Interviewer: Hassan Abdurahman
Interviewee: Martin Obedujungu
Date: October 19, 2011
Interview Preparation
Before I prepared my questions, my first task was finding a perfect candidate for an interview. I was thinking to interview three people from the same countries. I headed to Atwood Center to find students from Nepal. I found two students from Nepal. However, they were not willing to spend sometime with me for an interview.
I called one of my friends if he was able to find me one person from Africa. He told me to call him back after a while. I called him after an hour. He recommended me to contact Martin. I contacted martin. He was more than willing to meet me. We set a date, place and time.
Mr. Martin is an international student from Kampala, Uganda. He graduated from the best high school in his nation. He was one of the students who scored higher than the rest in advance leaving examination. He received full scholarship from Canadian University. He finished his under graduate from Toronto University majoring English. He applied for teaching in Saudi Arabia. He taught Saudi Arabia high school for one year and half. After he earned some money in Saudi Arabia, he went back to Uganda. Then, He applied many different graduate schools in the United States. Finally, he admitted to Saint Cloud State University last year. Now, he is currently pursuing his higher education (master degree in English). He teaches English as second language at Saint Cloud State University.
On Tuesday night, I prepared some question for the next day interview. I called him on Wednesday to stop by my apartment around 3:00 PM. He came to my apartment. We did not know each other so well. When guest come to our house or apartment, we must make something to honor the guest in my culture. I made coffee for him. Then, we proceed to interview after enjoying coffee.
Country Report
Uganda is one of the smallest countries in Africa, which has been known, as “Pearl of Africa” because of "breathtaking landscape". Uganda is located at the center of East Africa. Kampala is the capital city of Uganda that has a total population of 1,353,189 populations and covers the area of 189 km.sq. It is a landlocked country. According to cia.gov, this country covers the area of 241,038-kilometer square, slightly smaller than Oregon State. It shares the boarder with Kenya on the east, Sudan on the north, and Democratic Republic of Congo on the west, and Tanzania on the South. Uganda enjoys one of the world’s great waterfalls, Murchison, which runs from the Nile River and plunges several hundred feet into lake Albert (pbs.org). The other thing that makes Uganda unique comparing with other African countries is that Queen Elizabeth Park, where the combination of plains, tropical rainforests, lakes, and Volcano gives a diversity of wildlife.
“In 1888, the British referred to the 52 clan Buganda as “Uganda” where they established their royal charter to Imperial British East Africa Company” (PBS.org). Before British explorers came to Uganda, the Buganda had already established trade relations with Arab traders. Protestant and Catholic missionaries from Europe arrived later in the 1870’s [3]
Picture taken from
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/uganda601/additional.html
PICTURE WAS TAKEN FROM PHOTAKI
PICTURE WAS TAKEN FROM
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-photo/kbrooks/1/1301235242/traditional-clothing.jpg/tpod.html
This image was taken from
http://www.google.com/imgres?start=36&num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=617&tbm=isch&tbnid=SkUYHLF4q2lJSM:&imgrefurl=http://uganda-attractions.com/files/lake_victoria_uganda.htm
This image was taken from http://www.uganda-visit-and-travel-guide.com/
This picture was take from: http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g800442-w2-Kitgum.html
"The reign of Amin in the 1970s and the civil war that lasted until 1985 devastated Uganda's economic growth. One of the achievements of Yoweri Museveni's presidency has been turning around Uganda's flagging economy."[3] "Approximately 36 percent of Uganda's wealth comes from agriculture, which employs about 80 percent of the population. Coffee is the country's main export and accounts for about 37 percent of the country's GDP, putting Uganda ahead of all other African coffee producers [3]. When Museveni took power in 1986, inflation was running at more than 250 percent." (PBS.org) By 2005, after Uganda had worked for years with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other international financial institutions, inflation was just over 8 percent. Uganda has benefited from a package of debt write-offs in recent years. According to bbc.co uk, in 2000, the international finance community in effect waived Uganda's debt through the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief, worth $1.3 billion, and the Paris Club debt relief, worth $145 million.[3] "Today, as Uganda decreases its debt and continues to grow, there is potential to move away from relief toward full-fledged trade and self-reliance."[3]
Uganda is composed of many different ethnic groups in which "none of ethnic groups claimed to be majority".[1] English has become an official language of Uganda since independence from Great Britain while Swahili become the second official language of the country. However, most people speak local language called "Luganda", predominantly spoken by "Baganda people who live in urban concentration" of Kampala (capital city of Uganda).
