Expat Life Compared to USA Life with Chapin Kreuter with Chapin Kreuter

Welcome to Global From Asia episode 286 – the last one for 2019. It’s getting towards the end of the year and I thought we’d have a fun little conversation talking about how we change when we become expats living overseas for awhile. It’s a fun conversation with businessman and podcaster Chapin Kreuter who hosts the podcast Misfits and Rejects. Let’s tune in!

√ Chapin Kreuter’s GFA VIP Expert Page
√ Chapin’s podcast
√ Book – Tycoons War, story of Vanderbuilt, Nicaragua
√ VIP kid for teaching overseas
√ ExpatTeaching.com – platform for finding teaching jobs

Thanks a lot Chapin, it’s been great to have you on the show. I know how the grind is of podcasting and content creation, so thanks again for sharing and all the best for 2020!

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gfa286

[00:00:00] Episode 286 of Global From Asia podcast. Last one for the year is a fun one. Talking about how we change when we become ex-pats living overseas for awhile. It’s a, it’s a fun conversation. Welcome to the Global From Asia podcast, where the daunting process of running an international business is broken down into straight up actionable advice.

[00:00:24] And now your host, Michael Michelini. Happy New Year. Merry Christmas.  Am I allowed to say that? Or happy holidays, have friends all over the world. And I’m in China for Christmas and it’s December 26^th, Thursday as I record this show. Will be going online on New Year’s Eve, Tuesday at 2019 we’re going to be entering a whole new decade.

[00:00:49] Can you believe that? A decade. The 20-teens are done and the 2020s are starting. I hope everybody had a great 10 years and look forward to 10 more years. Another little fun project I’m working on which suits the whole new year’s is alive for.com. It’s a life calculator. I had Jasper on our team help me make that for this new year’s.

[00:01:14] If you want to see how long you’ve been alive and how long you have left to live. I look, I think out all the time, so I thought it’d be cool. Make a little calculator. If you’re curious, check out  alivefor.com and see how long you’re going to be alive for. How long you’ve been alive for. Just a little fun project part.

[00:01:32] I want to put it on my desktop and remember how much time I have left in this world because life is really short and, uh, see my kids, my son turned six in May. Can’t believe it. Time is flying. So that’s, I’ll make the most of it. We’re going to have a fun conversation today. We were talking about, it’s the year end and it’s a this holiday season, so it’d be a fun one to

[00:01:55] Talk about, kind of the changes we go through when we leave our home country. I think I’ve lost my mind. I mean, I’m in China for Christmas and I had hotpot and I watched my son eat bugs and just a normal day here. Everybody’s working sort of, no, no, nothing kind of drives you crazy. Right? So. I think we lose a little bit of touch with reality or what we think is reality, and the guest today is really funny.

[00:02:22] One from another podcast, or I’ll let it, I’ll let it go into the intro. Now for this. Oh, that’s going to the show. Are you looking for unique ways to make payments in different parts of the world from Hong Kong bank? There is a great company is not even a startup anymore. They’ve been growing for so many years.

[00:02:41] I’ve been lucky to know them since the early days was Simon and the team. Goremit.HK. They are a cross border payments company to help you make payments from your Hong Kong account to mainland China, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and more using for all kinds of different reasons. And basically the best is first, lots of micropayments to different people on dollars in places.

[00:03:05] You don’t have to have bank accounts there and you don’t have to pay bigger bank transfer fees with the traditional way. So definitely check them out. www.goremit.hk. Tell them GFA sent you. Okay. Thank you everybody for tuning into the Global From Asia podcast. It’s getting towards the end of the year and you know, I thought we’d have a fun little conversation we have Chapin here from misfits and rejects podcast.

[00:03:29] I had the pleasure to, to meet him in Bangkok and, and shame while while he was over here in Asia. Thanks for calling on. Hey brothers, stoked to be on Global From Asia. Man, I’m really happy to be here. Yeah, I know. It’s cool. Uh, we got to do an interview for your show while I was wow, you know, a couple weeks ago.

[00:03:45] And I’d happy to have you on here sharing and, uh, you know, first, before we dive into what we’re talking about, I’d love to kinda hear a little bit more about yourself and then also, you know, this, this podcast, Misfits and Rejects.

[00:04:00] Absolutely. I, uh, I fell in love with the road a long time ago and found myself in Nicaragua for the last, more or less, last 15 years.

[00:04:08] And throughout the years of traveling and just living in a small fishing village, I had a lot of very unique people coming through my life. People that really inspired me, that were living outside of, you know, social norms and mores and America. And, uh, I could relate to that because I didn’t really ever feel very connected to the state.

[00:04:26] So. So now finally find a group of people, a tribe, if you will, that I connected with and getting to see the personality traits and like really what made them tick was something that I just have really thrived on. And hence the reason I started this podcast, it really shed some light on what they do, why they do it, and how they make it happen.

[00:04:43] Because I think there’s a huge misconception of, um, expats. And you know, I, I call them misfits and rejects with the most utmost love and respect. Cause I mean, I think we’ve all felt like we don’t fit into the world at some point in our existence. And then we’ve also all been rejected, whether it’s by a loved one, whether it’s by, you know, a job that we really wanted.

