🎧 5. Study in the West like the best!
8 insider secrets and re-creating onto audio what our journey felt like.
Listen Now:
Spotify | Apple | Google Podcast
⚠️ Warning: This episode contains some explicit swear words 🥔🥕
Highlights
💢 8 no-bullshit tips on studying abroad that alumni know but never talk about.
🛩️ Curated specifically for East Asians going West.
🎢 We also re-created for you what our journey felt like, making this audio piece an immersive simulation for future students and a nostalgic ride for alumni.
We believe in quality over quantity. These pieces take WEEKS of care to craft and maintain. Subscribing and SHARING keeps us pumped and helps us in a long way! 🍚🥄
Show Notes
References 👉
Pictures! 🌇
Easter eggs & bonuses 🐣
Thank you 🙏
Transcript 🔍
SPOILER ALERT below onward
1. References 👉
2. Pictures! 🌇
3. Easter eggs & bonuses 🐣
Behind those words 😏
Episode image and title = A nod to the Chinese novel Journey to the West.
“I feel like my gut is leading me to poverty” = Joyce is dedicated to saving Thai education while I’m addicted to working as an artist. We’re both doomed.
“No money lah you!” = I used to study in Singapore too, that’s why I let slip some Singlish from time to time. Joyce named my accent ‘Singaporean-lost-at-sea’. It’s completely screwed up.
“Fish & Chips… I have no comment”
Full list of insider tips (including bonuses) 🤩
Good financial return is possible, but a matter of choice 💸
To get into those top international firms in fields like corporate law, management consulting and high finance, my insider sources said that in the screening process, your school reputation matters.
Otherwise, if you’re from what they called a ‘tier-2 university’, graduating at the top of your class can help to counter-demonstrate that you’re equally as brilliant.
So make sure you meet these requirements if financial return is what you’re after. Good luck!
Here are 3 more affordable alternatives ↩️
Minimise the tuition fees by going for public universities in countries like France, Germany and Norway where the costs are free or almost free.
Minimise your living expense by shortening your length or stay, such as going for a 1-year Masters in the UK rather than 2 years in the US — in fact, you might be able to complete your degree in 9-months.
Minimise both your tuition fee AND living expense by going for an English degree in China, for example. Although you won’t get the ‘Western’ experience.
Just get in first, worry about the funding later 🎉
Most well-endowed universities in the US for example, have lots of funding support available for students who are accepted.
Talk to alumni to help decide on your course 🎓
You can use social media sites like LinkedIn, which allows you to find alumni by course and university.
Also, cultural societies usually have groups on Facebook where they mingle. For example, your search term can be ‘Thai student society of London University’.
Bring your own rice cooker and sleeping bag, and don’t pack too many clothes 🍚
As the wise lady said: “It can make porridge, it can make soup, it can make even cake!”
The reason why we advise bringing your own rice cooker from home is because the rice cooker we usually find in the West are either over-sized or very primitive.
Sleeping bags are great for bunking at your friends’ place, especially if you travel to another city and need free accommodation. It’s also great for saving on heating bills during the winter, so buy a super comfy and heat-proof one.
Especially if you’re from a tropical country like us, buy most of your winter clothing at your destination. Winter garments at home aren’t made for what you’ll face there. You’ll also stand out, so it’s best to get local clothing.
Cultural communities can make your life a lot easier 🏠
As mentioned previously, this refers to communities, associations or student societies where people from your country hangout together. Like your 2nd family away from home.
You can get cheap, good-quality, second-hand stuff from the graduating cohort, or even expensive textbooks and study notes that can help get you ahead academically.
I’d even received emergency medical advice before, since there were several medical doctors doing PhDs at that time. So staying connected to the community is highly recommended.
Time your flight to arrive in the morning 🛂
Ideally, arrive early so that there will be plenty of time once you’ve checked into your accommodation to go out and buy essential items — and food.
Transportation services might also not run at night, especially if you’re heading to a faraway place.
Asian shops are like your best friend ⛩️
There’s every ingredient you could ever dream of from back home to reduce your homesickness!
Don’t forget to bring a luggage or a trolley to help you carry stuff. The weight can add up pretty quickly once you’ve grabbed a bag of rice and a few jars of sauce.
Don’t get exploited for cheap labour 🐃
At first, everything seems to be super expensive, especially when you convert every price tag into your home currency. So a lot of us who go abroad might want to find a part-time job there.
One of the most common places to work at is in a restaurant of your nationality, since it’s super easy to get a job there. I’ve done it.
Not to generalise, but just be warned, that many of them exploit this fact and will not pay you fairly at minimum wage, making you rely on customers’ tipping. So be sure to know your worth and find a place that’s not exploitative.
Be vigilant 👁️
The best advice against xenophobic attacks is to avoid them.
So don’t wear headphones when walking, avoid dodgy places, and stay in groups.
But if bad things happen, I would run to the security, police or places with CCTV like a supermarket that will film or have witness on the incident.
Western educators love (great) questions❓
If you build a great relationship with your educators, they can teach you things way beyond the course or even recommend you for industry opportunities.
The way to stand out is to show that you’re engaged and know how to think. So asking thought-provoking questions is the simplest way to do that.
This might sound obvious to many, but nobody does that in my country, where you’re taught to just obey and accept whatever your teacher throws at you. Where you can be branded as a disruptive student for raising your hand in class.
Buy things in bulk 🌾🌾🌾
To save on your cost of living, find friends to share things together, or buy things in bulk to get a discount!
Find friends to take care of each other’s mental health 🆘
Your mental health is as important as your physical health, especially on your work productivity.
It’s difficult to be aware of your own state of mind, so the best way is to find a partner!
Work experiences from home carry less weight ⚠️
As an undergraduate, I applied to 20 places for an internship in the UK before I got a single reply. As a graduate, it was 50 rejections before I finally got an interview for a job.
