Hey, can we have an interview?' We meet each other. And then they ask you, 'Hey, do you want to come?' You say, yes or no.

Evan Franulovich  12:53  
So did you know you wanted to come to Seattle? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  12:55  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  12:56  
You didn't. You just like somewhere.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  12:58  
I heard a rumor that in Boston they paid more. I don't know if it's true. I didn't do Au Pair in Boston, and I haven't met anybody that did that. I wanted to go to Boston, but I never came to the US. So I was excited for New York and Boston and Disney. That's it. And then when this family contacted me, I read their profile without knowing it was Seattle, and it was really nice. I kind of match with them. In a lot of sense, we have really good conversations, 

Evan Franulovich  13:38  
Yeah? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  13:38  
And then when they told me Seattle, Washington. I was like, 'Oh, Washington.' I never realized there were two Washingtons. 

Evan Franulovich  13:52  
Yes. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  13:53  
There's Washington State and Washington, DC. 

Evan Franulovich  13:56  
Exactly. DC is the capital. Washington is a state.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  14:01  
Me and my friends and all my family and probably some of my uncles still think that I'm in Washington DC. There's no other Washington than Washington DC. It's difficult to explain.

Evan Franulovich  14:18  
Well, when they watch this episode, it will help. Yeah, I've been to both sides of the country, and I kind of prefer the West. No offense to you, East Coasters, but I like the West, so I think you made a good choice. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  14:33  
Yes, I really like it here. I wasn't sure at first, because I came in September. And then the cold came. I didn't have friends. I couldn't go out and do anything, because it was all snowy and cold. And I was like, 'Okay, what should I do?' And thankfully, my host was doing skiing. 

Evan Franulovich  14:59  
Oh, yeah, sure. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  15:01  
So I tried snowboarding. 

Evan Franulovich  15:02  
Cool. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  15:04  
I loved it. 

Evan Franulovich  15:05  
It's great. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  15:06  
So in the winters, I will go with them and do like winter sports for sure. And that saved me from that winter for sure. But then the summer came, and I just fall in love with Seattle.

Evan Franulovich  15:19  
Summer is the best. So you guys are clear, it doesn't snow a lot in Seattle proper, usually, I mean, maybe once or twice a year at the most. It's not a lot of snow. It's not like back east. But it does get cold and dark and rains quite a bit. So yeah, but you were working probably most of the time.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  15:40  
Yeah, but I will get out from work and it will be already dark. 

Evan Franulovich  15:44  
Exactly. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  15:44  
It's true. It was a little bit depressing. 

Evan Franulovich  15:48  
Yeah, for sure, there's an adjustment period. What about weekends? Do they give you the weekends off, or do you just get one day off?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  15:57  
So the program requires the family to give you two weekends per month.

Evan Franulovich  16:02  
Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  16:04  
Or one weekend per month. But my family will give me all the weekends off because they wouldn't work on weekends and wanted to be with their kids. 

Evan Franulovich  16:15  
Very cool. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  16:17  
It was really nice. We had a really good dynamic.

Evan Franulovich  16:21  
Well, this isn't a show about being an Au Pair, but it is super interesting. I love it. So let's get back to you being a student. So you when you were in Argentina as a younger woman, a young girl in high school, for instance, did you go to a public or a private school?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  16:37  
Oh, private school. 

Evan Franulovich  16:39  
You did? What was the name of your school? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  16:42  
*Inaudible*

Evan Franulovich  16:45  
Oh my gosh. Shout out to that school. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  16:48  
That's long.

Evan Franulovich  16:49  
That is pretty long, but good school. You enjoyed your time there?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  16:54  
Yes, it's Catholic. 

Evan Franulovich  16:56  
Oh, sure. And at the time, did you dream about being a student in another country or it wasn't even on your mind?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  17:05  
I'm dreaming all the time. I'm dreaming right now, all the time. I love to dream. When I was younger, I definitely did not think of leaving my town at all when I grew up, I imagine like just doing the same as my sisters. I have five sisters. 

Evan Franulovich  17:26  
Oh my gosh. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  17:27  
We're six. 

Evan Franulovich  17:29  
No boys? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  17:30  
No brothers.

Evan Franulovich  17:32  
Wow. Your dad is tough. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  17:35  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  17:39  
But so much fun, right? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  17:42  
They are all close in age, and then after 10 years, my mom had me, so they all grew up closer, and they all did the same, pretty much. They all graduated from school, go to the university, graduate from the University, get a job, marrying and have kids and live around my house. 

