I started off by preparing my main objectives for the interview which mainly addressed what I wanted to ‘get’ out of the interview. These were as follows:
1. Learn about the differences and similarities in someone else’s culture compared to mine.
2. Converse thoroughly and learn about the underlying reason as to why they chose the US.
3. Learn about they handled the transitioning process during their first few months in the US
4. Find out what their perspectives about the US were before coming here and how and why they changed (If they did, that is.).
Next I prepared the questions I wanted to ask my interviewee and narrowed them down into more specific ones with the help of my classmates and came up with the final 14 questions for the interview. The next step was to find an interviewee, which was the most crucial step of all. I walked around the Atwood Memorial Center and found some of my friends doing Kiosk and they introduced me to my interviewee, who was from Malaysia, and after getting to talking for a bit she agreed to do it. I then briefed her on the types of questions I will be asking so she had time to come up with better answers. Afterwards, we set up our interview for the 26th of February, which, since it was a Saturday, was convenient for both of us
We met at the Brickyard in the basement of the Atwood Memorial Center for out interview which was a silent, calm, yet public place. The main reason I picked this location was because the environment was suited for an interview (mainly, quiet so there won’t be any unnecessary noise in the recording), and open so that my interviewee will feel safe and free.
As a token of gratitude, I brought her a beverage and a bag of chips to show that I really appreciated her giving up her time for this. At the beginning of the interview I gave her the list of questions I will be asking her so that everything went smoothly. We started off with a little small talk and smoothly transitioned to the questions. Since this was my first time interviewing someone I was a little nervous at first but it all went away as we got to talking. Halfway through she really opened up and I sensed that she was comfortable. I got almost all the answers I wanted and managed to clear out the doubts I had during the extra couple of minutes I had towards the end. I was planning for the interview to be at least 30 minutes but we got through the questions in like 20 minutes. During the calming down phase I asked a few more questions based on my original questions and this was when I got even clearer answers. I wrapped up the interviewing by thanking her again for devoting her time and escorted her back upstairs.
Begin Clip:
Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres (127,350 sq mi). It is separated by the South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo (also known as West and East Malaysia respectively). Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Peninsular Malaysia is connected to Singapore via a causeway and a bridge. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population as of 2010 stood at over 28.25 million.
End clip.
Information paraphrased from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia” accessed on February 27, 2011.
The most commonly used language in Malaysia is Bahasa Malaysia, also known as Malay, along with Tamil, Chinese, Iban, and English; which is also widely used. Malaysia has five main religions, namely Muslim, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, and Hindu along with a few others. Some popular sports playedin Malaysia are, football, squash, bowling, badminton, and field hockey.
Information retrieved from “http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/asia-oceania/malaysia”
and “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Malaysia” accessed on February 27, 2011.
Begin Clip:
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's history were marred by a Communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the Federation in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to expansion in manufacturing, services, and tourism.
End clip.
Information paraphrased from “https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/my.html” accessed on February 27, 2011.
Interview Transcript
Interview Transcript
Interviewee: Gladys Ng
Interviewer: Vidura Wickramasinghe
Date: 02/26/2011
Time- 11pm
Location: Brickyard- Atwood
VW: Hi, how are you today?
GN: I’m good!
VW: Do you mind being recorded? It’s a requirement for my class.
GN: Oh no it’s okay.
VW: Ok thanks! And thank you again for taking time out of your schedule for doing this I really appreciate it!
GN: Oh! You’re welcome!
VW: Kay let’s see.. To get started can you tell what your name and major is?
GN: My names Gladys, Gladys Ng and I’m studying Bio-chem here.
VW: Ok.. Umm, how long have you been here?
GN: Like two years now.
VW: Oh ok so you’re a sophomore now?
GN: Yes.
VW: Do you live on campus?
GN: No. I live in southeast. My first semester here I stayed on campus but I wanted my own room and like, more privacy so I have a apartment now.
VW: I know what you mean. So you have been in the US for two years?
GN:Yes.
VW: Do you miss home?
GN: Yes, a lot! I want to go for a visit this summer.
VW: What do you miss the most?
Gn: Oh, my family, the food and all that!
VW: Don’t we all! Hmm lets dig into the questions here. What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the U.S.? Like did you experience culture shock?
GN: Ummm, I found the independence a little bit frightening because I used to live with my parents back in Malaysia. Like back there I got allowance every week but now I have to work for it and earn it. And I also really started to miss the food back home!
VW: Ok so you have a job here now?
GN: Yes.
VW: That’s good! And why did you chose St cloud state to continue your education instead of studying in Malaysia?
GN: I think it was the educational opportunities. They were much better here. And my parents really wanted me to study here and get a good degree.
VW: I see. What are your plans after you graduate?
GN: I’m going to go back and get a job.. hopefully! (chuckles).
VW: Is it easy to find jobs there?
GN: Depends on what kind of job. But with a degree from a American school you can easily get a good job there.
VW: Mhmm, okay. And since we talked about food already can I ask you your opinion of the American diet?
GN: I think it’s good. But I prefer Malaysian food because they have more spices and stuff. It tastes very rich! I also like Chinese food! And there we have more variety of food!
VW: I know, I really miss food from home too! And since we are on the subject, can I ask about some other cultural differences between your country and here?
GN: Ummm… The languages (?), and I also find the focus on individuality here different from my country. Back there people are more like collectivists.
VW: Mhmm, and do you mind me asking you who takes care of the finances in your family?
GN: My father.
VW: Oh okay, what does your mother do?
GN: She’s a housewife.
VW: I see. Moving on, have you had any personal experiences with racism since coming to the US?
GN: Not really. But Americans tend to stereotype and generalize a lot. Like many people have just assumed that I am Chinese just from the way I look. Stuff like that.
VW: Okay.. And what were your preconceptions about the US before coming here and how have they changed?
GN: Umm, before I came here America seemed very liberal but I now I think they’re very conservative
VW: Aha, I like your answer, and why did you choose America to continue your education?
GN: Mainly because.. my parents wanted me 2 come here and also, when I came here the economy seemed very promising. I was planning on getting a job here for a while.
VW: I see, and have your plans changed?
GN: Yes, because of the recession and all that. There’s fewer job opportunities now. And I really want to go back to Malaysia at least for a year. And then maybe come back and do my masters.
VW: oh okay. And how many languages do you speak?
GN: Umm, three.
VW: And mind I asking what they are?
GN: Oh they are Mandarin, English, and the local language Singlish.
VW: Okay, and since we’re on the subject, have you lost proficiency in speaking, writing or reading in your native language since coming to the US?
GN: Nope. There’s a lotta mandarin, and Singlish speaking people I know here.
VW: Oh I see. We’re apploaching the end of the interview here. Before we wrap things up I wanted to ask you, have you been to any other countries other than America?
GN: Yes, Hong Kong, Australian Singapore. And of course Malaysia (chuckles).
VW: Nice. Okay, that’s all the questions I have for you Gladys, do you have any questions for me?
GN: No not really..
VW: Okay well thanks again for coming I really enjoyed this!
GN: Me too!
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