Citizens of the World: A Stoic Podcast for Curious Travelers - Extreme Study Abroad: When One Semester is Not Enough

Episode Date: June 27, 2020

Did you study abroad? I spent a semester in London and it was one of the best times of my life. That experience definitely played a role in me moving to England permanently.But did you know that you can spend your entire university experience in another country?That’s what today’s guest did.I’m talking to my friend Candace Salter, a Florida gal who knew from the beginning that one semester abroad would not be enough. She wanted to graduate from a university in Europe, and in this episode you’ll learn how she did it, and how you can, too — or your kids or nieces/nephews.Candace is a fellow podcaster and a travel blogger and you can learn more about her and her adventures at her blog Candace Abroad.She’s got a very interesting story that’s taken her from the US to the UK to China to Thailand. Let’s dive in.Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Did you study abroad? I spent a semester in London and it was one of the best times of my entire life. That experience definitely played a role in me moving to England permanently. But did you know that you can spend your entire university experience in another country? I so wish that 17-year-old me knew that. But my guest today did figure that out in high school. I am talking to my friend Candice Salter, a Florida gal who knew from the very beginning that one semester abroad just was not going to be enough. She wanted to graduate from a university in Europe, and in this episode, you will learn how she did it and how you can too, or your kids or nieces or nephews, if you are past school time, though you know that I'm like all about the school of life, right?

Candace is a fellow podcaster and a travel blogger, and you can learn more about her and her adventures at cancassabroad.com. She's got such an interesting story that's taken her from the U.S. to the U.S. to China to Thailand, and pretty soon back to the UK, so let's dive in. Welcome to the Postcard Academy, a show about travel, living abroad, and location independence for people seeking a more meaningful freedom-fueled life. I'm your host, Sarah Micahettell, an American who first moved abroad on her own at age 18 and who has been permanently enjoying life in Europe since 2010. I am so glad you're here. My guests and I will share with you how we made our travel, living abroad, and location independent and dreams come true and how you can too, because you will never have this day again. Make it matter.

Welcome, Candace. Thank you so much for joining me today. Thanks for having me. So you are an American, but you decided to go to university in England for your whole experience. Now, I did study abroad, but it never occurred to me that I could have done my entire undergraduate experience in another country. So where did this idea come about? Every American I talk about. Every American I talk to now when I tell them I did my bachelors in London. They're like, wait, your bachelor's, not your master's, not your PhD. So it's definitely one of those things that's not as well known. But essentially, my story was when I was 17, I just was kind of obsessed almost with European and like UK related movies, TV shows, like everything. I love dry humor. I like, I really

love British culture. Like I was one of those people that would have British phone case and never visited the UK. I love it. But yeah, when like college application time came around, I just was not, I couldn't see myself, I guess, in the position of going to all the schools that were kind of hung up on my high school wall of like, this person is going to this university and this person's going to this university. Of course, you have like your guidance counselors that try and, you know, kind of match you with different universities and things like that, but nothing kind of clicked. And so I was looking up options to kind of study in Germany at first, actually, because I had heard, like, on some, like a now this video on Facebook or something, like study in Germany for free. So I was like,

okay, let me look that up. That sounds like a dream. Yeah, yeah, one of those now this videos. And then I was like, I don't know if I want to learn German. So that skips. Yeah, skip that. And then I kind of just thought, like, it just popped in my head honestly, like, okay, why not London? So I typed it. studying in London. And again, this was in 2016. So there were resources, but it wasn't, it just wasn't like a well-known fact. So it was kind of hard to find like a direct site that was like undergrad in the UK. But I found it. And I went through the process. And once I kind of decided like, okay, I can do this. I just waitress for like a year and a half. Saved a lot of money. dreamt of London every day, watched every video I could of like Americans in London is probably

my number one, like Google key search term of 2016 and 2015, but I just kind of got obsessed with it until I could make it happen. And then it happened. And yeah, I love England and I don't regret my move at all. That is amazing. So I want to talk more about the process. So you found a school. What school did you end up going to? So I went to University of East London. Was there any financial aid involved? Did you have to pay your entire way? Schools are usually a lot more economical over here in England than they are in the state.

