Dave Cain: Welcome to unsuitable on Rea Radio, the award-winning financial services and business advisory podcast that challenges your old-school business practices and our traditional business suit culture.
Our guests are industry professionals and experts who will challenge you to think beyond the suit and tie, while offering you meaningful modern solutions to help enhance your company’s growth. I’m your host, Dave Cain.
Well, some of us never thought summer would ever arrive, but it’s once again hot. The smell of barbecue, brisket, brats, hamburgers, in the breeze. Baseball season is in full swing. It’s summer.
Text your friends. Go to Bixler Beach, also known as Margaritaville. And, of course, since it’s the first week of July, we’re celebrating America’s Independence Day. This year’s Fourth of July celebration is particularly special for today’s guest, as this will be her very first Independence Day as an American citizen.
Nouiy Kline, a staff accountant at Rea & Associates, came to the U.S. from Thailand in 2008 as a live-in nanny. It wasn’t long before she set out to see what else America had to offer. So she enrolled in an American college, pursued a degree in accounting, made plans to settle down in the States with her husband, also became a CPA. Finally, on Valentine’s Day this year, Nouiy became a United States citizen.
Today on unsuitable, we’re going to talk about the process of becoming a citizen, why Nouiy chose to take that leap, and what employers can do to help their foreign born employees seek out citizenship, and how a diverse workforce and workplace can benefit the business.
Welcome to unsuitable, Nouiy.
Nouiy Kline: Thanks.
Dave: So you ready to roll with a bunch of questions?
Nouiy: Yes, definitely.
Dave: I want to start out a little bit about, we talked about coming to the US as a nanny.
Nouiy: I first came to the U.S. in 200. So I came with a program, which is a live-in nanny. So I matched with a host family who lived in Columbus. I was in the program for about two years, then I went back to Thailand and came back here for school.
Dave: Oh, great. As a nanny, were you changing diapers?
Nouiy: Oh, definitely. That was my job.
Dave: That was your specialty, changing diapers?
Nouiy: Yes, full-time job.
Dave: How old were you when you came to the United States?
Nouiy: I think I was 22 when I came here.
Dave: 22?
Nouiy: Yes.
Dave: When did you start thinking about coming to the U.S.?
Nouiy: I got a college degree in Thailand before I came here. I think when I was a senior in college, one of my friends was coming here with the au pair program. That’s how I knew about the program, and I thought that was a very good idea to get to live here and get to learn the culture, and live with an American family.
Dave: Sure. So you landed in Columbus, Ohio and never left Columbus, Ohio?
Nouiy: That’s correct.
Dave: Did any members of your family also accompany you to the U.S.?
Nouiy: No. I came here by myself.
Dave: Okay. And how many times do you go back to Thailand?
Nouiy: I think I have been back about four or five times, every year and a half or two years.
Dave: How long a flight is that?
Nouiy: Over 24 hours, I would say.
Dave: 24 hours, oh boy.
Nouiy: Yes.
Dave: Okay. All right, well again, this is uncharted territory for me. We talked yesterday, pre-production, about some of the things that you had to do to become a U.S. citizen. We’re gonna talk a little bit about that. One is you’d mentioned to me that there had to be a test, or you had to do some studying to become a U.S. citizen. Let’s talk about that.
Nouiy: Sure, that’s correct. The process is you have to hold a Green Card, which is the permanent resident, for a certain period of time. Then, you can apply for the citizenship, which you will have an interview. Before the interview, they will give you a guidebook, which you have to study about the history, the politics and basic stuff.
Dave: So had to study politics?
Nouiy: Yes.
Dave: As we talked yesterday, what are some of the other things that you had to learn? Did you have to learn the Pledge of Allegiance, or the national anthem? Were those things you had to-
Nouiy: Yes, those is one of the things that I had to learn and it was on the guidebook. For example, who is the president of the United States? What’s the cabinet do? Kind of like that…
Dave: So all the history of how the company is run and the executive offices and things like that.