[00:05:04] They said that, you know, we weren’t fit for it, whatever it may be. And I mean, these two words I know carry kind of a negative connotation for a lot of people, but I think. If you really peel back the layers, like everyone can relate to those two terms and, and can fit into that model. Yeah. I mean, I like, yeah, it connects to me.

[00:05:22] Uh, uh, you know, I guess I’m a misfit and a reject for awhile now. I think, uh, you know, one thing I, I actually makes me think of is, and I lived in China for, you know, over a decade, which sounds insane to say, but there was a common thing that Chinese would say about expats or foreigners in China is like, Oh, these are the guys that girl girls they couldn’t make in their home country and had to come out here for like a job.

[00:05:47] Maybe they’re teaching or they’re a, you know, they’re trying to start their own business and they don’t know, you know, they’re kinda like. They came because they were a failure in their home country. So I tucked out the, I dunno if that’s something similar with other locals and other countries, you know, in either Nicaragua or you’re, you know, or what your opinion is on that, you know.

[00:06:08] I think that if you speak the language, you have the privilege of actually hearing what they say about you. And yes, that’s I think a very common thing of any place that I’m a foreigner decides to reside because they have over the years, centuries or whatever of people you know, explorers, for example.

[00:06:27] Go into these foreign places and make a life for themselves, [00:06:30] and don’t necessarily always try to adapt to their social norms and mores. They’re almost, you know, because they don’t understand the language and they’re not really making the effort. They behave as they would maybe back home in a culture that isn’t similar and it can be very off pitted pudding to the people of the place that you’re residing in.

[00:06:49] So I think it is a common theme and it’s, it’s unfortunate and it, it can give, I think. People, uh, you know, a bad reputation. But you know, if you, you have an open heart and open mind and you really sit back and try to get to know these types of people that, you know, a lot of them are really very intelligent.

[00:07:05] And although they might not behave in a way that’s socially acceptable all the time, they still have a lot to offer the world and what they’re doing. Totally, totally. Although I do have to kind of say there are some of those people that maybe deserve that comments from the locals is like a, maybe it’s sexpat’s, is a nickname, or, um, you know, there’s some people that kind of just yeah, take advantage, take advantage of that.

[00:07:32] Opportunity to have like a lower cost and be lazier. But, uh, you know, I still think there’s quite a few of us that, you know, could still could do well in their home country, or it could, uh, do well where we were originating. But yeah, I, and I think the second part of that is, like you said, a lot of people move, expats and they don’t try to integrate at all, lead our language or, or friends in the local market where they live.

[00:07:57] So I guess that could also kind of upset or disturb the locals. Yeah. Just to add to that statement of what I was just saying is that, you know, when you do find yourself on a lot of these cultures, especially if it’s a culture where, um, or it’s an impoverished like third world country, uh, you do find yourself coming from the, you know, America, the Western world where you have maybe excessive amounts of money, excessive amounts of time, and it’s very easy to get.

[00:08:24] Allow your vices to get the best of you. You know, we’ve all seen it. You know, the, the guy at the end of the bar, um, like you mentioned sexpats. I mean, he had drug addicts. Like, it’s, it’s definitely one of those things with, if you like, with freedom comes a tremendous amount of responsibility. It’s like almost like having a superpower.

[00:08:42] Like you have to have some sort of, um. I would say routine, some kind of healthy habits that you can keep yourself in check with because the locals around you will not like, they’re not going to sit there and, and you’re not going to perceive, they’re like glaring eyes as them judging you in the same way you might.

[00:09:01] In America, for example, like when you’re waking up and going straight to the bar in America, your neighbors, the people around you, even though they might stay, something, might not say anything and you know that they’re judging you, you know? So I feel like that’s one of those like the social norms that like get misinterpreted by expat sometimes, where it’s like, it’s totally cool to wake up in Bangkok and just go straight to the pub and like just drink all day.

[00:09:22] And like, no one really cares here. But. Everyone’s slightly silently judging you, you just don’t get it.  Yeah, agreed. I mean, and I like that spider makes me think of Spiderman, but yeah, with great power comes great responsibility. You know? I think just because we, you know, especially the older expats, they kind of have their retirement, they retire abroad and they have their fixed income and not much else to do.

[00:09:46] So I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of those kind of people, and I have for sure. But, uh, yeah, I guess 100% one thing I just have a quick question for you. Since you have spent so much time in China and you have, uh, you know, been in the global business arena for so long, there are definitely expats who.

[00:10:05] You know, have made a significant amount of money, create a very powerful businesses. And have you seen them, sir, come to the same type of vices? I mean, as they start to gain more financial power and, and, and they still reside in these maybe inexpensive places. Do you ever see them starting to stray? So, yeah, I mean, I think I went through a big transition in China from cheap, cheaper China to kind of expensive or more expensive, less cheaper.

[00:10:32] China. Um, with inflation and the increased labor and cost of living. So honestly, I even got kind of pushed out and myself, I mean, I could’ve stayed there, but you know what I mean? So I I noticed when I first got there, then ‘07 there was a lot of these kinds of, I guess you could also say like first stage ex pats, you know, and these, and these emerging markets for at least international or growing markets.

