My First Interview

Interview Preparations
To prepare for the interview the first problem I decided to tackle was who to interview. I didn't have to worry about getting a recording device, as I can use my laptop to record things and my mother actually gave me her digital recorder about a week before details about the interviews we would be doing were solidified. The first person I ended up asking was a person I see often because of my involvement in the University Program Board, Di Fernando. She's from Sri Lanka and agreed to being my interviewee, though she was a bit nervous before I explained that it was just for a class assignment.

I actually did a very poor job of setting a specific time for the interview, so I ended up doing it very last minute: February 28, after my evening class ended. We were originally going to have the interview in a fairly public place, but it was too noisy so we ended up moving into her office (and this was after offices closed, so there wasn't really anyone else around). It was much quieter there; definitely a better place for an interview. She had already gotten food for herself so I didn't offer anything, but she seemed fairly comfortable once we started talking, and she had no problems with me recording the interview.

I've omitted unrelated small talk before and after the interview, and a lot of instances of "um" from both of us for the transcript.

Transcript:
M: Okay, so, you've been here for six years, right?
D: Almost, because I came here in 2005 August.
M: Why did you choose to come to SCSU instead of studying or working in your own country?
D: I went to school in... well, everything was in English, so... it was a private school, like, a British-based program.
M: So you already knew English before you came.
D: I did. All the colleges and universities there are for people who went through the national schools, meaning they went to school and learned in Sinhala. But I learned everything in English, so I couldn't really pass any exams. All the Sinhala I learned was just street language pretty much, or what we spoke at home which is a mix of French, English, and Sinhala, so... it still isn't just Sinhala. So yeah. I had everything in English so I had to find higher education in English. It was a choice between the US, Australia, and England. At least for me because my parents didn't want me going anywhere else. England was too expensive. Australia... I don't remember why I didn't go there, but St. Cloud State was cheaper and it had a good business school.
M: Your major is business?
D: Yeah, my major is accounting, so.
M: What were your preconceptions about the US before coming here and how have they changed, if at all?
D: I thought US people didn't like family, that they hated family, that they all wanted to move away the minute they were 18 or something. And that's definitely not the case. People seem to be just as family-oriented as I am. There's more of a sense of independece that I wouldn't get in Sri Lanka because as a girl I'm expected to live with my family until I'm married. Like moving away is kind of... you can do it, it's just not accepted socially. Things like that. But the biggest thing I had thought about the US was that people were just so individualistic that they just didn't care about their family. But I found that to be so untrue. Other than that I didn't think much else that was different. I am Catholic, and that's not a minority religion here or anything.
M: Is that the religion that's most commonly practiced in Sri Lanka?
D: No, it's not really that common in Sri Lanka. Only about 5% of the Sri Lankans are Christian. The majority of people are Buddhist. That's about... between 65 and 75% for sure, who are all Buddhist. A lot of my friends are.
M: What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the US?
D: The hardest thing about transitioning here was, again, that individualistic thing. There is no welcome here, or at least it didn't seem like it, because people are so... It almost seemed like people just cared about their business and didn't want to... it's not like they didn't care, it's just like they didn't want to interfere with another person's thing. But to me at the time it seemed like no one cared. Like, my roommate wouldn't talk to me at all so I felt kind of awkward because I'm thinking, "hey, my roommate's from the US..." and if I were in her place I'd be more welcoming to a person from another country, take the person around and, you know.
M: I'd do that too. They probably feel so lost.
D: Yeah, exactly. I understood later that she was lost too. I mean, she was a freshman too. But I'm more lost because I'm from a different country! So the biggest transitioning issue was getting to know people.
M: Have you had any experiences with racism since coming here?
D: You know, interesting question. I had that asked in one of our human relations classes, too, and out of 40 people, maybe about 36 people international, and 35 of them had something to say and I had no idea. I don't know whether it's because I don't think of things happening as racism or that I think of them more as people being stupid or someone's maybe just annoyed or they're having a bad day. So I don't know if it's that I don't experience racism that's there right in my face, because I just haven't had that. Like one of the examples in my class was someone who had to wait in line to pay tuition, and she said that the person before her got to pay his tuition and they took care of his stuff, and then she had to wait for a long time for their cashier to come back and deal with her. I've had that too.
M: I wouldn't necessarily see that as racism, so I kind of understand.
D: Yeah. There were other examples of cops stopping them for no reason, people following them around while they shopped... I've never had that. I mean... I can't give you an example of anything happening in the six years I've been here.
M: Well, that's good. That means nothing bad's happened to you because of that.
D: Yeah. Either it didn't happen to me, or I'm just off in my own la-la land. And I like it in my land.
M: Have you lost proficiency in... in uh... your native language? If you can even call it that.