This is how hard it was for me to find a job with only work experience from Thailand, which was very competitive at home but nobody recognised them in the UK.
So if you want to get a job there after finishing your degree, start early. You can start small on more accessible opportunities. Build up achievements by doing micro-internships, winning competitions, and getting involved in local projects.
Get ahead by interning back home (undergraduate degree) 😏
Work experience from home aren’t completely useless though if you’re doing a Bachelors degree.
Usually in the 1st year of an undergraduate degree (especially in the UK), it’s hard for any student to get accepted onto an internship program, so most will probably just take some time off.
However, companies back home will usually be super happy to take you in. If you do that, in your 2nd year you’ll be way ahead other candidates in your cohort who’ll mostly have an empty CV or experience unrelated to the job.
Soft skills may be your strength, but networks will be your weakness 👥
If you plan to come back home, one thing that you’ll lose out on is the networking event in the industry you’re looking to return to.
But you don’t have to start from scratch. That’s where friends from your cultural association and its alumni network come into play. Ask them for referrals!
Also your country’s government agency that looks after overseas students often organises job fairs with representatives from home, so make sure to follow their announcements.
Reverse culture shock 💢😾💢
You’ve learnt better ways of doing things overseas. Now you return home and find that not everyone is willing to listen to you.
So be patient and work smart. Figure out how to work the system at home to be in your favour. Only then is your journey truly complete.
Do you have any more great unspoken tips that we miss out? Let us know in the comment section below!
4. Thank you 🙏
😎 To you, our listener, for listening!
🥒 Co-host = Joyce, the evil twin of a cucumber. (Joyce edit: I beg your pardon!?)
🎺 Music library = Shutterstock Music
✈️ SFX library = freesound.org
We believe in quality over quantity. These pieces take WEEKS of care to craft and maintain. Subscribing and SHARING keeps us pumped and helps us in a long way! 🍚🥄
5. Transcript 🔍
Notes
This is a sound-rich episode with musical scores and sound effects. Listen to it to get the best experience.
Italic words = echoed voice
JW = Joyce & Win
SFX = sound effect
ENV = environmental sound caught while recording
Segments
Warning
The tips we found online… *scoffs*
I had a little dream…
[Tip #1] Joyce’s reason — I feel like my gut is leading me to poverty
[Tip #2] Win’s reason — In the middle of the night, I woke up and thought…
[Tip #3] It can make porridge, make soup, even make cake!
[Tip #3.5] Oo! You’re gonna say seeds?
[Tip #4] The knife of the famous Japanese sushi chef
My eyes turned into oceans
It’s too late to back down now
Welcome aboard the East Asian Story Airlines
[Tip #5] Boiled potatoes and raw carrots
[Tip #6] D for Dishonour!
[Tip #7 & 7.5] I had bird food for years
The evil twin of a cucumber
[Tip #8] You become more like… the Death Eaters
We hope you have a pleasant flight
[Tip #8.5] This girl is a detergent sniffer
Warning
[SFX: background environmental sound slowly rises — wind blowing 🌬️, wind chime ringing 🎐🎵, a bird cooing 🐦]
Win:
Swear words alert.
Headphones without doubt a must.
Awesomeness awaits.
[SFX: background environmental sound slowly fades]
The tips we found online… *scoffs*
Win: So there’s one thing that bothers me a lot, like a lot.
[Music: Quirky bass begins to strum]
Win: And it happened to me when I —before I went to study overseas. Is, the tips I found online… they’re like… pretty shit. 💢
JW: [laugh]
Win: I’m serious! So try searching ‘top studying abroad tips’ or things like that, and try opening the top few links and read it for me. [laughs] Tell me what you think about it.
Joyce: ‘10 essential tips for studying abroad’.
Win: Yea, yea, right, right, let’s go, read it out. [laughs]
Joyce: ‘The ultimate guide to studying abroad or away’. Say yes to every damn opportunity—
Win: —[laughs]—
Joyce: —Especially if it sounds silly. 💬
Win: Dare to fail! Or like—
Joyce: —Actually go to class—
Win (laughing tone): —Actually go to class?
Joyce: [laughs]
Win (laughing tone): Like why the hell would you go to study abroad—
Joyce (laughing tone): —That’s a tip, that’s a tip for studying abroad. 🤷🏻
[Music: Quirky bass rise then ends]
Win: Studying abroad costs a fortune. That’s why I can’t help but wonder, are these really the best we can prepare students? Before we parachute them into the battlefield like soldiers, blind with nothing but jokes as their strategy, and funded often by years of back-breaking sweat of Asian parents. 💢
Joyce: So.
[Music: Cool, drifting, fun song plays]
Win: Hello ambitious East Asians. Today, for those thinking of studying abroad, we have 8 no-bullshit insider tips that you’ll not find anywhere else online.
Joyce: Tips written specifically for East Asians going West, which are tricky to come up with unless you’ve actually been there.
Win: Even better, we’ll not stop at showing you what to think about—
[teaser plays]
Win: There are 3 levels of how you do the packing—
Joyce: Oh my god, are you going to say seeds?!
Win: HUH?!
[teaser ends]
Win: —But also replicate what it really felt like down to the bones when we went there.
[teaser plays]
Joyce: He said to me… you’re gonna walk through those gates, and you’re not looking back. My eyes turned into oceans.
[teaser ends]
Joyce: An immersive simulation to ready the hearts of prospective students. 🎢
Win: And a nostalgic ride if you’re listening as an alumni.
Joyce: For context, we did our Bachelors and Masters in the UK, and I’m still doing my PhD there. 🇬🇧
Win: So let’s get right into it. To help you make the best out of your one shot.
Joyce: I’m Joyce.
Win: I’m Win.