So what was that like? So the tuition in the UK is a lot cheaper than the U.S. It depends on the school, of course, but mine was around $15,000 a year. If you do the conversion, which compared to, I think my oldest, older sister school was something like 40,000 a year, 50,000 a year. Just like crazy numbers that whenever I would say to someone in the UK, their mouths would always drop because theirs is even cheaper than international students. So there's is like 9,000 a year. It used to be like 3,000 pounds a year. So it's definitely more cost efficient, but obviously it still is a decent amount of money

for three years. You also save on a year because you're doing three instead of four. So I did use FASFA, which is pretty cool. And it's something that you should always look for. when it comes to partnering schools between European universities or UK universities and US universities if they do use FASFA because then it's the exact same process as if you were going to a school in the US, it's just they transfer it to your UK school and then you get the rest. So FASFA is loans and is it also grants? Lones. Grants are a bit trickier. I wasn't able to find any grants for my situation. But my school also did do a scholarship for civic engagement. So like if you had volunteered in the States, they gave that to you. And just, I think now there's probably more

opportunities for scholarship like amounts for international students going abroad. But in that time, I was only able to find like one scholarship from my university. And then I did FAFA. And then I had saved for kind of rent expenses and just to have a little savings bubble while I was there. Were you able to work as a student when you were in? England? Yeah, so you can work for 20 hours a week. I utilized all of those hours. I worked in pubs. I did focus groups, secretary work. I was a social media ambassador, a receptionist, student ambassador, just like everything and anything. I definitely maxed out my 20 hours. But yeah, you can work, which is really cool because I feel like working in a country is a lot different than just kind of

living in a country, and it really helped me kind of understand UK work culture as well, and people outside of a university setting. Yeah, and it helps you meet the locals a lot easier, and oh my gosh, you're making me so nostalgic for my student days in London. Yeah. So when I studied abroad, I was mostly just with Americans from my home university, which I would have loved to have studied with actual British students in your school, were you the only American? I know, surprisingly so. I guess a lot of us found the loophole. There weren't many of us, but I would say a decent, like maybe about 100 of us that were going to my university. And when we did all kind of know each other, it was kind of that thing, like you overhear the accent,

you're like, are you American? Yeah, American. But what I loved about my university was it was very local. So East London is definitely one of those areas that I guess I would compare it to Brooklyn, where it's kind of becoming this gentrified state of a neighborhood. But it was kind of an original, very local part of London. And it's not what you would always see in the kind of movies that I grew up watching and was like, I want to live here. So when we were driving, when I got off at Heathrow and we were driving to my university. I'm like, Big Ben's not near here. We didn't pass the eye yet. And it's like, you do not realize how big London is. Like the taxi driver just kind of put me in my place. And I was like, okay, London is big. And they don't all look like, you know, uh, love actually

or anything like that. So that was definitely a surprise. But it turned out to be a good surprise because I definitely feel like I got the real London experience from a locals perspective, as well as an expat perspective just by, you know, being American and knowing other Americans in London. When you say you guys discovered a loophole, what do you mean by that? Well, I think it's just never, I didn't know anyone that had done it. So I guess not loophole, but kind of like hidden treasure of education that you could do that. So, yeah, I think even now I get so many questions from people. Not usually people that are, you know, 17, 18 going into that now.

but, you know, people that are in their 20s and kind of have already finished school. And they're like, wow, I did not know about that. And a lot of times it's as well, like, oh, if I did know about that, I definitely would have gone to university abroad. Because I feel like what a lot of my friends are finding now is that, you know, people never really ask what school you go to. They don't really care. And I think a lot of us put a lot of pressure on the location of our school, on the prestige of our school, and just so much pressure when it comes to university. and I personally feel like travel and, you know, just being in that kind of experience where I was

surrounded and placed in this new culture that I kind of had to assimilate to, it kind of gave me like a second education. And I'm a big believer in higher education, but I think travel is also a huge, huge educational investment you can give yourself because it teaches you a lot of things that aren't in the classroom. So I kind of feel like I had two educations at once. And I couldn't have done that without moving to London. 100%. And like you said, in the real world, nobody cares where you went to the university. Where you went to university. No one is asked. No one cares. Nope. I mean, sometimes you can get networking opportunities from that. But like for the most part, nobody cares. And if you do want to work for a big company, like I'm in the phase of my life now where I like working for myself, but I was in the

corporate world for a while. And I would say that the companies that you really want to work for that are values-based, that, you know, have integrity, they're going to care a lot more about your life experience, I think. And international experience speaks volumes, I think, as, you know, as a potential employee. I think that looks so favorably. Definitely. So Candice, after school, you've decided to go to China. So tell me about, first of all, what did you graduate in? And then where was the China, where did the China idea come from? Yeah. So originally I graduated in health promotion, which basically is working with the NHS and is very similar to public health. I was 100% convinced. I was going to work for the NHS after, get my work visa and stay in the UK that way.