Evan Franulovich  18:05  
Right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  18:08  
I always saw myself doing that. 

Evan Franulovich  18:10  
True. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  18:11  
That's what everybody did. And then every time I would mention 'Oh, I want to do an exchange program, go somewhere to do something, some language.' And mom was like, 'What? You're crazy. You're 13 years old. Shut up.' 

Evan Franulovich  18:27  
'What are you doing?'

Raquel Mendilaharzu  18:28  
Yes, and she will not want to know anything about that. But last year of school, my school did a trip, the last trip of school, and it was Europe. We did Spain, France and Italy. 

Evan Franulovich  18:47  
Nice. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  18:48  
It was really nice. And we stayed like in schools that are Catholic. So it was really nice. 

Evan Franulovich  18:59  
How long was that? A month? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  19:01  
Two weeks. 

Evan Franulovich  19:02  
Oh, two weeks. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  19:03  
But before that, I was already in England, in London, because my mom finally accepted to send me on an exchange, and I was with Kaplan, studying English. 

Evan Franulovich  19:17  
Cool. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  19:18  
Great experience, the best experience of my life. 

Evan Franulovich  19:21  
Really? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  19:21  
I loved it. So after I came back there, I was like, 'I think I could do this behind my parents back.'

Evan Franulovich  19:32  
So were you in London? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  19:34  
Yes.

Evan Franulovich  19:36  
So you came from that background to the United States. You know, they speak very differently. Accents are much stronger. I mean, in my opinion. Was it a big adjustment when you got to the United States?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  19:50  
No, I wouldn't say big. 

Evan Franulovich  19:51  
Okay.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  19:54  
But I definitely felt very dumb many times. 

Evan Franulovich  19:58  
Yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  19:59  
Because of the English barrier, I feel like the language barrier. It's definitely I didn't thought about when I was back in Argentina, and then when I came here and trying to express myself in a language that is not mine. 

Evan Franulovich  20:14  
Sure. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  20:15  
It's just so difficult. Like, how do you want me to be me if I'm not talking like me.

Evan Franulovich  20:21  
Right, right. It is a change. So I took five years of Spanish, and I've been to both Spain and Latin America, and it is similar to UK English versus American English. We use the vosotros in Spain. You guys don't use it in Latin America. So there's some changes.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  20:44  
Definitely, especially in Latin American, I have friends from Spain, and I feel like they're very different to us in the language. But my friends from Latin America sometimes say something, and I will just, I understand what you say, I just don't know what you mean. 

Evan Franulovich  21:03  
Right, right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  21:04  
Like, what do you mean? 

Evan Franulovich  21:06  
Sure. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  21:07  
Because sometimes we have the same word, but it's different meaning.

Evan Franulovich  21:10  
Right, exactly. These guys pop up on my Facebook feed, they say, 'Don't say Hola, say this instead.' But they're Mexican Spanish, or you know, maybe they'll throw a Colombian word in there, and it's just like, wow, it's so different all over the place.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  21:28  
Yes, for sure, I feel like the Argentinian Spanish, I can tell when someone speaks or learn, because even the Argentinian teachers. 

Evan Franulovich  21:44  
Yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  21:45  
They just do something and put the accent in there. I don't know. 

Evan Franulovich  21:50  
It's pretty cool.  

Raquel Mendilaharzu  21:51  
It's really cool. I love that from languages.

Evan Franulovich  21:53  
So you were in the UK. You were there for what? How long was that exchange? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  21:58  
Around a month. 

Evan Franulovich  21:59  
Okay, so you're there for a month. Came back to Argentina.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  22:02  
Well, went to Europe first, and then came back to Argentina. I studied in Argentina in the university, because I wasn't really sure of like leaving right away. 

Evan Franulovich  22:13  
Right, right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  22:15  
And I studied graphic design, interior design as well. Yeah, things related to creative stuff. I like being creative and artistic, per se.

Evan Franulovich  22:31  
And how much time did you do in that?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  22:34  
One year of graphic design, another year and a half of interior design. 

Evan Franulovich  22:42  
Right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  22:43  
But I changed, first I did interior design and then I did graphic design. 

Evan Franulovich  22:48  
So when you came here, did you provide transcripts for evaluation to see if any of the classes you had taken in Argentina would transfer so you would get credit for them? Or did you not do that?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  23:01  
I didn't do that. 

Evan Franulovich  23:02  
Did you think about it?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  23:04  
I thought about it. They weren't classes that I didn't want to take again. I'm pretty good of taking classes again. 