Joyce: And this is East Asian Story.
[Music: Cool, drifting, fun song ends]
I had a little dream…
Win: So everyone from East Asia knows that studying abroad, especially in the West, is the easiest way to stand out early in your career around here.
[Music: hopeful solo piano plays]
Joyce: I had a little… kind of dream to… be abroad, studying overseas, for at least a degree— like even a short degree— I wanted to have that at least once in my lifetime.
Win: Where does that come from? Harry Potter?
Joyce: The— [sighs]
[Music: hopeful solo piano fades out]
[silent]
Win: DEFINITELY HARRY POTTER!
Joyce: Maybe!
JW: [laugh]
Joyce (quirky tone): I can’t deny that! I mean it’s part of the equation.
Win: [snorts] Getting a unique life experience can be another big reason as well, apparently.
Joyce: Yea, and just be in a different place, so you don’t know their culture, their way of life.
Win: But unlike our friends from the West, this is normally our secondary motivation because studying overseas is ridiculously expensive.
Joyce: The artificially high tuition fees against international students. The crazy cost of living in the West.
Win: It’s enough to doubt whether it’s really worth burning through savings to go.
Joyce: So let’s address it head on.
[Tip #1] Joyce’s reason — I feel like my gut is leading me to poverty
Joyce: Insight number 1.
[Music: Cool, drifting, fun song plays, full rock band version]
Good financial return is possible, but a matter of choice.
Win: Let’s first talk about the return on investment of the trip purely on financial terms. The fact is if you plan to come back home to work, there just aren’t many jobs that pay as high as your expenses overseas.
Joyce: Especially for those from developing countries.
Win: So for most, it’ll take a really long time to recover your investment. Maybe even longer depending on your career choice.
Joyce: Yea I— I can’t deny. [laughs] I mean I was working at a university with a Masters degree—
Win: —From the UK, in a position that usually requires a PhD from abroad to join.
Joyce: And my brother graduated with an undergraduate degree—
Win: —In Computer Engineering from a Thai university—
Joyce: —And he was earning… more. And I’m not saying I’m bitter about it but it’s just reality and I’m… studying even further. [laughs] 🤦🏻
[Music: Cool, drifting, fun song rises as a break, then falls to normal volume]
Win: The exceptions are, of course, if you choose to remain and work overseas for a few years, or come back home to pursue jobs at top international firms in fields like corporate law, management consulting, high finance.
Joyce: Bye!
Win: [yawns]
And sadly, private tutoring for example.
Joyce: I feel like my gut is leading me to poverty.
Win: As for the rest of us who choose other careers, you have to decide whether the non-financial value you gain from studying abroad is worth the cost.
Joyce: There are things in life beyond money.
Win: Like happiness, POWER, GLORY AND—
Joyce: —Developing the country. [laughs] 😬
Progressing— 👉👈
[Music: Cool, drifting, fun song cuts out]
Win: —ARE YOU FOR REAL! 😑
Joyce (laughing tone): No, no, no!
[Music: hopeful solo piano song plays, with marching beats, hymns and horns]
Joyce: I think when I made the decision to pursue overseas education, experiencing the world wasn’t quite in the mixture. It was more like there’s this extra opportunity out there that if you succeed in this competition—
Win: —She got a scholarship—
Joyce: —It could change your life. And [laughs]— also it sets your eyes on national development, improving human capital, things like that…
[in a laughing tone] It’s all very grand and erm… bring honour to the nation sort of way. 😛
Win: [laughs] Are you sure that’s the case rather than like you’re just trying to run away from medical school? 😏
[Music: hopeful song ends]
Joyce: [laughs, then pauses] I had— [pause] I could’ve pick— [pause] no I couldn’t have pick anything other than medical school, could I.
JW: [laugh together]
Win: Don’t tell your parents. [laughs]
[Music: Cool, drifting, fun song plays, rebellious solo electric guitar version]
Joyce: Yea. Funnily enough!
Win: Like, Asian family!
JW: [laugh]
Win: “You have to get into medical school or Engineering otherwise you’re screwed!”
Joyce: It’s just the tried and tested route.
Win: Yea your parents are, like, doctors.
Joyce: Both my parents are doctors, yea.
So when I was granted this prestigious opportunity I just completely rebelled.
[Music: Cool, drifting, fun song ends]
Win: So if you’re like me and Joyce, cool kids who just can’t resist the sexiness in low paying jobs—
Joyce: —Check out the show notes on our website, you’ll find 2 additional insider hacks to help reduce the cost of the trip.
[note: This is the show notes. The 2 hacks are above this Transcript section.]
[Tip #2] Win’s reason — In the middle of the night, I woke up and thought…
Win: Okay, now that we’ve cleared the financial dilemma—
Joyce: —You start looking into the courses and universities available.
Win: You’ll need to choose the right course and school obviously.
Joyce: This is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make.
Win: So, modern life hack number 2.
Joyce: Talk to alumni.
Win: The way to do this is to reach out through social media directly.
Joyce: Yea. And alumni associations are much more visible these days as well.
Win: That’s right, I’m sure they are happy to tell you the little details of what it’s like.
[sighs] So you won’t repeat the same mistake that I did.
Joyce: YOU JUST— 😤
Win: —[laughs]—
Joyce: —blinded yourself, triple blinded yourself.
Win (laughing tone): Yea. So like umm, I’m your reverse so… I wanted to get into medical school and then I couldn’t, and then umm… yea, I went to be a monk. 😘
[Music: Quirky bass song plays again, full orchestra version with shakers, drums]
JW: [laugh super hard]
Win: Yea, and like… in the middle of the night—
JW: —[laugh super hard]—
Win [laughing tone]: Yea in the middle of the night basically I woke up and thought like “Oo! I have the grades to apply to Biochemistry, why don’t I do that?”
