My first interview
Interview preparations:
My preparations for my first interview started in class when we made our list of questions that we could ask to be able to get to know our interviewees. I made up a checklist that I did use to make sure I didn’t forget any part of my interview process. I made sure I found an acceptable program to record my interview. I made sure to test out my webcam on my computer, and while I did that, I found out it only records in increments of 10 minutes, so I had to find a new program to record it on. I did find an acceptable program, and it worked just fine. I had forgotten to ask a classmate the last night of class before spring break started, so I had to find another interviewee, which I did with no problem. Her name is KW and she is from Germany originally, but now lives in Bulgaria. I met my interviewee on Thursday, March 8th at 3:30 in the afternoon. We used a room at the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, and it worked very well. It was private, and we had no interruptions.
Interview report:
As I interviewed KW, I was surprised at how easy it was to be able to talk to her. The interview started fairly well, and we were able to just start talking. I made sure to make a comfortable environment for her, and told her a little bit about myself before I started asking her personal questions. I felt like I was not able to move it along as easy as I wanted to with fitting in the questions, but that will come with practice. She was very open, and we were able to talk fairly decent. We didn’t have any problems communicating and I felt like I had a good and very informative interview. I would have loved to be able to talk with her more, because toward the end of the interview we started talking about politics and the conversations got into more depth and we started with talking more about our feelings. I liked that KW didn’t take anything too seriously, and was very open and was willing to answer any question I had for her.
Country report:
Germany is the 4th largest country in terms of surface area of the EU with 357,000 sq km, the capital city is Berlin, and it is also the biggest city. Germany is a big producer of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, and textiles. Potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar, beets, fruits, cattle, pigs, and poultry are their main products of agriculture. Natural resources include copper, uranium, salt, nickel, timer, and coal. The main language is German. The biggest religions are Protestants and Catholics. The unemployment rate is around 7.1 percent. Unlike the United States with our president heading our government, the chancellor, or prime minister, head the executive branch of the federal government, the chancellor exercises executive power. The Germany economy is the 5th largest in the world for purchasing power parity. Gross domestic power is growing, and unemployment rates are dropping. Germany is growing and doing well, also keeping close to the United States.
Cites:
Interview transcription:
T (Me)
K (KW)
T: Hello, thank you for meeting with me.
K: You’re welcome. How are you?
T: I’m good, and you?
K: Good. Thanks.
T: So, I am doing this interview for my English 191 class at SCSU. It is on another culture and how they compare to ours. Where are you from?
K: Originally from Bonn, Germany, but I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.
T: Okay. So, to start off, I will tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Tiffany, I am 18 years old. I have 3 siblings, a brother who is 5, and two sisters who are 8 and 3. They are all in either school or preschool. I love school, which is partially the reason I am in PSEO. SO, here we start school around 5 or 6, what age do you normally start school at?
K: At 6.
T: Is that in both countries?
K: Yes, well in Bulgaria sometimes its 7.
T: What is a typical day for a child in your country?
K: Well, in Germany normally school starts at 8 o’clock and goes till 1. Sometimes for older children less days a week till like 4, but normally they get out at 1 o’clock.
T: It is like class after class in Germany?
K: Yeah, normally its 7 – 8 periods per day, which are 45 minutes. The schedule is also different, and they are different every day.
T: Do you get to choose which classes?
K: There is a certain amount of classes you have to have, so actually you just have a set schedule. And when you go home there is no school sports in Germany, so if you want to do sports you have to find a club or something. Yeah, it’s kind of stupid.
T: Are the teachers the same in Germany as they are here? Are there a lot of differences between them there and here in the United States?
K: I would say teachers in general here are nicer, because in Germany a lot of times they don’t really care if you go to school or not, and it seems like here they care a lot.
T: So what are the big famous sports in Germany and how would you describe them? Are they hard to get into?