[00:10:56] It’s kind of like the Cowboys, you know, an Indian, I don’t want to be racist, you know, sounds, you know, there’s like that pioneer, maybe you know with the arrows in their back. There’s that saying. Yeah, of course. So there’s these pioneers that just go out to China. Right. And they don’t know anything about the,

[00:11:11] They don’t have much education, but they’re the China guy, you know what I mean? Like they’re, they’re the crazy one that left America. So it’s just like, I need somebody in China that has like speaks English that I can kind of trust it can go to like a factory for me. So I met a lot of these mostly man, you know, like that were just like China reps trying to buyer reps.

[00:11:31] and it was so easy before, you know, the prices were just so much cheaper to buy from a factory. So they, they would either be a middleman or they would charge a fee to these companies in the U S or overseas because they could, there was a huge gap in understanding price, and there’s huge gap in communication, the huge gap in technology.

[00:11:51] But I saw as I let you know, I was kind of a tech guy that came there in ‘07 and there was no tech people, didn’t know what a website’s in the marketing. They were just like quote unquote white or a quote unquote foreigners that had these relationships in the city, US or their home country. And they, uh, they can make money pretty easily just because, um, they stay up at Skype, you know, they have a Skype call, somebody you, they would be a sourcing agent, but I saw all that get crushed, you know, like as prices increase as technology kind of develop Alibaba online sources and these global sources, other things.

[00:12:21] So I definitely saw those kind of semiretired people that just didn’t really want to work. We’re just kind of a cut was pure middleman that didn’t add much value, get squeezed out. And I saw it. Yeah. I saw where there would be, there were almost alcoholics. I have so many stories of guys. I had a guy that, uh, a few that have even died that have passed away since the last 10 years since I’ve known him because alcoholic, alcoholic are getting deported.

[00:12:48] Um, things like that. So yeah, I would, I just saw that whole phase of cheap China and then getting kind of this people squeezed out and lost and not sure what to do, and they can’t go back to the U S or their home country or not because of legal issues, but just because they’re so different. Even I’m kind of like that now, but, uh, so I just saw that quite a bit.

[00:13:08] I can relate 100% I would love to sit down with you on another episode and just talk about the different layers and stages and cause yeah, it’s so fascinating to me. You see a lot of them sometimes move to Vietnam or they would go to other countries. I remember there was this whole fee discussions at bars, like, I can’t take this anymore.

[00:13:26] It’s getting, they would blame the locals. They’re like, Oh, they’re getting kind of stuck up, or they feel they don’t need me anymore, and blah, blah. You know, like that. Yeah. Yeah. No. Yeah, just a, I was going to say that, you know, when they first did get there though, and they were trailblazing, if you will, and they did learn the language well enough to be that middleman between, you know, the American companies on the factories.

[00:13:47] They’re like, that was a huge asset. Yeah. There was a time period in a generation where there they were like gods who didn’t have any, you know, education and an understanding of, you know, that culture and how that was done. So like, that’s what I’m always fascinated by with these people who will go out and like, I guess dive into the deep end and they swim and they figure it out and they make a life for themselves.

[00:14:08] And yeah, maybe they let their vices get the best and at some point, but I mean, you can’t be a complete idiot. Yeah, like make that happen. You know, a lot of them like would just go with nothing, you know, like one way tickets and late nineties, early two thousands, you know, just, um, yeah. So, uh, maybe move.

[00:14:27] Yeah. We could do a show. Yeah. In a future with years. I mean, or, uh, it’s just very fascinating, these different levels of expats, almost like, probably to seem, honestly, I would feel. I have to deal with podcasts in the early 19 hundreds I can imagine it being weird podcast, talking about people leaving Ireland to America, to New York, Italy to New York.

[00:14:49] Like my family came from all over the place, you know, like from Europe to make a better life for themselves in the U S or New York. You know? It’s like, I feel like there was probably different levels of those people, right? The, the trailblazers, pioneers that came with no information, no knowledge, no connections, and then there was probably next level that had more information from the people that went first.

[00:15:10] Things like this similar. Yeah. One, one book for your audience, if they are interested in reading a little bit about expats, is a called Tycoons War. It was a book written about a Vanderbilt and a William Walker. William Walker was a, um, American who went to Nicaragua and tried to make himself basically King of Nicaragua.

[00:15:30] And, uh, Vanderbilt was running people from New York to San Francisco for the gold rush, and he was using the Rio San Juan through the middle of Nicaragua to get them there. And I’m an 1852 every shop owner in San Juan was a foreigner. So you can see these like ex-pats where you know they’ve, they’re all around the world.

[00:15:49] They always have been for anybody who thinks they’re cool and thinks they arrived in some little place first, they’re not because there’s always been someone there before you. So I think that’s the one most annoying thing about expats is we use that like, Oh, how long have you been here to like measure social status?

[00:16:06] But it’s like there’s someone who’s already been here and who’s already done something way cooler than you. So like you can’t be, you can’t be playing that game. Yeah. It’s been weird for me, cause I, you know, I’m going on. 12 or so years now. And there’s people I look, I don’t want to say looked up to, but like mentors that were like here 10 years before me.