Joyce: Hashtag enlightenment. 😇
Win: I— I think it’s probably like, I was being a bad monk and then the Buddha—
Joyce: —[laughs]—
Win [laughing tone]: —the Buddha just— [laughs]— the Buddha was angry and he’s like “I’m gonna torture you for 4 years”.
Joyce: You know where you go after life now.
JW: [laugh]
Win: I mean I’m a— I’m a lucky boy who had the opportunity to study overseas but didn’t make the best of it umm… and it was costly to me. So I hope at least this episode would probably like give some redeeming value for me—
Joyce: —[laughs]—
Win: —getting the opportunity to study overseas so that other people don’t make the same mistake as me.
Joyce: This is your attempt at countering your sins.
Win: Yea! [laughs]
Joyce: Paying for your sins.
Win: I’m sorry Buddha! 🙏
JW: [laugh]
Joyce: The takeaway is—
Win: [sighs] Don’t make your decisions like me.
[Music: Quirky bass song ends]
[Tip #3] It can make porridge, make soup, even make cake!
Joyce: So now, you’ve worked super hard, taken crazy tests, done interviews, and finally got accepted by the university.
Win: That’s probably one of the happiest moments in your life.
Joyce: And so it’s packing time.
Win (shouting in the distance): SHOPPING!
Joyce: Finally!
JW: [laugh]
Win: Now this is where it gets interesting because there are 3 levels of how you do the packing.
Right, if you’re a newbie right, like the classic thing that you do is you go to the supermarket, you stock up your luggage with instant noodles and instant noodles and instant noodles—
Joyce: —[laughs] Which you can easily find at your destination, so it’s really unnecessary. Instead—
Win: Let me tell you about level 2, hehe.
If you’re experienced, the thing that you’ll do is, you’ll bring… a rice cooker. 🍚
[Music: Relaxing electric guitar song plays]
Joyce: MMM!
Win: Mmmmm. Cooking is cheaper than eating out.
Joyce: Yea I have to say rice cookers are game changers because it can make porridge, it can make soup, it can make… even cake!
Win: Make cakes?!
Joyce: YEA!!!
Win: What the?!
Joyce (super excited): You can bake cake in a rice cooker! You can do ANYTHING in a rice cooker!
Win: [laughs]
Joyce: IT’S HEAVEN!
Win: So tip number 3, bring your own rice cooker.
Joyce: The other stuff we recommend include getting a sleeping bag and not packing too many clothes, but instead getting them at your destination. The details are in the show notes.
[note: This is the show notes. The details are above the Transcript section.]
[Music: Relaxing electric guitar song fades]
[Tip #3.5] Oo! You’re gonna say seeds?
Win: But then… that’s just like the second level you know. If you’re a third level—
Joyce: —Oh my gosh you’re gonna say—
Win: —Say what?—
Joyce: —I know where you’re going—
Win: —What? What?
Joyce: You’re gonna say seeds? 🌱
[awkward, stunned silence from Win] 😲
Joyce: Oh okay, never mind. [laughs really hard] 😛
[Music: Quirky jazz piano song plays]
Win (laughing, disbelief tone): [lost for words] WHAT? OHH! BECAUSE… YOU!
Joyce (laughing tone): I thought you meant— that was what you meant by advance!
Win (laughing tone): YOU IDIOT!
Joyce: [laughs super hard]
Win: You know what, this lady bought—
Joyce: —[laughs]—
Win: Seeds packets and then, she went there and then—
Joyce: —It’s ALL LEGAL. It was all legal.
Win: I know but then—
Joyce: —I did not circumvent any law.
Win: You went there and it was like in the fall and winter—
Joyce: [laughs]
Win: —And by the time you got to plant it, it was like summer and then like okay we’re going home now. Like what the hell!
Joyce: All I wanted was to save up on my Thai herbs! 🌴🌾
Win: You think we’re like living in a greenhouse or something?
Joyce: [laughs]
Win: Like, what the hell?!
Joyce (laughing tone): That was the one thing I forgot, about the weather.
Win: She brought like basil seeds and like—
Joyce: —I had Thai sweet basil, holy basil—
Win: —Papaya, mango—
Joyce: —NOOOO!
JW: [laugh] 🍍🥥
Win: Dude but in the end it all died anyway so this does not work—
Joyce: —WE MADE A FEW HARVESTS.
Win: UGHHHH—
Joyce (trying to calm Win down): —THEY WERE LEARNING EXPERIENCES!
Win: God.
[Music: Quirky jazz song fades]
[Tip #4] The knife of the famous Japanese sushi chef
Joyce (annoyed and snobbish tone, like Hermione): What’s level 3 then if not seeds?
Win: So level 3 right. Obviously there’s nothing better than like getting a rice cooker, but it’s way, way smarter… if… you get it from somebody who’s already there.
[Music: Relaxing electric guitar song plays]
Win: You know when you go there, there’s probably a cultural society of your nationality. If you contact them like in advance right, there’ll be a graduating cohort and they’ll be like “ahh I don’t have anywhere to like dump my bike!” or like rice cooker or kitchenwares or like—
Joyce: —Pots and pans!
Win: Yea, yea! Which are like completely fine a lot of times—
Joyce: —Even luggages, duvets, hairdryers, and items that are like… “you know I inherited this knife from this student who inherited it from that student et cetera et cetera, and then you find out that like, oo, this knife has been—
Win: —Belongs to the famous Japanese sushi chef.
JW: [laugh]
Win: Like, the knife of the famous—
[ENV: rice cooker beeping sound in the distance 💥🔔💥]
[Music: Relaxing electric guitar song fades]
Win: —Japanese sushi chef right—
[ENV: rice cooker beeping sound in the distance 💥🔔🔔💥]
Win: —who now has 2 Michelin stars—
[ENV: rice cooker beeping sound in the distance 💥🔔🔔🔔💥]
Win: —oh shit.