Evan Franulovich  23:17  
Sure. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  23:17  
And I feel like I wanted to come here very fresh, because I wasn't sure of how the education dynamic works here in the US, that's another thing. It's very different back in Argentina or in other countries. 

Evan Franulovich  23:38  
Well, maybe you can expand on that a little bit. So maybe tell the listeners, how is it different, especially people back in your region that are like, 'Oh, it's different.' 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  23:47  
Well, in Argentina we don't have college.

Evan Franulovich  23:50  
No community colleges, like what you're doing now?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  23:53  
No, you just go straight to university. 

Evan Franulovich  23:56  
Right, right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  23:57  
And start your four years. 

Evan Franulovich  23:59  
Yes. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  24:00  
Or three, if you do three. But it's usually like that. 

Evan Franulovich  24:04  
Gotcha. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  24:04  
And if it's a very hard career, then you will do it maybe more than four, but that's okay, because it's most of them are public, and you don't have to pay. 

Evan Franulovich  24:17  
Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  24:18  
And that's another thing that's different here. 

Evan Franulovich  24:21  
You gotta pay here. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  24:24  
So right after you you finish school, high school, then you go to university. 

Evan Franulovich  24:32  
Right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  24:32  
You don't do two years of college and then University. 

Evan Franulovich  24:36  
Right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  24:36  
Because usually the last year in high school, they already prepare you for the university. So you have three types of last year I was in natural science, then you have economy, and then you have humanities. 

Evan Franulovich  24:56  
Gotcha. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  24:57  
And that you. Kind of like get to know subjects or things that are related to the career you're going to study.

Evan Franulovich  25:06  
Makes sense. But I want to be clear for the listeners, so in the United States, if you're a high school student, and once you graduate, if you want to get a bachelor's degree, go after a university degree, you really have two ways to go. One is you can start at a community college, like we are, or you can go straight to a four-year university and do all four years at that university. The cool thing about starting at a community college is you do a two plus two, so you do two years, usually at a community college, then you go and you do your last two years at a university. So it's still just four years either way you go. But if you start a community college, it's split. And what would you say is the best thing about starting in a community college, in your mind, rather than going straight to a four-year?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  25:54  
Yeah, it's very general. So even things that you probably don't need in your career or your job in the future, but it's still good to know about it and be aware of other things, and that's how you also learn about yourself. And what are the things that you like and don't like? You'll always have things that you don't like in the career that you're studying, that's not even in doubt.

Evan Franulovich  26:27  
Sure. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  26:27  
But for me, I think I was pretty sure I wanted to be a translator, but then when I started looking at other options and learning other things. I was like, 'Hey,  maybe not.' You question yourself and you're kind of like knowing yourself more. 

Evan Franulovich  26:49  
Right.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  26:50  
So that's really nice of here. You can really do that there in Argentina, you can change your majors, but it's a little bit more difficult than here, and you see more specific stuff. It's not very general. 

Evan Franulovich  27:07  
Right. Just so you guys know, whether you go to a four-year university or you start at a community college, exactly kind of what she's suggesting. If you're in an associates program, it is a little more general in the beginning no matter where you go to school, because there's all these prerequisites you have to do before you really get into the meat of your major. So if you're a biology major, you still have to take a psychology class, still have to take some history, whatever it kind of gives you this nice foundation. Yeah, that's one of the cool things. And you may change your major. I did a number of people I know did.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  27:40  
Yeah, I still need to do math. I'm not excited at all. But it's something I need to do, and maybe even learn something from it. Maybe I will ended up liking it.

Evan Franulovich  27:54  
Maybe you'll end up liking. And if you still struggle with it, we have tutors available. We have a lot of people that can help you with the process, so don't worry too much, but you're gonna have to grapple with it at some point. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  28:07  
Yes, I know. 

Evan Franulovich  28:09  
But we have advisors to help you with that. You say you have a good advisor? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  28:13  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  28:14  
Tell us about your advisor.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  28:15  
The best advisor ever, Caitlin, I love you.

Evan Franulovich  28:20  
Shout out. So how has she supported you? A lot of people like understand that we have advisors, but they don't know what they do for you or how they help you. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  28:30  
So when I first came, I did spring quarter and then fall quarter and then winter quarter, I started...let's call it seasonal depression. 