[00:16:26] And uh, I know there’s this weird feeling that could be another topic of going back to your home country. So a lot of them left China or left Asia went mostly China cause it’s most my network and went back to the US and now I’m the one here, you know, and I’ve talked to them still in email sometimes.

[00:16:43] It’s kind of this weird feeling cause I looked up to them as like the experienced person in China or in this foreign place, and then they had, it’s a weird feeling. I don’t know how to explain it, but. Well, yeah, it’s a, it’s changing the guard. You know, you are that person that you looked up to. Now people look up to you.

[00:17:00] I mean, getting to meet you and hearing your story for me, like I admire you and admire what you’ve accomplished and in, in the way that you conduct yourself in business. Like, I admire you. Like, I would like to be like Mike, you know, and have a podcast with the kind of a savvy that Global From Asia has.

[00:17:16] You know, like I misfits and rejects, you know, like I. I have all you know, colors of people on my podcast, like just doing so many random different things. And you know, you, you are, have like a more like panache to you. Well. Maybe a pass the guard soon man. Just keep, I think it’s about being consistent and just showing up, you know, showing up, uh, showing up every day, you know, or showing up regularly.

[00:17:42] But yeah, I mean, one day, every Monday I’m one death it dude, 10:00 AM Hong Kong time Tuesday for me. So, yeah, that’s it, man. Um, so let’s. Yeah. I mean, with your experience interviewing so many, uh, expats and rejects and misfits, um, you’re back in the States now for awhile. You know, you were just in Bangkok, Chiang Mai.

[00:18:05] Well, I don’t know, maybe you can share some more places you’ve been lately, but maybe give us some ideas of like the people you meet overseas versus, uh, back home or back state side, things like, just some insights, you know. I think the people I meet nowadays, you know, I lived in a small fishing village for quite a long time, the last 15 years.

[00:18:23] And so the people I met were, you know, primarily surfers and, um, I guess, you know, wayward travelers, people just kind of searching searchers, I guess. And I’ve plugged myself into the network where I met you and the dynamite circle to really dive deep into the, you know, online entrepreneurial, digital nomad location, independent space.

[00:18:43] So. The archetype has changed for me of what I’m encountering. However, I still keep my foot, you know, in the door of the old haunts. Like I found some amazing expat bars in Chiang Mai, like I courted a few people that I’m going to get on my show that are just, you know, just my blowing my mind with how they are, who they are.

[00:19:01] And so. I, I try to keep myself in both worlds cause I am trying to grow my business, grow my brand, continually learn, push myself as an entrepreneur, as a person. But at the same time, I, I like, I do enjoy conversations with the, uh, the outliers. If you will share individuals who just like sit at the end of the bar quiet, you know, it takes about a week to approach them, but once, once they feel comfortable enough talking to me, then, uh, I get a really good story.

[00:19:31] I think coming back to the States right now and sitting where I’m sitting, the biggest and most, I guess the word would be like thing that confronted me the most is the amount of fear that Americans have towards the rest of the world. I’m consistently coming back to a country of, you know, a media that is just fear mongering all the time, and people constantly saying like, I can’t believe you do what you do.

[00:20:00] Don’t you know how dangerous it is? And many times they’re, they’re citing how dangerous it is. Where I just came from. And they don’t really have any clue what it’s like on the ground. Like I’m sitting here giving them real news and a conversation and they’re shaking their head being like, no, but you’re so wrong.

[00:20:17] Like the meat, like the American media saying this. I’m like, I’m telling you, I just came from there. Like, it’s not like that. It is totally safe. And they’re like, no, it’s not. It’s so unsafe. And, uh, that was striking to me. If I can just elaborate on one more point, like, I, I want on a few Tinder dates when I was in Chiang Mai.

[00:20:37] Or Bumble or whatever this it was. And every, the three American females that I went out with all said the same thing, that they were tremendously afraid of traveling by themselves. And it was the first time, um, I just turned 40 in all my years of travel that I had that many people consecutively. Female wise say that.

[00:21:00] I mean, I’ve walked across the last year I walked across the border into Myanmar with a skinny little French girl who’s like 22 years old and like she didn’t have anything like that to say. And I, I’m, I fear that the American media has just captured the imagination of Americans and made them just so fearful of the world.

[00:21:20] And like it’s so sad. But it’s, I, I mean, I just, I don’t know what else to say about it. Like, the amount of fear in America right now is such, so high. Interesting. Yeah. I mean, like I said, I would swamp cool have your insights cause I’m losing touch up. It’ll be gone in two years now since I’ve been back.

[00:21:38] And it was only Florida at that time. It went back from my family. But yeah, I mean, uh, I have to say, even when I first went on my own in ‘07, there was a lot of people. Scared for me, you know, leaving the U S or leaving the home country. Um, but maybe it’s even worse. Not at me. I have no idea. But, uh, it is scary.

[00:21:58] Traveling internationally by yourself though, especially as a female. What did you say? You know, what would you say that’d be more a female American female or female? Male American male. Um. I think you’re right, that there is a certain amount of fear of the unknown that we all experience when we take that first step out to a new country.

