00:07:55 · Henrique Dubugras, Jack Zhang
[00:07:55] S0: Did you get in trouble in school? [00:07:57] S1: A little bit, but not not that much. I mean, you know, I don't do, you know, crazy stuff. It just really... I always try to find, like, the easiest way to solve a problem and and do things that other people, you know, not dare to ask the question. I'm always asked the question, hey, why can't we do this? Why can't you do that? It doesn't make any sense. I think thinking about it now is probably just a lot of first principle thinking. [00:08:22] S0: When you were in this smaller city, did you think you were gonna move outside of the country already, or, like, did you think you're gonna go to a bigger city? Like, you know, pre moving to Australia, like, what was your vision of your future? [00:08:32] S1: Yeah. So I was in a sort of village of this small city which has, you know, 8,000,000 population. But then I moved from the village. I grew up with my grandparents. I moved from the village to the city center of that city. And that's kind of a massive change already because my accent is a bit different, so all the kids don't like my accent, so I have to change to the accent they're speaking. And when I moved from that city to Australia again, then my English was was really bad. You know, I have to adapt to the new language and try to be part of the the society again, which is which is also very difficult. [00:09:10] S0: So, like, why did you move to Australia when you [00:09:12] S1: were, like, 14? Well, my family just stayed in China. [00:09:16] S0: Oh, so you moved by yourself?
00:09:16 · Henrique Dubugras, Jack Zhang
[00:09:16] S0: Oh, so you moved by yourself? [00:09:17] S1: Yeah. Went there by myself. When you're 14? 15. Who do you live with? I live in Australian family. So this guy work for the Australian Navy, so he doesn't even at home that much, and I live with his his wife and kids. [00:09:31] S0: Like a host family? Yeah. But it's supposed to be like an exchange program, or they knew you were gonna stay forever? [00:09:37] S1: Yeah. They knew I was gonna stay for for two years. [00:09:40] S0: Oh, wow. [00:09:40] S1: So that was that was quite an interesting series. I remember that is when I arrived, and they tried to cook some Asian food, and they they have no idea how to cook Asian food. And they got these, like, weird fried noodles for me, and I I literally puked on the first day. [00:09:58] S0: Oh my god. And then, like, your parents, like, you know, did you miss them? Like, were you, like... Or were you super chill? You're happy to, like, not live with your parents? Like, what were you feeling at that time? [00:10:06] S1: Yeah. I was pretty happy not living with my parents, and I can I can, you know, go to kind of adventure myself? I'm I'm... I didn't grow up with my parents. I would grow up with my grandparents till I was maybe 10. [00:10:20] S0: Meaning... But, like, your parents lived in a different house than you? [00:10:23] S1: Yeah. Well, they lived in a different sort of city or town, and they're very busy with work and [00:10:28] S0: travel. And you see them, like, every weekend or something?
00:10:28 · Henrique Dubugras, Jack Zhang
[00:10:28] S0: travel. And you see them, like, every weekend or something? [00:10:30] S1: Yeah. You know, I'd stay... We grew up as parent... Grandparents till I was maybe 10, then I then went to boarding school. Oh, boarding school? Yeah. So I only see my parents, like, once a week. How was boarding school? It was fun. There's a lot of, you know, interesting stuff happening and a lot of fights. [00:10:50] S0: Oh, really? [00:10:51] S1: Yeah. I was... Because it's not a... It's Northern China. It's it's not a very civilized sort of time, you know, like in the nineties. [00:10:58] S0: What do you mean by that? [00:11:01] S1: Because, you know, you you just get beaten up by other kids a lot. [00:11:04] S0: Oh, really? So you get beat up a lot? Yeah. Oh, wow. Do you think that, like, builds character or, like, no? [00:11:11] S1: Yeah. Definitely. You know, if you get kinda bullied a bit, you definitely feel that you want to sort of rebel. [00:11:18] S0: And do you think, like, it, like, created motivation or something like that? Or [00:11:22] S1: I'm not sure. You know, obviously, that you you... You're always kind of not the strongest guy in the class or the school. Yeah. It's less of a fight in your own class. It's all like... Almost like all sort of senior guys try to beating up the the junior folks. Mhmm. You know, you play basketball and then just all of a sudden, a bunch
