Personal Narrative: My Interview With Leticia

I interviewed a friend of mine named Leticia. She is from Ghana and is a sophomore at Frostburg State University. In 1996 my father came here to further his education and he realized there are better opportunities out here as well. “He wanted us to get the best education possible and a better life so he brought us as well.” So he sent for his family. When they got to the United States they were took placement tests to determine the grade they were to be placed in. Leticia and her older sister graduated for high school in Montgomery County. The currently reside in Montgomery county.
In Ghana the men make most of the family decisions, although it is not unusual to see a single mother or a heavily working mother. Women are normally housewives and basically take care of the homes and the children. Some also work in the markets, so when the husband brings home the farming products they go to the market to sell them. I don’t see it as something so bad because I believe this is all done by choice. In America it is very common to see a mother running a business as well as a household.
Education is greatly emphasized on in Ghana.
When dealing with education children normally do not have a say in this subject matter. The teachers are seen as parents. They can discipline however they feel fit and the parents don’t complain. Children are constantly reminded that education gets you very far and out of the villages. Leticia thinks that in the United States education is not taken as seriously as it should be. Children go to school hang out in the halls, they don’t go to school, or and they disrespect the teachers. The majority of the parents that have disruptive children are busy working two and three jobs to make ends
meet. In Ghana adults are very well respected and almost never disobeyed or talked backed to. It is said that adults have been around longer and know what is best. Leticia believes that she is not very Americanized she and her family live and practice the American customs as well as their African customs. She still speaks her native language very clear at home and amongst relatives in a heavy accent. Leticia has chosen not to be an American citizen.
The housing in Ghana depends on the social status of the family, there are story buildings, huts, single family houses and apartments. The most popular sport is soccer, so that is what you would normally see in a neighborhood. There are theatres for cultural plays, clubs, different television shows, jump roping-mostly for the girls. In Ghana childrearing is taken very serious almost to the point where it is considered sacred. It is very seldom that a Ghanaian mother would leave her child with a relative let alone a stranger. In America it is normal for a mother to drop her child off at daycare or leave them at home with a babysitter or nanny.
The primary industries in Ghana is farming, it is a very common job and people depend on fresh products such as tomatoes, plantains, yams, corn, rice, and fruits. There is a market system where everyone comes from far a ways to sell their products.
In America there is an emphasis on hygiene. People are educated early about proper hygiene and it’s passed on. Practicing proper hygiene seems to be getting better as people are being taught the importance of personal hygiene. In Ghana hygiene is not a custom that is emphasized on. A custom that is emphasized on in Ghana is the Puberty rites.
A puberty rite is when a female is going through adolescence or about to be woman. It is this time during which dating begins, by this time they are already twenty years of age. Sex is before marriage is very discouraged and is not talked about very much. Ghanaians usually continue to live with their parents till marriage because they believe in extended families. Marriage ceremonies are done by the man and his family going to the woman’s family to ask for her hand in marriage. They also bring with them gifts such as cloths, maybe cow, goat, sheep, chicken depending on their social status and money.
According to Leticia the laws are barely broken and crimes and violence are not as bad as in Ghana as they are in the United States. The crimes vary from petty theft, robbery and it is very rare to hear about murder or rape. The people are very close and we all know each but that does not mean that there are no bad seeds. In this interview I learned a lot of stuff about Leticia’s culture that I would have never asked in regular conversation. I was surprised to learn that Leticia was here only seven years. I learned that some people dress the same way we do and eat a lot of the same foods we eat. They are very much similar than I thought. Over all I think the interview went well.