Sociology Cultural Interview
Culture Interview: South Africa
Andre Ebbinkhuysen is the subject of my culture interview. I chose him because I was interested in learning more about the South African culture and its history. We met at McDonalds on South College Road on Friday, June 10th at 11:00 am and interviewed for about an hour. I felt very comfortable interviewing him, as we share a secondary group at Cape Fear Community College, sitting right next to each other in our Sociology class. I feel I know him better than a stranger I would have tried to approach for this interview.
Andre was born in South Africa. He has now been living in the United States for about 11 years. He moved here alone as a professional rugby player, and was offered a job to move and play rugby. His dream ever since he was about six years of age was to move to the United States. He wanted this because of the opportunities he would have being in the United States that South Africa did not offer him. He said he would not be where he is today in life had he not moved to the United States. The statuses he holds today include being a full time student, a part time real estate broker and a full time father. He became a citizen of the United States four years ago. Although there were adjustments to living in our society, he very much enjoys living in the United States.
The most difficult adjustment for him was learning to drive on the right side of the road. Other assimilations include learning to work with U.S. currency, understanding the different religions, understanding the “southern accent” along with some of the slang we use, such as “over yonder”, some American cuisines, and last but not least, he had to actually pump his own gas! In South Africa, the service stations would pump your gas for you, in fear you would drive away without paying. The main language he spoke in South Africa was Afrikaans, but it was mandated for them to take English as a second language, which made it easier for him to be able to live in
Andre Ebbinkhuysen is the subject of my culture interview. I chose him because I was interested in learning more about the South African culture and its history. We met at McDonalds on South College Road on Friday, June 10th at 11:00 am and interviewed for about an hour. I felt very comfortable interviewing him, as we share a secondary group at Cape Fear Community College, sitting right next to each other in our Sociology class. I feel I know him better than a stranger I would have tried to approach for this interview.
Andre was born in South Africa. He has now been living in the United States for about 11 years. He moved here alone as a professional rugby player, and was offered a job to move and play rugby. His dream ever since he was about six years of age was to move to the United States. He wanted this because of the opportunities he would have being in the United States that South Africa did not offer him. He said he would not be where he is today in life had he not moved to the United States. The statuses he holds today include being a full time student, a part time real estate broker and a full time father. He became a citizen of the United States four years ago. Although there were adjustments to living in our society, he very much enjoys living in the United States.
The most difficult adjustment for him was learning to drive on the right side of the road. Other assimilations include learning to work with U.S. currency, understanding the different religions, understanding the “southern accent” along with some of the slang we use, such as “over yonder”, some American cuisines, and last but not least, he had to actually pump his own gas! In South Africa, the service stations would pump your gas for you, in fear you would drive away without paying. The main language he spoke in South Africa was Afrikaans, but it was mandated for them to take English as a second language, which made it easier for him to be able to live in