My first interview

                                                 Describe my preparations.

 

 The interview went on quite good as far as I think. I made it a point to get up early and reach the place 10 minutes before the interview was due so as to avoid getting late and giving a bad impression. I thought that I should interview a person of a different culture so as to better understand the perception of different people and also to bring a diversity .I interviewed a Pakistani national female. I recorded the interview on a tape so that I could replay it later on. What came as a surprise was that how people of Pakistan have developed over the years. The girl was very confident and independent. She was passionate and wanted to pursue a career. The interview went on good and I also got to learn a lot of new things about Pakistani culture and the changes it has gone through.

                                       Interview report on how the interviewing went

"I met with Jia.K on the 18th of October 2013. We talked for about 40 minutes. I think the interview went quite well. The girl was passionate and confident, she knew what she wanted to achieve and also how she will achieve it. She belongs to a Muslim family. I liked the way she had such good plans and the way she was open to new ideas and experiences despite of belonging to a male dominating society. She was very responsive and replied to all interview questions comfortably. Over all it was a very healthy and positive interaction.

                                             Report on country/region and culture

Pakistan has a rich and unique culture that has preserved established traditions throughout history. Many cultural practices, foods, monuments, and shrines were inherited from the rule of Muslim Mughal and Afghan emperors. Islam is practiced by the majority of Pakistanis and governs their personal, political, economic and legal lives. The national dress of shalwar qamiz . Women wear brightly colored shalwar qamiz, while men often wear solid-colored ones. In cities western dress is also popular among the youth and the business sector .Pakistani society is a multilingual one and 96% of the population is Muslim, and they often hold a very high regard for their family values, traditions etc. Even though urban families have somewhat modernized still their roots remain intact.

Ramadan and Eid are one of the most prestigious and celebrated religious occasions. Muslims fast in the month of Ramadan and Eid is seen a gift from God for fasting the entire month.

Pakistan lies in the temperature zone. The summers are hot and the winter’s cold, however extreme temperature variations occur between the northern and southern areas. The coastal areas are hot and humid. Rainfall is low but the cooling sea breeze moderates the coastal climate throughout the year.

The variety of Pakistani music ranges from diverse provincial folk music and traditional styles such as Qawwali and Ghazals i to modern forms fusing traditional and western music, such as the synchronization of Qawwali and western music by the world renowned Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Increasing globalization has increased also led to an inevitable influence of Western culture in Pakistan, especially among the affluent, who have easy access to Western products, television, media, and food. Numerous western food chains such as Mc Donald’s, Hardees etc have established themselves in Pakistan. Most of the young generation have taken up to wearing western clothes, Pakistan over the years has westernized up to some extent. The culture is eastern based, with lots of traditions, spicy food and all. Families are very closely knit and mostly male oriented. But these trends have changed over the years and the new generation has somewhat westernized. Where Americans are all for independence and being dependent Pakistani culture is male dominated and is about being dependent. Things are changing over times but still the roots remain especially in the rural areas.

References:

Qazi, Shaheryar. Society and Culture of Pakistan. Pakmania. Web. 19 October 2013.

SAARC Tourism. Pakistan Culture. SAARC Tourism. Web. 19 October 2013.

                                       Interview transcription of my interview with Jia.K

 

 

Interviewer: Alzoabur

Interviewee: Jia

Location: University of Saint Cloud, USA, 10.00 AM

A-Alzoabur

J: Jia.K

A) First, I would like to thank you for your time this morning For let me do the interview with you.
J)  That's Ok. I am glad to hear from you.

A) So do you like the weather in St.Cloud? Please explain.
J) Well yes as a matter of fact I love the weather here. St. Cloud has a humid continental climate with warm summers and no dry season, and warm summers are something we all look forward to. I am not a fan of dry weather it makes everything dull and St.Cloud has no dry season and this is what I love most about the weather here. In St.Cloud I can enjoy every season has it has a mixture of all seasons, like chills of the winter, warmth of the sun and the howls of the winds as well. St. Cloud City is very hot in summer and very cold with snow in winter and as I like both weathers I love it here.

A)Hmmm nice .And what do you do for leisure?
J) Well I love to read so I read whenever I get time. I am an extrovert kind of a person. I love interacting with people of differing cultures, meet new people and make new friends. So I spend my leisure time either hanging out with friends, or reading. Sometimes I also write and paint but I am not that good an artist.

A)Could you please tell me about yourself?
J) Hmm well I am a Pakistani national and belong to a Muslim family .I am an extrovert kind of a person who loves to meet new people like I said before. Apart from that I am a diligent and a hard worker. I love challenges and meeting tough deadlines. I like to lead rather than to follow. I am a better leader rather than a follower, but by no means does that mean that I have no regards for rules and regulation. I am responsible and a team player. I possess good communication skills and have a power to persuade people.

 
A)  How often do you communicate with your family back at home?
J) Ours is a closely knit family so we tend to talk to each other about 4 to 5 times a week no matter how busy life gets we manage to take out time for each other.

A)  What is the biggest holiday in your country? Please explain about the holidays (Activities, Food, Date, Origin, and etc,)
J) Well we went on many holiday both as a child and as a teenager, we had family picnics and all. The biggest one in our country being going to the beach. We used to visit the beach at least twice every summer with family and friends. We used to gather and then travel together. The trip was always fun filled, with food, drinks, games and water. Later in the evening we had barbecue and grill. It was great fun.

A)  In what ways might it be difficult to practice your religion here in the U.S?

J) It will not be hard to practice my religion here as religion is something that lies within us and no matter what the situation is or the place is we can practice it at home, so I do not think I will face any difficulty in practicing my religion here.

A)  Tell me some important things from your culture?

J) Well our culture is eastern based, with lots of traditions, spicy food and all. Our families are very closely knit and mostly male oriented. But these trends have changed over the years and the new generation has somewhat westernized.

A) What’s the biggest difference between the American culture and your culture?
J) Well our culture differs from American culture in all ways. Where Americans are all for independence and being dependent our culture is male dominated and is about being dependent. Things are changing over times but still the roots remain especially in the rural areas.

 A)    What are your goals for the future; after you graduate, what are you going to do?

J) First is the goal of meeting other people that have the same career field that I do. Secondly, I would like to improve myself using education, making me a better well known individual. Third, and finally, I would like to graduate and get a job as a marketing head at a reputable multinational.

A) How did you choose your major?

J) I choose this major because I am very creative, innovative and open to new ideas, in short all the skills necessary to make a good marketer.

A) How do you celebrate holidays?

J) I spend my holidays with family and friends, nothing extravagant just relaxing with lots of good food and gossips and movies.

A) Well that’s all from my side, do you have any questions for me?

J) I see that all of your first-year students participate in service learning. In what kinds of projects do they often participate?

A) At St.Clouds we offer a wide variety of service learning projects ranging from volunteer work at old age homes, orphanages etc. We offer face-to-face projects in which service impacts individuals who receive direct help from students in form of tutoring, work with elderly, oral histories, peer mediation, etc. Then we also have projects which benefits the community like environmental construction etc.