COSTA RICA
Preparations:
I
have met marian at the library of SCSU. Well, as I have done the first interview
I wasn’t that nervous of meeting new people. Event though, I have learned from the
last interview of when I ask, how reach the main points of the interview and
gain all the information that is really important. However, we warm up our conversation
with the weather of St. Cloud and how it’s cold and we had cup of coffee. After
that we started our interview.
How
did you approach people?
Well, I never thought will be students that
are from Latin America and some of them are working in St. Cloud. A friend of mine told me that he is going to
an event which is called cultural café in comps of Costa Rica. From that event reached me to students whom
are from the country that I was looking for.so, I choose the time for a student
that’s work for her.
Whom
did you interview?
My
name is Marian Zumbado. A nursing student from San Jose, Costa Rica.
When,
where, and how did you conduct and record the interview?
On
November 10th I and marain met at the library. The time was about 6
pm.
Country Report
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country
in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the
southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east.
The capital : San José
The currency: Costa Rican colon
Population: 4,726,575 (2011) World Bank
President: Laura Chinchilla
Government: Presidential system, Unitary state, Liberal
democracy, Republic
The economic growth and the major export is coffee.
The climate of Costa Rica’s is classically divided into two
major seasons: rainy and dry. The dry season runs from January through May and
the rainy season from May to November and December.
1.
Could you tell me about yourself? (
your name, home country)
My name is Marian Zumbado. I am a nursing student from San Jose, Costa Rica.
2. What are you planning to do after school?
After I am done with school, I plan to go back home and find a job. I want to apply my knowledge to nursing homes back home, be able to give back.
3.
Why did you choose to study at St
.Cloud State University?
I chose to study at SCSU because my oldest sister came to study here. She liked the experience and made good friendships, so she recommended me to come and study here. Also, I was awarded with a really good scholarship.
4.
What is the difference in educational systems between your country and North America?
In Costa Rica education is both free and mandatory for all its citizens. We have public elementary and high schools in every community and we are required to wear uniforms. We have to wear uniforms to unable the economic distinctions among students. When we are in elementary school we do six years, after that we do six years of high school.
5. Would you like to tell me about your country?
Yes. Costa Rica is located in Central America. The capital city is San Jose. Our currency is the colon and population is approximately 8 million people. 70% of Costa Ricans are considered Roman Catholic; therefore, we are a conservative country.
6. Could you tell me about your country's traditional process
ragarding marriage?
Costa Rica’s 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?
Back home we love to enjoy life, every single moment. Young people like to go swimming on the beach, go out dancing at
night clubs, go to the movie theatre, play soccer, and other outdoor activities. Another popular activity is going out to the mall with friends.
8. What are major holidays in your country?
We have several major holidays. Most of our holidays are the same as the other Central American countries. Some of them are: Independence Day on September 15, El
dia del nino (children’s day) on September 10, Easter on April, Christmas on December 24, and New Year’s Eve.
9. What is your traditional food?
Our traditional food is:
gallo pinto which is beans with our sour cream, tortilla, cheese and salsa.
10. What are your country's major religions?
Most Costa Ricans are Roman Catholic. Other religions back home are Evangelical Protestant and because we have Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants we have Buddhism and Hinduism.
What is the political system of your country structured?
Costa Rican government is a stable democratic government. Our current president is Laura Chinchilla.
We have the executive, legislature and judiciary powers. We elect our president every four years. We have four major parties: Social Christian Unity Party, National Liberation, Citizen Action and Libertarian Movement Party.
12. What’s considered offensive in your country?
We use a lot of gestures and we speak loud. It is considered rude to not talk while in a conversation and should always keep eye contact while talking to someone else. Overall, we are very friendly and nice people. Our famous motto is: Pura Vida! In English: full of life.
