Interview 1
Vishal Gurung
ENGL 191 Sec 21
Prof. Specht-Jarvis
Date: 10/28/09
1. Preparation made
Being an international student myself, I knew what questions to ask exactly. I came up with questions from my own experiences. In addition, I did some research online about the country I was going to interview (i.e. Nepal). As I would be mostly asking questions to them related to their culture (cultural stereotypes, things they like or don't like about their culture) and perspectives on different issues, I also wanted to compare and contrast these aspects to the American culture and perspectives. At the same time, I wanted to make them feel relaxed and comfortable about what they are saying. Next, I wanted to ask them about any problem they have been facing in and out of class and what did they do from their side to minimize it. Another interesting question I wanted to ask was coming to St. Cloud State University (SCSU). Why did they choose to come to this part of the USA and not other states? Again, as English is considered as an international language, I was eager to know when they started to learn English. Was it in middle school or only later in high school or not at all? How is that helping or affecting them in their class performance right now? How has it changed over the period? Another big issue I wanted to be clear was to find out if they had been a victim of racism at any phase at SCSU. Were they verbally offended or was it more than that? How did they respond to it? At the end of the interview, I would ask them if they had any objection of me publishing their interview electronically ( online, in forms of DVDs, audios, written form.)
2. Coming from a different nation than US itself, I used to hang out with a lot of international students. So, I was involved in the student Government Association and and many international student activities. So, I just went to the NSA (Nepalese student Association) and asked if somebody could volunteer for my interview. One of the members was eager to get interviewed and that's how I set up an interview with him.
3.Location
The interview was conducted on October 18, 2009 in the study room of Library (Saint Cloud State University Miller Resource Center). I used a digital camera to record the video.
Technology used
I used Nikon digital camera to record my entire interview.
4. Interviewee's Biography:
Name: Ujjwal Lamichhane
Nationality: Nepal
Age: 21
Zodiac sign: Aries
Educational experience: High school graduate
Major at SCSU: Mechanical Engineering
Hobbies: Singing, Listening to music
Places traveled so far: Different places in Nepal and Maryland (in USA)
Languages fluent in : English, Nepali, Hindi
Describe yourself in few words: Practical, Sincere, Faithful
Any kind of phobia: No
Source of inspiration: Self-actualization on my mistakes
Message for people in general: No matter what, never lose smile from your face.
5. I think the interview went well. I was really comfortable taking the interview and I tried to make my interviewee feel the same way. I dressed formally and was there on time and made sure everything was alright. Since we were interviewing in one of the study rooms in the SCSU library, it was quiet and much less distracting than other places. I made two copies of my interview questions (one for me and other for my interviewee). I was actually impressed by his overall performance during the interivew. He had too much to say and knew about a wide variety of subjects. Many times, I didn't have to explain the questions furthermore to him. He would say a lot information and explaination on a particular subject.
6. Nepal is a small country located in the Southern Asia landlocked between India and China at 28 00 North Latitude and 84 00 East Longitude. If you compare its area, it is slightly bigger than the Arkansas state of the US. Climate in Nepal varies from cool summer to severe winter in North to subtropical summer. Nepal is also a famous tourist destination because of its scenic beauty and natural and cultural heritages. It has some of the world's famous national parks and wild life reserves in the world.
The first civilization in Nepal started around 6 B.C. And it was only around the Kathmandu valley, the capital city. 1 Nepal has about 36 main ethnicities. 2 Some of the major ones are “Chhetri”, “Brahmin”, “Magar”, “Gurung”, “Newar”, etc. All these people have their own language and culture. The biggest festival of all these people is “Dashain”. During this festival, people return home and celebrate the festival with their families and friends. Another interesting fact about Nepal is that it is the holy land of Lord Pasupatinath ( the Hindu God) and Lord Buddha, founder of Buddhism. Hindus and Buddhists have lived in Nepal with religious tolerance for centuries. Many times, Hindus and Buddhists worship the same god with different names which is a clear indication of how much harmony is there in the country. 3 october 20, 2009) When it comes to food, Nepal has really good variety of cuisine affected by the Indian sub-continent and the Tibetan border. Mainly rice is used in day to day life accompanied by spicy curry and pulse soup. Eating rice with hand twice a day is a ritual everyday.
“Do not feel offended if any Nepalese hesitates to shake hands with you because it hasn't been very long since the western traditions were introduced to them. Most Nepalese greet one another by a “Namaste”, a common act done by putting the palms together in a prayer like gesture.” 4 Marriage is also an integral part of Nepalese culture. The genearlly accepted ages for bride and bridegroom are 20 and 22 years respectively.
Nepal is a newly republican country. During the year 2006, there was revolutionary movement against the monarchial system of the country. As a result, king had to give up his throne and democracy was restored in the country with the inclusion of different political parties. Maoist (communist party
fighting the civil war) was one of the significant leader in the house of parliament.
References:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107820.html October 14, 2009
http://www.nepal.com/culture/ October 14, 2009
http://www.nepalinformation.com October 14, 2009
http://www.nepal.com/culture/ October 14, 2009
Interview Transcript
Vishal Gurung
ENGL 191 Sec 21
Date of Interview: 10/16/09
Vishal: Hi!