Nouiy: Yes, that’s right.
Dave: Good. You know, obviously, we know you around the office here as Nouiy and Nouiy Kline, and that’s very easy to pronounce and remember, but you shared with me your formal name. Could you tell us what your formal name is?
Nouiy: Sure, so my formal name is Ampawan, and my maiden name is … In Thailand, so everyone has a nickname, because our formal name very long as you can see. It’s kind like when you slam your elbow on the keyboard. That’s how it’s written.
Dave: Yes.
Nouiy: So I normally go by Nouiy, and Kline is my husband’s name.
Dave: So, good. Now also as you became a U.S. citizen and studied in the States, I understand you became a sports fan. What are some of the professional sports teams that you follow?
Nouiy: So you know I am Buckeye fan, I have to say that.
Dave: Of course.
Nouiy: And Jackets fan, and I’m not sure I am the Browns fan, my husband is.
Dave: Well, you have to be a Browns fan.
Nouiy: Yeah, unfortunately.
Dave: I was just thinking if you played sports in the United States, and of course you have a jersey, and they had to put your name on the back of your jersey. It would be, you know, I’m gonna try to pronounce your last name. We practiced this yesterday… It has 14 letters in that last name. Can you imagine what that would look like on the back of your Blue Jackets’ jersey?
Nouiy: Yeah, it might not be fit.
Dave: It would not, it would go from elbow to elbow.
Nouiy: Right.
Dave: As you were in the United States, what made you decide, “Hey, I wanna become a US citizen.”?
Nouiy: When I started working at Rea, which was a month before the 2016 election, I saw my colleagues voted. I was not able to because I was a permanent resident. I wanted the right to vote, and being a U.S. citizen gives you the right to vote.
Dave: That’s really interesting. We have many citizens who do not vote. And here the compelling reason to become a citizen, one of the reasons, was you wanted to vote.
Nouiy: Yes. I live and work here, so I just wanted a voice.
Dave: Fantastic. You know as you talked about the 2016 election, and obviously there was a bit of controversy around the election and so forth. There was a lot of discussion and there is today about immigration and limiting the amount of individuals who can come to the States to work and become citizens. As you heard that type of discussion, how did that make you feel? What kind of feelings did you have?
Nouiy: I think immigration is a very, very sensitive issue. I think it’s a global issue. It’s not just one country. Other countries might have this issue as well, like Thailand has that also. It involves multiple cultures, so I don’t think there is a one solution to solve these problems.
Dave: Good thoughts, and you know, I look at your career and what you’ve done in a relatively short period of time, ten years. Where you’ve learned the culture, learned the history, became a certified public accountant, which is no easy task-
Nouiy: No, not at all.
Dave: … and are very well employed in our company as an auditor. I think that’s a great story to tell.
Nouiy: Yes, I think being a foreigner doesn’t mean we cannot work like a professional. We just speak in different language. We can prove that we can work just like people do, what people do here.
Dave: Sure. When you came to the United States, could you speak English?
Nouiy: Well, my speaking was very bad. I would have to say that, like when I first came to Columbus, I lived with an American host family. They gave me a free phone, which then they would call me, because they could not understand my accent. So they only texted me, because I could read and write. That was how bad it was.
Dave: So it was probably your accent, a little bit of your accent, but you had to learn … I mean you knew English, or learned English in Thailand, but you had to learn how to really use it on the street so to speak?
Nouiy: Yeah, that’s true because in Thailand we learn English grammars, but we don’t really speak. So speaking is very difficult for us because we speak in a very different language, and different accent.
Dave: Would you mind, if you could for us, say in your foreign language, or your native language, “unsuitable on Rea Radio.”
Nouiy: … Rea Radio.
Dave: Okay, well that’s probably a curve ball you weren’t ready for. We should’ve practiced that yesterday, but that’s okay. That’s okay. We had talked about also why an employer might wanna hire somebody who is not a U.S. citizen, with talent being a challenge for all businesses and all industries. Let’s talk about why an employer might wanna hire somebody who isn’t a U.S. citizen.