And I found it really interesting as well. But I think I went through what a lot of graduates go through when, you know, school is starting to come to an end and you realize that this isn't what you wanted to do with your life. And so when it was coming, I was about to graduate, and I was extremely kind of stressed out because, you know, it's obviously a huge investment in your life to decide to move to a new country and then to kind of say, well, I moved to this new country for this and now I don't want to do this. And then China had always kind of been in the back of my mind. I had taken Chinese when I was in high school and I really loved the language. I was like always at my best friends like Chinese restaurant in our town. So I kind of grew up with

that just language and cultural influence. And so when it came time to graduate, I kind of knew I didn't want to fall into, I don't want to say the trap. I don't think it's a trap. But I definitely think it is just that period of life where you are about to graduate, you have a job opportunity, or you're searching for a job and you kind of take the first job that you get because you're scared of what would happen if you did something else. And you know that that's the kind of safest and most normal route. And I kind of just knew I didn't want to get stuck in that place because, you know, you can be stuck in that place for years and just that becomes your life. And I just kind of wanted a break before I kind of hop back on my career path that I'm making from myself. So I decided,

I want to go to China. I want to teach for a year. I want to have that. experience. And then I want to go back to get my master's, which I'm doing in business, which definitely matches more with kind of what I'm passionate about and what I'm interested in. So I did find that out while I was in China. So it kind of did do its job. But that was the original reasoning for deciding to move. I just want to say that you are wise beyond your years. And I want to give you so much credit because on that graduation day, you know, most people would not have said, I mean, I agree with you 100% that a lot of people are like, oh my God, what did I just do? I actually don't want to do this. I want to do something else. But most people will just stay in that

one path that they started on. And there's a lot of pressure, especially from parents where like, all right, well, it's time to join the real world. It's time to get a job. You have to do this. And to go against that, it's not easy. It's definitely not easy. What did your parents say about the China move? Well, it's interesting. I think because I had moved to the UK, and they weren't 100% kind of keen on that either. But I think I became financially independent as soon as I was 18.

So I feel like there's something with parents where when there's no financial incentive, you kind of get a lot more freedom. I realize that. And I kind of love that. So I haven't ever dependent on my parents for money since I've been an adult. And so I think that has a big kind of impact on our relationship and how they support my decisions and things because it's not really dependent on them, which is great because, you know, I can just say, hey, guys, I'm moving to China. And they were apprehensive, not my mom, but my dad especially was like, well, you know China, like all these things. And yeah, so it's more of a discussion, though, rather than like I don't.

you're not going. Like, I don't want you to go. But overall, I think they, they know that I do what's in, I do what I'm passionate about. And what I'm passionate about makes me happy. And this was something that I was passionate about. And so it's kind of a situation where if I'm happy and they know I'm happy, they're happy, which is a lot more than I think other people can say about their parents. I never had that pressure of like, you have to work this certain job or something like that. And I think that definitely plays a part in how I just kind of have the mindset that whatever I really want and is a real tangible goal with like realistic steps. I won't be Beyonce anytime soon, but I can move to China. Like if it's on that kind of level of goal setting, then they don't really intrude at all or anything

like that. Yeah, it sounds like you act like an adult. You always land on your feet and they treat you like an adult. And so yeah, that sounds like a very respectful relationship. So I'm glad to hear about that. Yeah. So did you end up in Shanghai and tell me what that experience was like? Yeah. So it took a while to get my visa after I graduated. But finally in December of 2019, I was able to get to Shanghai. It was amazing. The city reminds me so much of London in a way in certain parts, which is a big reason why I chose Shanghai because it's super international. The expat meetups I did have were great, just so many interesting. interesting stories that I feel like Ex-Bet Life kind of gives you. You just meet so many travelers and so many interesting kind of backgrounds. And so yeah, I experienced that for about two and a half, three months, and then everything kind of went crazy. And because of the coronavirus.

