Talk about someone with a passion for travel! Xiaochen Su has visited almost 100 countries and counting. He had never intentionally set out to visit every country in the world, but his love for discovery has fueled his desire to make that happen.
His childhood history all but pointed to him being a lifelong traveler, something obviously inherited from his parents. He has also lived in ten countries, including such diverse ones as Zimbabwe, South Korea, and Taiwan.
A passion for travel: Study Abroad program
Originally born in China, he is currently back living in Tokyo where he works as an International risk business consultant, he is also the Managing Director of a non-profit organization that encourages students to study abroad in Japan.
I was, therefore, eager to talk to him as you can imagine. While the concept of studying abroad is not new, you really never hear of it happening in Asian countries, at least l have not.
I was very much surprised to hear that Japan had such an offering. In my mind, it always seemed like Japan was insulated and did not welcome outsiders apart from tourists, so l was happy to hear this.
l think the study abroad program is of great benefit to young people, or even older people who are interested in studying overseas while being immersed in a new culture. Nothing of course is ever easy, especially in a country with a completely different language, but it’s nice to have more choices.
Some of the discussions in the passion for travel podcast include:
- How he ended up in Japan, and then the United States.
- Education and culture shock in America, the Asian community in the states when he was growing up.
- How he wound up back in Japan, using past connections and the world wide web.
- Getting a Ph.D. in Sino-Russian relations, a relatively new developing history, with most Chinese people in Russia being first-generation immigrants.
- Some of the countries he has lived in, especially his years in East Africa, and his experience there, working in Microfinance with farmers, and life, in general, being a lot more simple, and definitely no luxury.
- The purpose of being in Africa, helping the farmers with regard to improving the yields of their farms and being financially secure.
- How food plays a big part in his travels, and most of his memories revolve around comfort food.
- His favorite countries from the numerous ones visited.
- Why he believes travel is good, and eye-opening for everyone.
- The push for the government to have more people take discover the study abroad program and have people from all over the world take advantage of the opportunity, especially because it is still relatively easy to get into. Some of the organizations involved include the University of Liberia, Youth Harvest Foundation in Ghana, and Bells University in Nigeria.
- How studying in Japan doesn’t have to mean you must stay in Japan, the world becomes a lot more accessible when you’ve studied internationally and can make you more attractive to companies hiring.
- Using the internet to further your career.
- What steps to take if you want to study abroad in Japan and how his NGO can set you up for success.
Listen to the passion for travel podcast here:
I love that Xiaochen is giving back to the world as best as he can. It perfectly combines his passion for travel with education. Education should be available to everyone, in an ideal world, and the opportunity to study abroad is invaluable. I urge anyone interested in finding out more to visit the website and get in touch with Xiaochen. It might be the best thing you’ve ever done.
The website of the study abroad program in Japan is:
https://www.studyabroad-research.org/
You can also YouTube it here:
Other podcasts of interest:
Working in the States, but living in Spain
Have you ever contemplated a study abroad program? If yes, where was it, and would you recommend it to others?