Evan Franulovich  28:46  
Sure, yeah, it's pretty common. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  28:48  
Yes, it's common. And I was just in a very bad place, missing my family so much, the holidays. It was really bad for my mental health, and I really didn't know what to do, because I will come here and try to get in class, but then I will feel so bad and start crying or having like an anxiety attack right before coming into class. So I wasn't being able to attend class in that state, and I started missing classes. I wasn't connecting with the professors. I was too scared of talking with the school, talking with professors of like, what should I do now? And it start building up a lot, and I didn't have much time, and I was like, you know, I'm just gonna beat that fear and go to school and talk about it, because I really need this to work, and I'm not ready to go back home. 

Evan Franulovich  29:58  
Right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  30:00  
So I came and I think you are assigned an advisor depends on your last name. 

Evan Franulovich  30:10  
Exactly. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  30:11  
So she is my advisor, and she was just the best. She received me very nice, very welcoming. I felt very comfortable. I trust her so much. She replies to my emails very quickly. And she helped me, she was like, 'You don't need to worry. We're here for you.' And she started like naming all the options I had, all the resources I could take. She told me about the medical leave as well. Helped me out find a doctor, I was on medication, I got really better after all of that, and it was just the best thing that could happen to me. I'm really grateful for that. 

Evan Franulovich  31:09  
We're really grateful you shared that story, because some people are very shy about it. It's like, 'I don't really want to share that.' But guys, if you are a student out there, or maybe a future student, and you might find yourself in a dark place or struggling a little bit. You know, it is not always easy to be an international student. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  31:29  
No. 

Evan Franulovich  31:29  
Reach out to your advisor or I know there are mental health counselors. Just talk to them, they're very plugged into resources. They can get you what you need to turn it around. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  31:44  
Yeah. And there are many options. Even if you think that's the last thing you could do, there's something else you can do.

Evan Franulovich  31:55  
Yeah, there's a lot. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  31:57  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  31:57  
A lot of things. So I'm really glad you got that. Good job, Caitlin! 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  32:02  
Thank you, Caitlin! 

Evan Franulovich  32:03  
Awesome. Okay, gosh, I've gone in so many directions. So let's go back again. You went through high school, you graduated, you did the stuff, but then you come back, you apply to Seattle Colleges, you get your I-20, how long did it take you to get your visa interview, from the time you got your I-20 until the time you actually went to the embassy?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  32:31  
The I-20, you guys send it to me. 

Evan Franulovich  32:34  
Yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  32:35  
You guys send it to me right away as soon as I finish all the applications. 

Evan Franulovich  32:40  
Right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  32:41  
They send me like a list of things to prepare for my visa appointment. 

Evan Franulovich  32:46  
Right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  32:46  
Which was great. 

Evan Franulovich  32:48  
Yes. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  32:48  
Because there are few things that you need to know before going to the embassy, especially if you're traveling from another country. 

Evan Franulovich  32:55  
Yes. So what I mean is, so after you get that I-20, you have to go on to the government's website, and you have to make an appointment to go. How long did it take to get your appointment? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  33:09  
So for the student visa, I had appointments for the next day as soon as I entered. 

Evan Franulovich  33:16  
Super fast. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  33:17  
Super fast. 

Evan Franulovich  33:18  
Oh, wow. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  33:22  
I don't remember if that weekend or the next, but yes, very close. And then yes, all the preparation for traveling, going there.

Evan Franulovich  33:37  
This was in Buenos Aires, right? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  33:40  
Luckily, I have a big family in Buenos Aires, and they received me, it was very nice. 

Evan Franulovich  33:47  
Cool. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  33:49  
You can go by yourself, but you need to try to go with someone, because you can get in with your personal items, like no phones, no watch, nothing of that, just you and the papers. And when I did the visa, it was definitely different than the J-1 visa that I used for the Au Pair experience. Yes, it was different. I feel like this time was a little bit more fast, and this time is is weird, because everybody were getting rejected. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  34:38  
Oh. 

Evan Franulovich  34:38  
Everybody in the room. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  34:43  
I was really sweaty.

Evan Franulovich  34:46  
It's like 'Oh, no, they're gonna shoot me down.'

Raquel Mendilaharzu  34:48  
I was sweating a lot, and I was like, 'This is going to look like I'm more nervous, stop.' And I couldn't stop. But it's just a room you enter and there's like a big line like a zigzag, and in front of you there's like four agents with a little window, and you can hear and see everything while you're waiting in line. 

Evan Franulovich  35:14  
Yes. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  35:15  
So I was waiting in the big line, and everybody just rejected. And people would just scream, yell, cry, and I was like, 'Well, what should I do? Should I just leave? I don't want to be rejected like this.' This is a fear I don't want to feel today. A fear of rejection is something big. 

