Beccy on Tour - My Semester Abroad in Raleigh, NC, USA

Rebecca Schaden 0:09
Hello guys, and welcome to my podcast Beccy On Tour about my semester abroad in Raleigh, North Carolina in the United States. My name is Beccy, and I'm your reliable source into the exciting world of American college life. So if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, stay tuned.

Hello, hello, guys. Today I have bittersweet news for you. This is going to be my last ever Beccy On Tour episode. And first of all, I want to use this opportunity to thank you guys. Thank you all for tuning in, for your interest in my journey at NC State and the United States in general. I hope this podcast proves valuable especially for international students who want to live and study in the United States and at NC State in particular, and that I could draw you a picture of what American college life is like. For all of you who are only tuning in now I want to give you a quick rundown of the 15 most important lessons I learned as a European studying in the United States. So without further ado, for the last time, let's get into it.

Number one, the American lifestyle isn't as unhealthy as we make it out to be.

They also had fruits and water and even breakfast bars prepared for us at the orientation days. So they really tried to kind of teach us a healthy lifestyle. And also with the dining halls: It's really great going there and they have like salad buffets. They have different cuisines, like Asian cuisine, Italian cuisine, and I was really surprised about the food quality here in the States.

Number two, the first week of classes is a huge thing here at NC State and celebrations lead up to an even bigger event called Packapalooza.

It is kind of like a kickoff event to university because there are lots of clubs and student organizations who use this opportunity to introduce themselves. And they're also like music clubs, sports clubs, the Poole of Management, which is my Poole, so kind of like the people I study with, but also the Poole of Agriculture and Life studies where I got my T-shirt from that you might have seen on my Instagram stories, and like global travel, volunteer work, and so on and so forth.

Number three, North Carolina has a great deal of history. For example, it's the state where the first plane was launched.

So you can walk up the hill to see the memorial and at the bottom of the hill, they reconstructed the first plane, so to speak. And also there's a small airport at the side of the memorial where helicopters and smaller planes take off. And that is something else I definitely have to put on my bucket list. Take a tour in a helicopter, maybe even fly one, we'll see.

Number four, in a conversation with my marketing professor, Dr. Henard, I learned one very important thing about the US-American mindset and why they're so successful.

Dr. David H Henard 4:44
There's another quote that I think about often is the flip side of that is from the United States Marine Corps, which is basically 'adapt and overcome'. And it might not be the most positive of quotes but for me, it's it's served me well. And those stick in my mind because some of us have not always had the easiest path. And there are people that are standing in our path to try and prevent us from getting where we want to go. There's difficulties in life that we have to overcome. And the both of those quotes are just stuck with me since I was a very young person. And I've just found that life is tough, tougher for some than others. But if you will face your fears head on, if you will face your obstacles head on. If you have anything that stands in your way, adapt yourself to that situation, figure out how to overcome that situation, and move forward from that situation. And I found that every time you do overcome an obstacle, it literally does make you stronger, and it makes it easier to overcome obstacles in the future.

Rebecca Schaden 6:05
Number five, the famous NC State school spirit everybody talks about is especially evident at football games, when all students come together and cheer for their team even if they know nothing about football whatsoever.

The football game itself, of course, was exciting. But what I loved most was the atmosphere. The little show act presented by the marching band, cheerleaders and other groups, and honestly, how everyone was hyping up the players and encouraging them. Even those of us like me who don't know a bunch about football. Well, I would say I do know the basics now because the girl we met that the game was kind enough to give us some insights. Still, I would say that most people don't primarily watch the games because they love football. But because it's a great way to spend your weekend, meet up with friends, get some food and simply have fun.

Number six, an interview with Jason Evans Groth, former musician and librarian, taught me that Europeans tend to value art and music more than Americans, which took me by surprise.

