Tuesday, April 3, 2012

My Third Interview (30-35 minutes)

Preparations


Going into my third interview I had the same objectives as the first two interviews.  My intentions were to gain a better understanding of a different culture from my own.  I am interested in knowing about their traditions, customs, food, religious beliefs, and daily activities. I would like to then compare this information to my own culture. I also want to know how it feels coming from a different culture to the United States. I thought about who I wanted to contact for my third interview. My first two interviewees were from different countries so I had a couple of options.  My first qualified candidate fell through so I decided to interview another person from Burkina Faso.  At work I decided to approach a colleague named Patrick who is from that country. Like my second interviewee, he is a student at St. Cloud State going for computer technology. We decided on Monday 4/2/2012 at 12:00pm in the library. For the first two interviews I found that reserving a study room was a convenient, quiet place to conduct the interview.  I chose this as my location again. I also used the recording device on my laptop as I did before. 

Description 


I thought my third interview went the best because I had a better understanding of the interview process than I did in the first two interviews.  I was more confident which made me less nervous as well.  Patrick was nice to interview because I know him from work, which made me more comfortable as well. It was interesting to interview another person from the same country as a previous interview because he filled in some information that was missing.  Oswald and Patrick's interviews complemented each others really well. Where Oswald didn't go into detail about a certain subject Patrick did and vise-versa. This was very cool to listen to. Also, I took Dr. Specht-Jarvis's advice about the second interview. He had informed me even though the interview went well there are some things I could do to make it more successful. Instead of jumping from topic to topic I should find ways to connect the topics with questions that lead into each other. I thought I did a much better job at doing this.  The interview flowed much more naturally rather than from subject to subject.  Then at the end of the interview we had a mini conversation about cultures and life. It was pretty cool to step about from the question and answer format to get to know each other a little more.


Country Report




     "The country of free men" is known to the world as Burkina Faso. It is a small nation, about the size of Colorado, located in the north-western region of Africa.  It is surrounded on all sides sharing boarders with six neighboring countries including:    Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali and Niger. The French occupied this area from 1895 until they gain their independence in August 1960. During the time of colonization this area was known as Upper Volta (1).  Though the country is very poor the government has remained relatively stable for a number of years in an area of the continent which is hit by frequent instability. Also, the government “is attempting to improve the economy by developing its mineral resources, particularly gold, improving its infrastructure, making its agricultural and livestock sectors more productive and competitive, and stabilizing the supplies and prices of food grains” (2).
     Today, the government of Burkina Faso is a Republic.  They have a multiparty democracy in which the citizens vote on elected officials (1). Though, this hasn't always been the case.  The history dates back before the colonization period.  At that time it was ruled by the Mossi Empire.  Then the French invaded and took control over the area.  In 1960, Burkina Faso gained their independence from France.  Over the next thirty years there were a series of military coups that took power over the government.  It wasn't until 1991 that a democratic election was held(2).
    The national language is French because of their history of colonization.  Oswald informed me the main greetings are Bonjour, Comment êtes-vous?  They also greet by shaking hands, hugging, and kissing on the cheek. According to Patrick though, it is polite for you to wait to greet people who are older.  Out of respect you must wait for the elder to initiate conversation or a handshake.
      Education in Burkina Faso is highly valued and respected.  Parents save up a lot of their money in order to send their children to school because their education is not free.  Like in the United States, it ranges from 1st grade to 12th grade but there day to day schedule differs.  In Burkina Faso, children go to school from 7:30am until 12:00pm.  They have a two hour break to go home and eat with their families.  They then return to school and finish at 5:00pm.
    The most common modes of transportation include walking, bicycles, motorcycles, and cars.  They do have a bus system but it is crowded and unreliable.  Many children get their own motorbike around the age of 15 to drive themselves back and forth from school. To travel between countries the most common form of transportation is by train.
     Burkina Faso is comprised of the two main religions Islam and Christianity.  There is little conflict between the two religions in this country.  Oswald told me, "during Christmas it is tradition for Christians to cook and bring food to their Muslim neighbors and vise versa during Ramadan." Patrick also confirmed this fact.  He said, "its difficult to decide who is Christian and who isn’t because we tend to celebrate those together [...] we kinda like eat and celebrate together. So sometimes it difficult to tell is Christian and who is not. I think that is the main difference with the U.S."
     According to Oswald and Patrick the main staple food is called tô.  It is a paste about the consistency of mashed potatoes but is made from millet or corn flour.  It is then combined with your choice of sauce.  Patrick said, "[we] have all different types of sauce you put on the side. Can be baobab, spinach, it can be different stuff." During the interview I failed to ask details so I did a little more research myself.  I found that baobab is a type of tree that produces fruit.  "Baobab fruit looks like a large velvety-green coconut. Inside are large seeds, coated with powder that has a tangy taste of caramel pear with a hint of grapefruit" (3).  It also contains a wide variety of nutrients. 
(Picture on Top: tô;
Bottom: Baobab fruit)
     By taking part in the interviews and doing my own research I learned a lot of interesting facts about a country I didn't know much about.  I found some similarities and differences between Burkina Faso and the United States.  It is similar in terms of the government in power and parts of the education system I believe this may be due to the Western influence inherited by France. However it differs greatly because of their economic situation. 