Queen Elizabeth National Park
This image was taken from: http://www.happytellus.com/gallery.php?img_id=5766
Citation
[1]BBC on the Internet, 2003 British Broadcasting coopration http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14112297
[2]“World fact book: Uganda”, 2001 Central intelligence agency https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ug.html
[3]PBS on the Internet, 2002, Public broadcasting service
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/uganda601/additional.html
(M) stands for Martin
(H) stands for Hassan
Transcription of the interview
(H) Hello, My name is Hassan Abdurahman. I am pleased meeting you today at this time and so grateful for coming on time. I really thank you for taking sometime and spare with me.
(M) It is my pleasure
(H) Would you mind recording on my phone our conversation so I will transcribe it later?
(M) Sure, go a head
(H) Let me begin ask you some questions. Before I proceed to my questions, I want you to look at the following questions
(M) Sure
(H) What is your name?
(M) My name is Martin Obedujungu
(H) Is there any meaning behind your last name?
(M) Yes
(H) What is it?
(M) My grandparent did not have any child for long time. My grand mother gave a birth for a son. They chose to name him “blessed one”
(H) Does ‘Obedujungu’ mean blessed one?
(M) Yes
(H) Where are you from Martin?
(M) I am from Uganda, which is located in East Africa
(M) Do you want to know city where I was born and raised?
(H) Yes, please
(M) I was born and raised in Kampala, which is a capital city of my country
(H) How many siblings do you have?
(M) I am the only son from my mom side and my father married two women after separated with my mom. I have three half-brothers and two sisters from step-
Mothers
(H) Is polygamy allowed in your country?
(M) Yes, it is lawful to marry more than one woman in my country
(H) Are you married?
(M) Yes, I am married.
(H) When did you marry?
(M) I was married on August 10, 2011.
(H) Congratulation
(M) Thank you
(H) Can you please describe educational system in your country? Are there any similarities or differences with the United States educational system?
(M) It is more different than alike. In my country, you can get into kinder garden at the age of six. The fast-learning students will stay only one year in kinder garden and subjected to attend primary school. The slow learners who cannot cope with the class required to stay more than a year at kinder garden.
(H) How is primary school?
(M) Any person will stay in primary school until grade seven. Then, he or she will attend middle school. If a student does not perform well, he or she will repeat the same class until he or she passes class. We have primary school leaving examination, which every student is required to pass. It was not hard to pass that examination at all.
(H) How about secondary school?
(M) The secondary school is very competitive. Only top-notch students attend best school. Generally, secondary school will take six years after middle school.
(H) Is the government or private school more competitive?
(M) The government school is more competitive than private school. The government schools are existed for long time and they have best reputations. You have to be smart and score higher in order to attend those kinds of schools so the government will subsidize the tuition for your attendance of best school. Most of the rich family students attend private school since their parents will pay for them. I was one of the luckiest students who attended best school in Uganda called Saint-Mary College of Isubi, started with white missionaries in 1906.
(H) Is there any leaving Examination for high school as well?
(M) Defiantly. After taking classes from form one to four, students are required to take leaving exam in order to join advance classes. If you pass this exam, you will attend two years in advance classes before you join college or university. As I said, history repeats itself. The students who perform well attend better school.
(H) Did you chose your major for yourself or government choses for you?
(M) I chose it for myself
(H) How has your culture influenced your people/family?
(M) My culture has influenced me in many things especially in moral values such as the way approaching woman or suppose to find partner of your life. It is not as easy as finding in American culture. In my culture, it is more conservatives comparing to the United States. Moreover, my culture has kept me in line as the use of drugs. If a person uses drugs, we think a person who has give up his or her life and should not associate with. In the United States, it is normal like taking a meal.
(H) What is the form of government in your country?
(M) It is not the same as the United States democracy by a long shot. Democracy is a political term and just sugarcoated. When you look down the system of government, there is no such called democracy. If they arrange an election, we already know what the result will be. It is already like staged election and just conducted election for formality. We already know who wins the election. It is pre-determined. The president is the one who select even the chairman of the election.
(H) Tell me one thing that makes you proud of your country?
(M) In fact, in colonial days, British explorer came to our country and referred to it as pearl of Africa means some thing that is beautiful.