Jason Evans Groth 7:34
When you get to make it to Europe, Europeans still value rock'n'roll and music like the music that I used to make in a way that America has just sort of forgotten about. When we go over there, I think people still see it as like an exotic thing like, oh my gosh, these Americans are playing music that sounds like cowboys made it. So playing in Europe was what we looked forward to. We made, we kept playing because European tours made us feel like we were, that we were doing something legitimate. In America, I think, they think that you're on vacation. In Europe, they know that you are a person working to make art. And they appreciate it in that way. I mean, that's not true... I mean, obviously people in America think that too but I think in general, they don't. My parents used to tell me I was on vacation all the time, like what are you talking about? I'm not like, I'm barely making any money, I have to pay my bills still and I'm doing this because it's the work I want to do whereas in Europe that was... there was never a question. It was like, 'Yes, of course, this is what you do. Thank you so much for doing it.' We appreciate it, or we don't, but like we're gonna give you the space to do it and we're really glad that you made it over here.'

Rebecca Schaden 8:47
Number seven, there are a number of different visa types and it can be quite confusing trying to figure them out. But bottom line, it is not impossible to work in the United States when you're on a student visa. I am the best example for that.

So, basically, the two most common visa types students hold are J1 and F1 visas. The maximum amount of time J1 visa type students can work in the United States are 18 months for undergraduate students and for graduate students and 36 months for PhD students and the program they will be engaging in is called academic training. F1 students are individuals who are getting their degree here from NC State University, so they need to be enrolled at an U.S - American college or university and they need to be full time students. That being said the employment needs to be a required part of the curriculum of the degree they're pursuing and they need to stay enrolled at university during their work experience.

Number eight, in an interview with Tyler Dukes, who works as an investigative reporter at the 'News and Observer' in Raleigh, I gained a deeper understanding of the underlying meaning of the journalistic profession.

Tyler Dukes 10:17
Yeah, there's a real desire to make sure people, you know, understand what it is we do. And, you know, even if, you know, it's a confrontational experience, in some cases, you know, not everybody wants to talk to us, you know, because they might be, you know, under scrutiny, right. But the goal is to make sure everybody at least, feels like they're treated fairly, even if they're not necessarily happy with being the subject of coverage.

Rebecca Schaden 11:04
Number nine, during my travels to San Juan, in Puerto Rico, I learned the city is home to a specific animal. And it's not snakes and monkeys.

There are cats everywhere you go in San Juan and the people who live there, feed them and care for them. And they even built a cat Airbnb for them, which I think is pretty weird. But hey, who am I to judge?

Number ten, it was very interesting to hear Erik Rodriguez perspective on my home university and hearing about his perception of Austrian students and how their interactions with international students are very different from the famous 'southern hospitality'.

Erik Rodriguez 12:00
So here, you know, with the sort of southern American culture that Raleigh and North Carolina, and the rest of the South has, it's a bit more open, a bit more friendly. You know, you'll see someone walking down the street and maybe say, hey, that would be a lot more normal as opposed to in Vienna, where people are typically a lot more reserved, especially the locals, they don't really want to talk to you which is understandable. You know, it's for them, it's a bit strange to just see a random person and want to strike up a conversation.

Rebecca Schaden 12:53
Number eleven, Raleigh is a very artistic city with a big creative community, if you know where to look and how to find them. As a model and actress, I of course, was eager to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves.

The week before we were filming a Bigfoot movie and it was again set in a forest. And my character was the only one out of three teenagers who wasn't killed by Bigfoot. I found Marcus Watkins, the director of the movie on Facebook, and he told me about all the different movies he has coming up, and that they are always looking for new actors to work with. Some advice for you guys: if you're an actress or a model who's looking for paid or unpaid work in the United States, definitely check out various Facebook groups. It's a great app to use to connect with people and I found most of the directors, actors and photographers I worked with on Facebook.

Number twelve, a conversation with Sandi Sullivan, a Raleigh-based actress and NC State Engineering Alumni told me that you should never lose sight of your dreams, no matter what other people say.