[00:22:19] I mean, I still get it. Like I was anxious walking across the border until Myanmar. I didn’t know what to expect. Um, now with, you know, SIM cards and phones, it has reduced a lot of that fear factor because I can get Ubers, Grabs. I have, you know, Google maps, uh. Map stopped me. Like there’s a huge amount of information at my fingertips that alleviate a lot of that stress that I used to experience when I would get in a random cab in the middle of the night, you know, in Yangon, Myanmar and I.

[00:22:49] Just hope that they take me to the right hotel. But yeah, of course. I think. For females, it’s a little bit more stressful, I would imagine, because just throughout history, they, the males are, I think, more predatorial when it comes to, you know, taking advantage of situations. So they’re always on guard more than males.

[00:23:10] But in my opinion, if you, if you walk into a situation that you’re unfamiliar with, you just abide by the same sort of rules that you would walking into a city that you’re unfamiliar with in the States. Walking around at night and areas you’re familiar with, probably not. You shouldn’t do the same thing.

[00:23:28] in like Yangon Myanmar. Like if you’re unfamiliar with the city and you just arrived and it’s nighttime, you know, do your best to, uh, mitigate some of those risks. Yeah. Although it’s true, I mean, I. I mean, I live in Manhattan, New York City for five, almost five years. And that was scary at times to walk in at night, you know, after a nightclub, even in downtown Manhattan there’s some dark alleys and stuff happening that’s a little bit scary.

[00:23:58] So I think people should also keep that in perspective. But yeah, of course, go into a foreign country, especially on your own, especially as a female, it is a little bit more scary, you know, I think, uh. I’ve met some women in, in Asia, if you want some contacts I can connect to your day. They did like self defense for women.

[00:24:17] Um, I don’t know if it’s specifically overseas, but they would, you know, teach you how to defend yourself in certain situations to empower you a bit more, which was pretty cool. This girl, Tina, um, German. Yeah. Yeah. If you did some of that. But yeah, I mean, I actually, for her too, I mean, she’s an attractive, you know, blonde Western woman that is in Asia.

[00:24:42] I mean, it must be some awkward times for her. I mean, I don’t want to know how off topic to get, but they, there was some other American girls in China, they would call themselves white pandas or like rare pandas because Chinese men would just be, you know, the dream is to get the,Ttere’s so much to this.

[00:25:00] The Western woman, you know, some might is a goal of some, maybe Chinese or Asian men, and there is, some of them can be pretty persistent and they would call themselves white pandas because they, sometimes we go locally, they just speak the language. Chinese and they’d have Chinese men getting upset that they wouldn’t give them their, you know, contact details or something and it would get kind of awkward.

[00:25:23] But, uh, yeah, mean I, yeah, it must be harder for women, I think, anywhere, you know, unfortunately even on social media and putting themselves out there to get some price, some pretty disgusting comments and stuff like that. So I think it is, unfortunately it harder or these guy be thicker skinned as a female, I would say.

[00:25:41] Yeah. Yeah, I guess, and we’re, we’re, neither one of us are experts even talk about the subject. Yeah. That’s good on, but, uh, so, you know, you’ve, um, you’ve interviewed people, you’ve been overseas so long. Do you think there’s some kind of insights about those that either, may I say, make it quote unquote with quotes or survive or stay overseas as expats long, longer term?

[00:26:05] Uh, then those, that might be, can’t take it and go back to their home countries or any insights or trends that you might see. Yeah, absolutely. I definitely observed this and kind of came up with a formula that scientific, that I can’t prove, but it seems like the average female in Nicaragua when I was living there with lasts like two to three years.

[00:26:25] The average male would last like five to six. Uh, the average male would usually go home due to like alcohol and drug abuse, you know, and they just couldn’t handle anymore. Or like, you know, a bipolarism would usually send people home. I had one guy get deported. Um. Females, I think living conditions usually were the, the primary reason for them to go back.

[00:26:46] You know, the crave for comforts, Showering and hard water where they can’t ever really suds up their hair and their hair just feels like, hay, all the time. You know, sleeping in a hot, humid climates where it just, bugs are constantly around. Like everybody, even myself has a breaking point. And I did kind of notice, you know, the, the two to three year for females, five to six for males.

[00:27:08] But that’s not a hard, fast rule. Like, I mean, there’s so many amazing females that have outlasted me, you know, in Nicaragua and will always reside there because it’s just, it’s who they are. It’s what they love and they are thriving there for a while, the reasons they are there. And then same with the males, you know, like.

[00:27:31] But as far as, uh, what keeps people there, there’s usually, um, a drive to do good. So a lot of people that stay really immerse themselves in a community and they’re trying to bring hope and prosperity to the local people who don’t have that much. Or there is a entrepreneurial sort of endeavor that they have really dove into that is actually starting to work and all their hard work over the years because since we are expats and we’re always up against governments, that really

[00:28:04] aren’t in our favor. We have to always be very creative, dynamic, uh, bobbing and weaving in and have a lot of ingenuity as we build our business. So when it does finally start to work, it starts to work really well for a lot of us, and it’s like, okay, now I’m going to start to reap the benefits, you know, that have been here 10, 10 years trying to reap.