K: In Germany I would say Soccer is the big sport, and in Bulgaria too. We don’t have football and stuff. Volleyball is also in Germany, a big sport, but I think everyone can take part in a sport if they want to. It’s not school, so it doesn’t matter how old you are actually.
T: And what about the famous sports, like do a lot of people go to them and where are they located at?
K: In Bulgaria they have like one big soccer team, so all people just know them, and in Germany it’s only if there is a championship or something a lot of people will like it. They watch it all the time and it’s really crazy. Normally it’s just like here with football. People like it and watch it a lot.
T: Do they have a big arena?
K: We have some in Germany, I don’t know how many but there are some in the bigger cities. Bulgaria is just one or two in the capital city.
T: So coming here how has school work changed? Is it easier or harder?
K: It’s a lot easier. First, you can take your classes for what is fun for you, and then the homework. Well, you get homework is not that hard and tests are all multiple choice. In Germany we will never have a test like that.
T: Oh really?
K: In Bulgaria they actually will have a lot of the multiple choice tests, but in Germany you will always have to write in the answers. It’s never multiple choices, it’s always writing four pages about whatever the topic is. So it’s really hard.
T: Do the students normally do well at that?
K: Well, in Bulgaria I would say, well it’s hard to say, but in Germany I’d say it’s really hard to get A’s. It’s actually 1 to 6. Not a lot of people get 1’s but 2 or 3 are like a B or C, and that is more common. Few people have bad grades or fail and test, it’s interesting. In Bulgaria it is easier to get good grades just because it is also A B or C grades, you can guess sometimes.
T: Are you in school for a whole 12 years like the system here?
K: Yeah, 12 years.
T: Okay. So here a lot of people like to eat, which countries food do you like most?
K: Um, I would say Bulgaria actually, because it’s just the traditional food and it is really good.
T: What is a normal traditional food in Bulgaria?
K: Uh, well there something called Banitsa and it’s just really basic.
K: Okay, well I tried to make it here but it didn’t work because I didn’t have the right ingredients because they don’t have some of the stuff I use. They didn’t have a wrap, it’s like a sheet, very thin, and it looks like paper.
T: Is it kind of like a tortilla?
K: It’s just very thin and doesn’t take like anything really. They just use it because, there are also egg whites, cheese kind of like feta cheese, you call it here, and we call it just white cheese. Um, it just is like layers of this and stuff and it’s really good. I don’t know how else to explain it.
T: Okay, what are the similarities and differences between the United States and Germany?
K: Well, in Germany I’d say there is not as much fast food as here. I mean in Germany we also have like KFC and McDonalds but it is different. The difference between here and Germany is not that big but ….”
T: What do you normally eat in Bulgaria?
K: Well, we also have like fast food restaurants but normally people cook at home because there is not much difference.
T: So there is not much of a difference between fast food there and here?
K: Well, we have a lot, but there is also like Italian restaurants and other like that. Same as here, the difference in places.
T: So, you said earlier when we talked about setting up this interview you use the bus to get to and from school. What modes of transportation do you use in Bulgaria and Germany?
K: Well in Germany you, well in Bulgaria too, you use the public transport because we don’t have school buses.
It’s normally bus, train, or underground. In Bulgaria I actually go by bus and train.
T: Do more people go by bus or train than drive?
K: Well in Bulgaria a lot of people drive but if you go to school you cannot because you have to be 18 to drive, so you can’t drive to school. So normally people go by bus or take the train.
T: Do a lot of people have cars?
K: Well, in Bulgaria I think yeah almost everyone has a car. A lot of people walk too because it’s a big city and a lot of cars and there too much traffic. In Germany it’s a lot of people don’t have a car because even though they go everywhere they don’t think they need it. It depends where you work too. If you work far away you probably will have a car but if you don’t you won’t.
T: So coming here must have been a culture shock a little bit, right?
K: Yeah, a little bit.
T: Do you have any daily rituals in regards to your religion or beliefs that you still practice here?
K: Well I am not that religious actually. I don’t do anything different here.
