April 22- 2026

 

Hello,

 long time no email, recently we went to Las Vegas for our vacation after the winter semester at BYUI. The drive was super long, like 9 hours total. When we arrived in Las Vegas, there were so many buildings and casinos, and I was shocked by how different it was from Idaho. Idaho is very quiet and peaceful compared to Las Vegas, where there are so many people and crazy things happening. I got to experience the true American experience because there were a variety of races, like White, African American, Mexicans, Filipinos, and Chinese, and it was a very diverse culture. Though Las Vegas smelled very bad and could make me nauseous. 

I was able to experience my first concert with one of my favorite artists, Bruno Mars. I'm truly grateful to be able to experience this because most people don't have the chance to see these kinds of things, like a concert. Bruno Mars invited 2 artists which were famous to introduce for his concert, and they made it fun while waiting for Bruno. Seeing Bruno live is a dream come true for me, and I hope to be able to be in the front row next time, hahaha. 

After the Bruno Mars concert, we were walking home, and it was super crowded because many people were exiting the stadium. We tried to find a shortcut on our way home, but ended up being lost on the highway with no sidewalk. I'm surprised by how Las Vegas isn't walkable because you can see a building that looks very near to you, but you have to take so many skywalks and bridges just to get to the other side of the road. After being lost at midnight, we ended up getting an Uber because we were all very tired. Eventually, we got home around 1 am and got knocked out.

Second day of Vegas, we explored the Las Vegas strip, where we were able to see many casinos, crazy street performers, and more. We got to eat some Filipino cuisine as well, which was refreshing to have. It was nice being able to spend a bit of my savings, but now I am sad again because my money from work is all gone for this vacation, hahaha. It was interesting to see so many Filipinos in an area that it really just felt like the Philippines, haha.

After this Las Vegas trip, it made me realize that America is similar to the Philippines, but the only difference is that America is first-world, while the Philippines isn't. I hope that one day the Filipinos will open their eyes to the government and to choose wisely because the Philippines could be so much more. A quote I heard is that the Philippines is rich but led by fools. If only our government had the drive to improve the lifestyle of Filipinos, there wouldn't be many OFW's. 

This trip made me realize how blessed I am. Now we are back in Idaho, and the semester started again, and there are already 26 assignments for the 1st week, and ganahan nako mu hilak ahaha joke. Hope you guys are doing well and stay safe!

Love,
Zach Sy 

Week 6-12

 

Over the past weeks, it has been pretty busy with assignments. Every day is just a repetition, and I just want the weekend to come. Recently, I have been locking myself in the room and avoiding any social interactions because sometimes it gets too tiring to talk with people. I think that this is my bright spot throughout the weeks because I was just burning myself out through repetition each day.

Chatting with friends across the country is a bright spot in my day because I am easily able to connect with them since we already have similar humor and things that I can relate to. Lately I've been playing with Richard, and every time school is over, I go home to play with him some games and just call with each other. Maybe it was the perfect time that we started playing together again because I am able to do fun things rather than scrolling through my phone all day. We share tips and advice with others, such as proper meal planning and gym tips. He is also studying abroad in London, and we have similar experiences when it comes to living alone as international students. Being able to bond with my friends across the country helped me not feel the repetition and burned‑out feeling, because at the end of the day, I'm expecting a nice conversation with friends.

Finding the right people here in college is difficult since there are a variety of people with certain interests that do not align with mine. I was invited to attend a bonfire, which was like a socializing event, which was kind of fun to be in, but I just did not fit in with the group of people. It was like a socializing kind of event where you talk to random people, and I feel like that is not for me since I prefer to be quiet. After that, experiencing a bonfire with more people, I decided that I would not attend another one because I didn't like it.

Right now, with school, it is almost the final stages, and I am learning how to render a house. Right now, I've been trying to perfect my render and make sure everything looks good. Though it is kind of tiring because I have to look at the screen for long hours, and there are days when I overwork myself, forget to drink water, and end up having headaches.
While having these problems, I still try to maintain a healthy body by going to the gym and trying to eat some vegetables, hahaha. Picking vegetables is difficult because there are so many kinds of vegetables that I get overwhelmed and end up not buying any. Taking care of my body has been the most important aspect of surviving college life. If I do not take care of my body, I feel like my performance will be lower and not as good.

Overall, there are days when I don't want to get out of bed and just sleep because it's tiring, but at the end of the day, I came here to learn and excel, and so I have to pull myself through that. My days get better whenever I can call you, mom, and dad, or any of my friends back in the Philippines. It is such a joy whenever I call you guys and still feel the warmth and love as if I were still living there. I miss seeing the daily interactions with you, mom, dad, tofu, and dearest ama. Finding time to fit in with my friends is difficult because of the time zone difference and the fact that they also have college, which makes it difficult. Though I try to make sure to interact with them so that the bond is still there. Sometimes I just want to go home and eat the food that you provide to me, like humba,ginaling monggos, hahaha, but this international student life has taught me valuable lessons to be able to fend for myself and go out of the comfort zone that I was in when living in the Philippines. I appreciate that you still make time to accept my calls and have a daily chat and updates on your lives.