Yeah. Yeah. But that seems like a really short experience. Let me expand. I think China is definitely one of those places that a lot of people, it's just never on their radar to move to. It definitely, I think, has a lot to do with the way that, at least in U.S. media, I've seen that China is kind of portrayed. It's kind of just an enigma. A lot of people just don't know anything about China. And so I think when you're going into a country with very limited knowledge, it just kind of makes you apprehensive. And so I think moving there was kind of a way for me to just kind of dispel my own stereotypes I had or just kind of get rid of the enigmas that I had. had about China my whole life kind of growing up and being surrounded by different aspects of Chinese culture and then actually living there was was so different. And just it was the first time I

lived in a country where they also didn't speak English. You know, I'd always thought like, oh, I've lived in London. I've done the expat thing. Like, I'm a pro. And it just, the Asian culture shock just really hit me, like, because I had never visited Asia before either. So it was just like the hit of Eastern culture and being in a country where they don't speak the language. And also, China's a homogenous society. So being the only person like of color and spaces everywhere, going from living in one of the most diverse cities of the world, it definitely was an adjustment. But I think one of those adjustments where it's like you leave it and you're like, okay, that really, that was good. Like that taught me some things. But my first weeks were

exciting, but I definitely wouldn't say they were necessarily easy because it was just a lot of culture shocks that I had kind of downplayed that I was more prepared for than I guess I was. But I don't regret it at all. I think it was an amazing short-lived, but a really amazing experience to move somewhere so far from everything that I've known my whole life. What were your biggest culture shocks and I guess also learnings? It sounds like you learned a ton in those few months that you were there. I think culture shock in terms of the language and the people, and I guess, you know, language and culture and people are all interconnected. But China is very direct and the UK is very not direct. Everything. Yeah, exactly. Everything in like the British vernacular is, may I, please, if you wouldn't

mind, I would let. And in Chinese, it's like, for example, asking someone to pass you something in the UK. If you want like a cup of tea or just something, you know, sitting on a table, you would say like, sorry if it's not too much to bother, you would you mind passing me the cup of tea? That was like a half American, half British accent. But it takes so many words to do that. And in Chinese, it's just gay-wo, which literally means give me. Like, and that's it. Just give me. But it's not considered rude. It's just, you know, they get to the point. And I think I really became someone that you kind of used a lot of words to explain things that could have been explained in less. And I like that China kind of taught me kind of just to say what I mean, because you literally cannot add a lot of filler words in

Chinese. You would just sound ridiculous and strange. And so I think that was probably one of the biggest lessons that I've taken from that experience. Yeah, that is a really great point that, you know, it's a mindset shift because you go in with your values. Because as you were talking about that, I was thinking, that is so rude. But as you're saying, like, in their mind, it's not rude because they're just getting rid of the filler. And, you know, I think you just have to switch on that lens. Did you get to teach when you were there? Yeah. So I had started teaching and then our school shut in at the end of January. And so we just kind of weren't working, but luckily still getting paid until around May.

So you were teaching English? Yeah, so I was teaching English. I still am teaching English, but now it's for my own students and not for the company that I worked with. Although they handle it really well, a lot of companies, what happened was when everything happened. And, you know, a lot of teachers had left for Chinese New Year's because that was when everything kind of broke out and people were on holidays and such. And a lot of them couldn't get back. And so the schools just ended their contracts and just didn't, you know, provide any kind of just anything. And so a lot of teachers were kind of in these really bad situations where all their things were in Shanghai.

I was in that same situation, but they weren't able to get any of them. And their jobs just fired them with no warning and just a lot. So I think teachers in China definitely went through a lot when everything kind of first happened. So, but your school took care of you. Do you want to name that school? Yeah, it was giraffe, English, Shanghai. I've actually recommended it to a couple friends that have asked me, like, teaching opportunities in Shanghai. They were amazing. The only reason I left was because I wanted to move back to the UK. So after giraffe closed, you wanted to continue teaching. So how did you go about finding students? So that was an interesting one. It took many routes. but I'm now able to support myself fully by teaching my own students,

which is a really good situation to be in. So I'm in Chiang Mai in Thailand, and a lot of Chinese families are also in Thailand, specifically for the virus, but in general, Thailand has a huge Chinese community. And speaking a bit of Chinese now, you know, you just kind of over here, and then maybe you speak a little Chinese, and then, you know, they're kind of automatically interested in,

like, who's this American that's speaking Chinese? So I actually started by teaching some of the families in my building. I would just ask me like, hey, I live in two units down. Can you come like three times a week and teach my child? But then what happened was that mom would refer me to her friend. And then that mom referred me to her friend. And then it was like all these students. And I couldn't really, I was like, this is too much.

