Preparation
I will conduct a fourth interview. I am guessing my fourth interviewee will be one of my friend's roommate. As the final exams are knocking at the door, its a bit tough to set up an appointment. So I am thinking of making some changes in the interview process to make it easy for my interviewee:
- To limit the time to exactly 30 minutes.
- Try to buy him lunch or dinner; so that i can at least save some of his cooking time.
- Do the interview at my interviewee's most convenient time and place.
- Get hold of a recorder as a back up
As usual my interview will include the following four parts:
1) Preparation for my interview
2) Country Report
3) Personal review
4) Transcript
Interview Objectives:
Find out an overall idea about the following topic.
1. Find out the norm, custom and cultural identity.
2. Learn about Family life and family bonding.
3. Political & Government system. How it runs and influence common people.
4. Find out how their economy runs?
5. Language and way of communication.
6. History of the country.
7. Difference with life style in US.
8. Personal opinion about what type of change their country need.
9. Education system.
Place, location and time of the interview:
Kent Housing, 5th Avenue
Date – 2nd May, 2011
Time: 10am to 10.30 am (Approximately).
I interviewed an international student from Burma or Republic of Myanmar. I knew him for long time but never had a chance to talk about the stuffs from the question list especially about his country. It was a great opportunity for me to know him better especially the cultural and religious aspects. It was a very casual interview and earlier I just asked him whether he can give me 30 to 45 minutes of his time. So my friend didn’t have any preparation for the interview but to the best of my knowledge it went really well. We both enjoyed the interview and I found a lot of similarity between our countries which was very interesting as well. The interview lasted little more than 30 minutes and we were really glad to complete the task as expected.
Country Report - Burma
Introduction
Burma is officially known as Republic of the Union of Myanmar with an estimated population of 42,909,000 (2005), area of 261,789 sq mi (678,033 sq km) and located in the south east Asia (source: World Fact Book). It is bounded on the west by Bangladesh, India, and the Bay of Bengal; on the north and northeast by China; on the east by Laos and Thailand; and on the south by the Andaman Sea. The traditional capital and the largest city is Yangon (Rangoon), but in late 2005 the government began transferring many government ministries to a new capital at Naypyidaw, near Pyinmana, in central Myanmar.
Independence
Following a 1947 conference in London, Burma gained its independence from the United Kingdom on January 4, 1948. Attempts by the non-Burmese minorities to secede from the Burmese state were prevented, but the Burmese government had no more control over the hill territories than the British had done.
The culture of Burma (or Myanmar) has been heavily influenced by Buddhism and the Mon people. Its neighbors, particularly India, China, and Thailand, have made major contributions to Burmese culture. In more recent times, British colonial rule and westernization have influenced aspects of Burmese culture, including language and education.
A few regional dialects of Burmese are associated with subgroups. Closely related is the “Southern Burmish” languages. Burmese is the national language. It is spoken as a second language by most educated members of other ethnic groups, but some of those groups have little contact with the national language. Many educated urban residents speak English as a second language, but English is not widely spoken among the population as a whole.
The number of languages of Burma (Myanmar) is 107.Burmse spoken by approximately 65% of the populace, is the official language However, a wide variety of languages are spoken, especially by ethnic minorities. Other major languages spoken include Shan Karen , Kachin , Chin , Mon and Rakhine Today, Burmese is the primary language of instruction, and English is the secondary language taught.
Religion
In Union of Myanmar, majority of the population are Buddhist, Theravada Buddhism is professed widely. Religious intolerance or discrimination on grounds of religion is non-existence in the Union of Myanmar throughout its long history. The main religions of present day Myanmar are Buddhism (89.20%), Christianity (5.05%), Muslims (3.78%), Hindus (0.55%), and Animism (1.27%) and other faiths such as Bahai Sikhs, Lipian fujianhal, Chinese, etc.(0.61%). (source: World Fact Book)
Government system
Burma’s leader is the military junta, which means that the military has the control of the government. After the military coup in 1988, the constitution was suspended. Although there was an election held after the junta took over, the result of the election was not recognized by the government. The convention was reconvened in 2004, but in the absence of their primary opposition party in the country, the National League for Democracy, as well as other minor parties. The highest organ in the country has been the State Peace and Development Council ever since the military coup. The Senior General Than Shwe is the chairman and also the head of state. Having been a British colony, the country has preserved some of British’s legal systems, but the regime now rules by decree so it might be a fair one.
Although there are other parties in the country, they are not treated fairly. Most leaders of the opposition parties are either imprisoned or put under house arrest to prevent them from going against the government. This has created fear amongst the people and thousands of people have quit their parties. Although the National League for Democracy won the election, but the convention was never convened.
Works Cited
- All Photos has been taken from wikipedia and cia.gov
- Wikipedia, http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00540/myanmar.html
- World Fact Book, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bm.html
- Steinberg, David I. Burma, the state of Myanmar. Washington: Georgetown University Press 2001. Print.
- Rotberg, Robert I. Burma: prospects for a democratic future. Washingon: The World Peace Foundation 1998. Print
Interview Transcript (Edited Form)
Interviewer: Ahmed Iqbal (AI)
Country: Bangladesh
Interviewee: Cho Kyler (CK)
Country: Burma
AI: Hello. My name is Ahmed Asif Iqbal. You can call me Asif.
CK:My name is Kyler
AI: Hi Kyler. So where are you from?
CK:I am from Burma
AI: Burma is next to Bangladesh but I never had a chance to know much about Burma like I had suppose say for India.