D: [laughs] That's true, I wasn't really that proficient in my language to start with. I don't think I've lost anything that I had. I definitely have a, um... I don't recognize this but my friends back home think I have an accent. I think they recognize that I'm speaking a little different. But for myself I don't see the difference. I don't think I'm any less proficient, I just wasn't 100% in it to begin with. I learned English as my first language, and I learned Sinhala like people learn Spanish here, I guess. But we spoke a mix of English, Sinhala, and French at home so my Sinhala wasn't right even then. So when I spoke with my friends sometimes they would just have to laugh because I pronounced things different as it was. I lived in France for three years and when I came back to Sri Lanka me and my sister pronounced things just... wrong.
M: You lived in France for three years?
D: Yes.
M: How many years was that before coming here?
D: Oh, a long time before. I've lived in France for three years, Sri Lanka for 15 and here for almost six.
M: Are you planning on going to any other countries?
D: I don't know. I've been thinking about Canada and Australia. Australia is expensive to go to. But I have friends and family there, so.
M: That would be a good reason to go. How does the climate in Sri Lanka differ from here?
D: [laughing]
M: I like how you're laughing.
D: Because the weather is just so different. Like... wow, complete opposite.
M: It's hot there?
D: Yeah, it's hot pretty much year-round. It's a tropical climate. So it's either rain or... nothing.
M: So what are some cultural differences?
D: Well, like I said, the biggest cultural difference that I see that I don't necessarily think, is the like family thing.
M: And that kind of independence thing.
D: Right, there is no... independent living thing at all. If you were the son in the family, you would usually still bring the bride back to the house kind of thing. That's what their culture there is. People just have like a huge community living together. But here it's like...
M: Everyone has their own house.
D: Yeah. Here where it is like... two or three people per house living together? In Sri Lanka it's a lot more. Depends on where you are from, but in general, each house will probably have a lot more family members living there than two.
M: Do you keep up with your home country's news? And what do you think of it if you do?
D: I do check on news online and of course I hear stuff from relatives. Um... I'm annoyed -- beyond annoyed -- because the news there is a lie. Because I hear different from what I see online and what I hear from people actually living there.
M: So it's like censored? The stuff you can read online?
D: Pretty much. Sri Lanka is supposed to be out of the war since last year, which, I guess it is since I haven't heard of any bombs going off anymore, but... They are still not allowing much of international media to cover anything or to go to certain places that's restricted. They say it's a Democratic Socialist Republic, but the fact is that the country is being run by a family. Because the president and the rest of the ministers are his brothers and his wife's family. So yeah, it's run by a family. It sounds like monarchy. But because international media can't get through, obviously everything that's getting out of the country as news is what the president has approved. So you can't necessarily believe it. Anything that's happening about like... relief funds for people suffering from the war and things like that, just never get through. It's just a lot of corruption going on overall.
M: What are some differences in the laws between Sri Lanka and here?
D: Um... there is no First Ammendment, so there is no freedom of speech really. If you say something against the president you are very likely to go to jail. Or be killed, because that's how Sri Lanka operates sometimes. You can't sue the president. Ever. I don't know specific laws that are different, but there's like a whole sense of difference where people aren't the power. Here people have some sense of power. Their people just don't have any. You're made to believe that you do because you can vote for who the president is, but... It's so corrupt that I tend not to believe anything. Which is sad. I don't believe in my own country's government. But that's just how it is. The president can call a state of emergency at any time he wants. So there are so many things.
M: How often do you get to contact your family?
D: As often as I want, but I usually don't want to.
M: Do you talk to them over Skype or something?
D: Yeah.
M: Why don't you want to talk to them?
D: It's really frustrating sometimes because you just have to explain so many things to them when they're not here to see what's going on, so to have to explain everything... And there's an 11 hour difference between the timezones, so by the time I get home really tired and crabby is when they are awake. And I don't want to talk to them at that time. And when I wake up, I'm usually busy just trying to get out of the house.
M: And that's when they'd be going to bed.
D: Yeah. And they're okay talking at that time because they just want to talk, but... I'm not, because I'm just running out to catch the bus. So we usually don't. They always joke that it's harder to get an appointment with me than it is to get one with the president, that's their joke. It's a family joke. We talk around once a month. But if I wanted to I could talk every day, it's just... I don't have time.
M: How easy do you think it will be to get a job after college?
D: Um... I don't know. The job market in both the US and Sri Lanka kind of aren't so good. Accounting is kind of good, because not many people actually graduate with accounting, at least in the US. But still, it's kind of a little hard to find stuff, and a lot of people are under budget crunches and stuff like that.
M: They say the economy is getting better, but...
D: Yeah, it's getting better, but it's not at the level where things are going to be recognizably okay. I mean I hope I get a job, I just don't know...