So I let go of some of them. But then I kind of had some free time open up again. and I didn't even realize that I was kind of entrepreneuring at that point until I was like, well, you don't really have a boss and you're doing this to yourself. Oh, okay. I guess I guess that kind of is what it is. Accidental business. Amazing. Yeah, exactly. And so I was looking for more students and my friend from China had told me about this app. It's called 58. And to be honest, it's not, I don't think it's specifically for that. Like, it's not for matching tutoring jobs with tutors or anything like that, which is why it's just in a very odd way to find the students I did. But it was

called 58. And it's basically the Craigslist for China. So I just, you know, wish in a prayer, just put out an app, an ad, and I put it in Chinese as well. And I just got a lot of responses from parents just asking, you know, if I could teach their child online. And I think especially with everything that was going on at that time, even now, parents are a lot more keen for online. in classes compared to in person just for, you know, health and safety reasons. And so I just started teaching more online. And then I realized I really liked it. I really enjoyed the freedom of just kind of choosing my hours and being able to practice my Chinese with the families that I work with. And then just, I think just realizing that I guess if I got in a really hard time, which this is, we're

definitely all in a really hard time in some way or another that I could. kind of figure it out. So it was kind of more for teaching for me. It was like, okay, if something bad happens, I know I can figure it out somehow. This is fantastic. And we sort of like skirted over the issue that you're now in Thailand. I'm speaking to. Oh, yeah. So how did you go from Shanghai to Chiang Mai? So I was in Shanghai when it was Chinese New Year's. I decided that I would stay in China and kind of explore China and travel around China for Chinese New Year's. That's also when everything kind of happened. So those plans did not happen. And I still have a very big bucket list. But anyways, when things kind of were escalating, I decided to go to Thailand.

Due to the coronavirus, just in case anyone in the future forgets. Yes, yes. Hopefully this is, don't even remember. Yeah, because of the coronavirus, I decided to go to Thailand. I planned to go for two weeks. and kind of just get some headspace because, you know, this is when the whole world was kind of speculating over China. And it was just a lot of pressure from family, from friends, from, I left like almost all of my group chats I was in because it was just like news left and right. Like every news article, everyone found on how it was emerging. People telling you to leave China? No, this was people like in China just like sharing how bad it was and how all these new cases are coming up.

And it was almost like the beginning of like a zombie horror film, you know, when like the apocalypse is coming and they're saying like, get ready. Like it literally felt like that because it was all I was seeing. It was all I was hearing. It was like, you know, one day it's normal. The other day you're going outside and you need your temperature taken and, you know, you can't go outside your house with masks and you feel weird being outside. And just like all these things that were just so surreal. And I guess because none of the world was experiencing it yet because this isn't January. January and everything kind of happened for the rest of the world in March. So it was just a lot. And I decided to go to Thailand for two weeks. And then that kind of turned into the idea of, okay, well, maybe I'll just wait this out because schools were still closed. So I figured I might as well stay here a little bit longer because Thailand was completely open. Everything was fine. And then I had bought my ticket back for April. And about a week before I was supposed to go back to Shanghai, when they had kind of now had things more under control, borders closed.

And so I wasn't able to get back to Shanghai. And I still am not. And so about three weeks ago, I decided to get my things moved back to the U.S. and leave Shanghai virtually. So you just hired somebody to move your stuff? Yeah. It was actually a company that was set up because of Corona. It was like advertised like, can you not get back into Shanghai?

And I was like, this is perfect timing for a business. I'm glad someone, you know, changed this whole situation. into an entrepreneurial venture. But yeah, they literally FaceTime me, moved everything out, shipped it to DHL, and it's at my dad's house right now, all my belongings. And I'm here in Thailand. Wow. Okay. So that is incredible. And I just love your entrepreneurial spirit where like, okay, I can't get back to my job. So I'll just create a new one over here. What is your living situation like? And how did you find your place? So I actually found it on Airbnb, which was great. I'm in a condo. complex right now that is super expat friendly to be honest

Chiang Mai is just a big expat city so if I go outside of my complex and you know go to different parts of the city I definitely feel like I'm having the full Thailand experience and I do here too but it's definitely about 40% foreigners so it's a good mix between being comfortable and still you know kind of feeling like I'm in another country and I'm getting a new experience in the midst of all this. I love your Instagram feed. I think you have like the perfect mix of storytelling and sharing about yourself.

