First Interview report

Interview Preparation

Question

How you grown up your family or tell me about your family life??
· What are the main custom of your culture?
· Tell something about religion group?
· What kind of government system in your country?
· What are the main sources of income or asset you have?
· What is your state language? Do all people speak the same language? If not how many language you have?
· Tell something about your independence?
· What is the famous thing in your country?
· How you differentiate your way of living and US life style?
· What type of change you thing that is necessary for your country?
· Tell something about your education system
· What is the recent big achievement in your country?

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.

Location:

1625 16th ST SE
Stcloud, MN- 56304

Technology:

Traditional way of interview. Interviewee used internet access to show some pictures.
Securing Interviewees
My first interviews name Alon Poudel . He is my very good friend and neighbor. First I met him in my first semester in cultural orientation class. Then we make a very good friendship. When I informed about my class assignment , interviewing an international student I was looking for my interviewee. I had his phone number. I called him to ensure is that possible for him to seat a half an hour interview with me. Alon ensured me. They are few reasons for choosing Alon as my first interviewee. First of all he is my good friend since a semester. Moreover he is my neighbor. The most important thing is my personal interest about Nepal pushed me to select a Nepalese as an interviewee. I invited him for a tea party in my home on March 13. I took his interviewee during this time.

Other Interviewees

I have told few of my international friends. I have not selected the second and third interviewees. List is given below. I will select two of them for my second and third interview.

Abhishek Gurung - India
Wang yueqing - Chaina
Sun Juhyun - Koria
Saeed Ahmed – Somalia
All they are my ESL 101 classmets.

Place , location and time of the interview
Place – 1625 16th ST SE
StCloud, MN- 55123
Interviewer home.
I invited Alon to join a tea party with me. Before that I asked him about the venue where he fill more comfortable. As he is my neighbor it is convenient for both of us to select his or my home as interview venue. He accepted my invitation.

Execution

Way to proceed

As we already know each other and have good friendship so our conversation was livelier. That helps me to get in to depth of topic. After warm up question I started formal approach and started about his family and early life. That includes his parents , siblings, birthplace, friends, relatives and school. The reason is each and every person love his own family, friends and early life want to inform other about them. Sometime it makes people happy. It is a tricky topic to bring him in the ground. Later on I bring other topics one by one that relates to the previous topic. For an example when he starts about his childhood , he talked about his festival. What he did in the festival with his family, then I broad this topic by asking the norm , culture and festival. I tried to make a connection between each topic and try to make him more comfortable.



Biography of the interviewee:
Name : Alon Poudel
Country : Nepal
City : Dhahran
Birthday : March 27, 1985
Graduation Status : Undergrad, St Cloud State University
Area of Study : Sociology
High School : St Xavier, Nepal 05
Vs Niketan 02
Sibling : three sisters
Personal Interest : Soccer/ Football, music.



Interview Process

I tried to make entire interview process more lively. The way I proceed to make a connection between each topic. The topic I choose for interview sounds interesting and I gave a copy of it to my interviewee by email. That’s why during interview we had a lot of conversation. Our first topic of discussion was about his family and early life. That time I just played a role of an audience. During this time he told me about his home, family and relatives. Later on he told me one true story in his childhood that related to their custom. After that I got a chance to move to their custom. I informed about their main customs that has several parts . Like Birth, death , marriage and religious custom. Then I requested himself to tell something about religion group and festivals. That was the primary part of the interview. One thing need to mention when I talked about the culture the language topic raise. Up to this point everything was totally unknown to me, that am why I did not interrupt or make more topics from that.
On the second part of the interview was about country, politics, and government and education system. I found myself most involved there. I know little about their government system that’s why I asked him few questions in depth like what is the problem and benefits of their government system. And we spend much time on political issues. That time we also talked the education system , courtiers most valuable assets, way of earning I was amazed when I informed Nepal was never been colonized by foreign power.
I asked him about his personal evaluation about his countries current situation . What his dream about his country , what change they need what is the way to step forward.
The last part of the interview was the most common topic US life. Although I am also an international student but experience varies from people to people . Our main topic of discussion was how US culture different from Nepali culture and how he adjusts with it.
When I looked at my watch it says it is near 45 minutes and we have to stop. I thanked him for his cooperation and wraped up the interview.


Report on Nepal


Nepal is called daughter of Himalayan (Mount Everest), situated in the Southeast Asia. Nepal is famous for its natural beauty. Its natural beauty gives it honor of the most beautiful country of the world.
Independence
Nepal is a sovereign nation since its formation in 1823 AD. It has never been occupied or colonized by foreign power.