T: What is the main religion in Germany?
K: Well they have Christians, most are Christian or protestant. In Bulgaria most people are Orthodox, so that is what I am. It is pretty much the same, there is not much difference.
T: What religious holidays or cultural events do you or others celebrate?
K: We have the same like Easter and Christmas as you, but in Bulgaria we have some holidays for like famous people a lot.
T: Really?!
K: Yeah because Bulgaria was 500 years beneath the Turkish people so there was like a lot of people who were fighting for our country so that is why we have all these holidays to celebrate them.
T: How do you celebrate them?
K: Well we don’t really do anything too special we just have a day off of school, which is really nice. Actually there is this famous writer in Bulgaria, on his day at 12 o’clock there’s like a sound in the whole city and everyone stops for one minute. It’s kind of weird to see everyone stop for just one minute on the street, and then they just continue on.
T: How do you celebrate Easter?
K: In Germany it is the same. But in Bulgaria it is also like the same but maybe a little different because we, when we dye the eggs we have to dye the first one red, that’s the tradition. And then at 12 o’clock, midnight, you go to the church with the egg and then at midnight you, how to do call it…you crash the eggs! Like with each other. We always play this game in Bulgaria when two people have eggs and you crack them together and the one who loses and in the end there is the one winner egg.
T: Oh really? That is neat!
K: Yeah I know. I love it.
T: Does your whole family get together and do you all play games or something?
K: In Bulgaria we get together sometimes, actually we get together on Christmas, which is the main time. And then when we all get together for my grandparents birthday. On Easter too, but normally we don’t get together all that much.
T: Do you not have many family get togethers like we do here?
K: Not really, I don’t know if it’s just my family maybe, but I think families just get together more around Christmas time. Although here it is like the families get together every week!
T: Do you at least communicate with your family a lot?
K: Yes. On Skype and the phone.
T: Who are you closest too?
K: My mom. Some of my family lives in Bulgaria, some in Sofia and some in Germany, so it is kind of split up. So that makes it harder to stay in touch and get together.
T: How are you with your host family?
K: Oh, pretty good. Its okay, it is different because well they don’t have any kids and the dad is around too. My dad actually lives in Germany so I just live with my mom. So now I have a dad and a mom, and a dog and a cat! It is kind of different, but it’s okay, I really like it and them.
T: Do you do a lot with the family, stuff together?
K: Yes, in the beginning we did a lot, we went somewhere on the weekends. They have a lot of family here, and we get together a lot actually. Once or twice a month, which is new for me too.
T: What are typical greetings in your culture?
K: Normally it is a "hi." We just say that or something. Well in Germany it is just hi if it is your friends. In Bulgaria, when translated, it is also hi.
T: Do you hug or shake hands like we do here?
K: Friends do. If you don’t know anyone, you will shake hands though. Just like here. Hug if they are friends or family too.
T: Okay. What do you think SCSU could do to make your stay here better? Is there anything?
K: They actually do a lot already, for example they take some fees for the students. One thing they could actually do for foreign exchange students is introduce them. For example, no one would know that I am a foreign exchange student in the beginning, so I never knew who to talk to. When people know that you are an exchange student they want to talk to you more.
T: Was it hard to make friends and the adjustment coming to school here?
K: In the beginning, yes kind of. The people are different here. It was very hard for me to talk to people until I got to know them better, but it got getter.
T: Was it hard to understand any of the teachers sometimes?
K: Actually, for me it was pretty easy. The English wasn’t too bad.
T: That’s good! So right now we have a lot of political things going on right now with the Super Tuesday, and such to figure out who will be in the race for the presidency, what kind of government is in charge of your home country and how has it affected your life?
K: In Germany we are democratic; a lot of people know a lot of stuff about politics. People are more involved and in school when you are 16 you are taught a lot about it. Most kids know exactly what is going on in the world. In Bulgaria, yeah, people don’t really like politics much because it just isn’t good.
