My interview 2

Interview Preparations (How did you approach people?
When, where, and how did you conduct and record the interview?
Whom did you interview?)

The country I have chosen to interview people on is Ivory Coast. This is my first interview ever. I certainly feel pressure and stress. I have lots of Ivorian friends indeed, but this time it has to be a professional meeting.

The person I asked for the first interview is named Ato Papa, a friend of mine. He is of course from Ivory Coast. Obviously, I didn’t have a problem asking him. But I had to tell him that it was going to be in a professional way. So, he checked his schedule and told that he was available on Fridays and Saturdays in the afternoon. We both agreed on Friday, October 26. I told him that it was going to be at the Miller Center, second floor, in room 210. 

The week before the interview, I would spend my spare times rehearsing the interview by myself, in my room, using the questions I prepared. Finally the interview day is here. I was the first one to get there, with my questions on two sheets of paper; one for me and one for the interviewee. I forgot to brought a voice recorder so that I could record the whole dialogue, and later transcribe it exactly. I was less nervous than the interview before; but at the same time I was relax because I was interviewing a friend. Then he came, I handed to him the questions and we started.

Interview report (Describe the interview. What did surprise you?) .

The interview was at first intimidating for me, since it was my first interview. But when we started, I realized that I was gaining confidence and I was starting to feel more and more comfortable as we talked. The part that surprised me was how smoothly I was able to flow from the warm-up to the core of the interview itself. Also, the way I was connecting the questions together, making it sound more like a simple conversation rather than an interview. My interviewee, in the other hand, was kind of ready for this. He responded with enthusiasm, which was very interesting and helped me a lot in the way I was connecting the questions.

Country Report 

On the west coast of Africa, boarded by the Atlantic Ocean and five other countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Guinea, and Liberia), is Ivory Coast. This is indeed the country that I stuck to for a report out of the three countries that I was thinking about: Japan in Asia, Ivory Coast of course, and Hawaii in the North of Pacific Ocean. Being from Burkina Faso myself, I always wanted to go visit Ivory Coast but never had the chance to. All my life I was surrounded by Ivorian friends that were super nice, funny and caring. So let us write a brief story about Ivory Coast.

 

Picture from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/flags/large/iv-lgflag.gif

           

Tropical along the coast and semiarid in far North, Ivory Coast (or Cote d’Ivoire for French speakers) encounters three seasons in a year: warm and dry from November to March, hot and dry from March to May, hot and wet from June to October. It expands on a total area of 322,463 square kilometers (Km²) (1). 

The population is about 21,952,093 people (July 2012 estimations). The inhabitants of Ivory Coast are called “Ivoirians”. It is a French speaking country due to the colonization, but has its own local languages from different ethnic groups. The two most popular cities in Ivory Coast are the capital of course, which is Yamoussoukro, and Abidjan on the coast which remains the commercial and administrative center, and is probably more popular. “Around 1960 the Ivory Coast could hardly be described as a society in the normally accepted sense of the word. The territory carved out by French colonizers in West Africa approximately seventy years earlier contained widely disparate societies interacting with one another to varying degrees and in different ways”(2). Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Ivory Coast one of the most prosperous of the West African states but did not protect it from political turmoil.

Picture from http://www.justfoodnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Cocoa-plantations-of-the-Ivory-Coast-export-more-than-a-third-of-the-worlds-cocoa-needs-trust.org_.jpg

Cote d'Ivoire is heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, which engage roughly 68% of the population. Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans and a significant producer and exporter of coffee and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these products, and, to a lesser extent, in climatic conditions. Cocoa, oil, and coffee are the country's top export revenue earners, but the country is also producing gold (1).

One sad thing about Ivory Coast is that instability in the country. There have been civil wars and innocent people have been killed. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Ivory Coast's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003 were granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord.

All of those events have made Ivory Coast a place of insecurity, but it does not prevent Ivoirians to still rejoice have fun and play soccer. I am still interested in visiting and will definitely go as soon as I get the chance to.

Work cited

(1)    Central Intelligence Agency, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/iv.html, October 9^th, 2012.

(2)    Foster P. and Zolberg A., GHANA AND IVORY COAST – PERSPECTIVES ON MODERNIZATION, (The University of Chicago Press, 1971), p. 10.

Interview Dialogue

Location: Miller Center, Room 210.

Interviewee: Ato Papa (AP)                                 Interviewer: Jonathan O. (JO)

JO: Well thanks sir for giving of your timing to come to this interview. My name is Jonathan.

AP: My name is Ato Papa, my pleasure.

JO: So how is your day going so far?

AP: My day is very cold. I didn’t expect snow today. So I was surprised. But I guess I am having a good day so far.

JO: I know right! It was unexpected and I had to walk under it to get to school, because I missed the bus. But anyway it’s all good. So Mr. Ato, anything special today?