Nouiy: Yes, as I mentioned before, that we speak in a different language, we have different culture, and I think the difference creates a better workplace because we get to see things from different perspectives. I think it helps us understand each other better and if we understand each other better, I think we can work better as a team.
Dave: So it’s team-building that you would pursue and recommend that individuals like yourself, a great addition to a workforce.
Nouiy: Yes.
Dave: You talked about learning the U.S. culture. What were a couple of the hardest things to learn?
Nouiy: I think it’s just to understand people, to understand a culture. For example, when we say something in English, it might sound like, “….” I’m not sure if it’s talking, but if we translate back to our language, it’s just like a normal conversation. So to really understand the meaning of the words, what you’re saying, you have to think before you speak. I’ll put it that way.
Dave: So a little bit of a challenge, and I would imagine, sometimes jokes and sarcasm are maybe hard to translate and you probably think, “What in the world is going on here?”
Nouiy: Yes, I mean, actually, when I came here I live with my host family, and my host dad is a very sarcastic person. So I had an English dictionary, and my host mom opened the first word, sarcasm, and explained what it meant to me. She pointed at him, “Yeah, that’s how he is. So, better watch out.”
Dave: So you learned on that?
Nouiy: Yes.
Dave: Have you seen the Statue of Liberty?
Nouiy: I have, sort of…
Dave: Sort of? You must’ve been by it in the dark.
Nouiy: Yes, so, when we came as an au pair, we had a three day orientation in Connecticut. They took us to New York to see the Statue of the Liberty, and it was ten o’clock at night, so I could not really see anything except the darkness of the Statue of the Liberty.
Dave: Sure. You know, you had mentioned that certainly you’re a sports fan, which I would imagine in Thailand what’s the sport of choice? Is it soccer?
Nouiy: Yeah, soccer is the biggest one.
Dave: Did you play soccer in school?
Nouiy: Actually, yes I did. When I was in junior high, everyone had to play soccer. It was not a choice.
Dave: So you had to?
Nouiy: I was a goalie-
Dave: You were a goalie?
Nouiy: Yes, and one of my friends kicked the ball and hit right on my face.
Dave: Uh-oh, that was the end of that. Is Thailand in the World Cup this year?
Nouiy: I don’t think so, we still not that great.
Dave: Not that great, still have to work at that?
Nouiy: Yes.
Dave: As you, again, we’ve talked about culture we go different directions, but what about music? Do you listen to a lot of U.S. musicians?
Nouiy: I mean, actually, yes. Background, my husband used to be in a rock band.
Dave: Oh, okay.
Nouiy: So, I am a rock and roll fan.
Dave: You’re a rocker? A rock and roller?
Nouiy: Yes.
Dave: Yeah.
Nouiy: I love classic rock, so that’s my favorite.
Dave: What’s your favorite band?
Nouiy: Led Zeppelin.
Dave: Led Zeppelin, okay. “When the Levee Breaks”, or, yeah, you got it. Wow, okay, I would’ve not thought that. That’s good, all right. We talked, I wanna go back to a little bit about the sports, and you mentioned you were a football fan, and a Buckeyes fan, and a Cleveland Browns fan, which is the NFL. Of course, the news there has been over the last year, where a lot of the players wanna kneel during the national anthem, et cetera. When you see that, how does that make you feel? What do you think when you see that?
Nouiy: I could say that I … They have some frustration, and I understand that. Some people express it in a different way, and in the U.S., we know is a freedom country, we have the right to do that. I don’t know what is right or wrong.
Dave: So you’re okay with that? Could athletes get away with doing that in Thailand?
Nouiy: Well, no one has done before, so I’m not sure.
Dave: Not sure, better not try it.
Nouiy: Yeah, I mean you can go to Thailand and try to do that.