Evan Franulovich  35:36  
For sure. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  35:37  
And I didn't know what to do. And by that time i i was thinking of going to the bathroom, staying there, and then kind of like leaving, yeah, I couldn't do that. There was a lot of people and police, so I just stayed there. And it was nice the officer, as soon as I start start speaking English, he was like, 'Oh, nice. You speak English. And he smiled at me.' 

Evan Franulovich  36:08  
It's a good first step. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  36:10  
Yes. Then he asked about Seattle Colleges and how I knew about it, which I knew from just living in Seattle. And then he was like, 'Well, what are you going to study? What do you want to study?' And I said, 'Well, I'm an associate's degrees in art, but I want to be a translator.' And he was like, 'Oh, that's so cool. You speak other languages.' And he was super chill with me. And I was like, 'Oh, nice.' And I was super nervous. He asked me about my sponsor and my relations. And then he was like, 'Okay, that's good.' And then he handled the things to me and didn't say anything else. That's good. And then he started typing in his computer, and I just stayed there. I couldn't move. I didn't know what to do. And he was like, 'Yeah, you can go now.'

Evan Franulovich  37:21  
And you're like, 'Did I get the visa?'

Raquel Mendilaharzu  37:23  
Yeah, you can go. I was like, 'Okay.' And I just left. And I was like, okay, that means I get the visa.

Evan Franulovich  37:32  
Yeah, wow. Then you go celebrate.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  37:35  
Yes, I was still confused. 

Evan Franulovich  37:38  
It is a little confusing. So if this guy talks to you, you might be in good shape. Did they just mail it back to you? Or did you have to come back a couple days later to pick it up? Because you left your passport there? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  37:49  
Yeah, usually you have to pick it up a week after... 

Evan Franulovich  37:52  
Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  37:53  
...In Buenos Aires. 

Evan Franulovich  37:55  
So you just ended up staying for the week. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  37:59  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  37:59  
Otherwise you have to go and come back. Well, that's really amazing. Great story. So now that you've been here, how do you find the classes, just the way a professor will conduct a class, versus what you were used to in Argentina, do you find the delivery of information, a lot different, or is it similar? What's your experience with the teachers in the class?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  38:28  
Well, I feel like in Argentina, you have two different things, like public and private. I studied in both the universities and it's different there, and it's also different here. So in private universities, it's kind of like going to school for me. 

Evan Franulovich  38:58  
You mean high school? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  38:59  
Yeah.

Evan Franulovich  39:00  
Yeah, okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  39:01  
And then in the free ones, the public ones, you kind of are a number. 

Evan Franulovich  39:14  
Just another student.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  39:14  
You're by yourself. You're just another student. They don't really care about your personal life. There are so many students as well. There's a difference of a room in a private university will be 30 student in a public one will be 100 students.

Evan Franulovich  39:36  
Yeah, easy.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  39:39  
I don't blame the professors. 

Evan Franulovich  39:40  
Sure. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  39:41  
But it's very different the treatment you get. And also here, I feel like there's a difference between regular classes and ESL. 

Evan Franulovich  39:50  
Oh, for sure. Probably. But you didn't start with ESL, right? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  39:56  
I did. 

Evan Franulovich  39:56  
You did? You had to do how many quarters of...?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  39:59  
Reading and listening. 

Evan Franulovich  40:01  
Oh, wow. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  40:04  
I mean, my professor told me that she saw my TOEFL, and it was good that I could go ahead and start with English 101. But I've been there already for two weeks. So I really didn't want to leave. I was too comfortable in her room. I didn't want to go to another room. They're already starting classes, and probably, I don't know. And she was like, Yeah, you can stay here and get more comfortable with the dynamic in school, which was great. 

Evan Franulovich  40:40  
Cool. That's good. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  40:43  
And she was really helpful too. And then when I started regular classes, and start having American classmates... 

Evan Franulovich  40:53  
Oh, yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  40:54  
...It was different. 

Evan Franulovich  40:55  
Yeah.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  40:55  
It was way different. Well, everybody's on their own kind of thing. There's not much of group assignments. In ESL, more of the assignments were group assignments, but in here it's not really group assignments. So you don't get to talk with people unless you want to. And I feel like in Argentina, if you don't talk to people, it's weird. Why you're not talking, why you're not asking me if I can borrow you my pencil? It's weird. So it's kind of like you break the ice. You don't want to be in a room in silence for more than 10 minutes with someone. It makes us awkward culturally. 

Evan Franulovich  41:47  
Yeah, yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  41:47  
And that's okay. I feel like in regular classes, it's difficult because nobody talks to me. I don't talk to people, because when I talk to people sometimes I feel like it's awkward, I don't know. I had really good professors that really helped me out and understand everything, especially here in central.