Sandi Sullivan 14:17
I think I might have told you the first time we met that I originally majored in Electrical Engineering here at NC State. I didn't want to major in engineering. I actually have the brain of a mathematician but the heart and the soul of an actor. So I thought, well, the practical job would be to study math and become you know, a math professor. But I was pushed very strongly by my father to study engineering because they didn't have a lot of women in engineering at the time and he thought that, that would be the best way that I could make money, which was the most important thing to him. And I wound up hating engineering, which is not surprising given my you know, heart and my personality. And I wound up dropping out and going and studying theater and I got a degree in theater within a minor in communications, and I studied voice, and I graduated 'magna cum laude' from Rhode Island College. And when I did, and my parents were at my graduation -this is a true story-. And I said: 'well, Dad, you know, 'magna cum laude', not bad, right?' And he said: 'yeah, but you didn't go to real school, you went to pretend school.' I've never forgotten that. So I think that sometimes, that's the way people view the arts, they're very dismissive of it as it as if it isn't as important as science or math or, you know, becoming a lawyer or a doctor. But you know, I think it's just as important. (It is). The cultural enrichment is just as important. And so, you know, I took, I took that path.

Rebecca Schaden 16:04
Number thirteen, on my trip to the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, I realized that there's more to that profession than what we see in the movies.

When you first enter the museum, a staff member takes you up to the fifth floor, where you get to watch a short briefing film, and then learn the details of your individual mission. Every visitor was assigned a cover name, a hometown, occupation, code word and destination, and of course, a mission to complete. In my case, the mission was to find out more about a new leader that was brought to power because of a military coup. There were different exhibition rooms, and in every one, there would be screens, and you had to do different tasks. For example, I once had to choose which device to use for audience surveillance and once I had to choose a disguise, so the interactive part was a lot of fun. But they also had a lot of information on what living as a spy is like, what it really entails, as opposed to what Hollywood movies tell you about it. And they actually had real spies sharing their stories, and they explained what it was like to be a spy during the world wars.

Number fourteen, when somebody mentions New York, you immediately think of the greenish-colored Statue of Liberty. We even have an emoji of the statue, which also displays its green color. So I was very surprised to learn that she wasn't always green.

When she was constructed, her skin was of a reddish brown copper color, but air pollution and chemical reactions like oxidation resulted in her turning from copper to brown, and finally to the blue green that we know her to be today. If you want to know more about the chemical process, I'm afraid I'm not the right person to ask. But there's a museum located across from the statue where the process is explained. So if you're interested in learning more about that, definitely check out the Statue of Liberty museum as well.

Last but not least, number fifteen, if you have money, you buy a house in Miami.

Apparently one is owned by J.Lo and another one is owned by an ex boyfriend of hers. Some of the houses also belong to less well known but not less wealthy business people and we also passed David and Victoria Beckham's mansion. And as you can likely imagine, these buildings were massive, and some of them were architectural masterpieces and I was wondering what it would be like living there. Well, who knows maybe one day if I make a lot of money and can afford to buy a house there, the tour guide will mention my name too.

With that being said, we have reached the end of the 17th and last episode of Beccy On Tour. I just want to thank you again for being such an amazing audience. I want to thank my colleagues and supervisors at WKNC for supporting me in every possible way, and for promoting Beccy On Tour. A special thanks goes out to Jamie who enjoyed my episode with Tyler Duke so much that she even sent it in for the International Student Broadcasting Championship where I was one of the five finalists for the 'Best Interview Award', and the runner up for the 'Best New Podcast Award'. A special thanks also goes out to Jason, who has been helping me with and coaching me on audio editing and video editing tools. I definitely could not have produced these episodes without you, not with such a great sound quality anyways. I also want to thank my guests who were willing to share their stories and experiences with me. I understand that's not always an easy thing to do, especially now that I have experienced being on the other side of the microphone as well. Thank you for your trust and honesty, I really appreciate it.

The time I spent here at NC State, working for WKNC, Technician and as a media consultant has brought me closer to my dream of becoming a presenter than anything ever before. I not only know what I want to do, but also how to get there and in part, I owe that to the American success mindset that I was able to adopt during my time here. And if there is one thing I will definitely take home with me to Europe, it is that exact mindset. The certainty that one can do whatever they desire, as long as they work hard and put in the time and effort to achieve their goals. And I hope that throughout these weeks, I could share a little bit about that mindset with you guys.

Despite this being my last episode, you're more than happy to reach out to me on Instagram if you have any questions or concerns. I will try my best to help you out with everything concerning US college life.

That being said, for the very last time, greetings from the other side of the ocean. Have a great rest of your week and winter break and stay safe!

Transcribed by https://otter.ai