Personal Review
After that I stopped recording and we chatted for a good half hour. There were a couple of other interesting tidbits she shared with me while we were talking, like how putting family members into nursing homes isn't very common in Sri Lanka (the family usually takes care of them), and that her mother was surprised to see how green Minnesota was and assumed it would be more like what you see in Westerns.

I thought the interview went really well. The questions only lasted us 20 minutes, and we didn't talk very much about related subjects after, but what she did tell me during those 20 minutes was very interesting. I'm sure her perspective is an unusual one, too, so that will just make it even more interesting to compare to the next two interviews I'll have to do.

Country Report:
Sri Lanka is a small country located south of India. Up until 1972 it was known as Ceylon. According to the July 2008 census, its population is approximately 21,324,791. Sinhalese and Tamil are the official languages of Sri Lanka. English is spoken by 10% of the population and is frequently used in education and government. Buddhism is practiced by 70% of Sri Lankans. Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam are the most commonly-practiced religions aside from Buddhism. Sri Lanka is known for its production and exportation of cinnamon, which is native to the country.

Information in Country Report was taken from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka. Accessed April 3rd, 2011).

RefWorks

RefWorks is an online database that allows you to import references from multiple sources while also organizing them for you.

With RefWorks you can:

• Create your own personal database
• Import data directly from specific websites, saved text files, online catalogs or databases
• Convert references from other bibliographic management products
• Import from RSS (Really Simple Syndication*)
• Organize and sort with folders and attached files to specific references
• Format a bibliography from a list of references
• Quick/ advance searches available
• Helps format citations "Write-n-Cite"

          * RSS: Standardized format such as blog entries, news headlines, audio and video

Main headers above from: (http://www.refworks.com/Refworks/help/Refworks.htm#Overview_Building.htm), Feb. 22, 2011

RefWorks is also accessible to individuals with disabilities, working with both Window's JAWS* and MS Narrator**.

          * Program for individuals with poor vision or learning disabilities. Special "text to voice" converter.
          ** Also for the visually impaired, full-function screen reader.

Information source: (http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jawsinfo.asp), Feb. 22, 2011

RefWorks is compatible, and runs properly with the following operating systems and programs:

• Internet Explorer, (version 7.0 or higher), Windows
• FireFox, Mac 
• Safari, Mac
• Word Processor, Windows and Mac
• Mac OS X
• Microsoft Word

Above list as stated from:
Feb. 22, 2011, (http://www.refworks.com/Refworks/help/RefWorks_Quick_Start_Guide.pdf)

Interview objectives for Alexandra

Through my interviews I want to learn about what types of experiences international students have had here, whether it has overall been a positive or negative experience, what they sought when they chose to come here, and whether or not it lived up to their expectations. Learning more about a different country's politics and culture is also something I'm looking forward to, but that's more of an added bonus.