Evan Franulovich  42:20  
But do you feel like you've made friends now? Now that you've been here over a year, are you still having a hard time connecting with other students? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  42:27  
It's difficult. In Argentina, you have your classmates for four years, same classmates. So it's more common to make long time friends. Here, I met so many people in two days that it's so difficult. I see them for three months, and then I don't see them again.

Evan Franulovich  42:59  
Not even in the hallways? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  43:01  
I transferred to North. 

Evan Franulovich  43:03  
Oh, you're at North now. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  43:04  
Mhmm. 

Evan Franulovich  43:04  
Oh, North student. I thought you were a central student. Sorry, my bad.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  43:09  
I started in Central. But I'm at North now.

Evan Franulovich  43:13  
And you guys can do that too, if you like. Why did you make the switch? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  43:20  
I moved. 

Evan Franulovich  43:20  
You moved. Okay, you live closer.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  43:24  
Yes, I lived in First Hill. 

Evan Franulovich  43:27  
Okay, sure. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  43:28  
Yes, around all the hospitals. 

Evan Franulovich  43:31  
Yeah, yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  43:33  
Not fun.

Evan Franulovich  43:34  
And now you're at...?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  43:36  
Now I'm between Northgate and Roosevelt.

Evan Franulovich  43:42  
Okay, cool. I like that area, actually. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  43:44  
It's beautiful.

Evan Franulovich  43:45  
And now you've been on both campuses. You know, sometimes students that are out there, they know they want to come to Seattle Colleges, but not really sure which campus to choose between central and north. Which one do you prefer? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  43:58  
North. 

Evan Franulovich  43:58  
You like North better? And why is it that?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  44:04  
I like it more because it's bigger, and it's not all closed, it's very open. So between classrooms, you can go outside, and if it's really hot, you can enjoy the weather. If it's snowy, it's a little bit difficult, but it's okay. 

Evan Franulovich  44:23  
Yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  44:24  
It has a really big library. 

Evan Franulovich  44:27  
Oh, the library is brand new. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  44:29  
Yes, it's beautiful, and it's so big that you can stay there all day, but in different places, you know? 

Evan Franulovich  44:40  
Yep, yep. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  44:46  
Well, here I had classes in the art building. 

Evan Franulovich  44:51  
Oh, yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  44:54  
And it was very closed. I feel like it was very closed. And when we were in the big room, I kind of felt suffocated sometimes. 

Evan Franulovich  45:06  
Interesting. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  45:07  
Here, it feels like it's dark outside all the time. 

Evan Franulovich  45:12  
You're indoors the whole time. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  45:14  
Yeah, yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  45:15  
North, you definitely get to get out and move between classrooms. You're in the outdoors. And even if it's raining, there's enough overhang so you don't really get wet or anything. So it's kind of nice. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  45:25  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  45:26  
I like north, I think it's a cool campus. Actually, I like all the campuses for their own personality traits. Like, I'd say north and south are definitely a lot more tranquil, a lot more mellow than say, Central. There's always things happening here.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  45:44  
That's the thing with north in the beginning, I had to go to classes an hour earlier because I couldn't find the classroom. 

Evan Franulovich  45:55  
Oh, yeah, yeah. It does take a little. Yeah, go and study the maps, you'll be okay. Oh my gosh. We got to get on here. We got a couple things to do real fast. One of the things is, I'm going to ask you a couple things, just as I kind of get to know you, I'm going to say one word or the other, and you just tell me which one you prefer. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  46:18  
A word?

Evan Franulovich  46:18  
Yeah, yeah. So it'll be very obvious once you hear it. So the first one is coffee or tea?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  46:24  
Tea. 

Evan Franulovich  46:26  
And in your case, maybe matcha?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  46:29  
Matcha? No, mate.

Evan Franulovich  46:31  
Sorry, not matcha. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  46:32  
I like matcha though. 

Evan Franulovich  46:33  
You do? Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  46:35  
But mate is just the best. 

Evan Franulovich  46:39  
All right, mountains or the beach?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  46:41  
Oh, I think mountains. 

Evan Franulovich  46:47  
Good answer. I like the beach though. Early bird or night owl?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  46:53  
Night. Oh, interesting.

Evan Franulovich  46:55  
Books or movies?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  46:59  
I'll say books, because you get more information. I like context.

