the first interview

1- Preparation




          Preparation for the interview


At first, I made my 12 questions that  I listed. I have been looking  for a student who is from Latin America  which is where I feel is interested to me for many reasons such as language , culture and country. I have my objectives ready so I need so developed them so I can make it easier for my interviewee that he won't face any offensive questions. However, I found a girl that from Honduras. I wanted to learn about their country and what are the differences between Honduras and United states.
   

                             
                                            How Did You Approach People?

I was looking for three people are from Honduras so I can have an interview with them.   I knew a friend of mine he is from pure he works in  St.Paul so I asked him to be my interviewee but he couldn't  because his job and long distance he helped me and he connected me to to his friends but they are from a different country but they speak the same language.

                              When, Where, and How did you Conduct the Interview?


I conducted the first interview her name is Mariana Ponce from Honduras. I met her at the library so we can talk comfortably.

     
                                             Whom did you Interview?

My name is Mariana Ponce. I am an International Business student from Honduras. I live in the capital city called Tegucigalpa.




2. Interview Report:

                                                   Describe the Interview


I never thought the interview went so well. She was so helpful by giving me information about her country. Even though, she is influenced speaker so I didn’t have any problems to understand her. We have some similarities between our cultures so that make the conversation more excitement. She was also , wanted to learn  about my culture. We had two hours talking about her country.



3. Country Report:

The country is located at the very center of the Americas. The capital is the city of Tegucigalpa, which serves as the governmental hub. San Pedro Sula is considered the "Industrial Capital" due to the number of manufacturing plants operating there. The area of Honduras is about 112,492 km² and the population exceeds eight million. The climate varies from tropical in the lowlands to temperate in the mountains. The central and southern regions are relatively hotter and less humid than the northern coast.


The economy of the country is growing really slowly. Economic growth in the last few years has averaged 7% a year, one of the highest rates in Latin America, but 50% of the population, approximately 3.7 million people, still remains below the poverty line(1)





http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/honduras









1. Could you tell me about yourself? (your name, home country)
My name is Mariana Ponce. I am an International Business student from Honduras. I live in the capital city called Tegucigalpa.

2. What are you planning to do after school?
After I am done with school, I plan to get work experience in my field. Preferably with a company that does business abroad.

3. Why did you choose to study at St.Cloud University?
 At first, I was hesitant about SCSU being the right University for me, as I have never experienced being on a big campus. However, my experience at SCSU turned out to be a pleasant one. I liked the environment and the people are so welcoming and nice. Furthermore, SCSU is a diverse campus, and for this reason, I’ve not only had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, but make true friendships with them. I have learned so much of each of my friends’ culture as well as some words in their languages.

4. What is the difference in educational systems between your country and North America?
There is not that much of a difference in the education system between my country and the United States. I attended a bilingual school back home; English is taught since kindergarten. My school is very Americanized as the school’s superintendent is from the United States. However, here in the US you must attend different schools for elementary and high school. In Honduras, you only attend one school for your elementary and high school education. This means that I went to the same school for twelve years. I really liked this because I have known my friends from back home for a long period of time.

5. Would you like to tell me about your country?
Honduras is a small country in Central America. The capital city is Tegucigalpa. The population is approximately 8.2 million people. I would say that 90% of Hondurans are Roman Catholic; therefore, Honduras is a very conservative country.


6. Could you tell me about your country's traditional process ragarding marriage?
Honduras’ traditional process regarding marriage is similar with the Western ideal of marriage. Weddings are really formal and most people tend to marry through the Catholic Church. Honduran people tend to marry others with similar economic background. Weddings are very animated and fun. There is a lot of dancing and traditional food. Interracial marriage is also common back home.

7. Can you tell me about activities that young people like to do in your country?
Young people back home like to play soccer. Soccer is our “national sport.” Everyone back home loves to watch soccer. Young Hondurans also like going to the movies, eating at restaurants, going to the beach and listening to music or play volleyball. Nightlife also comes into play. There are various night clubs back home that young people like to attend. Even though the legal drinking age back home is 18, you can get away if you are 16.

8. What are major holidays in your country?
Major holidays would be: Independence Day on September 15, El dia del nino (children’s day) on September 10, Easter on April, the day of the Soldier on October 3 to celebrate the birth of one of our national heroes (Francisco Morazan) El Dia del Lempira (one of our national heroes too and the name of our currency) Christmas on December 24, and New Year’s Eve.

9. What is your traditional food?
Our traditional food is: beans, rice, tortilla, cheese and salsa.

10. What are your country's major religions?
Most Hondurans consider themselves Roman Catholic. Other religions back home are Evangelical Protestant, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Adventist.

11. How is the political system of your country structured?
We have a relatively stable democratic government. Our current president is Porfirio Pepe Lobo.  We elect our president every four years and according to our constitution a president can’t run for office again. Our political system is based on three branches: executive, judicial, legislative. We have two parties: Partido Nacional (PN) and Partido Liberal (PL).

12. What’s considered offensive in your country?
People back home are really friendly and nice. When being a guest at a Honduran home, it is considered offensive to not accept what the host is offering. Also, its considered rude to not pay attention to what others are saying or to contribute to the conversation.