[ENV: rice cooker beeping sound in the distance 💥🔔🔔🔔🔔💥]
Joyce: Speaking of which, that’s our rice cooker. Say hi!
Win: This episode is sponsored by… rice cooker.
Joyce: [laughs]
[SFX: flowing harp 🎼]
Win: Get one! If you don’t, you’re gonna be screwed… Rice cooker.
Joyce: [laughs]
Win: Anyway, so super secret ninja technique number 4 — get cheap second-hand stuff from those already there. That’s like a super, super insider hack.
Joyce: Mmm.
My eyes turned into oceans
[Music: Sad, tender, nostalgic piano song plays]
Joyce: [sighs] You’re done with packing. Said goodbye to your co-workers, teachers, friends and grannies.
Win: My grandma even gave me a gentle reminder before I left. She said like,
[SFX: poke, poke 👉💥 👉💥]
Win: “Don’t bring back European wives ahhh!!!”
Joyce: Oh my gosh!
Win: “Otherwise I’ll have a heart attack!”
JW: [laugh]
Win: Finally, it’s time to leave your parents, and for many of us from East Asia, it’s that rare moment in life you tell them you love them very much. Or else regret not having the courage to say it, like me.
[Music: Sad, tender, nostalgic piano song rises, then slowly fades out]
Joyce: The one thing that my dad told me— said to me the first time I was leaving. [sad breath] After hugging goodbye and you know, your last hug and then there’s the final hug, and the final, final hugs. That moment he said to me “you’re gonna walk through those gates, and you’re not looking back”… MY EYES… turned into oceans.
It was so like… yea! [lost for words]
I mean, now thinking about it I’m speechless because that’s— yea! That’s what he— he had to say, that’s what he wanted me to do, and I knew that was the right thing to do [gasps, then lost for words, sad breath]
Yea! I mean— I did what I was told but it was… really painful to follow his— his ermm… advice.
Are you about to cry?
Win: I cried for 10 years every time I left home… and I felt no shame about it.
It’s too late to back down now
[Music: Slow, rising piano song plays]
[SFX: In-flight environment ambience plays in the background, before taking off
💺💺 👜🕺 💺💺💺 💼🤸♀️ 💺💺]
Win: [sighs]
I had been so busy preparing for this journey,
The research, the application, the packing, and the goodbye.
Now, I’m finally on the plane and it felt… surreal.
I’m really doing this.
And although I’m locked in the middle of a sea of passengers,
Drowned in the booming chaotic noise of the surrounding madness.
[SFX: Kids singing 👶🎶, shouting 🧒💢, crying 🐥💦 in the background in-flight, then slowly fades]
All that was audible in my mind,
Was the thought of the looming unknown ahead.
The new mentors, friends and allies I’m excited to welcome into my life,
And fear, of the obstacles, misfortunes, and disappointments ahead that I’ll have to fight.
Ultimately, will I succeed in this journey and achieving my dream future path?
[SFX: Flight engine ramps up and began its ascension 💢🛫💢]
Well, it’s too late to back down now.
And for the first time in almost a year since the inception of the idea,
All I could do… was wait.
[Music: Slow, rising piano song climax, then fades]
Welcome aboard the East Asian Story Airlines
[SFX: In-flight environmental ambience continues, mid-air ✈️]
[SFX: In-flight safety signal beep plays 🔔, indicating announcement coming-up]
[speaking in the in-flight attendant public address announcement radio voice
👩🏻💼🎙️🤵🏻]
Joyce: Welcome aboard ladies and gentlemen, on the EAS999 flight by East Asian Story Airlines. I’m Joyce, your captain for this flight.
Win: And I’m your humble cabin crew, Win CS, ready to be of service.
This complementary flight leaving from the East to the West is sponsored by—
Joyce: —is TO BE sponsored by a rice cooker company!
JW: [laugh]
Joyce: If any company wishes to get in touch, Win would be elated.
Win: We also have sleeping bags on offer—
Joyce: —and seeds in our in-flight shopping catalogue for those who are interested in a bright new beginning.
Please fasten your seat belt at all times. Thank you for choosing East Asian Story Airlines. We hope you have a pleasant flight.
Win: And good luck on your journey ahead.
JW (at the same time): Sawasdee ka / Sawasdee krub.
[in-flight attendant public address announcement radio voice ends]
[SFX: In-flight environmental ambience slowly fades]
[SFX: Plane landing sound 🛬]
[Tip #5] Boiled potatoes and raw carrots
[SFX: Cold winds blowing in the airport 🌬️❄️🌫️]
[Music: Depressing, lonely piano plays]
Win: You finally got here, to the promise land. And if you’re like Joyce and I you feel—
Joyce: Cold, dark, gloomy—
Win: —Lonely. You really miss home and wonder whether you’ll last in this unfamiliar place.
Joyce: The weather’s different, the customs are strange, and the food’s weird.
Win: The most shitty of all, boiled potatoes— 🥔
Joyce: —[laughs]—
Win (accusing tone): —that sucks, and raw carrots. Like who the hell does that. 🥕
Joyce (laughing tone): I don’t get raw carrots to be honest.
Win: Yea, yea.
Joyce: No offence to carrot lovers out there but I just can’t— I don’t do carrots in general, and raw carrots are just— I can’t.
Win: [laughs] Yea it’s like, I’m not a rabbit you know. 🥕🐇
Joyce: [laughs]
Win: Yea so. You feel like out of place you know, like a newly transplanted heart. Until you stumble upon a source of familiarity away from home to anchor on, which is, you found your local Asian shop.
[Music: Depressing, lonely piano fades]
Joyce: WHEEE!
Win: Gentle tip number 5, so Asian shops (supermarket) are like your best friend.