00:11:22 · Jack Zhang, Henrique Dubugras
[00:11:22] S1: I'm not sure. You know, obviously, that you you... You're always kind of not the strongest guy in the class or the school. Yeah. It's less of a fight in your own class. It's all like... Almost like all sort of senior guys try to beating up the the junior folks. Mhmm. You know, you play basketball and then just all of a sudden, a bunch [00:11:40] S0: of people come and wanna kick you out of this... The court. Oh, wow. Yeah. And then... So... Okay. So you got to Australia. You're living with this host family, and you speak very little English. Very little. How did you [00:11:49] S1: learn English? I started learning English maybe I was 10, but there was no one really speak English. This is more of a task, just learn the writing and reading. It's more just vocabulary, try to memorize it, and yeah, I couldn't really speak a full sentence of English when I arrived Australia. [00:12:10] S0: Oh, wow. So then you just learned on the go? Like, right? [00:12:14] S1: Just Yeah. Pretty much. [00:12:16] S0: Did you try, like, any English school or course or, like, you know, ESL or anything? No. Just hang hang around and, like, see if you got it from that Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That's crazy. And then when did you think your English got, like, good? [00:12:30] S1: I don't think my English is very good even now. I got better after I started working. So throughout college, my English... [00:12:38] S0: So years, years later? Yeah. Oh, wow.
00:12:38 · Henrique Dubugras, Jack Zhang
[00:12:38] S0: So years, years later? Yeah. Oh, wow. [00:12:41] S1: You know, when I started to use a lot at work, and I... Because even in college, I mainly sort of hang out with people from Asia, and hang out with international students. So I speak English, but it's not not a lot. What were [00:12:57] S0: the main kind of, like, cultural differences you found from China to Australia when you moved? Like, you got there in high school, and you're like, oh, wow. This is different. [00:13:04] S1: I think China is a very academic oriented sort of society. Like, if you have kids, if you study good, you get a lot of respect. But I don't think that's the case in Australia. I think people fail the kids that are more likable, you know, like the cool kids in a school that get a lot of friends and a lot of people want hang out with them, not necessarily you academically the best student. [00:13:26] S0: So in China, is it like the most popular kid is the smartest one? [00:13:32] S1: Yeah. Well, definitely the most sort of respected one. So just just being academically strong, you naturally have people gravitated towards you. [00:13:40] S0: It's so interesting. Like, it's hard for me to imagine that because in Brazil, it's similar to what you're saying in Australia where, like, being academically strong is almost like a reason to get bullied. You know? [00:13:50] S1: That's definitely not the case in China. [00:13:53] S0: Yeah. That's so interesting. But is it kinda more the case in Australia?
00:13:53 · Henrique Dubugras, Jack Zhang
[00:13:53] S0: Yeah. That's so interesting. But is it kinda more the case in Australia? [00:13:56] S1: Oh, you don't get discriminated or anything. It's just that it doesn't... You don't get... Academic result doesn't get rated very high in in high school. [00:14:04] S0: And did you feel that you got discriminated by being Asian in Australia? [00:14:08] S1: A little bit, especially in high school. [00:14:10] S0: Yeah? Yeah. How did that manifest? Like, people just didn't talk to you or, like, what is it? [00:14:14] S1: No. Like, you you get, like, you know, crazy things like you have a girl just just come to you and then kiss you, I think, because she she lost a bat. [00:14:22] S0: Oh, wow. Is that right? So that happened to you? Yeah. Tell us that story. [00:14:27] S1: No. It's just all that, you know, it happened to me a couple times and all of sudden... [00:14:30] S0: A couple times? Yeah. You got like free kisses for bats [00:14:33] S1: a couple times? [00:14:34] S0: Yeah. I mean, they're like, what the hell is going on? That's funny. So you're just like hanging through the hallway and then a girl's like, can I kiss you? And you're [00:14:42] S1: like, you're No. They don't even come to ask you. They just come to kiss you. [00:14:45] S0: Oh, really? Yeah. Wow. Doesn't sound that bad. [00:14:49] S1: Yeah. Some... I mean, the the first time would definitely be shocking. It'd be like, what did I do? [00:14:55] S0: That's funny. Were you good with girls in high school? [00:14:58] S1: Not really.