Dave: No, if I do I’m gonna respect all of the rules and cultures. Have you been able to travel around the United States?
Nouiy: Yes. I have been to California, Michigan, Florida, New York, Connecticut, South Carolina.
Dave: Wow, you’re going all out.
Nouiy: Yeah, I mean I love traveling.
Dave: How long was it, from the time you entered the U.S. as a nanny, that you got your driver’s license?
Nouiy: Actually, I got it the first month when I came.
Dave: The first month?
Nouiy: Yeah, so the first day when I arrive in Columbus and my host family pointed, “That’s the car you’re gonna drive.” They took me and practiced driving. Luckily, I passed the driving test on the first try.
Dave: Did you have a driver’s license in Thailand?
Nouiy: No.
Dave: No? Okay. Remind me not to park next to you, okay? That would be okay. I wanna go back to about what an employer can do to help the employee secure U.S. citizenship.
Nouiy: Sure, if the employer really decides, the employee’s to become a U.S. citizen, the company’s human resources could possibly help guide an employee through the proper process of becoming a U.S. citizen. Also, the company could possibly sponsor an employee to get a work visa, and then the employee can decide if they want to become a U.S. citizen or not.
Dave: So I wanna go back to, again, there are many reasons, and I think this is worth repeating, there are many reasons to become an American citizen, but at the top of your list is you wanted to vote. You wanted a voice. That just hits me just right. I think that’s pretty cool. The second thing that you talked about, that employers can help foreign employees secure citizenship. It’s not a necessity, but it’s a good thing.
Nouiy: Yes.
Dave: The last thing we wanna talk about in the few minutes we have left is a diverse workplace is a better workplace. That’s one of the things that we talked about very briefly yesterday before the production. Let’s talk about that. You have the thought that a diverse workplace is really the way to go.
Nouiy: Yeah, so you know the way I think is, even though a workplace has 100% Americans, but everyone is still different anyway. So we might come from a different background. We might have a different legal status. I think it’s not easy to understand each other. If we have diverse people in the workplace, we get to learn each other, and I think that it builds a better workplace.
Dave: So it’s a stronger workforce?
Nouiy: Yes.
Dave: Good, good. We’d mentioned that you spend primarily a lot of your time auditing, in the audit field, the insurance, but you’ve also dipped your toes into tax preparation and tax consulting. Did you find the IRS code daunting? I’ll answer that for you. I’ve been doing it for 40 years, it is daunting. You’ve been doing it for five years as far as being in the CPA profession.
Nouiy: Yeah, I mean it changes every year. I still feel like tax is a field that I just never understand. It’s very difficult. Since I’m a CPA, so now I understand taxes a lot more than my husband who is an American.
Dave: Oh, yeah, he’s a musician. That’s what he’s doing. Is he still playing in a band?
Nouiy: No, he quit several years ago. He’s an IT.
Dave: Oh, an IT?
Nouiy: He just played that for fun.
Dave: We gotta end the podcast, but I think it’s pretty incredible that you’ve been in the United States ten years, have accomplished so much, and you passed the CPA exam very quickly. There are folks that have been in the accounting profession and taken that exam for years and years and years and can’t get it passed. You made it a priority and you got it passed.
Nouiy: Thank you.
Dave: That’s wonderful.
Thanks again for joining us on unsuitable today, Nouiy. Really think it’s a great way to celebrate America, and the opportunities that are available to those that are looking to work in the U.S. or seek out citizenship.
Listeners, if you have questions about the process, you can email us at podcast@reacpa.com, and we will put you in touch with Nouiy.
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know. Like it, leave us a comment, and share it with your friends and colleagues. Until next time, I’m Dave Cain, encouraging you to loosen up your tie and think outside the box. U-S-A.
Disclaimer: The views expressed on unsuitable on Rea Radio are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rea & Associates. The podcast is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace the professional advice you would receive elsewhere. Consult with a trusted advisor about your unique situation, so they can expertly guide you to the best solution for your specific circumstance.