Interview report

Interview Report

I was really excited when I got to know about this task. The country that I chose is India as I have always been amazed by its diversified culture and always wanted to know more about it. In recent years it has become a strong competing country among the developing countries. I started the task by forming a questionnaire. I had to be very careful about the questions that I chose, in order not to hurt or offend the people I would be interviewing because of the cultural differences. I made a list of fifteen neutral yet very provoking questions. These are:

1. Can you tell me about yourself? (your name, home country)
2. What are you planning to do after school?
3. Why did you choose to study at St. Cloud University?
4. What is the difference in educational systems between your country and North America?
5. Would you like to tell me about your country?
6. Could you tell me about your country's traditional process regarding marriage?
7. Can you tell me about activities that young people like to do in your country?
8. What are major holidays in your country?
9. What is your traditional food?
10. How is the political system of your country structured?
11. What are your country's major religions?
12. What’s considered offensive in your country?
13. What do you perceive as differences between your culture and the American culture?
14. Is there anything you would like to add before we end our interview?
15. Do you have any questions for me, now that I have had the pleasure of asking you about so many things?

I went to St. Cloud University to search for three Indians, who would give me the answers. After finding three possible candidates I went up to them and told them about the survey I was doing. I was really nervous about how they would react but they were very friendly and eager to discuss about their country and its culture. This was a very encouraging start for me and I had started to like India and its people even more. I taped the interview and later put it into writing. I found it easier to interact with them verbally, rather than writing down and talking to them at the same time. I also felt that it would not leave a good impression on them if I did not give full attention to them.

Throughout the interview, I observed the love and affection of the participant towards their Country. Obviously I was shocked, how the people of India were able to manage all those difficult phases in life. They belong to collectivist culture where relationships are important. Feelings are not openly described. Elders have the right to make all the decisions. I observed their positive attitude in all phases of life. I was astonished to see how much tolerance they have and how patiently they were answering my questions. Because what I saw before that is people look at their clocks to show they are very busy and have no time to give details. It was the moment, when I realized that in order to succeed in life, at any kind of place or in any kind of group, an individual should have a positive attitude. Even if we are the worlds’ most famous talented people; our attitude makes a great difference in living environment. As a student, this might be my first and most important lesson learned. One thing that really inspired me is that the students were more eager and concerned about their present political situation than their culture. They know that they have a very strong culture and nothing can change that. The change is needed in the administration of the country. The young generation of India is not only aware of that but is also worried about the political condition of the country and increasing poverty and unemployment. This is a very good thing and in my opinion is the first step towards change. This sensitivity and analyzing the situation of the country, keeping them updated while living in other country showed their strong association with their country. These all aspects gave a new turn to my thinking and I felt more associated with my own country.

As I already knew, and it was confirmed by my survey, that India is full of culture and the traditions are followed very strictly there. Some of these traditions are centuries old. This gives them an inspiration and a reason to celebrate. This collectivist culture with lots of traditions and values, care of each other and respect for elders with strong relationship is really worth exploring. However, political situation of the country is not very satisfying and I hope that these students, seeing how motivated they are, after fulfilling their dreams will go back to their country and change the situation for the betterment of their people living there.