(H) What made them say ‘pearl of Africa’?
(M) The vegetation there is green. We have rivers, mountains, lakes, and waterfalls. Nile is the longest river started from Uganda goes through Sudan then Egypt and largest lake in the world Lake victoria.
(H) Have you ever happened to see Nile river or Lake Victoria?
(M) Yes, my high school is near by lake victoria. I visited river Nile once.
(H) What places or sites you recommended to tourist?
(M) There are many nice beaches around lake Victoria, then along river Nile falls and also very magnificent places. We have a lot of national parks where wild life reside such as queen Elizabeth national park, where you can see lions, tigers, and giraffe etc. This is not a zoo but wild open area.
(H) What festivals do you celebrate in your country?
(M) I would say that the most festival or holiday celebrated in my country is Christmas and the year is coming to an end. I equate Christmas as Thanksgiving in the United States. This holiday is like a family time in which families come together share fists, a lot of presents, decorations, Santa Clause, and parties.
(H) What is the weather like in your hometown?
(M) Referring back what I said in retrospect, it is a part of Africa that means it comes with good weather. It is like a nice summer day in the United States for the whole year. We may have rainy and dry seasons. We have a mild or moderate weather.
(H) What is a type of sport in your country?
(M) The famous sport in my country is football as the United States called it soccer. It is ironic that people do not follow the major soccer league of my country. We just look up to British primer league and Germen bundles league. The local league is not so popular. Perhaps, people watch the national team.
(H) Do you play soccer?
(M) Yes, I do
(H) What is a traditional food in your country?
(M) Green banana (I do not know the name in here) fried with oil. Ugali which is made from flour with beef meet and cabbage, is our traditional food.
(H) Is it hard for you to get all of those ingredients in here?
(M) No, it is not hard to get it. It will take sometime to make it. I prefer to join Ugandan colleagues to eat.
(H) What is the role of woman after they get married in your country?
(M) Most of them are submissive to their husbands because they have children. They confined to households. They are only some women who have a higher education that manages to go out and work.
(H) Is dating allowed in your country?
(M) Yes, it is allowed. However, woman should not be allowed to move with the man unless she becomes pregnant. It is seen as disgrace. If two partners like each other, they make their relationship official. In fact, it is a big ceremony and in our culture we call it traditional wedding.
(H) How does traditional wedding look like?
(M) It is a big event. At this stage, girl introduces you to her family. You pay her father for bringing up a nice daughter, and a person you are going to spend your rest of your life with. Therefore, a man is required to come up with gift. You prepare a big convoy to escort you to her family house. There is a lot of fund raising in his parent’s side.
(H) What was your happiest moment of your life?
(M) After I accomplished my under graduate studies, I continued pursuing diploma in teaching. My happiest moment was when I landed teaching contract in Saudi Arabia. My mother was very proud of me.
(H) Did you enjoy teaching there?
(M) Yes, I did. It was my dream job.
(H) How long did you teach there?
(M) For one year and half
(H) Have you ever volunteer in community service in your country?
(M) Yes, I have volunteered in Red Cross. I want to help people in need and I take it as my responsibility to give back something to my community.
(H) How is your religion in your country?
(M) We have a freedom of religion. Everyone has a right whether practice any religion or not practice any religion.
(H) What are your country major resources?
(M) My countries major resources are agricultural products such as maize, sugarcane, and tea etc
(H) Who is the most important person in your life?
(M) My mom is the most important person in my life. She raised me by herself when my dad left her alone and married other woman. I would not be here today if it was not for her
(H) Mr. Martin, I again thank you very much for sharing all of this information with me and take your time off for this interview. By God’s willing, we will meet next time when you are free.
(M) You are always welcome Hassan
Interview Review
The interview went very well. The setting place for interview was more convenient than other places. There was no disturbance and noise in my apartment. I was so pleased and grateful to interview Martin.
When I asked him to record the whole conversation, he was not happy at first. He thought that I would share his voice with classmates. I assured him that I would record only for transcription. He agreed with it and we proceeded to interview.
I was surprised and amazed by his answers. He did not even think for a second to answers my questions. I thought that I already showed him sample questions so it made for him easy.
His voice was a little bit low. I checked the cellphone recorder before I conducted this interview. I politely asked him to raise his voice so I can hear him well. I was a little bit nervous before interview, but it went away by the time we chatted a little bit. It was very good experience and I could not wait to interview other people.
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