[00:28:22] So I see that a lot as well. Okay. And then just like you kind of alluded to earlier, like there’s some who just can’t go back there. So it’s not for legal reasons. I mean, there are some, I have met plenty of them who can’t go back. They’re either avoiding child support for the male side or like tax reasons or, yeah, they, they jumped, they jumped bail or whatever it is, and they can’t go back and, or there’s, at this point they’ve been gone for so long.

[00:28:53] That it’s so socially uncomfortable for them, which you may experience when you come back. I go, always feel it I feel it before too. Yeah. Yeah. It’s called repatriation. I talk a lot about it on my podcast where you know individuals, you know. Especially even like military men. They come back and where they just came from was so different from what the every day average persons experience on the ground in their home country that they just can’t relate to anybody and they walk around just like highly sensitive.

[00:29:25] In a cloud, just like nothing makes sense. Everything’s overstimulating, everything’s moving way too fast usually, and they just instantly like get anxiety and want to go back to where they just were from because it’s like time has passed, like the world has changed and they don’t fit into it anymore in their country of origin.

[00:29:41] Hmm. Okay. Okay. Yeah, I can relate that. I don’t know if I want to name it, but I know some people not paying child support. I know. One male that went back because of a death in the family and went and had to serve time for child support for awhile. That’s pretty hardcore. When he got into the border and a date, I don’t know if he didn’t even know that.

[00:30:02] I think he knew that, but anyway, a, his, his, his son, one of his, I think his father had passed away and he says he had to go back and then he got locked up for awhile. It’s crazy. Yeah, it’s not an uncommon story, especially amongst males. Um, and yeah, who might judged, you know, I do get my . I do get my fair share of trolls and haters for some of the individuals that bring on the show and, you know, misfits and rejects as a positive, uh, vibe.

[00:30:32] Like I’m never trying to pull the skeletons out of people’s closet, so I’m not like an investigative journalist trying to like find out the deep, dark secrets of anybody. But yeah, I mean, you know, some people have them and I definitely get my fair share of emails from angry, loved ones saying that I, I’ve put this person in a positive light when they’re assholes, you know?

[00:30:50] Yeah. I mean, I’ve. I think that’s the, maybe, I don’t want to say risk or one of the, even for me, you know, I’ve had guests on the show. I’ve had people speak at some of my conferences, and then I’ve had comments or, you know, requests from people on the internet. This person is not what they say they are, or this person has done this, or that.

[00:31:08] I mean, I try to listen and read and research. Um, it’s a tricky situation to be in, but yeah, I mean, there are some people that, uh. They won’t admit it to you or me, and they’re maybe hiding, hiding, and there’s a reason they’re here. You know? That’s also one reason I’m scared. Sometimes people will say, Mike Young been back as long as you’re a, or even ask me if I have a reason.

[00:31:30] I’m like, but honestly, I get scared too. I mean, like, you know, there is that nothing has ever happened to me, but you know, you go into that, all those movies, you know, it makes you think of the.

[00:31:43] The Leonardo DiCaprio, the sleeping one, the dream and the dream. How am I blank on the name? I’ve watched it a few times, Inception by Leo, where he’s like, I got to get back to seeing my kids. I got to get back to see my kids. You know, like you had an end. The end is like, you don’t even, I don’t even know.

[00:31:59] And, and if he’s able to enter the U S or not, but the deal with the Japanese business guys, if he does what he has to do, some have some connection to let them come back, you know? So. But yeah, I mean, there is that fear. You know, you’ve been overseas. I remember when I first was overseas and I came back, the US customs are like, why are you over?

[00:32:18] Like, yeah, like I’m like a criminal, you know, like, why are you overseas? What, what, why, you know, like, why, what are you doing? Like in a, in a, in a negative connotation kind of way. Like, I  mean, I’m there for business. I’m trying to actually maybe help America to help American businesses by being overseas.

[00:32:36] You know, like, don’t look at me like some bad person, you know, like, yeah, Oh yeah, I get it 100%. One thing that I’ve done in the past to like help me, uh, alleviate some of the anxiety is that I refuse to drive when I come back to the States. I just ride my bicycle. It keeps things out of pace that I can kind of control and feel comfortable in.

[00:33:00] Uh, just because getting on the roads of Southern California, like LA area, Orange County, it just. It’s just too stimulating. Overwhelming. Especially coming from a small fishing village in Nicaragua where it’s like I never drove. There was never traffic, and then coming back and just being bombarded by the 405 is a, it’s too much.

[00:33:17] Yeah. It’s like going into that, you know, there’s those, I mean, you just kind of. Put fallen on top of all these movies and my, the Fallen Down movie with Michael Douglas, anything. Oh yeah, totally. That’s right. You just made me think of that. And honestly, even it leads into the next question. You know, like getting towards the end of the end of the interview.

[00:33:36] So I think we have a lot more we can talk about, but for today, um, you know, those that are in the rat race that are stuck on the 405 going nine to five wanting to maybe. Pull a fallen down or something, you know? What trends do you see maybe from your listeners, your audience, that break out of that a rat race?

