Preparations Report
I started my preparations by carefully listing out my main objectives for the interview which addressed what I ultimately wanted to get out of the interview. Knowing this, I was able to move onto 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 7 core questions and 7 questions of my own.
The next step was to find an interviewee, which was the most crucial step of all. My second interviewee was from Malaysia too, who was introduced to me by one of my classmates. Knowing that he was from Malaysia, I asked him if he had any friends who would be interested in being interviewed and he introduced me to one of his friends after class, and she was willing to be my interviewee. We talked and got to know each other a bit. Karthiga, my interviewee was from Malaysia but had lived in the US for 8 years now and she studies anthropology at SCSU. I briefed her on the types of questions I will be asking so she will feel more relaxed during the interview and had time to come up with better answers. After moving some things around in my schedule, we then set up our interview for the 18th of March at 3pm which was the only day she said she was free that week.
We met at the Sherburne Hall lounge and I brought along a bottle of pop and a bag of chips as a token of gratitude. I thanked her for letting me interview her and asked her if it was alright if I recorded the interview and after a little hesitation she said its okay. I pulled out my mp3 player and started recording and asked her again if it was okay that I recorded the interview and she said yes. Once we were done with the interview I thanked her again for devoting her time for this.
Interview Report
I started my interview with my main 4 objectives in mind. They are 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).
As for my first objective, I managed to learn a lot about the similarities between my culture and hers. We came to realize that Malaysia and Sri Lanka has many of the same religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Christian, and Muslim, and most of the food we have are similar. We celebrate some of the same festivals such as Thai Pongal, which is celebrated by the Tamil population.
I managed to get a clear answer to my second objective. She said her dad got a good job opportunity here and therefore her family had to move here with him, and that it wasn’t a choice for her.
Looking at my third objective, I understood that she didn’t feel the effects of culture shock as much as another international student would given that she came here with her whole family.
I managed to get extremely good answers to my fourth objective. I found out a lot about what the outlook of Malaysians about America is, and how Hollywood movies majorly influence this outlook. I learned a lot about her perspectives about the US before coming here and why some of them changed, mainly due to political reasons. She was very open-minded and therefore had no problem in telling me what they were and why they changed.
All in all I think this interview went really well. I managed to get good, clear answers for my questions and unlike last time, I didn’t get done with them until it was around 35 minutes on my recorder. My four objectives were also met at a satisfactory level and I learned that having inputs from more people from a culture makes you understand it much better than just from one person.
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 transcription
Interviewee: Karthiga Devi Veeramani
Interviewer: Vidura Wickramasinghe
Date: 03/18/2011
Time- 3pm
Location: Sherburne Hall Lounge
VW: Okay, let’s get started. Again, you don’t mind being recorded do you? Just for the record its only my professor and I that will be hearing this.
KV: Oh no it’s fine.
VW: Thanks. So you’re from Malaysia, correct?
KV: Yes, originally. But I spent most of my life here. 8 years actually.
VW: I see. Does your family live here?
KV: Yup, we had to move here because my dad got a job here.
VW: Do you miss home?
KV: Oh totally. Mainly my family. I had some close relatives. And of course the food!
VW: Haha. I know, I really miss the food too!
KV: Yeah, but we go there like every year so it’s all good.
VW: Aha.. How about when you first came here?. Did you experience culture shock?
KV: Well I was only 11 when I came here and from what I have seen in the movies back then I had always dreamed about coming to America. Culture shock didn't really happen. I was nostalgic about home, but that was it. St.Cloud culture was nothing too out of the ordinary. Other than the new educational system that I had to get comfortable with, I was not overwhelmed by the culture here.
VW: Okay… So would you say your transition was smooth?
KV: Yes, absolutely!
VW: That’s good.. So why did you chose St. Cloud State to continue your education?
KV: Well like I said before it wasn’t really a choice for me. My dad got a job here in St. Cloud and I have been here since. I went to the Tech High School and since St. Cloud State was convenient and they had the field I wanted to study, I didn’t see a reason why I shouldn’t.