    


Transcription 

Justineb(Me)=J
Patrick=P
J: Hi, How are you doing today?
P: I’m how bout you?
J: I’m good. I’m going to start the interview with asking where are you from?
P: I am from a West African country called Burkina Faso, it used to be called Upper Volta 40 years ago but now it is called Burkina Faso and Its about 60 million people and a little bigger than the size of Minnesota.
J: Ok, so a fairly small country.
P: Yea, we are a small country.
J: Ok, What are you going to school for?
P: Basically I came to study information technology. I ended up having my two year degree in information technology. I wasn’t sure about it so I went back for another two year degree in business. I transferred here to St. Cloud and now I’m going for natural science. So I am kind of looking like I’m everywhere probably looking a little lost but I will find my way.
J: Yea, you will. How long have you been in St. Cloud?
P: Oh, it is my first semester.
J How are you liking it?
P: It’s a little different from Virginia where I transferred from. But I like it so far.
J: Is there anything that St. Cloud State could do to make your stay better?
P: uhh, you mean St. Cloud, the university?
J: Yep the university.
P: Umm, for the moment since I’m not really used to the system yet and I don’t know exactly whats going on around here. I am not sure if really give an answer to that question because I really need to see what is around here. When I got here I just started school and I didn’t get time to get to know the environment better. I didn’t really have time to know what could make it easier. But for now I think everything is ok. I don’t have any problems
J: When you transferred here was it easy for you to transition into school or is there something that could have been better.
P: Ok, well I could say something about the transfer because the transferring has been really tough. I had to go meet with the faculty that had the classes that I wanted to transfer. And they have to do an evaluation and stuff. Personally I wasn’t aware of that. That I had to do it myself. Because I sent my transcript and when I opened my student account I used see all the classes that transferred. But I didn’t know that they weren’t final. I didn’t know they weren’t exactly where they are supposed to be. So I had to go back and see. I got some of them but not all. And since I was the first person transferring from my school in Virginia I think that was a problem too. They didn’t really help deciding which credits transferred also. But I wish there was better system between the Midwest and East coast transferring system.
J: Ok, Alright. Are you in a lot of stress while in school here?
P: This school is tougher than I thought. Stress, no I’m not a lot of stress unless I get a lot of assignments. But not really, I can handle it right now.
J: Well, that’s good! What age did you start school? And can you tell me a little bit about the education system in Burkina Faso.
P: School, you don’t mean college, right?
J: Yea I mean like all your school throughout your life.
P:  We start school when we are 5 years old. We go to preschool and stuff. And I think the major difference is that we go to school at 730 then we get out at 12. Then you go back at 3pm and get out at 5pm. I think here you go from 8 or 9 and get out around 2. Depending on the school and grade you are in.
J: Yup, Yup you have your lunch break but you would stay on campus.
P Yea, but for us you go 7 to 12 then 3 to 5 from 1st grade until 12th.
J: Is that so you can go home and see your family and have a lunch break.
P: Sometimes, we have those schools where the kids would stay in the dorms
J: ok so if you don’t live on campus for school how do you get to and from school, what kind of transportation do you use?
P: Back home, it really depends until about 15 years old your parents will give us a ride to school. When you are about 15 they get you a motorcycle so you can be independent and going to school by yourself. That’s when you really start to go by yourself.
J: So, what are some other modes of transportation people can use?
P: Yea, we have bus but as far as respecting time it is not really accurate, it is not as developed as it is here because we have really few buses because we are a poor city and stuff. So people rely more on bicycle, motorcycle, and friends and family to go to different places.
J:  So mostly cars, walking, motorbikes. Would you maybe take the bus to the market to get food or is it close enough for you to walk?
P: No, usually the markets are really close. I think like Division would be like the same distance. But you would have the markets about 5 to 10 blocks around you. So you could kinda walk to the market or bicycle sometimes.
J: Ok, So when you’re at the market. What kind of food is popular to buy, or what food is your country famous for?
P: Uhh, we famous for a type of food, let me see what it looks like. You know you have those uhh like at KFC. What is the name of the thing again? Uhh Mashed Potatoes.  Something like mashed potatoes but it could be done with corn instead or wheat one of those two.
J: ohh so it is the consistency of mashed potatoes.
P: yea, you then have all different types of sauce you put on the side. Can be bokra, spinach, it can be different stuff. That’s mainly what we are known for.
J: So that would be like your staple food, what is it called?
P: It is called To. Like T.O.
J: What countries food do you like the most?
P: Well, in terms of food I’m not picky at all. I’m not picky so. I’ve tried Chinese it is ok. I have had Tai, South Korean, I like American food sometimes because it is greasy. But I think everything is ok.
J: do you like spicy food, or more sweet?
P: Spicy, yes. Spicy because we have some spicy stuff and I even think our food is spicier than yours.