T: Do people get in fights about it a lot?
K: Yeah, actually in Bulgaria more. Sometimes you can get in a fight with someone on the bus about politics! There are also communist parties, so the older people and other get in fights. They don’t like each other, so I have seen fights before.
T: So is it a subject that people don’t like to talk about if they get in fights about it?
K: In Bulgaria they do talk about it but you wouldn’t really talk about it in school. Maybe if you had friends that were interested in it then you would, I guess. In Germany everyone our age wouldn’t talk about it too much.
T: So with that, coming to the United States, has that been a change for you, or not so much?
K: Well I think it is a change, but it hasn’t been hard for me. I’ve lived in different countries and moved a few times so I think it is easier for me to adjust. It was quite a change, but a good one. With the transport though it is different, it is harder for me to get somewhere.
T: Could you tell me a secret about yourself that very few people here know that also shows me who you are and what you stand for?
K: Um, I do not know.
T: Was it hard to get to know your host family?
K: Not so much, because I talked to them before I came here. It wasn’t that hard, they are really nice and open so that helped.
T: What is hard to adjust to their schedule?
K: It is pretty much the same actually, I get up at the same time as I did before, I just have some chores and stuff, but I did at home too. So that is not a big difference.
T: Is there anything that surprised them about you?
K: Probably that I can cook, I have cooked some Bulgarian stuff for them.
T: Do they like it?
K: Yeah, I think they liked it.
T: That’s good.
K: At least they said they liked it!
T: So here some people are against abortions and some are for it. What is one thing that you are for, or against, that tells about who you are?
K: Racism, I am very against that. I do not like when people judge other people for some reason. Especially if it’s about your culture or where you are from of something.
T: What is something that you are for?
K: That’s a hard question…
T: What is a good value do you think every person should have?
K: To be open-minded. That is the opposite of racism I guess, but yeah.
T: That is a good one. So, do you have any questions about me that you would like to ask? Like, do you understand everything here, or is there anything that you would like to know more about?
K: Do people here our age care and know a lot about politics? It doesn’t seem like it.
T: No, not really.
K: Do you have a subject that you learn about politics or something?
T: We have Economics, where we learn about trade, exporting, and importing, things like that.
K: Do you have any classes that talks about stuff that is going on now in the world?
T: Yes, it’s called Social Problems, it is required to graduate. We watch the news every day.
K: Oh really, I didn’t know that, because we have politics in 9th grade, we have to take it.
T: Yeah we really didn’t, we just had Social Studies or History. Politics doesn’t really get talked about much between kids, unless your friends are very into it.
K: The elections are this year, right? So don’t you talk about that too?
T: Not too much, I think it all depends on your family too. If your family is into politics, then you more than likely will be too.
K: Yes, my mom asks all the time about what people are saying about the elections this year, and I don’t know what to tell her. I say people don’t talk about it much. I haven’t heard anyone talk about it actually.
T: I don’t think it is a big thing for kids to talk about, although it should be. Most kids would rather talk about where the party is this weekend, or what their plans are.
K: That’s weird. I don’t know. I like learning about politics, because I think it is important to know.
T: I wish people would talk about it more too.
K: In the US, do they show more about them or what is happening throughout the world?
T: A lot of it is about the United States, but they do have segments about other things that are happening in the world. In the newspaper though there is always a portion that shows the events going on around in the world.
K: Yeah, when I do watch the news, I hardly see anything about what is happening in Europe or something.
T: Yeah in the newspaper is where you will see more.
K: That is interesting.
T: Yes, it is. Oh, and if a person would go to MSN.com, there is always events that are going on in the world being wrote about. That is where I go most of the time for my information.
K: Okay, in Europe we always know what is going on in the world. I like it.
T: I wish we had more. I feel like at times the United States is self centered.
K: I’ve heard that before.
T: Do you have any more questions?
K: No I think that is it.
T: Okay, well thank you so much for meeting with me.
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