Culture, tradition and language
Nepal is a country of highly diverse and rich geography, culture, and religions. Nepal is the ‘Land of Festivals’ with at least one part of the kingdom celebrating a festival every day of the year. Festivals may be linked with the memory of the departed soul, to herald a different season, to mark the beginning or end of the agricultural cycle, to mark national events or for family celebrations etc... On a festival day the Nepalese take their ritual bath, worship different gods and goddesses, visit the temple, observe fasting and undertake feasting. The most important aspect of Nepalese culture is the religious harmony and that is why understanding prevailing among the Hindus and Buddhists. The main customs are: Nawrana (ritual performed on the 11th day after birth), Brathabandana (pass to marriage and perform ceremonies after the death of parents), Marriage (love/arrange), Death (cremation done by the eldest son). Apart from these major customs, they celebrate Hindu festivals such as Dashain and Tihar, birth of Krishna etc.
Most of the Nepalese speaks Nepali. There are 126 listed languages depending on ethnicity

Religion
Nepal is famous, as the world's only Hindu Kingdom. However, it is an intricate and beautiful tapestry formed by the interweaving of Hinduism, Buddhism and other beliefs. Religious tolerance and harmony such as is found in Nepal, is perhaps a unique example to the world.

Government system
Recently Nepal changed as a republic country from the age old tradition of monarchy. Now President and Prime minister as that in Indai, where the government is led by the PM while President is the figure head. It is a parliamentary form. However, Constituent assembly (who was given the task of writing new constitution) is also supposed to work as the parliament and get on with the proceedings of a functional government.

Report Source
1. Interview from Alon Poudel
2. http://www.thamel.com/htms/religions.htm







Transcript

How you grown up your family or tell me about your family life??
My family is a middle class family in Nepal. My father is in Republic of Ireland whose remittance kept us going. My schooling (till Grade 10) has been in one of the best school of the region in Nepal, my intermediate was from a renowned school in the country, and I got me bachelor’s degree from arguably the best educational intuition in the country. Though I did not have a lot of money, I had enough to participate in school/college activities, get food with my friends outside home. I was taught to love our youngers and respect our elders. My parents did their best in grooming me and my three younger sisters.

· - What are the main custom of your culture?
The main customs are: Nawrana (ritual performed on the 11th day after birth), Brathabandana (pass to marriage and perform ceremonies after the death of parents), Marriage (love/arrange), Death (cremation done by the eldest son). Apart from these major customs, we celebrate Hindu festivals such as Dashain and Tihar, birth of Krishna etc.

· - Tell something about religion group?
I am a Hindu, however I don’t follow most of the rituals as that of a traditional society, moreover I am unaware about the religious scriptures and other values of traditional Hindus. Sometimes I feel that I am agnostic, because I have a lot of doubt about the existence of God (I mean Absolute God). My family is also Hindu, but they are not conservative though ritualistic. But we all respect all religion.

· - What kind of government system in your country?
At the moment, we have President and Prime minister as that in Indai, where the government is led by the PM while President is the figure head. It is a parliamentary form. However, our Constituent assembly (who were given the task of writing new constitution) are also supposed to work as the parliament and get on with the proceedings of a functional government.
·
- What are the main sources of income or asset you have?
The main source of income is remittance for our family. We have a home and small plot of land as an asset. My father supports us from Ireland and my sister from Australia.
· - What is your state language? Do all people speak the same language? If not how many language you have?
Our state language is Nepali. However, not all people speak Nepali fluently. There are around 126 listed languages spoken in the country depending upon caste or ethnicity etc.
·
- Tell something about your independence?
We are a sovereign nation since its formation in 1823 AD. We have never been occupied or colonized by foreign power.
· - What is the famous thing in your country?
Mount Everest, Gautam Buddha, Gorkhali/Nepali warriors (who fought against British East India Company and China, and who took part in World Wars, and is enlisted in British and Indian Army). We are also famous for Sherpa, people who lived in the mountain region and assist trekkers or mountain climbers with guidance, and carry their loads. Also, natural beauty attracts thousands of tourists every year.
·
- How you differentiate your way of living and US life style?
Pull factors such better opportunities in terms of higher education, better work, higher income, be a part of the world’s center stage, tendency of youths and olds back home to go abroad, capability to travel the world if one can be a legal immigrant in USA, better chance of working in big non-profit organization and travel the world helping the world population, empowered being a part of USA (recognition). The push factors to leave Nepal were conflict among various political parties in Nepal, frequents strikes crippling the normal life, economy, education, etc. We have banking system of education rather than applied and creative. Moreover, we are at the periphery of the world’s stage with limited opportunities to experience world places, minimal income, lack of recognition at the world’s center stage has forced me to come to USA. However, I love my country.

· - What type of change you thing that is necessary for your country?
Integration of accountability and vision in the political practices, attitudinal changes people from fatalistic or submissive approach to optimistic and positive approach, accessibility of education to the grassroots, the education system must change from ‘banking system’ to exploring creativity and applicability.
·
- Tell something about your education system
Our education system is “Banking System” i.e. teachers reads and explains from text books, students listen to it and without verifying accepts it or memorizesit. Then they puke the same during exam.
We have “PABSON” and “NPABSON” monitoring primary to secondary level, “HSEB” monitoring intermediate level, and then there are Universities. However, we are in dire need for reforms in education. In fact I believe that we should do away with the existing system and work on to establish a comprehensive new one.
·
- What is the recent big achievement in your country?
. We had a Constituent Assembly election after the Maoist (who were waging war against government since 1996) came to mainstream politics with peace agreement with the mainstream political parties. Then we became republic in by changing from the age old tradition of monarchy