Biwen Su

For the first time, I subscribed to a bunch of paid podcasts — Bloomberg, NYT, Planet Money, and some Chinese ones. Living on a small, remote island in Alaska, listening to podcasts has become my main way to access information.

When I lived in New York, I didn’t necessarily pay anything for information: my landlord would fill me in on the latest Airbnb news and real estate regulations; my employer would keep me current on AI progress by assigning me new tasks; my friends would invite me to events with the coolest things happening at the moment.

When I lived in NY, I never thought about these benefits. My friend from Austria said she loves NY because there’s no Tall Poppy Syndrome there — a thing that exists in small towns, where people laugh at your ambitions and grand visions.

When I did a work exchange on the Big Island, Hawaii, there was one season of my life when I was on a ranch, hanging out with other volunteers. One time we were heading to a beach, driving an hour to Kona, and they asked me why I post on social media. I half-jokingly said, “I want to be famous,” and I immediately felt judged. It felt like I shouldn’t have any ambition, because they didn’t have any.

Back on the small island, I felt like there must be a syndrome — a FOMO of missing out on the latest news — because information, for me, is so important. Every decision I make is based on information.

In the past nine months, I’ve traveled to all the islands of Hawaii, spending a lot of time with different people. There were frustrating moments where I wondered why people can be so different. There were also a lot of moments when I met people who aligned with me — we had so much in common, and such natural chemistry, that we became good friends instantly. Thank you to those friends who make me feel like I’m never alone, and who make me feel like I never need to change myself to fit in with people who judge me for my big visions.

In this city, everyone is a big dreamer; wanting to be famous isn’t a shameful thing, and it rewards hustlers.

My take is: You’re not a tree, you can always move. You don’t have to vibe with everyone — find your tribe, and just be yourself.