Evan Franulovich  47:05  
Cool. Are you reading anything interesting right now?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  47:09  
I'm reading a psychology book from a psychologist in Argentina, called 'Cara a Cara' by Gabriel Rolón.

Evan Franulovich  47:18  
Okay, cool. All right, how about texting or phone calls?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  47:26  
Probably texting, I'm too awkward.

Evan Franulovich  47:31  
Okay, hard to believe. How about cats or dogs? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  47:35  
Dogs. 

Evan Franulovich  47:36  
Yeah? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  47:36  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  47:37  
Do you have a dog back home? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  47:38  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  47:40  
What kind of dog is it? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  47:41  
It's a Sherman Shepherd.

Evan Franulovich  47:44  
yeah, yeah, old, young,

Raquel Mendilaharzu  47:47  
Very young.

Evan Franulovich  47:49  
Wow. Did you think about bringing the dog with you to the United States?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  47:53  
Of course, I thought about it. It was just never an option. 

Evan Franulovich  47:57  
Not gonna happen. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  48:00  
But yes, my family always had German shepherds and we had Rottweilers. 

Evan Franulovich  48:05  
Oh, yeah, I love them. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  48:06  
They're so sweet. They looked really scary. They definitely looked really scary, but they were so sweet. 

Evan Franulovich  48:13  
Yeah, roddies are good, good dogs. City or country?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  48:21  
I will say country.

Evan Franulovich  48:24  
I like it. Adventure or chill at home? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  48:27  
Adventure. 

Evan Franulovich  48:30  
Summer or winter? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  48:32  
Summer.

Evan Franulovich  48:33  
I was gonna say you gotta say summer. Cooking at home or eating out?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  48:47  
I feel like I like both.

Evan Franulovich  48:49  
Me too.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  48:51  
Eating at home. 

Evan Franulovich  48:52  
All right, cool. Do you cook for yourself here?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  48:58  
Yeah. I mean, I tried. 

Evan Franulovich  49:00  
You tried. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  49:01  
But in the house, my boyfriend cooks.

Evan Franulovich  49:05  
Okay, cool. Well, let's ask you about your housing situation. We basically have three. You can do home stays, live in the dorms. You must be in an apartment somewhere, I'm guessing? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  49:14  
Yes, a house. 

Evan Franulovich  49:15  
You said you just moved, was it difficult to find the house? Did you look at a lot of different houses?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  49:21  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  49:22  
Okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  49:23  
Yes, I think it was because of the time we were moving in August. 

Evan Franulovich  49:29  
Oh, okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  49:31  
And a lot of people were looking for housing. I remember touring two or three houses and an apartment. 

Evan Franulovich  49:41  
Right. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  49:44  
But with that one, we just found a great deal because it wasn't in the market yet, and they just let us look at the house before putting in the market. 

Evan Franulovich  49:59  
That's great. And so do you have a car, or do you have to use public transportation to get to school?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  50:06  
I personally use public transportation. I had the opportunity to have a car, but I couldn't find a way to afford a car. 

Evan Franulovich  50:17  
Cars can be expensive, for sure. And I personally think our public transportation is really great in Seattle. Have you had that experience?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  50:24  
Yeah, for sure. During the winter it's a little bit more difficult. There are definitely things I'm not doing again, and you just got to be careful with the cold, because it happens to me many times with the cold that I'll be waiting for the bus, and just because it's so cold, I will ended up throwing up.

Evan Franulovich  50:49  
Oh, no. So you just didn't have a big enough coat?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  50:54  
I feel like I did. It's just I spend so much time outside shivering and it's too much. And it was always at the end of the day, the last bus to get home.

Evan Franulovich  51:10  
Yeah, it's true. And you got to keep food in your belly, because that gives you energy, that kind of stuff. You hear that? It's Trivia Time too. Let's do the trivia. Okay, this is the part of the show we do five questions. First question: In Seattle, we have a very famous soccer team. I mean, not as great as the Argentine team, of course, but it's still pretty good. Do you know the name of our soccer team? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  51:37  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  51:37  
Our football team here. What's the name? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  51:42  
The Sounders. 

Evan Franulovich  51:44  
Have you seen them play?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  51:46  
Um, not on live. I watch on the TV because there's an Argentinian player.

Evan Franulovich  51:53  
Oh, okay. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  51:55  
We like them. 

Evan Franulovich  51:56  
How's he doing? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  51:58  
He's good. He's one of the best, in my opinion. 

Evan Franulovich  52:03  
Cool. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  52:03  
He's Pedro de la Vega. 

Evan Franulovich  52:05  
Okay, shout out to Pedro. If you're listening, Pedro. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  52:08  
Yeah. 