J: Yea…
P: Have you tried it before?
J: No, but I know that they say a lot of foods are spicy in the U.S. but when you try them they aren’t.
P: Yea, sometimes we have food that we cook, and it has that real spicy things in it. So kinda spicy, yea.
J: Ok, what is a kind of food you would eat during your religious holidays?
P: uhh, I’m Christian so basically no we don’t have a specific food but for Muslims they have a specific food that they eat at the beginning of the fasting period. It’s a pancake like, more like a bun cake kinda of like a donut. Its done with wheat. But im not really sure it depends to differ between cultures. But at the end of the fasting the slaughter like the sheeps and stuff.
J: Ok, so what are some religious holidays that you celebrate?
P: Christmas would be the main one, Easter too.
J: Is there something specific you do for those holidays in your country that you don’t think Christians in the United States do? Like what do you is culturally different rather than religiously different?
P: Ok, culturally different back home when we have those holidays, sometimes its difficult to decide who is Christian and who isn’t because we tend to celebrate those together. Like assume it is Christmas time, for example, some Muslim families what they do is go get some groceries and stuff and bring them to their neighbors for them to do their celebration and that’s what Christians do when Muslims have their celebration. So we kinda like eat and celebrate together. So sometimes it difficult to tell is Christian and who is not. I think that is the main difference with the U.S. I think it tends to be more individual, if I may.
J: You have more of that community based faith but in the U.S. it is more individualistic. They don’t really mesh well.
P: Yea, exactly.
J: I really like that. I wish it was more like that here. Is there anything you do on a daily basis for your religion?
P: something that I was supposed to do but I am not doing is that every time you wake up and go to bed you say a little prayer or something. But sometimes it is a little tough because sometimes we wake up thinking about the work we need to do. Or this and that but we forget. We are supposed to go to weekly mass or follow some rules like at the end of this week we are done with our fasting period. During this time we are not suppose to eat meat on Fridays.
J: ok, so what is like a typical day for you?
P: A typical day is, wake up in the morning, listen probably to some music, go to school, spend an entire day studying, go back home, uhh cook something to eat if I did do so during the weekend and check emails and stuff call friends. Go back to bed.
J: Yea, the life of a college student!
P: Yea that’s life.
J: What would be a typical day in the life of a child in your country?
P: Oh, that’s pretty easy. They wake up in the morning, make sure you get your breakfast, then go outside with your friends and do what you wanna do. And probably around 5 it is time for you to take a shower. I mean if you are 10 and below. Probably around that age. Then make sure you eat around 6 and around 9 you go to bed. That is the typical life for the children back home.
J: Yea pretty similar I would say. Is there any sports that the children like to play or watch?
P: Yea, Soccer, that is what we do.
J: Yea, I think much of the world besides here. Huh?
P: Yea, I don’t understand why you guys don’t call it football.
J: I don’t really know either. Let’s move on to another question. Is there something you could tell me about yourself that people don’t really know when they first meet you?  Something that would give me an idea about who you are as a person.
P: Yes, probably one thing is that I don’t talk too much. And people, when you don’t talk too much, people don’t know how you are inside. I don’t really know who I am at first when we talk. It’s like time after time I will let myself out so you can see who I am. And ahh, people tends to have this first impression about you that in my case it is always different impression you would have after some time. I don’t really let myself out.
J: So, like until you get comfortable with the person and get to know them.
P: No not really get to know them but if I am comfortable with them.
J: well, you are very friendly at work. Very outgoing and nice.
P: Thank you, I try to. I don’t know if it my personality or culture but I don’t think it makes sense to work with people you don’t know. I believe that, like think, you never know what is going to happen. It is always good to know the people you are working with because they might need you or need them like somebody might be in trouble. If you didn’t know that person well you might not step in to help that person. I think it is always good to know everybody you workin with. I feel like some people at work it doesn’t really matter to them. I think maybe it’s the culture or something.
J: Yea especially like some of us work in the front of the house and some work in the back. I feel like in the front we know each other so much more and then you guys know each other well but a lot of the servers don’t come back and try to get to know you. They just come back there and try to do their own thing. But to communicate well you need to get to know each other.
J: So when you first meet someone what are the greetings you use in your country?
P: In my culture whats happening if you feel that the person is older than you, you don’t sake their hand or initiate. You need to wait for the other person to initiate that then you can. Otherwise we say like Hi, how are you? Are you doing ok? No, like hug or kiss on the cheek.
J: if you know the person, or friends or family would you hug or kiss on the cheek?
