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. I met my third interviewee through my last interviewee, Karthiga. I asked her if she knew anyone else who might be interested and she introduced me to her friend, Mohamed Hazwan. He was a Malaysian as well and he has been in the US for two years now. We conversed through e-mail and I sent him a copy of the list of questions I was going to be asking him during the interview so that it went smoothly and he had time to come up with better answers. After moving some things around in my schedule, we then set up our interview for the 31st of March at 2pm which was a convenient time for the both of us.
We met at the Atwood Brickyard and I brought with me a bottle of pop and a bag of chips as usual as a token of gratitude, and to show that he devoting his time for this was much appreciated. I thanked him for letting me interview him and asked him if it was alright if I recorded the interview process and he didn’t seem to mind it at all. I started recording and asked him again if it was okay that I recorded the interview so I had verbal proof if any discrepancies regarding the interview was to occur and he said yes. Once we were done with the questions I thanked him again for devoting his time for this and concluded the interview.
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 fair amount about the similarities between my culture and his. We came to realize that both cultures highly value traditional practices such as festivals. In addition, I learned that both the societies have similar preconceptions and perspectives about the US.
I also managed to get a clear answer to my second objective. Given his preconceptions about the US and the better opportunities here, he had always wanted to come here for higher education and since two of his siblings are already here, his parents had also wanted him to.
I couldn’t get precise answers for my third objective but I did manage to find out that many students coming from the same or bordering countries seem to experience some of the same effects of culture shock, such as adapting to the Minnesotan weather.
Like last time, I managed to get really good answers for my fourth objective. Hazwan agreed with what my second interviewee said; that Hollywood movies do majorly influence their outlook on the US. He was very open-minded and comfortable in telling me what they were and why they changed.
To sum up I think this interview went very well and I managed to get good, clear answers for most of my questions and my four objectives were also met at a satisfactory level and I managed to put together the inputs from all three of my interviewees and get a much broader perspective about their culture.
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: Mohamed Hazwan
Interviewer: Vidura Wickramasinghe
Date: 03/31/2011
Time- 2pm
Location: Atwood Memorial Center- Brickyard
VW: You are sure you don’t mind being recorded right?
MH: oh yeah dude its no problem.
VW: Okay sound good! So how do you know Karthiga?
MH: Ok we take a dance class together that’s where I met her.
VW: Ah I see. Have you known her long?
MH: Yup! Almost a year I think.
VW: How long have you been in the US now?
MH: Two years now man.
VW: Oh cool. How do you like it so far?
MH: Its been good.. Would’ve been a little better if it wasn’t for the winters you know!
VW: Haha totally.. at least we’re getting to the end of it now!
MH: I know, thank god! I was actually excited to see snow before getting here, but once I learnt the perils of walking in snow, wasn't such a big fan anymore! (chuckles) I never used to check the weather back home!
VW: I know, me neither! And besides the weather, what was the hardest thing about transitioning to the US?
MH: Uhh.. The educational system was different, wasn't hard to get used to though, but was just so novel.
VW: Oh me too.. and why did you decide to come to SCSU instead of studying or working in your own country?
MH: For better opportunities, and my siblings are here too. I wanted to go somewhere new for my higher studies, and America seemed perfect you know.
VW: Would you care to elaborate on that a bit?
MH: Well the education system is good here and a degree from an American university gets more recognition all around the world.
VW: Thank you! Moving on, what is your opinion of the American diet?
MH: It is good, but I miss my food back home. And we have more fruit, and vegetable varieties.
VW: I know, me too! Speaking of differences, what are some cultural differences between your country and here?
MH: Umm.. I guess we are the traditional East, while the US is the liberal west. But I would say the pop culture is not too different in the U.S. and Malaysia. The biggest difference would be us holding on to our ancestral values while like.. indigenizing foreign practices into our own culture. We still speak our mother tongues, though we learn Malay and English as primary languages.
VW: Yeah that’s sort of what I’ve heard from my other interviewees too! And, moving on, who takes care of the finances in your family?
MH: My parents. I’d say they equally play a role. Both of them work, so both of them contribute.
VW: Ah, okay. Do many families there have both working fathers and mothers?
MH: Umm, I guess not. It used to be only the male head of the family that worked and most women were housewives but now I guess things are changing you know?
VW: Yeah I’ve noticed that in my country too. Got to bring in more money to survive I guess! Well moving on to our next question, have you had any personal experiences with racism since coming to the US?
MH: Ah yes! Umm this one time my landlord accused Malaysians for bringing bedbugs into our apartment complex which I found totally offensive. But my professors and friends, and most people on campus seem to be very accepting and understanding. They tend to be very open minded. But, the real world out there seems not quite like that.
VW: I know. I guess it’s just a matter of being educated. Even I have come across some ignorant people, thankfully not a lot! (chuckles)
MH: Yeah I know.
VW: Anyways, what were your preconceptions about the US before coming here and how have they changed?
MH: Umm, I guess life isn’t easy here all the time, especially as international students you know. Though I like my pizzas, working only on campus due to visa restrictions and struggling to pay for school and other things life isn't as luxurious as it is portrayed.
VW: Aha, true. And why did you choose America to continue your education?
MH: Well I guess the main reason was because my siblings were already here. And you have better job opportunities and stuff in the future you know.
VW: Yeah. What are your plans after you graduate?
MH: Umm I wanna try for jobs in the US, if not go back home. Works either way!
VW: Sounds good! Umm, moving onto my next question, how many languages do you speak?
MH: Three. English, Malay, and Arabic.
VW: Aha, and have you lost proficiency in speaking, writing or reading in your native language since coming to the US?
MH: Nah, I communicate with my family in my mother tongue all the time so no.
VW: Okay, and what have you found to be the most challenging thing about living in America?
MH: I’d say.. it’s hard to have savings here, and savings are a vital part of my culture y’know.
VW: Mhmm, and what do you miss the most from home?
MH: Food! (chuckles) and of course my family. But since I have two of my siblings here it’s been going good.
VW: I see.. and have you been to any other countries other than America?
MH: Ah yes, Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong Kong.
VW: oh I was in Hong Kong once. Loved the country!
MH: I know, I did too. But it’s all buildings so you get pretty tired of it after a while. I was there for like a month I was visiting some relations.
VW: Yeah I guess you’re right..Well, that’s all the questions I have for you today sir, do you have any questions or comments for me?
MH: Ummm, No I don’t thinks so.
VW: Alright, well thanks a lot for letting me interview you man I really appreciate it!
MH: Oh no problem!
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