Jena.Schnettler.191f11s25: Interview # 2

Jena: What is your name?

Mika: My name is Mika Ndayiziga and I am from Burundi Africa.

Jena: What are the schools like in your country?

Mika: I would have to say it is very different from here. The teachers give notes and we have to learn the notes on our own. It’s not so much about writing essays and writing about what we learned and we don’t get to pick topics about what we want to write about. They just give you notes that you have to learn and they never ask you about what you have learned. You have to learn what they give you. They never give guidelines.

Jena: So it’s a very independent learning situation

Mika: exactly. It’s hard. We always have to ask the questions if you really want to get all of the information.

Jena: How has the culture influenced your family’s/peoples values in your country?

Mika: I think there is a very big connection between our culture and our family values. Our culture influences us and the way we value things like relationships for example. We don’t just date a guy to see how it goes. If you date someone you really want it to go farther because our culture teaches us that we should be with only one guy our whole lives. You know what I mean? You lose your own value because you just go around and date many people.

Me: So you have to have a lot of commitment if you’re going to be in a relationship.

Mika: yeah you have to take it very seriously… So that is an example of how our culture affects our peoples values.

Me: That’s very interesting.

Jena: What is the form of government in your country?

Mika: Republic. But it seems like it is a democracy. There is a lot of corruption.

Jena: What do you like the most about your country?

Mika: Definitely the family aspect about my country. I was taught that you have to respect the people and treat them like they are a member of your family. We all have to stick together and family if not just those who you are related to it is also your neighbors and your classmates and your friends. We all have really good neighboring situations. They are the people you grow up with unless they move away but even they we stay connected. When you become good friends with someone you begin calling them like your sisters or your brothers because we are so tightly bonded that it becomes more than a friendship.

Jena:What places/sties would you recommend to tourists?

Mika: Lake Tanganyika

Jena: I want to see that so bad!

Mika: It is so beautiful. You definitely need to see it and visit one of the many different hotels and resorts and off of the interesting places around there. You definitely need to go! There are so many places you can see.

Jena: What festivals do you celebrate in your country?

Mika: During the summer there is a lot of festivities going to you know because there is no school a lot of people from outside of country will come vacation, and I always thought that was pretty cool. We all go home and spend time with our families. There’s a lot of festivity like through July and August.

Jena: What’s the weather like in your country?

Mika: We have two different seasons. There is a rainy season and a dry season. So like it earthier rains a lot or it never rains at all. It’s usually really nice out. It’s usually up in the 80’s or 90’s but it also gets good because of Lake Tanganyika.

Jena: What is a popular sport in your country?

Mika: Soccer. Well we call it football in our country. Soccer is the one thing that really unifies people. Every time there is a really big soccer game we like to get together and socialize and talk about sport. It’s important because it unifies people and gets everyone away from all these issues and just go out and have a good time. I use to play soccer. Soccer is awesome. When I was six or seven years old I was always out in the streets playing soccer with my friends.

Jena: I love soccer!

Mika: Yeah it is so fun!

Jena: What’s a traditional food in your country?

Mika: Mainly beans and rice. A very popular food in my country is a form of bread. We call it ugalli and it is very good. We eat it with sauce and meat and beans on it. We also have esombe it is basically like fried casaba leaves

Jena: Yum

Jena: What do most women do in your country after they get married?

Mika: They work. We have maids at home that do the house work so the mothers can be a work and not at home cleaning the house. They work to pay for the kid’s tuition and play the clerks.

Jena: What type of community did you live in?

Mika: It is a small city you kind of know everybody.

Jena: Why did you come to Minnesota?

Mika: I came here because of the diversity and the international students and I really wanted to get an experience

Jena: What are your major goals?

Mika: I want to be a professor. I want to write a book and teach people how they can change into civil people and avoid war and hate. That’s my main goal.

Preparations

To prepare for my second interview I printed off two pieces of paper with all of the questions on them so we could both look over the questions during the interview and there would be no surprises. I decided to use my IPod to record the interview because it worked so well for my last one. A good friend of mine knew and international student that would be willing to go through an interview with me so she gave me her number. When I got in touch with my interviewee over the phone we decided that the library was a great place for an interview. We set a date and time later in the evening so we wouldn’t be rushed to get to any classes. I was scheduled to work that day so I got everything ready before hand so when I got off work I wouldn’t have to be rushed to get to the interview on time. When the day of the interview came around I plugged in my iPod so it would be fully charged. I laid out a nice outfit so I would look presentable and I got all of my papers for the interview organized. I whet to work and as soon as I got off I went straight back to my dorm to get ready. I got to the library 15 minutes early to see if I could rent out a room but the next available room was open at 10:30pm so instead I found a quiet place elsewhere in the library where we could conduct the interview.

Personal Review

I had a wonderful time interviewing Mika. She was very sweet and I think we both had a good time during the interview. There was a lot of laughing and joking around but at the same time she was very serious about all of her answers. Overall I would have to say my second interview was better than the first. My iPod worked and I can hear the whole conversation clearly when I listen to it. Our introductions went very well. We hit it off right away and got into the questions without any awkward silences. My second interview went a lot faster than my first which was actually a good thing because we stayed on topic throughout the whole interview and understood all of the questions. All of Mika’s answers where very short but they were good and clear. I knew exactly what she was getting at at all times. We had great eye contact and we were both completely engaged on the conversation. I also had better comments and reactions to Mika’s answers instead of just nodding my head or saying okay like I did in my last interview. One big thing that I would like to do next time is rent out a room. There were a lot of distractions and noises that were happening all over the place. Also after the interview ended we pretty much said okay that’s it thanks good bye. I really want to do a better job concluding the interview. Next time I will show appreciation and maybe talk a little bit more before leaving.

Country Report

https://www.cia.gov/

After my first interview with ornella I was excited to get to know a little bit more about Burundi. "Burundi is located in Central Africa and it is about the size of Maryland. It is covered in hills and mountainous areas"(2). "Burundi has the second-largest population density in Africa. The population is made up of three major ethnic groups--Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. The Hutus are mainly agriculturalists. The Tutsis have always dominated the army and the government of Burundi. They also raise cattle. The Twa people are mainly dependent on hunting and gathering" (1). "The Capital of Burundi is Bujumbura. The two main Religions are Christian and Muslim. Freedom of religious practices in Burundi has been constitutionally established"(2). "In Burundi the official language is Kirundi but because of European colonialism French and English are commonly spoken. Republic is there main form of government" (2). "Burundi's economy is based predominantly on agriculture so a majority of the country lives on farm or in rural areas. The main cash crop is coffee. Little industry exists except the processing of agricultural exports. Lake Tanganyika is the second largest lake in the world and it is located on the south east side on Burundi" (3). "Traditional drumming is an important part of Burundian cultural heritage, these performance scan be seen in various ceremonies. The richness of Burundian culture is apparent in a strong literary and musical tradition and a wide range of fine crafts" (4).