VW: I see.. And if you had an option of choosing an university yourself, would you still have chosen St. Cloud State?
KV: Ummm.. I’m not sure. I always wanted to study in Chicago, which Is probably what I would have done if I had a choice. But St. Cloud has been an amazing experience and I’ve met a lotta nice people.
VW: Hmm moving on, how do you find the food here?.. What is your opinion on the American diet?
KV: To be honest, I find it very unhealthy and flavorless. Malaysia was like food paradise to me! It still is..
VW: Haha I will have to kinda agree with you on that too. I really missed the Sri Lankan homemade food when I first came here. I think that was the hardest part of culture shock for me! (chuckles). Moving on, what are some cultural differences between your country and here?
KV: I am from a multilingual country, and naturally not intimidated by diversity.
VW: Would you care to elaborate on that a little more?.
KV:. Well.. I am accustomed to customizing novel cultural practices into my own culture, as are my fellow Malaysians. Some Americans seem to romanticize or view foreigners as exotic, which I found very odd. I am from a culture where one religion does not dominate the entire system, unlike the Christian U.S.
VW: Thank you, moving onto my next question, do you mind me asking who takes care of the finances in your family?
KV: Oh not at all. It’s my father. Yes, I do live in a patriarch.
VW: Haha! Well would you say that’s bad?
KV: Ummm, not really, but I think it would be nice to be independent, and be able to afford for yourself.
VW: Yes, true! Hmm have you had any personal experiences with racism since coming to the US?
KV: Ha! Being told to go back to your own country, to having to hear racist jokes about how I won’t be enslaved by Obama unlike white people, while Obama ran for presidency, and the list goes on! Back in Malaysia people wouldn’t even know what racism is. I think Americans make way too big of a deal out of the whole thing.
VW: Okay, while we’re on the subject, what were your preconceptions about the US before coming here and how have they changed?
KV: Umm… I used to think America was just paradise when I was a kid but now, to put it simply it’s not a very good one, thanks to George W Bush. But Obama has redeemed America's name in the world stage. US. used to be the center and the rest of us in the periphery. Now times are a changing and American arrogance is died down quite a bit.
VW: Oh I totally agree! Anyways, moving on, may I ask how many languages do you speak?
KV: well, I am fluent in Tamil and English and I speak broken Malay.
VW: I see.. And what are your plans after you graduate?
KV: Study more! I wanna do my masters, and hopefully get out of here. (chuckles)
VW: Sounds good! Oh and what is the most challenging thing about living in America?
KV: The winters!!! And the food that makes you fat!
VW: Haha the winters sure are challenging! Umm moving onto my next question, have you lost proficiency in speaking, writing or reading in your native language since coming to the US?
VW: Haha the winters sure are challenging! Umm moving onto my next question, have you lost proficiency in speaking, writing or reading in your native language since coming to the US?
KV: No, my parents have made sure I have the good command of my mother tongue, and I have proudly maintained the practice of my language, culture, and traditions.
VW: That’s good! And… I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to this question but what do you miss the most about home?
VW: That’s good! And… I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to this question but what do you miss the most about home?
KV: What don't I miss?? Food, people, festivals, not having to go to school during festivals, the temples, the transportation, the independence, the hot, tropical sun, the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, the lack of preservatives in everything I touch, and the list goes on!
VW: You just made me miss home a little more! (chuckles). Hmm have you been to any other countries other than America?
KV: Yes, India, Singapore, Malaysia. Hong Kong, and China.
VW: Nice, you seem to travel a lot!
KV: Yes, well I have family in both India and Malaysia and we go visit them every year. Oh and we lived in Singapore for a while before coming here. Again, because my dad got a job there! (chuckles).
VW: I see! Well, that’s all the questions I have for you, do you have any questions or comments for me?
KV: Umm nah not really.
VW: Okay, well thanks a lot for letting me interview you! I managed to learn a lot from this interview!
KV: Sure thing, and good luck with your class project!
VW: Thank you!
No comments:
Post a Comment