Questions I'll Actually Be Using

1. What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the U.S.? (Culture shock)
2. Why did you decide to come to SCSU instead of studying or working in your own country?
3. What were your preconceptions about the US before coming here and how have they changed?
4. What are your personal experiences with racism since coming to the US?
5. How does the climate in your home country compare to here?
6. Do you think it will be easy to find a job after college?
7. What are some cultural differences between your country and here?

8. What religions are commonly practiced in your country?
9. How often do you get to contact your family?
10. Do you keep up with your home country's news? If you do, what do you feel about current events involving it?
11. What system of Government does your country use?
12. What are some of the differences in laws between your country and the US?
13. Have you lost proficiency in speaking, writing or reading in your native language since coming to the US?
14. How hard was it to learn English?

20 Questions - Not the Game (which you just lost)

The Real 20 Questions

1.       Why did you come to the US, and what made you choose SCSU for a College?

2.       What is the schooling system like in your country? (Teacher centered or student centered?)

3.       Is English taught in School? How early is it taught?

4.       How many languages do you speak?

5.       How long will you be here in the states? (1year or till you graduate?)

6.       What is your family situation like at your home? (Parents, siblings, older family members, etc.)

7.       How often do you get to contact your family? Why?

8.       What are some of your ideas of fun/hobbies?

9.       Did you or are you currently holding a Job? If so, what was or is it?

10.   What religions are commonly practiced in your country?

11.   What is the climate like in your country? Do you have many seasons?

12.   Did you adapt well to Minnesota’s weather?

13.   How did you deal with the culture shock?

14.   What has been the most challenging part of living here in the US? Why?

15.   Have you lost proficiency in speaking, writing or reading in your language since coming to the US?

16.   Do you keep up with your home country's news? If you do, what do you feel about current events involving it?

17.   What system of Government does your country use?

18.   Have there ever been issues with racism? In the states and/or your own country?

19.   What are some of the differences in laws between your country and the US? Are some different from Minnesota laws?

20.   Have your perspectives about America changed or stayed the same since you came here?

20 Questions

1. Do you feel like you've lost part of your culture since coming to the US?
2. Do you keep up with your home country's news? If you do, what do you feel about current events involving it?
3. If you didn't know English before, how hard was it to learn?
4. Do you prefer your home country to this one?
5. How difficult was it to get used to any cultural differences?
6. Was there anything that struck you as particularly different when you first arrived?
7. Do you feel like your proficiency in your native language has decreased since you came?
8. Was it difficult to adjust to the US's school system?
9. What did you think the US would be like before you came?
10. What do you think of how people who were born in the US think of your country?
11. How does the school system in the country you came from differ from the US's?
12. How does the healthcare system differ?
13. Do you think people in general behave differently in the US compared to where you came from?
14. Does the scenery (plants, buildings, etc) seem significantly different?
15. Have you had to deal with any racism since coming here?
16. Do you miss your family?
17. Are there any wild animals that were new to you or any that you miss?
18. Do you have any stories or songs that remind you of the country you came from?
19. Do you have pets?
20. What's your favourite colour?

AMAAAAZING Group 4 Outline

Thesis Statement - Global Communication has enhanced the quality of life in prior decades.

1.       Social Impact

a.       Internet

                                                               i.      Social Networking Sites

                                                             ii.      Messenger

                                                            iii.      Shopping Online

                                                           iv.      Blogs

b.      Phone

                                                               i.      Cell Phones

                                                             ii.      Land Lines

2.       Cultural Impact

a.       Business

                                                               i.      Small Companies

                                                             ii.      Corporations

b.      Politics

                                                               i.      International Relations

                                                             ii.      Laws Internationally

Conclusion – As one can see global communication has affected the world in various ways.