CK:Ya that does not surprise me. I am not that knowledgeable about my country either.
AI: So this interview is actually final project for my English 191 class. I would like to thank you for time.
CK:Okay
AI: So how are you doing with your finals
CK:I have few stuffs to submit but I don’t have any exams to sit !
AI: Before we start, I wanted to ask you if you would mind if I record this interview.
CK:Yes that’s okay !
AI: So this is the list of the questions that I will be asking you today.
AI: The first question that I had for you is why did you decide to come to SCSU/ U.S instead of studying or working in your home country?
I think we look at the education system of the united states especially the quality that made up my mind to come to USA.
AI: What did you study at undergraduate studies
CK:I studied civil engineering for my undergraduate studies. And then I did master’s in English Teaching back in my country and so this is my second masters.
AI:,Is there any particular reason why they decided to study abroad or in the U.S instead of studying in Burma?
CK:I think it varies person to person. For me, US education is very expensive, but its only affordable since I got a Fulbright scholarship. Many of my friends want to work in USA to gain experience and such. But for me I will go back to my country.
AI: What was the hardest thing about transitioning to life in the United States?
CK:The biggest challenge was getting used to the new food habit. Back in my country I always used to eat oily and spicy food. But here most of the food are plain. The next thing is weather. And also the banking system. I think I could cope well with the education system. But ya I never used bank cards before as you know cash is more popular in Asian countries.
AI: How is your life in the United States different from your life in Burma?
CK:In US I find a lot of things are very convenient. Like the transportation system. I can always take the bus. They are free for students. In my country the public transportation is really bad. And also we do not have a lot of job opportunity. Like say here students can work part time, which is not popular in my country.
AH: So did you face any difficulty with English as it is not our mother tongue?
CK: Yes. Despite the fact that I am an English teacher back in my country, I still had a lot of problem when i first came to USA.
AI: Is this the same case for all or most students from Burma?
CK:Ya I think so. Because we do use English at home or at work. So not enough chance to practice English.
AI:I know you touched on this earlier and I am sure you miss it a lot, how does the climate here differ from Burma?
CK:The climate differs a lot. Our country is the tropical region. So we have a lot of rain and sunny. Here people are very happy to see the sun. But in my country people don’t like the Sun as it is extremely hot.
AI: You have also mentioned some of the social norms which are different in the U.S from Burma, are there any cultural differences between the United States and Burma?
CK:in my country we wear long clothes “Lungi”. Men and women wear very different clothes. Here people like pets a lot. But in my country people are not really interested in pets. We don’t have that type of culture. People talk very loudly. They like to spend a lot of idle time and chitchat a lot.
AI: Do your parents play a role in your life? I mean do they get to have a say in what you should not do?
CK:Of course. Parents play a significant role in my life. In my country kids do not leave their parents after they are 18. They stay together even after getting married , which is very different than USA. Its parent’s responsibility to take care of their children’s expenses. They pay for their children’s education needs. In return children takes care of their parents when they get a job.
AI: Who takes care of the finances in your family?
CK:Usually it’s the fathers role to earn money and mother manage the money. But now a lot of women are working too. And well the husband and wife shares the money.
AI: How is the education system different here to that of your home country?
CK:I have to say there us a lot of difference. My country is still a developing country. The public education system is poor. Because there is not enough fund and the government is not rich enough to provide all the facilities like in USA.
AI: is the relationship between a professor and a student different in Burma.
CK:Yes the relationship between professor and students are very different compared to USA. Here professors are very friendly and helpful. In Burma they are very strict. We really do not have a lot of interaction with the professors outside class.
AI: You don't have to answer the next question if you do not wan to. Have you experienced any form of racism here in the United States.?
CK:I feel like I came across really helpful and friendly Americans. I didn’t really come across any racism.
AI: What kind of foods did you eat in your country?
CK:I used to eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetable. I do not have a lot opportunity to get them here. Especially because I don’t have a car. And its really tough to manage time to prepare and cook fresh food. So most of the time I rely on frozen vegetables.
AI: What do you miss the most about Burma?
CK:I miss the fruits and vegetables a lot. I miss water press. I like it a lot and used to eat it almost every day in my country. I miss my family a lot my cousins and my other relatives.
AI: How often and through what medium do you get to communicate with your parents?
CK:I use my phone. I also talk to them over the internet. They do not have high speed internet in my country. So sometimes the call quality is very low.
AI: Do you usually call them or do they call you?
CK:I call them. I call them twice a week and talk to them for around 20 to 30 minutes.
AI: What are your plans after you graduate?
CK: I plan to go back to my country and work there. I am in Fulbright scholarship student. So I have an agreement that I will go back to my country after I am done with studies.
AI: Would you say that you have integrated in to the U.S culture or you have still held on to your culture? Or is it a combination of both cultures now?
CK:I try not to intentionally take the USA culture. I like to stay the way I am. But I definitely got a lot of exposure to USA culture now.
AI: Well that is all the questions that I have for you today.
CK:So you are done with your assignment. Great!
AI: Do you have any questions for me?
CK:yes I would like know more why you are doing this interview.
AI: Well this is a requirement for my English 191 class. All undergraduate students has to take this class. It’s an university requirement. Basically it’s an analytical and rhetoric writing class. So I am doing interview as a class assignment and its also part of my final paper.
AI:Thank you very much. My professor will really appreciate all the inputs that you have provided to me. Thank you for your time. I really appreciate it.