And lately you've been talking a lot about like the visibility of black travelers, which I think is so important. And I was wondering if you wanted to talk a little bit about that. I had always grown up kind of watching travel movies. That was my kind of childhood obsession. Some kids like robots. Some like princesses, I liked travel. And so I would always, my favorite movies were like, you pray love, letters to Juliet, like sisterhood of the traveling pants.

And, you know, when you're young, you don't really think about the fact that you don't see yourself in these movies. You know, I just enjoyed these movies and I watched them and they made me want to travel to these locations growing up. And then I grew up. And then I slowly kind of realized, like, there is no one that looks like me in these movies, in these scenes that I wanted to, you know, pursue, even though black Americans do travel. I mean, we spend like $63 billion on travel a year or some staff that came out.

And I was like, wow, that's a lot of money. But you wouldn't really know. And I think especially for young black women, you know, the narrative of someone going off and pursuing their dreams abroad. And just like going through that hero's journey is such an important story. And I think it's a story that I would love to see more people of color in because we have those stories too. And I think, you know, when it comes to representation, you also need to show different characters. I mean, I've never seen the adventurous black woman going on a journey to Europe and, you know, falling in love with her European husband and becoming a journalist or, you know, just the far flung but like amazing kind of stories that you watch growing up. And I think that's what it goes back to.

When I think about representation, I honestly just think about being a little girl and what that would have felt like to see me on a screen. I guess now kids would see us on like an Instagram fee, which is a bit scary, but just to kind of see yourself. Yeah, exactly. TikTok. But just to kind of see yourself like living the adventures that you want and getting inspired from people that looks like you, it's so much stronger.

of a connection that you feel and an inspiration that you feel of just, you know, I can do it too. Look, I see me on screen. I'm doing it. And I think it's a really beautiful connection that when I have a daughter, you know, I want her to grow up having eat, pray, love. And I don't know who want to say the black version, because it just should be mainstream. Seeing a multi-facetedness of just different black personalities on media should just be very mainstream. So I hope that, you know, my children grow up seeing that. And to me, that's what representation is and just making the world look like what it is. Yeah, I agree 100%. That's something that I've been talking a lot about on my other podcast podcasting step by step that role models matter and seeing people who look like you

doing like awesome things matters. And you might not even realize it until you see somebody doing it. And then you're like, oh my gosh, yes, I totally want to try that now. It didn't even really occurred to me before. So I think what you're doing is amazing. And people who are like content creators, like us, we're podcasters and you're also a podcaster. We can elevate these diverse voices, which I think is a wonderful thing. This episode is sponsored by me, or rather by my online course, Podcast Launch Academy. You are a podcast lover and thank you so much for being here. But I was wondering, have you ever thought about creating a podcast yourself? Well, visit Sarah Maga tell.com to learn how we can work together and to take the podcast personality quiz.

All right. So you're living on your own, living the life in Shanghai, even though you're in lockdown. Have you been able to do anything interesting during lockdown? Is anything open? What have you been able to explore? So I have seen Pouquet. I've been to the beaches, local markets. The markets are definitely the best. But other than that, I think, temple-wise and just kind of main attraction-wise, everything has been kind of closed, which makes me a horrible kind of tourist because everyone asked me for recommendations. And I'm like, well, I can tell you what's closed, but I can't tell you what's open. But I would definitely say Thailand is big on markets, food, cuisine, just anything that has

to do with eating, which I love. And I've definitely taken advantage of. And what's been your favorite food? Mango sticky rice 100%. I get it almost every day. Just as a little afternoon snack. Yeah, it's so good. I think just going from Western to Eastern culture is just the prices, especially in Southeast Asia. You know, I can imagine being in London in a Thai restaurant and seeing mango and sticky rice like with a tea leaf and all like just like super fancy and it's probably like 25 pounds.