Evan Franulovich  52:09  
Now we also have a professional women's soccer team now here in Seattle, do you know the name of that team? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  52:16  
Oh, the professional women team. 

Evan Franulovich  52:21  
This is a tough question.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  52:24  
I watched a live, but it was the UDub professional women's team. No, I don't know. 

Evan Franulovich  52:35  
So this is the Seattle Reign this. They have a game coming up. I believe it's this Friday or Saturday, and you can go for free, free tickets. So if you go on to the internet, you type in Seattle Reign tickets, or whatever you you can find it and go see a game this week. And I believe if you go, you also get a scarf for free. Because it's such a new team they're trying to encourage people to come. So if you got nothing else going on this weekend, grab your boyfriend, hit the road. All right. Cool. Question number three: In Seattle, we're known for being a very nature oriented kind of place. We have the Puget Sound, lots of water. But we also have mountains, the name of the mountains that run from north to south, just to the east of us. What's the name of those mountains? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  53:33  
Olympic mountains? 

Evan Franulovich  53:34  
The Olympics are to the west. What are the ones to the east? That's good that you know the Olympics, though, a lot of people forget that. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  53:45  
I think I'm forgetting the other one. 

Evan Franulovich  53:47  
The other one starts with a C. Does that help you?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  53:55  
I don't think I know it.

Evan Franulovich  53:58  
Oh, the Cascade Mountains, that's right. And the biggest mountain in Washington, this is your fourth question. The biggest mountain in Washington is in the Cascades. What's the name of that mountain? It's a national park as well.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  54:15  
The name of a mountain in the Cascades?

Evan Franulovich  54:17  
Yeah, it's the biggest one in the northwest,

Raquel Mendilaharzu  54:22  
It's not Mount Rainier?

Evan Franulovich  54:23  
It is Mount Rainier. Good job. All right. And the final question is, what was the last movie that you saw in the movie theater? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  54:34  
Oh, in the movie theater, I went and watch 'How to Train Your Dragon.' 

Evan Franulovich  54:42  
Oh, yeah, somebody else said they saw that too. What'd you think?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  54:46  
It was great. It was in Argentina, and I was with my cousins, it was just really good.

Evan Franulovich  54:53  
Cool. Do you go out to the movies here in Seattle? 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  54:57  
Yes. 

Evan Franulovich  54:58  
We have a lot of great theaters.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  55:04  
At least in my city, in Tucuman, we don't have reclinable seats. 

Evan Franulovich  55:08  
Oh, yeah. 

Raquel Mendilaharzu  55:09  
And here you guys do.

Evan Franulovich  55:11  
We have some really nice theaters. It's true. Well, very good. Well, we're at part of the show now where we're wrapping it up. I always ask my international guests, if they don't mind saying a few words in their first language. Of course, Argentina is Spanish. But maybe you've never heard Argentinian Spanish, so this is a big opportunity for you. So you know, like 15-20 seconds, whatever you want to say. As long as it's clean.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  55:38  
Okay, I'll try. *Rachel's message in Spanish*

Evan Franulovich  56:18  
Good stuff. And the final question, which you kind of said in Spanish, of course, but what is your advice for people back in the region? Maybe parents that are thinking about sending their kids, or the kids are thinking about it, but you know, they're not really sure. What advice would you give them?

Raquel Mendilaharzu  56:37  
Yes, I would say, try to beat your fears, try to think about yourself more than the others. I'm not saying be selfish. I'm saying that, yes, your parents are your parents, and they will always be but they can't live your life for you. You got to live your life. If you want to live your life, then you got to do you. If you want to live the life your parents want you to live, then you got to do that. But at the same time, I feel like if it's your parents, they will always want the best for you and your happiness. And if your happiness is here in Seattle Colleges, then you should argue with them.

Evan Franulovich  57:33  
That's right. Good advice. That's right. Awesome. Well, it's been great getting to know you. I could talk to you for hours. It seems like thanks so much for your time.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  57:45  
Thank you. It was great. I feel famous. 

Evan Franulovich  57:48  
Yes, you should get some sunglasses. And for you guys, thanks for joining us. We're here every Wednesday trying to offer up good advice, good information, so that you can make great choices. We hope you'll join us here at Seattle Colleges. Please join us at the podcast. No matter where you end up going to school, we're here every Wednesday. Please like, subscribe and share. Have a great day! Bye bye.

Raquel Mendilaharzu  58:11  
Bye bye.

Evan Franulovich  58:14  
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.