Ujjwal: Hi!
Vishal: I'm Vishal
Ujjwal: I'm Ujjwal
Vishal: Okay. Please have a seat.
Ujjwal: Thank you.
Vishal: And yeah, here's your question.
Ujjwal: Oh. Okay.
Vishal: So, how are you doing?
Ujjwal: I'm from....I'm doing good.
Vishal: Um...Where you from actually?
Ujjwal: I'm from Nepal.
Vishal: Oh..okay. Um...you know like actually this interview is for my English 191 class. It's like for....to know about how inernational students are adjusting to a new culture in America right now...are they doing fine? So it's about that.
( I asked about the location of his hometown in Nepal.)
Vishal: So, it's like half of the nation or?
Ujjwal: No, the whole country is divided into 5 development regions. Western is the third starting from East. And we have Eastern development region, Western development region, Mid-Western development region, and Far-Western development region. So, Western is the third one starting from he East.
Vishal: So, how did you came from there, that part of the country to a whole other part of the globe?
Ujjwal: Actually, my parents....we, our family moved from the Western region to capital region which is the central region. And after that, after completing my high school, I decided to attend the university which has more higher reputation, which has more recognition and American university has such quality in them. That's why I chose to move over here and complete my education.
Vishal: So, how long have you been here in the America?
Ujjwal: Um...It's been one year.
Vishal: Almost one year.
Ujjwal: Yup.
Vishal: So, how's it going so far?
Ujjwal: Pretty good.
Visahl: Good
Ujjwal:Yup. I'm in the sophomore level and it should be good.
Vishal: What classes are you taking right now?
Ujjwal: Um..I'm taking my pre-major courses for my majors..um...like right now I'm a pre-mechanical and after I enter it will be mechanical engineering.
Vishal: You came to St. Cloud State, like you could have gone to other college like, maybe community college over here, maybe private college over here where you could have applied for scholarship, the more renowned one. Why did you choose St. Cloud state in specific?
Ujjwal: The main reason for choosing st. cloud state is basically about the accreditation of my major, it's accreditated. And the main reason is it's cheap and it provides more qualitative education than what we have to do in for getting education
Vishal: What is your immediate goal like after you graduate from the bachelor's degree here? Are you going to have a master's degree or you going back home or
Ujjwal: I'm not decided yet. So, first I would think about just completing my education and after that
if the things are generally what happens, that would be my decision according to the situation. But right now, I would say, I would first complete my education.
Vishal: What is one biggest issue or problem right now that you have faced within this one year period that you lived here? Any personal or educational issues?
Ujjwal: The biggest issue that I have faced is mainly the cultural issue and I have lived in the part of the globe that is just totally different culturally, mentally, socially from the USA. From the beginning times, from the early times when I came over here, I had issue about culture. How would you react with situation, how would you interact with people who have different culture than you. How would they think about you. The main struggle, the main issue was cultural.
Vishal: So, you were worried about how to adjust to a new culture.
Vishal: What were your expectations from America/Americans before you came to America and what did you actually find when you finally arrived here?
Ujjwal: I never expected anything when I came to USA. The main goal to come to USA was to complete my undergraduate studies. The only expectation is to complete my education.
Vishal: So you are graduating from here within the next three or four years. How do you think you can contribute back to your home country with the education you are gaining right now?
Ujjwal: I would say that after I achieve my degree, I would definitely help my citizens, my country, to develop new things, to implement the things how system runs here. How everything goes? How it is organized? So, I would say that I would also be more active in my country to arouse awareness in the citizens that we have our own resources.
Vishal: Have you faced any faced any form of cultural shock within this one year period?
Ujjwal: I would say I have never experienced any kid of cultural shock till now.
Vishal: Did you hear about the stereotypes about America before you came to America?
Ujjwal: I would say that Americans, they are very hard working, they usually enjoy their life a lot. We usually don't socialize but Americans are socaible type of person. They are more interactive. They are likely to be more professional in their job. So, that was kinda stereotype I have heard and I that came true.
Vishal: Do you find, personally, Americans more approachable than people from back home. And more accessible, to get to know them, both professionally and personally.
Ujjwal: I would say, professionallly, yes, personally, no. because we are foreign people to them. They always interact differently. You re different person. You don't know how to think. How would you react? So, professionally, you have a job. They will interact with you. But socially, there's still cultural difference. They don't expect us to interact in the same way they would approach us or we would approach them. So, socially, not possible.
Vishal: What do you think you want to make changes in if you want to live here and to adjust here? Do you need to change yourself or you don't need to change at all?
Ujjwal: Probably I would have to change but not to the extent that I would totally change myself or I totally change my attitude. So, I would say that I might ghave to change but not totally. Cuturally and socially, yes. Mentally, I don't have to change.
Vishal: What kind of food do you eat back home?
Ujjwal: Rice and pulses, and vegetables.
Vishal: Do you think you can find that kind of food over here?