P: Uh, ya know we not, as far as hugging and kissing, we not really into those two types of things. Were not really into hugging. We only kiss during celebrations, like wishing a happy new year. Otherwise if someone is coming to visit in your house, it is hi, how are you? And a handshake. That’s about it.
J: I see, would you say hello in English or do you speak French since it was at one time a French colony?
P:  yes, we do speak French.  But we do speak the native languages as well. And in school we learned English but since we do speak it a lot. The speaking wasn’t that well.
J: So more of the writing.
P: Yea, writing is better.
J: I’ve heard that before. So, since for a time period your country was taken over by the French and then you gained independence, what kind of government is in charge of your country now?
P: they say the government is kind of a democratic government. But I don’t think so because after 1960 the first president, he wasn’t democratically elected it has more to do with ah, colonization and stuff. I think 4 or 5 years later there was a coup. They took him down. I believe the following one we had another coup. 3 or 4 presidents out of 5 presidents were taken out.
J: So they were taken out of power?
P: Yes, by a military coup. Then the military in charge of the coup would then get power. So they were like I don’t like this president. They take him out of power.
J: Right now was the president elected in to power?
P: Ok, because it started twenty years or so ago. He took power in 1987. Then in 1991 there was an election that he won. Then at that time the president would be for two terms of 7 each. And at the end those two terms he kind of changed the constitution to make it to five years. Since the constitution had to be changed it was like the two 7 years didn’t count. So he was able to go back to his first term. Right now he is on his second 5 years. And there were some rumors that about the fact he did something to the constitution to be in. so we don’t know yet. But thanks to him the country is stable. This is something we owe to him. Besides that we still have poverty. It’s really hard on the population. Before the military coup, a president that was for four years, during that four years we didn’t need to import any things. But since then for years now we still have to import stuff. So I mean about how you handle the government. It’s the politics.
J: Yea all about politics. How has that been different from living in the United States, they are both technically democracies, but how do u think it differs?
P: I think it is pretty much, back home we don’t feel like it differs much, because here and back home we are not close to it. We go on with our day to day lives. But the main thing I see here is that it is more likely cultural and economic. Here you have more opportunities to get a job, everywhere and stuff. Ya know? Easier to start your life and stuff. Its better.
J: Ok, yea that’s good. Well I am done with my interview. Is there anything you would like to add to our conversation that we didn’t talk about?
P: One thing I may say, I was doing presentation on my country for a cultural event and I was doing some research. And you know the united states peace corp? right. We do have some members from this corp that tends to go back to my home country to do their different things. I found out that 1 out of 10 doesn’t come back to the U.S. They don’t come back because, what they said is that the life over there is much more, people are more welcoming and stuff. I’ll tell you my first experience. When I came to the U.S. my first problem was I am living in an apartment I don’t even know who my neighbor is. I’m like ok, that is the way it works around here. When you go out, even if you know who the neighbor is, if you meet the neighbor in the stairs or something and he is on his way. I’m like ok, what am I suppose to do am I suppose to stick to myself or not? It was really cultural shock but as you go you start to find your way.
J: People can seem closed off unless you know them personally but sometime I wish that we were more opening and welcoming to our neighbors and get to know each other. Ya know, you may live on a block with all these people but you don’t even know who they are. You might get the wrong impression about them. But if you don’t really know them how can you judge them.
P: It’s like I said, your neighbor might be in trouble without you even knowing it. I don’t think the U.S. is going to get to that level soon.
J: no I think it may have had that more friendly to each other but now it is so closed off and individual. You are suppose to live your own life. You need to do this and live on your own. You don’t need anyone else, kinda.
P: I understand it from the fact that it is tough in the country.  You need to be working and make money to pay rent, and the bills which is a little different from my country. If you are late on your rent you can just go to the landlord and they will give you a two three months delay. But here if you are late you’re going to have fees and it’s a little different. I think its based on society you tend to be more of a capitalistic kind of society.
J: yea I think our society is based on this merit that you have to provide for yourself and do things on your own and it is acceptable to get help from others.
P: Yea that’s a good feeling too. I think if we had that back home it could help. Like you should do things on your own but if you need to get help from friends and family its ok too.
J: yea that is true. Sometimes you need that. Life is hard.
P: Yea, life can be hard.
J: Ok, but thank you so much for coming to meet with me. It’s been great!
P: No, it’s my pleasure!
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