[00:33:55] I’m four Oh five traffic every day. Well, the quickest and easiest way is to just go teach English abroad. Um, the Asian market is hot. There’s a bunch of companies. Most of the people that I meet here who are doing it overseas are using VIP kid. Um, it pays like 20 bucks an hour. The interview process is pretty straightforward and you know, within a matter of two weeks, you can be certified to teach English and literally land anywhere you want in the Asian time zones and be teaching kids at, you know, on, on your own schedule.

[00:34:30] You just put in a schedule every week and kids sign up or they don’t. So it’s not guaranteed money right away. Do you have to build up a bit of a clientele. But I mean, that’s the quickest, fastest, easiest way. If you’re unhappy with your job and you’re making less than 20 bucks an hour and want to go live in a cool place like Thailand, you know, VIP kid is, is the way I’m for other individuals.

[00:34:49] I mean like, just taking, you know, a feather out of your hat. Like there’s, you know, Fulfillment by Amazon. There’s, there’s, um, a lot of opportunity online that no one really thinks about. And all it takes is a quick Google search, reaching out to you. Listening to your podcast and, uh, you can be off and running.

[00:35:11] But I mean, it does, it takes drive a motivation and I mean, a little bit of courage and just, you have to take that first step. No one else is going to take it for you. You’re going to have to quit your job, or you’re going to have to buy that plane ticket. You’re going to have to get on it and then get there and start to do something.

[00:35:28] But, um, you know, once you hear a few more stories, either from my podcast or your podcast, like you start to realize that. It. You don’t have to be a genius. You don’t have to have necessarily any of these skills. It can all be learned on YouTube through listening to your podcast or you know, multiple other ones where it’s like the. Free information.

[00:35:47] Yeah. Yeah. It’s, it’s totally a viable lifestyle for anybody who’s willing to just take that first step. It will take a little time to build it up. Like again, the quickest way to make money right off the bat is teaching. But if you want to build your own business, that’s going to take, you know, three to five years.

[00:36:02] Yeah, I agreed. Agreed. I mean, um, yeah, I mean, we’ve mentioned Diamond Circle, Dan Andrews, I don’t on show, I mean front really for friendly guy and he is, they call it a thousand day rule, I think for building your own company. You know, a few that were basically around three years, two and a half years to really to kind of get traction, um, building it up.

[00:36:22] But, uh, you know, one of my last points I try to tell people is my favorite way to look at life or making a bigger decision is what’s the worst that could happen. You know, what’s the exact worst, like when I quit my job on Wall Street to, uh, to do this sourcing stuff, I didn’t go to China right away. I didn’t even know I live in China, was just going to San Diego at the time.

[00:36:41] But. You know, I remember quick, it was so scary to quit. And then I, uh, I told my manager and then it was separate. Like my manager was a different floor and I worked on a trading floor, so I’ll go straight forward. I started telling people around me that I was quitting. I put in four weeks, a whole month, just actually, it’d be nice, but they’re like, Oh, you know, some of the guys, you know, it’s Wall Street.

[00:37:03] It’s these kind of like frat boy. People, at least when I was there, her has changed a lot, but they’re like, Oh, you’re going to be begging for your job back. And then I started thinking about it. You know what I guess if that’s the worst. Maybe I won’t get my job back, but you know, I probably could get my job back.

[00:37:17] And if that’s the worst that’s going to happen, maybe I lose some money or lose some salary payments. You know, if that’s the worst thing can happen, you know? And then I also think about it like I didn’t do the MBA route a, I did do a bachelor’s, but I didn’t get about my astronaut science. I didn’t get an MBA.

[00:37:32] And, uh, you know, I kind of just chalked it up to, to this is the best way to learn, right? Like an action going out of your comfort zone going out of your home country. I think that’s going to accelerate your learning and your Quote, unquote, fail or lose money. You know, I think, uh, there’s not much I think to lose, but for somebody listening that’s trying to jump off that, that hamster wheel, um, maybe think about what’s the worst thing that happened is maybe, maybe even talk to your old boss, be like, could I maybe do it as a six month sabbatical or something?

[00:38:02] And then see how it goes South like that. So, you know, you can go back if you wanted to. Well, that’s a, yeah. I mean, yeah. I’ve had a bunch of guests say the exact same thing, which I agree with 100% you know, what’s the worst that could happen? You’re going to go back to the same job, or maybe the job is not going to be there, but I guarantee you’ll get another one.

[00:38:19] It’s, it’s not going to be the end of the world. And another one man, for me, like living, I quit Deutsche bank and, uh, in Wall Street and that was in 2007 and just this year, 2019 there was a huge article, friends even send me massive layoffs. I think they closed almost because bank, Bank of Germany’s Deutsche bank, they kind of exited a whole U S market.

[00:38:42] I don’t know exactly the deal, or they sold it to another bank, but there was photos of all these people with their box of their desk leaving the office, you know, on the internet. And I’m like, that could have been me, man. You know? Of course, that’s 12 years ago, but you know. I think we’re much better off now.

[00:39:00] You know, for those that left and, uh, learned how to kind of hustle and make their own living, then, uh, then those was, uh, you know, no disrespect for those people, but, you know, they, they also have that risk that they could get laid off and they got to find another job and they only have one skill or one income source, you know?