But here it's like, you know, a pound. if you were to convert it. And it's definitely 10 times more delicious than the one that you would get in the shard. And so I think I'm definitely going to miss that. But mango and sticky rice 100%. Yes, the shard is an iconic building in London. So let's bring it back to England. So you have decided to go back to England to get your master's degree.

And you had also mentioned earlier that if you didn't go to China, you could have pursued some sort of like post-undergrad visa situation. So for anyone who's interested in doing what you're doing, I would love to hear what was that, and granted this can change at any time, but what was that visa you would have been eligible for when you finish undergrad? And then how are you able to do like your master's? And what do you hope visa-wise will come after that so you can stay? Yeah, I'm just doing like the brain files of all the visas.

I've like looked through. So my plan before, a lot of health care jobs are on the shortage list, which is basically a list of jobs in the UK that they need people. And so it's a lot easier to get a visa. So that was my original route is to apply for a job that was on the shortage list and apply for a visa from there. And then if you, you know, really want to go the full route, you stay for five years working a job and then you can apply for permanent residency. So that was kind of the original plan. My plan now is moving back on a tier four student visa that will last two years. And then there's a post-work graduate visa that lasts two years. And then I could switch to a tier two work visa. And then I have to somehow have a year after that of a work-related visa, probably still tier two. And then that makes the five. And then you can apply for permanent residents. So I would definitely say, unless you are crazy, like me and Sarah. It is a very long route to like settling in the UK, which I realize it's really

not for as many, a lot of countries around the world, the settlement process is a lot easier. I know that Portugal, you just have to be making like X amount a year. I think it's like average American salary as well and then you can you can live there. And that's it. And I'm like, wow, I wish London were that easy. Maybe there would be too money of us there. I don't know. but it's definitely a long haul. We like to do with things the hard way. Yeah, exactly, exactly. So it's a long road.

But it's worth it. 100%. What are you most looking forward to when you come back to England? As weird as it sounds, and I feel like it goes against, you know, my friends and family and everyone is like, Candace, you're so adventurous. Like, I just want to go travel to all these places like you and all these things. But, like, England really feels like home. And so I'm most excited to just be.

home. Like, and I think that's one of the biggest things about kind of leaving the U.S. at 18 is it's like, I have no experience of adulthood in the U.S. So I don't feel as American as my accent may come off. You know, everything that makes my adult life is in London, all my friends, on my networks, on my kind of job opportunities, basically everything that seems kind of opposite of someone who loves to travel. But I think that's what's, I guess, kind of important about kind of knowing your travel style because my travel style definitely couldn't be living in the U.S. and then, you know, just traveling every couple months for my vacation days. If you're lucky, in the U.S., it would be like maybe like two weeks, right? Yeah.

Oh, God. Yeah. I'm 100%. Even if for some reason, I don't even want to say it, But if for some wild reason, England didn't work out, I would definitely still be living abroad. Yeah, yeah. Well, Candice, it has been lovely to catch up with you. Where can we find out more about you? Yeah, so you can follow me on Instagram. That is my most active place at Candace Abroad. And then I also have a blog called Candice Abroad, which will kind of be filling up with London content. So, Chung Mai, tourist. you may want to just look up another blog because I was definitely not here at the prime time, but definitely London. I'm excited to kind of explore more London when I get back, write about London. And yeah, I just love London. So that'll be where you can find all that stuff. I look forward to having you back and we'll definitely have to meet up when you get here.

A hundred percent. Yeah, I'm excited. I love everything about Candace's story. And I was going to say I'm feeling a little bit wistful like I wish I was going. back to university in the fall. Then I just remembered I am going back to university in the fall, except this time I'm going to be teaching. My alma mater asked me to come back and teach a podcasting class and we can do it remotely, thankfully. So I'm really looking forward to that. But anyway, if you're interested in living abroad, but you don't really want to go back to school, those days are behind you, there are other ways that you can make a life abroad happen for you. And for more information on that, you can head to postcardacadmy.com for some inspiration, more expat

stories. And of course, you can keep listening to this podcast. And I'm thinking of doing an episode on how to teach English from anywhere. If that's something that you're interested in, let me know. All right. That's all for now. Thank you so much for listening and have a beautiful week wherever you are. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free conversation sheet sheet with simple formulas that you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you're in a meeting or just talking with friends. Download it at sarahygotele.com slash blank no more.