Second Interview

Country Report: Germany 

Located in central Europe, Germany is made up of the North German Plain, the Central German Uplands (Mittelgebirge), and the Southern German Highlands. German is the official language of Germany spoken by the majority of the population. It is also the official language of Austria and Liechtenstein. Turkish, Kurdish, Polish, the Balkan languages, and Russian are the other languages spoken in the country. Berlin is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Germany. Berlin is one of the sixteen states that comprise Germany. It is the largest city in Germany with a population of 3.45 million people. It is located in northeastern Germany, in the European Plains. The city is renowned for its world-class universities, research institutes, museums, and architecture. The euro denoted by the ISO 4217 code EUR is the official currency of Germany. The euro is also the official currency of the Eurozone, and the flag of Germany has three colors which are Black, Red, and Yellow. Germany is a big country and it is the seventh-largest country in Europe covering an area of 137,847 square miles, of which 34,836 square miles is covered by land and 3,011 square miles contains water. Germany is composed of sixteen states. The states have their own constitution and are largely autonomous in regard to their internal organization. At the municipal level, Germany is divided into 403 districts (Kreise), of which 301 are rural districts and 102 urban districts. Bavaria is the largest state. The Bavarian plateau in the southwest averages 1,600 ft (488 m) above sea level, but it reaches 9,721 ft (2,962 m) in the Zugspitze Mountains, the highest point in the country. Germany's major rivers are the Danube, the Elbe, the Oder, the Weser, and the Rhine. Germany is about the size of Montana. Germany lies in the center of Europe and shares borders with 9 countries: Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxemburg, Belgium and the Netherlands (clockwise from the top/North).  Germans population is 81,305,856 people in 2012;however, the number of Germans population is shrinking. In 2003 the number of people was 82,476,000 since then it was dropping. As a matter of fact, Germany is the fifteenth-most populated nation in the world and the most populous in the European Union. In addition, The national day of Germany is celebrated on October 3. This day is called the Day of German Unity. It is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of the reunification of Germany in 1990. This day is declared a national holiday in the country. 

"Encyclopedia of the Nations." Location, Size, and Extent. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Germany Facts." , Facts about Germany. N.p., n.d. Web.

How did I meet my interviewer?

I've known Giti for a long time, she is a really good person, funny, and a good friend. We have been friends for two years know, and we moved together from Atlanta, GA. Sadly this is her last semester and I'm really sad that she's leaving because she's really a family to me. We met back in Atlanta we were classmates and we decided to move to St. Cloud after i spent a year and two months there and she just spent 7 months. Despite i got sent back to my country and stayed there for a while she always keep in touch and she helped me a lot to get the acceptance letter from St. Cloud State.

Where and when did the interview happen?

The interview happened on the 2nd of Nov i gave her a visit to her place. we had a really nice time i didn't feel like i was just taking information out of someone's head i was confident, out going, welling to ask and talk. it was really easy and smooth and I'm really glad that we spent some time together.

Who is my interviewer?

She's Giti Mimi and she's from Hamburg, Germany. She is an exchange student, and she has been here for three years. She's majoring in English because she wants to be an English teacher one day. She loves to help people and she loves children so much, that's one of the things i really like about her that she is always welling to help anyone.

A: Abdull (me)

C: Giti (interviewer)

1 How do you communicate with each other in your home country?

A. Pretty much like everyone's else we use cell phones, text, and social media.

2 What is the clothing style for men and women? 

A. well they wear whatever they want to wear. it's hard to make generalizations. it doesn't really differ from what people wear in the us.

3 How are women and men treated differently? 

A. In germany men and women are treated almost equally. there are of course differences between regions in germany. i think people in east germany are not as modern as people in west Germany are, but we already moved on from the image which women had years ago. they are no longer seen in the traditional way in which they have to stay at home , cook and look after the children... women go to work. in some families, roles of man and woman are switched, so the man stays at home and the woman goes to work. we also have a female president, which shows that women also can get jobs in high positions. but unfortunately there are still differences in terms of salary. men get more money even if they have the same education.

4 How has your experience here helped you interpret and respect cultural differences?

A. It's always kind of hard to get to know people from other countries because you don't really know how to behave properly. I learned that for some people it"s not that easy to understand that people come from different countries with other cultures, so they are used to different norms. some people might get some things wrong; for example, feel offended even though you only made a joke or something. so i learned that you always have to be careful, because people might misunderstand what you say or do. i also learned not to stick to the norms that i am used to but also try to engage myself into their culture a bit. otherwise its not gonna work.

5 Do you enjoy speaking with other exchange students? 

A. I do. because its always interesting to talk to people with a different background. it makes you learn. the only thing i was a little bit disappointed in, was that some people made the impression they didn't really want to get to know people from countries other than their own. maybe they felt uncomfortable talking in english.

6. How long have you been in the United States? 

A. I've been here for about 3 years

7.Have you been able to visit any other parts of the United States?

A. I've been to florida. i didn't really had to chance to see other parts, but i definitely want to come back and visit other places as soon as i can

8.What are your home country’s major religions? 

A. The major religion is christianity. the second biggest is islam.

9.What influenced you to come to the United States? Especially, Saint Cloud State? 

A. Family. i wanted to spend some time in an english speaking country. i have family in the us , so that was the major reason i decided to go there. i also considered to go to england or australia.

10. Do you have any member of your family here in St. Cloud?

A. No i don't, but i have a lot friends and i really enjoy being them especially that I'm leaving soon.

11. Do you have any questions for me? I asked you too many.

A. Yes i do.

12. When are you going back to Saudi Arabia?

A. Probably in four years. hopefully.

13. Are you going to work in the States, or you're going back right away?

A. I only got one year experience, after that i have to go back to my country.

14. Do you have any other questions? (ME)

A. No that's it, thank you for having me.

Thank you for helping me...