Ujjwal: Yeah. So far, I'm able to find that.
Vishal: What does the average American think about eating food differently.
Ujjwal: They think that I'm from Southeast Asia. They think that the south asians eat a lot of spicy food that are really hot and it' hard for them to eat.
(talked about location of Nepal and most of the Americans did not know about it.
Vishal: In comparison, do you have more international students as friend or do you have more American students as friend.
Ujjwal: I would say 30% of my friends are American students and 50% are American students.
Vishal: Why do you think is that?
Ujjwal: Well, bascially, I work on campus. So, I have a lot of friends who know me and I know them. So, professionally, we have to be friends. A lot of time, I don't hang out with the American students because I don't stay with them or live with them. So, basically, It's because I live with my own roommates from my own country. That's why I have no foreign students as friends.
Vishal: Do you think your cultural background or your way of living here is a barrier to be friends with American students?
Ujjwal: I would say that might cause barrier to make friends with American students. Because if you are living in a foreign country then, you are in the middle of something, then it's really hard to adjust yourself, whether you are completely involved in that culture or you want to follow your own culture and traditions. So, cultural differences might be a huge barrier for making friends in foreign country like I'm facing right now.
Vishal: Have you felt any moment of awkwardness while trying to talk to the American students because you don't know what to talk about?
Ujjwal: Yes. Most of the time, if I going to a new place, a lot of time when I talk to kids from school or volunteering, it was really huge difficulty that how would you interact that not with the adults but with the kids! (Then he talked about how to start the conversation)
Vishal: What do you think about marriage from two different nation like a boy from America meets a girl from your country, and they fall in love and they decide to marry. Do you think it's a good idea to get married like that or?
Ujjwal: I don't have any opinion on that actually. It's a good idea or a bad idea. The main thing totally depends on the couple. Okay, I'm gonna marry a foreign culture boy or girl. It's upon them that how would they adjust to a new culture or different feeling or different attitude or living style. It totally depends on the couple.
( And then we talked about marriage in his country.)
Vishal: In what way do you think your way of thinking or your perspective of life or you know, anything in general has changed as a result of living here in America.
Ujjwal: I would say it has totally changed. I have to think about a lot of things . Back in my country that's my country. It's obviously gonna be the same way, a lot of people react the same way as I do. Most of the people here are more individualistic. So, they give personal occupancy more preferences.
Vishal: You have a good fluency of English. When did you learn to speak in English.
Ujjwal: Actually, I started learning since I've been going to school. So, that would be from the age of 5 or 6 years old.
Vishal: How was English taught in your school?
Ujwal: I would say English would be taught in English.
Vishal: But were they taught by Native speakers or they people from back home?
Ujjwal: No, we were taught by our own native Nepalese speakers.
Vishal: Do you think learning to speak in English is a demand right now back home for job interivews or for higher education. Do you think it's a demand and necessity to have good English?
Ujwal: yeah. Definitely! For every job searches, almost all of the employer or companies will prefer that the person will have a fluent speech in English.
Vishal: What kind of family structure do you have? Do you have a big family or a neutral, small family?
Ujjwal: We have a small family.
Vishal: Is there any kind of expectation from your parents for you like to have a better job, better standard of living, good job, well-settled life. Do you think you have any kind of expectations from your parents for you?
Ujjwal: Yeah. My parents have a lot of expectations from me. I'm not boasting but I'm one of the brightest children in my whole family. They want me to graduate in Mechanical Engineering or any other field and do progress and be a good person and achieve success in career.
(And we talked about new from across the globe and awareness of it.)
Vishal: What do you think about the Americans? An average American would like to know about other part of the world or are they aware about what's happening globally or are they too much concerned of their own work?
Ujjwal: I think Americans are too much concerned about their own work.
Vishal: Who is supporting your educational expenses right now?
Ujjwal: My parents. They send money to cover educational expenses
(Then we talked about how the tuition system works for international students and his family's source of income.)
Vishal: What do you think about the good traits about American culture? Do you think there are good traits or there are no traits at all?
Ujjwal: The good traits of American culture is that sometimes they go more personally because each and every person is different.
Vishal: Any bad traits?
Ujwal: Being too much individualistic is one of the bad traits of the same culture.
Vishal: What do you think would be the icebreaker between two different cultures?
Ujjwal:
Vishal: Do you have any objection if I publish this interview?
Ujjwal: Not at all
Vishal: Alrgiht. Thanks for your time and contribution!
Post Production:
I didn't have to do much for my post-production. Well, I attached my digital camera to my laptop and transfered the video. Then, I burned the video to a DVD and the video was ready. For my transcript, I omitted a lot of parts though. I only included those parts that I thought would be useful for the interview.
I learnt a lot from my first interview. I had once taken a interview before with the director of the counseling department but it was a group assignment. So, this time a learnt a lot on being responsible. I learnt to ask questions without offending my interviewee. Next thing I learnt was to listen acutely to my interviewee but keep myself calm and relaxed at the same time. Also, I learnt to follow track of time from beginning to end.