AP: Hmm not really…Oh actually yeah! I had the chance to meet the President of St Cloud State University and took a picture with him.

JO: Oh really? How cool is that!

AP: I was so honored.

JO: Yeah I can tell. Alright, alright! So how long have you been in the U.S.?

AP: I have been in the U.S. three (3) years now. I arrived on October 14th, 2009.

JO: Oh interesting, okay. So are you a student at St Cloud State University?

AP: Yes that is correct. Actually I’m a transfer student from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

JO: Oh that’s pretty interesting! Okay! And why did you transfer?

AP: It has been recommended by a cousin who attended here years ago. And when I checked out on the website, I found out that the tuitions are way cheaper than in Nebraska, and they offer a good academic program.

JO: And how long did you stay in Nebraska?

AP: I spent two years there and then finally transferred.

JO: Interesting. What major are you in?

AP: I am in Mechanical Engineering.

JO: Is there any difference with the University of Nebraska-Omaha that you notice?

AP: Oh yeah! Actually the University of Nebraska-Omaha does not offer the Mechanical Engineering program itself. You can take general classes and then they are going to transfer you over to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The tuition there is even higher. So it was not a really good option for me.

JO: I see. So how do you feel about coming to the U.S. and pursuing your studies abroad?

AP: Everything is much different. People, food, weather … I was kind of lost and homesick all the time when I first arrived. Now I’m good but not yet used to the weather.

JO: I hear you. Being an international student myself, I totally understand. But, what is the difference in educational systems between Ivory Coast and the University of Nebraska-Omaha or St Cloud State University?

AP: Hmmm… I really don’t know about that because I haven’t attended college in my home country to be able to compare. But from what I can see, back home you don’t have the chance to manage your own schedule. Once you chose your major, the department has a specific schedule for the student in the major. And they are the one who choose the classes for you.

JO: Oh ok I see, I see. And why did you choose Mechanical Engineering?

AP: Hmmm…I really don’t even know why. Probably because I heard it a lot from friends back home. Also I like having hands on things, taking stuff apart, looking inside of devices… Yeah I guess that is the reason I ended up in Mechanical engineering.

JO: Right. And what are your plans once you’re done with school?

AP: I think after my bachelor degree I’ll look for a job here and maybe after apply for grad school. But nothing is sure so far. I may go back home after I built my skills here. I don’t know yet.

 JO: Sounds like a good plan! So, talking about your home country; would you like to tell me more about your country?

AP: Ivory Coast is a West African country. The population is mostly composed by teenagers. We have a very short life expectancy. And the economy of the country is strongly based on agriculture. We are the biggest producers of cocoa in Africa.

JO: Interesting, interesting… And what do you perceive as differences between your culture and the American culture?

AP: Here in the U.S. the culture is based on self-help.

JO: What exactly do you mean by “self-help”?

AP: Like everybody has to come up on its own. In my country it is very different. You can rely on your family, your friends… Yeah.

JO: I gotcha. Now could tell me a little bit about the food in your country, like what is your traditional food?

AP: The most popular traditional food we have is fried plantain and cassava powder that we call “attieke”. We eat it generally with fish but you can eat with goat or chicken. Ivory Coast is much diversified so it varies depending on the ethnic.

JO: Hmmm sounds like a yummy meal! What are the major holidays in your country?

AP: The major holidays… We have Christmas, Easter, and Muslim holidays which are Ramadan and Tabaski.

JO: So, pretty much like here in the U.S. And what are your country's major religions?

AP: We have Christians, Muslims and Animism people.

JO: And which one would you say is the dominant one?

AP: I’d say, Animism for sure.

JO: Alright! Is it okay if we talk politics?

AP: Yeah of course, but don’t expect me to be a professional!

JO: Ok. Can you tell me how the political system of your country structured is?

AP: We have a president and a prime minister and the government. The president is the one who hold the power. The prime minister is the head of the government, which is composed of others ministers. And then in each region, we have mayors and deputies. Each one of them has to report back to the president.

JO: And who are the two major political parties?

AP: The two major political parties would be the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) and the Rally of the Republicans (RDR).

JO: Ok, thank you.

AP: You’re welcome.

JO: So, any activities you like to do during your spare times?

AP: I like playing basketball, I like playing guitar, and of course video games.

JO: Oh I play guitar too! We should get together sometimes to jam a little bit.

AP: Really? Of course I’d love to.

JO: Alright!! Any plan for the rest of the day?

AP: Not really. Study pretty much and eat my dinner and get ready for tomorrow.

JO: Sounds good. Do you have any questions for me, now that I have had the pleasure of asking you about so many things?

AP: Hmmm…I don’t think so I just hope I gave you the information you needed.

JO: You sure did Mr. Ato. Well thanks again for your time and enjoy the rest of your day.

AP: Thank you. You as well.

JO: Thanks.