Joyce: The first time you walk in you’re like “this is my kingdom!” 🏯
[Music: Revelatory song plays]
Win: Ohhh there’s rice! There’s instant noodles! There’s sauce!—
Joyce: —Ooo! This sauce exists over here on this side of the world! And in the end you end up with 15 kilos of like rice and glass jars—
🥟🍜🍱🍍🍛🥥🍚🍢
Win: [laughs] Bring a luggage to carry your rice.
Joyce: Yes. Anything with wheels.
Win: Only after you identified your local Asian shops, then you’ll feel “I’ve finally settled—
Joyce (agreeing): —Uhhuh!—
Win: —and I’m home.”
Joyce: [laughs]
[Music: Revelatory song fades]
[Tip #6] D for Dishonour!
[Music: Slow, rising piano song plays]
Joyce: Now once you’re comfortable, the next thing you’ll have trouble with is probably in your studies.
Win: Because classes are hard.
Joyce: It’s a completely different world.
Win: Like when I went to the first few discussions or tutorial sessions, I was blown away because native students were so articulate. And they also shared ideas which I knew I could never have come up with myself, making me super demoralised.
Joyce: Existential crisis.
[Music: Slow, rising piano song fades]
Win: What did you get for your first assignment?
Joyce: I think I might have got a D minus. Hehehe.
Win: You mean D for dishonour!
Joyce: [laughs]
Win (shouting in the distance like Mushu): DISHONOUR! DISHONOUR, DISHONOUR, TO THE FAMILY!
JW: [laugh]
Joyce (laughing tone): I mean I was shocked because it was just completely different to my achievements back home.
Win: The better you were at home, the harder it hits.
[Music: Slow, rising piano song plays, full orchestra version]
Joyce: So, just kind of be gentle with yourself, the first exposure to a different education system, you have to see it in that way as well. Because you’re trying to not just adjust to, but also excel, in a completely different system where other people have been in there for ages, and you just landed in here, and trying to write in their language.
Win: For me, the way I think about it is: it’s meant to be challenging, otherwise you’re not getting your money’s worth right?
So take in all the pain, and turn it into a drive to overcome this discomfort.
Joyce: And once you recovered your morale, here’s super cheat code number 6. Western educators love students who ask questions.
Win: Asking questions leaves great impression on them.—
Joyce: —Which leads to great relationships, opportunities and learning beyond the course.
Win: It’s okay to start with stupid questions first to show that you’re engaged.
Joyce: Or frame it, in a smart way, like you’re questioning fundamental assumptions. LOL (laugh out loud).
Win: What?!
Joyce: [laughs]
Win: You sneaky!
Then thought provoking questions that challenge the teacher so they’ll notice your potential. This tip might sound obvious to people with a Western education but it’s not at all if you grow up in a traditional school in the East—
Joyce: Where nobody raises their hand and asks questions.
Win: So don’t worry, you’re not disrupting class or disrespecting your teachers like back at home, especially if you see others do it as well.
[Music: Slow, rising song rises, then fades]
[Tip #7 & 7.5] I had bird food for years
Joyce: Now, aside from surviving class, you need to survive physically too.
Win (laughing tone): I shall reveal now my secret, when I’m like super poor and desperate for money. What did I eat?
You know what’s the cheapest thing?—
[Music: Depressing, lonely song plays, ambient version]
Joyce: —What?—
Win: —that’s possible, that’s edible?—
Joyce: —WHAT?
Win: The cheapest thing that I had, and I had it for years, was… bird food. 🌾💧🥣🐧
Joyce: HUH?! WHAT?
Win: [laughs] I mean not literally bird food but then you know like cereal which are like grains like really shitty, shitty ones.
Joyce: UGHHHHHHH… [sighs] Yea, they— it does keep you full.
Win: Yea! And especially when you add water, and water is free right?
Joyce (disbelieving tone, under her breath): Oh my god!
Win: So like, if you’re really desperate for food, and you’re poor. Bird food. Bird food’s the thing.
Joyce: NO!
Win: Grains and water,—
Joyce: —NOOO!—
Win: —that’ll keep you full. [laugh]
Joyce: NOOOOO! Imagine doing that when you’re homesick and stuff and you’re like “oh I miss porridge, I miss like…”— 🤢
Win (protesting tone): —No I know but then— I know but then this is like a life hack which is like, umm, for desperate people you know!—
Joyce: —Yea just do it ev… once— just do it once every like, fortnight, but—
Win (laughing tone): —Once every fortnight! I thought you were gonna say like once a lifetime. [laughs]
Joyce: I— I was gonna say that but we’re talking desperate times. But like, yea. [sighs]
Win: Yea, I— I have to agree—
Joyce: —Don’t feed your insanity.
Win: I mean you might be full, like physically, but your mental health is gonna screw up—
Joyce: YES! There was a period—
Win: —I’ve been there.—
Joyce: —when—
JW: —[laugh]—
Joyce: —all you ate was cereal, and then you were depress as F!
JW: [laugh]
Joyce: And you were like “I’m trying to survive right now and I’m trying to do some work, don’t ever talk to me”, and I’m like “I’m your girlfriend? [laughs] What do you expect!?” 😡
JW: [laughs hard]
Win: Yea, like— like my parents don’t send me money—
Joyce: —[laughs]—
Win: —Cereal for breakfast! Cereal for lunch! Cereal for dinner! Repeat it over again, again and again.
Joyce: [a laughing sigh]
[Music: Haunting cries added to the song]
Win: That was my darkest moment studying abroad. The scary thing was, I wasn’t aware of how stressed I became.
I mean, I thought I was doing the right thing for my parents, by trying to spend as little as possible. Luckily Joyce was around, and only after she knocked some sense into me did I realise… I was depressed. 😞
Joyce: And also not really yourself at all.