 Take care always and don't forget to bring tofu out of the house because he looks sad and needs more interaction rather than sleeping, haha

<3 Zach 

Weeks 2-5

 

It's been a long time since I have written a mail since it has been busy in school. Weeks 2-5 were pretty stressful weeks, learning how to manage my time, learning how to socialize, plan, and organize schedules. But throughout the weeks, I have been able to get through college life, and it will only get harder. My major has been pretty difficult since I'm learning all the different kinds of wood types and still learning the measurements here in America, hahaha, so confusing.


I have been able to join a community of volleyball players in the gym. People here don't judge you in sports for not being good; it's all about fellowship and meeting new people. If you do something wrong in the sport, they will uplift you and say it's all good. Everything is a learning process, and I am enjoying it so far, learning how to adult. There are days I wish I could go back to the Philippines because it is an easier life, but the people around me have made it worthwhile. I enjoy the company of my roommates and how easy it was for them to accept me and become my friends.

One thing I learned throughout the weeks is how you should live your life how you want to. It may be scary to think about what others think, but I learned about Free will. Nobody will remember what you did, so spend your life how you want it without the fear of judgment. Compared to here to Philippines, I could feel that I cared about what I did because I was scared of judgment, but here in America People don't make it a big thing about what you did. So I try to spend each day trying to build a reputation, meeting new people, since it is like creating a new identity. 

Life has been fast here. I feel like life in America is fast-paced compared to the Philippines. Things are faster here; people are in a rush daily, while in the Philippines, you take life slowly and try to enjoy it. I'm trying to bring that slow pace to my life here in America so that I don't feel pressured.

I hope that the weeks get better from here on forward. Miss u mom & dad <3 and my baby tofu

-Zachy boi ٩(＾◡＾)۶

First week of BYUI!!!!!

 

The first week of BYUI was interesting because almost all my roommates are friendly and older than me. There is this one guy who is very talkative and sometimes makes me run out of social battery, but I would say that he’s still fun to talk to. Honestly, it’s better than having no one to talk to.

My first experience at school was nerve-wracking because I was part of the minority, meaning there were mostly Americans rather than Asians. However, they all seemed to be pretty kind to me. My first class was BIM (Building Information Modeling). In this class, we are tasked with picking a project for any house we’re interested in, and throughout the semester, we will be designing it using an app called Revit. Going into class, I was surprised because my teacher was walking behind me and already knew my name. He said, “I’m just walking behind here over Zach,” which caught me off guard.

After class, I went to work, which made me nervous since it was my first time on the job. Even though there were a lot of people, my boss and coworkers helped me overcome my nervousness, and I was able to get through the day. As the week went on, I got pretty good at the job and didn’t need to ask my boss for help anymore when taking deposits from students. There were still times when students asked questions I didn’t know how to answer, so I asked for help, and my boss was always willing to help me out.

After work, I had a long class from 4–7 PM, which was my framing systems class. I was shocked when I first walked into the room because the workshop was huge and had so many tools, some of which were pretty dangerous, like saw machines. I picked a spot and sat at a table, and someone else sat with me. His name was Cooper, and he was around the same age as me. We talked about where we came from, and he told me he worked for a marine biology company and had been to Indonesia. I told him that I lived in the Philippines, and luckily, we ended up becoming groupmates for basically the whole semester with two other people. In this class, we were tasked with making a scaled house out of wood. I was scared because I didn’t know anything about construction, but one of my teammates had seven years of experience, so he taught me a lot. I asked questions and tips about why he did certain things while we worked on the group project.

The next day, I had English class, and I immediately didn’t like the teacher, so I decided to leave the class and switch to another one. I changed my English class to math because I didn’t like how the English teacher taught and how slow he was with technology. His teaching style felt old school and made me sleepy.

My framing systems teacher, Lopez Sal, taught us something important in class: FAIL—First Attempt In Learning. I really loved the way he taught because he genuinely cared about his students.

One thing I noticed about most of the teachers at BYUI is that they really want you to succeed. Unlike some colleges where there are “terror” teachers, this school focuses on student success. Even if you’re falling behind, the college provides many ways to help you improve, such as support centers and free tutoring.

Overall, my first experience at BYUI has been fun. I feel lucky to be here because most of the people I’ve met so far have been kind, and my roommates are chill and feel like older brothers. They aren’t shy to talk and can easily connect with you through shared hobbies.

Yours truly, 
Zach Sy

Dry Run ! Chilly But Warm Entry

 

                              Today I’m leaving Saratoga Springs, where I’ve been staying with my elder brothers for the past 2 weeks, to begin my journey at BYU Idaho. It’s about a 4-hour drive, and later I’ll be touring the campus, my apartment, and my classrooms with my elder sister. I’ve also started working as a cashier on campus, which is a great way to meet new people and get settled into college life. Excited for this new chapter ahead!         

                                                                                 

 

January 07-2026

January 8, 2026

Free Jacket (Freshman Benefit)

Attending church at 12 noon