[00:39:17] Yeah. Can I ask you a personal question real quick? Are you making more money now than you were when you were at Deutsche bank?

[00:39:25] Uh. Honestly, no. But, uh, I mean, but your cost of living is way lower than where you live than it was in New York. Yeah. I mean, yeah, there’s been times I’ve made more in spurts, you know, it’s not as consistent and, um, but definitely, you know, I think, I can’t. To honestly say, I don’t think that the net net I think probably make a heck of a lot more if I was still there 12 years in, you know, at that I quit while I was making a over six figures.

[00:39:59] So I was like, was insane. Like my dad was almost crying cause you know, just the amount of money that I was walking away from. But uh, but yeah, man, so it’s been great to have you on the show. I definitely recommend people check out, check out your podcast. Of course they can search iTunes or is there a website too or, yup.

[00:40:22] Yup. You can go to misfitsandrejects.com check out the podcast there. All the episodes are, yeah, it’s on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher. Any third party podcast player will have misfits and rejects on there, and I’d be stuck to get a new listener. Yeah, definitely. Man, I hope it helps you out. And, uh. Yeah. More power to you.

[00:40:40] You know, I know how the grind is of podcasting and content creation, so, um, thanks again for sharing and all the best for 2020. Thank you Mike. Much love brother. Ciao. Ciao. Do you need help with your online business? Actually, it’s something new we’re working on. We spun off a directory of sellers that we had at Global From Asia.

[00:41:01] We made AMZassistant.com it’s a brand new website for the new year. Just another project of many that we do here where you can see all different kinds of sellers in Amazon and their ratings and reviews and customers can reach out to them. We’re trying our best to help. The Amazon and the internet.

[00:41:20] Check it out. www.amzassistant.com thanks so much. That was fun, man. Just so many memories. I just remember having no clue what I was getting myself into, but it’s definitely an adventure and it’s still an adventure. I’m saying in my. Amazing on uncle-in-law’s house. Uh, we have this whole like huts of hut not hut, is like a complex of different apartments in his area, so we can stay at different apartment buildings of our, my Chinese family, my wife’s, my inlaws.

[00:41:52] And then you know, it’s ice cold here. I’m in North of Shenyang China, and basically there is a not much to do. I kept them all and we usually go in the basement. There’s this massive underground mall where I’m taking about 10 minute walk from one side to the other. Um, I guess it’s warmer there. It’s true.

[00:42:16] I guess if I was in a freezing cold city. Well, he’s half the year. It’s freezing cold. I would save money on heat and make it underground, but these people just work and live. There is no windows. You don’t know what if it’s day or night. It’s insane. And there’s been to the playground a few times. My kids, and there’s a food courts and there’s a shops and there’s nail salons and all this stuff.

[00:42:40] Just massive complex that people that work underground. So the things you see when you, I think it’s really true. I mean, there’s a huge difference for people that leave their home country and those that don’t. I think the perspective, um, is really different. And especially with my, my kids going to have the most amazing experience in their own life, like allows me be six just in a few months.

[00:43:04] But they’ve been in multiple, the U S China. Thailand so many different cultures, learning about what you know. I was trying to explain to them why there is no Christmas in China. They were like, where’s Christmas? I’m like, well, there’s some kind of like Chinese guy in a suit at a work in a jewelry store, in a mall that we walk by that had, Santa’s clothes on.

[00:43:26] But besides that, I didn’t really see much Christmas either. So it’s just a, it’s just going to be an amazing experience for them. I mean, for me, I remember. When I went to Italy, I, in high school, I had these bright orange Nike shoes and a red Yankees Jersey. And I got laughed at like crazy off the plane in Italy.

[00:43:47] And I thought that was totally normal. But, uh, for them it was these crazy Americans. So I just think dealing a different culture, it’s different people. It definitely could be a, you know, important skill for the future. I think more and more people from around the world. Well, I’m kind of actually second guessing myself with Donald Trump and a president in China and other presidents.

[00:44:08] They don’t really want foreigners in their countries. It seems, it seems like it’s. Not letting us do that anymore. But I still think that governments can’t stop people wanting to travel and people doing business with other kinds of people. White, yellow, black, green, purple, Brown, whatever. You know, we, I think the skill in the future is going to be learning to deal with different cultures and different environments.

[00:44:33] Being flexible and adapting quickly to your environment. So help them prepare my kids soon. I hope you are preparing yourself, you know, listen to this podcast hopefully helps, you know, we try to give perspectives, we try to share and share what’s happening. And, uh, I think I’m going to go to hotpot soon.

[00:44:50] The, uh, the family is waiting. I, uh, been working, keeping things rolling here in Christmas time in China. So. Let’s all have a great new year. We  already got some great guests and re recorded interviews already ready to go for 2020 next week, January 7th we have a great one coming up with more international business for your eCommerce business,  eCommerce growth and so much happening.

[00:45:15] So stay tuned. Thanks for subscribing. We will talk to you soon. Bye. Bye. To get more info about running an international business, please visit our website at www.globalfromasia.com that’s www.globalfromasia.com also, be sure to subscribe to our iTunes feed. Thanks for tuning in.