Win: I learnt the hard way that mental health is also a basic need to take care of.
[Music: Depressing, lonely song rises, then slowly fades]
[Music: Revelatory song plays]
Joyce: I have a more realistic and logical tip.
Win: What?
Joyce: [sighs] So when you go to supermarkets right? Bring a few friends, go shopping together, then you can find things that sell in bulks. You buy them in huge quantities, you divide between you guys, you get cheaper.
[Note: But what if… you’re like me. Hmmm. 🤔]
[Anyway, back to the transcript]
Win (cheeky tone): Okay, technically, Joyce is right about bulk buying rice being the cheapest, but only if you eat it without accompanying side dishes. Just saying, to be precise—
Joyce: —OI!!!
Win: [laughs]
Joyce (annoyed tone): I’m talking healthy lifestyles. Umm. Not just healthy but, like, SANE.
JW: [laugh]
Win (laughing tone): Alright, fine, fine. Apologetic insight number 7.
Joyce: Look after yourself.
Win: Find friends to take care of each other’s mental health.
The evil twin of a cucumber
Win: And that’s what life’s like, trying to juggle between your studies, being frugal, but also living the YOLO spirit.
Joyce (shouting from a distance): YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!
Win: WOOOO!
[Music: Relaxing, nostalgic guitar plays]
Win: The first time I went like on a trip, we stayed in like a super dodgy, dodgy hostel. [laughs]
Joyce: Yea.
Win: Yea. [laughs] And—
Joyce: —Yea you’ll end up doing it once and then just regret it for the rest of your life.
Win: Oh yea, and then we get to like, the food. I mean, you try local cuisines like what the websites suggest. Like, things like Fish & Chips. [sniggers] 😏
Joyce: [a huge sigh] 😒
Win: [a huge laugh] Not gonna say anything?
Joyce: I have no comment.
[Note: Don’t be fooled by this photo. It never looks this good. See the photo section for what I got.]
Win: But whatever you do… don’t try the brussel sprouts. That’s my advice. 🤮
Joyce (protesting tone): They’re not that bad!
Win: Yes they’re like the evil!— the evil—
Joyce: —No if you cook them right they’re really good!
Win: The evilest vegetable!—
Joyce (laughing tone): —NOOOOOO!
Win: This is my tip!
Joyce: They’re not horrible—
Win: —Or courgettes.
Joyce: COURGETTES! Aw— NO you— you can’t— you can’t do this—
Win: NO they’re like— they’re like the evil twin of a cucumber!— 🥒😈
Joyce: —NOOO [laughs]
Win: Cucumbers are awesome!
Joyce: NOOO, if you roast them right, if you— UGHHH!
Win: Courgettes are like… it sucks!
Joyce: You’re wasting people’s time. 😠
Win (laughing tone): NOOOO.
Joyce: Go find out, go find out. Go find places that do them well—
Win: Yea, find out for yourself. Risk dying.
Joyce: This is where—
Win: —Regretting—
Joyce: [sighs]
Win: —For the rest of your life.
Joyce: This is where we beg to differ.
Win: Hmmpph!
Win: So when did you feel like you finally settled?
Joyce: Like when you feel calls back home are things that are in the schedule and—
Win: —It’s becoming a routine—
Joyce: —It’s a routine that you do. It’s not like you’re not looking forward to it but I no longer feel homesick.
Homesickness equaled crying… and thinking about home.
Win: For me, it’s kind of like ermm… stop eating bird food.
Joyce: [surprised laughter]
Win: Your grades slowly turn from Ds into As. You finally got the hang of this.
Joyce: You took your final exam and… you’re done!
[Music: Relaxing, nostalgic guitar ends]
[Tip #8] You become more like… the Death Eaters
[Music: hopeful song plays, beginning with horn to announce her return, then shift to strings, marching drums and hymns]
Joyce: Finally, it’s time for you to return home.
Win: When you’re back, people say you’re the same… and also not. They can’t quite put into words what had changed about you.
Oooo! That shiny new aura.
Joyce: [laughs]
I think it’s because you settled in a different culture, and, to an extent, you have to adjust and adapt your way of life and who you are, to be able to fit in.
Win: So you take a bit of their culture back as well, like—
Joyce: —Yea! You add it into the mix and it makes part of your identity. And for people that you grow up with, of course they’re going to know the difference, of course they’ll be able to notice it.
Win: You also probably returned with a sharp upgrade in your soft skills. Becoming unconsciously more confident, resourceful, and wiser with international perspectives.
Joyce: You’ve managed to succeed without your mother tongue, and you’ve also worked, composed, written, experimented, produced with an international cohort. Yea it kind of elevates you into a global citizenship sort of tier. It allows me a sense of confidence when I come back. And a sense of… victory in a way that, yea! I HAVE survived in a completely foreign setting, you know?
Win: And that’s what I think studying abroad essentially is, as close as you can get to an adventure in the modern era. Your own transformative hero’s journey.
You know like just coming back from a great adventure and knowing that—
Joyce: —Mmm.
Win: —You’ve thrown the ring into Mt. Doom.
JW: [laugh]
Win: You know, having survived, just— just that purely and—
Joyce: —You’ve defeated the Dark Lord.—
Win: —Taking some bit of what you’ve experienced from your adventure back and you become a new version of you.
Joyce: Yea!
Win: You become more like Elven—
[SFX: Harp plays 🎼]
Win: —And more like [laughs] mens of Gondor and Rohan.
[SFX: Horn blows 🎺]
Win: [laughs] Sorry!
Joyce (accusing tone): Why???
Win: I love Lord of the Rings.
Joyce: If you made HP (Harry Potter) references then I would allow it—
Win: —Fine! You become more like… the Death Eaters!
Joyce (surprised): WHAT!?
Win: [laughs]
Joyce: Excuse! [laughs]
Win: [laughs] Sorry!
[Music: hopeful song fades]
Joyce (swearing tone): —HERRRR The Dark Lord!
Joyce: Which leads to the final tip, number 8. Reverse culture shock.
It’s not going to feel the same once you’ve spent that amount of time abroad studying, and acclimatising yourself to a new culture.
Win: When you’re back, you’ll see so many things that can be improved. You set off to change things. But you just can’t understand why people won’t listen to you. And having to fight against resistance like that all the time, can lead to depression.
Especially, especially if your goal is to come back and change Thai education— 😏
Joyce: —Go away! I’m alright in that domain.
JW: [laugh]
Win: That’s the truth! That’s the truth you know!
Joyce: Yea, I mean I have my moments. [pause]
[Music: hopeful song plays, full orchestra complete version]
Joyce: But it’s what I have my ambition set on and in my dark moments I’m not just gonna turn my back on it.
The one lesson I’ve learnt… is to be gentle with yourself and whatever place you’re in. Realise that there is that difference. It exists for a reason and that’s the reason that you take to go where you went.
Win: So, be patient and work smart. Rather than keep trying to run against the wall and give up fast. Only when you’ve become the master of both worlds—
Joyce: —Having learnt from your journey better ways of doing things, and knowing how to work the system at home to be in your favour—
Win: —Is the moment when your journey is truly complete.
[Music: hopeful song rises to climax then fades]
We hope you have a pleasant flight
[Music: Cool, drifting, fun song plays]
Joyce: And that’s NOT the end of our show.
Win: Stick around to the very end to hear a super cute tip from Joyce on how to lessen your homesickness. One that I thought was WAY TOO WEIRD to include into the official list. 😏
Joyce (shouting from a distance): YOUUUU!
Win: Listeners, please be our judge.
Joyce: If you love our work, hit follow and share with your friends who are thinking of studying abroad.
Joyce (super cute, but also in a tone that mocks what I wrote on the script): If you love our work, hit subscribe and share it with your friends who are thinking of studying abroad.
Win: Chipmunk! [laughs]
You’ll find 8 more insider tips that are absolutely crucial but too detailed for me to include into this episode—
[Note: Now there’s way more than 8 extra tips, go see the section above!]
Joyce: —Covering 2 financial hacks, 3 advices on finding jobs after, and much more.
Win: Or if we miss something awesome, please listeners, do leave a comment for us there. We’d really love to hear from you. Head over to our show notes at eastasianstory.substack.com.
[note: This is the show notes for this episode!]
Joyce: eastasianstory.com, AYYYY! [laughs]
Win (laughing tone): I haven’t bough that domain— I haven’t bought the domain, no money lah you! Sponsor me.
Joyce: [laughs, sighs] eastasianstory.substack.com
Win: The link is in the episode description.
[Music: Cool, drifting, fun song fades]
Joyce: And that’s the end of our first season.
Win: I’m Win.
Joyce: I’m Joyce, and this is East Asian Story.
[speaking in the in-flight attendant public address announcement radio voice 👩🏻💼🎙️🤵🏻]
Joyce: We hope you have a pleasant flight.
JW (at the same time): Sawasdee ka / Sawasdee krub.
[in-flight attendant public address announcement radio voice ends]
[Tip #8.5] This girl is a detergent sniffer
[Music: Sad, tender, nostalgic piano song plays]
Win: And now, onward to Joyce’s super weird tip as your parting gift for this season. Hehehe.
Joyce: I have a tiny tip. Umm. For— I wish I had done this when I first went, because [laughs] my mum just said the other day how she recalled me telling her, the first few months after I arrived, there would be a set of clothes that I kept unused and unwashed—
Win: —Hmm?
Joyce: So that I would have a fresh pile of clothes that smelled of home to sniff when I felt homesick. How cute and sad is that!
Win (disbelief tone): What is this sorcery!
Joyce: [laughs]
Win: You have to tell your mum like to put extra detergent and things like that!
Joyce (laughing tone): NOO!
Joyce: I have a vague memory of telling this to her over Skype and she was like “oh my gosh, this is so cute!” But yea, so just a tiny tip, if you know you’re that type of person who’s really sensitive like me and who’s probably gonna be homesick for over six months. What I would have done if I had known, is I would have brought… the fabric detergent and softener that we use at home—
Win: [a massive laugh in the background]
Joyce: Just a tiny bit, just to use every now and then so that I could get over this homesickness and just—
Win: Just to use it? You mean like sniff like glue?—
Joyce: NOT TO SNIFF LIKE GLUE. TO USE IT ON YOUR LAUNDRY FOR GOODNESS’ SAKE
JW: [laugh]
Win (laughing tone): You’re like— You’re like a drug addict! Sniff— sniffing laundry detergent—
Joyce: —I hadn’t thought of that, actually that could work!
Win (laughing tone): I mean—
Joyce: —Just keep it in a perfume bottle and like spray it every now and then.
Win (laughing tone): This girl is a detergent sniffer.
JW: [laugh]
Win: [sniffs]
Joyce: It’s not for sniffing! I meant to use it on your laundry!
Win: [sniffs, sniffs]—
Joyce: —GO AWAY!
Win: [sniffs, sniffs]—
Joyce: You’re becoming a bad influence.
Win: [sniffs loudly with a blocked nose, then back to sniffing like a drug user] Ahhhhh!
[laughs] Sniff detergent!
[Music: Sad, tender, nostalgic piano song fades]
Joyce: [sniffs, sniffs, sniffs] What’s wrong with it?
End of transcript. Hope you enjoyed it!
We believe in quality over quantity. These pieces take WEEKS of care to craft and maintain. Subscribing and SHARING keeps us pumped and helps us in a long way! 🍚🥄