Interview 1

Interview#1

Date of Interview: 10-22-11

Interviewer: Eliza Pokharel

Interviewee:  Iresha M Mudiyanselage Herath

Eliza: What is your good name?

Iresha : My name is, Iresha M Mudiyanselage Herath

Eliza : May I know where you are from?

Iresha : I am from Srilanka. It’s an island and is a part of South Asia.

Eliza: So, what would you like to do in your leisure time?

Iresha: I would like to listen to music, watch movies and hang out with my friends

Eliza: If you had to define yourself in one word, what would that be?

Iresha :  (smiling)  Hard –working . I guess

Eliza: Are you married?

Iresha: No , I am not and I have no plans of getting married for next 5 years.

Eliza: Let’s talk about your family. How big is it?

Iresha: Just four of us. My mom , dad , me and my elder sister.

Eliza: How were you raised?

Iresha:  I was raised in a very friendly and loving environment. My mom and dad both worked and I was up brought by my grandparents.  I used to spend most of my time with my grandparents than my parents. My family taught me moral values and disciple.

Eliza: Is the community you lived in: a male dominating society like other Asian countries?

Iresha: Yes , sure. It’s a male dominating society .

Eliza  :  Do you have a joint family or a nuclear family?

Iresha: I have a joint family and I love my family.

 Eliza:  Have you ever gone for a long vacation with your family?

      Iresha: Yes, couple of times. My mom and dad were here for summer so we went to California for a long vacation. It was fun.

Eliza: Where did you do your high school from?

Iresha: American College of Higher Education Kandy.

Eliza: What is your major?

Iresha: Travel and Tourism and I will be graduating next year.

Eliza: Are you planning to join grad school?

Iresha: Let’s see. What happens? I would probably join grad school.

El   Eliza: Why do you think education is important in one’s life?
Ir    Iresha : It’s very important as it broadens up our knowledge .Also, it helps one develop new
interests in life that may be entertaining or allow one to enter a new occupation.

                                                                                               

Country Report:

Background:

"Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the Maldives." It is part of South Asia.As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia "It was an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. Sri Lanka has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times and is one of the few remaining abodes of Buddhism in South Asia along with Ladakh, Bhutan and the Chittagong hill tracts."The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population; Tamils who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority.From Iresha I came to know that the other communities include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedd people.

Lifestyle:

Cuisine :

The cuisine of Sri Lanka is similar to that of India. Rice,  is usually consumed daily, can be found at any special occasion, while spicy curries are favorite dishes for dinner and lunch. One of the most popular alcoholic drink is Toddy or Arrack, both made from palm tree sap. Sri Lankans also eat Hoppers which can be found anywhere in Sri Lanka.

Much of Sri Lanka's cuisine consists of boiled or steamed rice served with curry. Another well-known rice dish is Kiribath, meaning "milk rice." Curries in Sri Lanka are not just limited to meat- or fish-based dishes; there are also vegetable and even fruit curries. A typical Sri Lankan meal consists of a "main curry" (fish, chicken, or mutton), as well as several other curries made with vegetable and lentils. Side-dishes include pickles, chutneys and "sambols" which can sometimes be fiery hot. The most famous of these is the coconut sambol, made of ground coconut mixed with chilies, dried Maldivian fish and lime juice. This is ground to a paste and eaten with rice, as it gives zest to the meal and is believed to increase appetite.

 Spices:

"Sri Lanka has long been renowned for its spices. Lamprais—rice boiled in stock with a special curry, accompanied by "frikkadels" (meatballs), all of which is then wrapped in a banana leaf and baked—is a Dutch-influenced Sri Lankan dish. Dutch and Portuguese sweets also continue to be popular." British influences include roast beef and roast chicken. Also, the influence of the Indian cooking methods and food has played a major role in what Sri Lankans eat.

Tradtional Coustume:
Dhooti, Loongi, Sari and Sarong.


Personal Review:

I was so excited to do this project as I was about to know about a different country and new culture. It was my first interview so I was kind of nervous. Nevertheless, I did not let my nervousness ruin my interview with my interviewee. I wasn’t sure whether she would be open to answer my questions but to my surprise she made me feel comfortable.

I had all my questions printed out for her so that she could get a heads up, what the interview was going to be like. She went through all the questions and was ready for the interview. We met in the library. The interview went pretty good. I got to know a lot about Srilanka. The interview went for almost an hour. Besides, all the interview questions, we talked a lot about  Srilankan food so I have a lot of information on food in my country report.

Preparation:

Firstly, I decided, what country I was going to do my interview on. After deciding that, I used my friend’s circle for interviewing international students from Srilanka.  As we are supposed to voice record the interview, I decided to use my phone’s voice recorder. I played with it for a while to make sure it works properly while interviewing. Then, I typed all the questions for the interview and made few copies of it and I also did some research on Srilanka

Some facts about Srilanka:

Area
Total Area	65,610 sq.km.
Climate
Low Country	Min. 24.4° C - Max 31.7° C
Hill Country	Min. 17.1° C - Max 26.3° C
Life Expectancy Rate	75.18 (yrs)
Adult Literacy Rate	97% (15-24 years; 2010)
Capital	Sri Jayewardenepura (Administrative) Colombo (Commercial)
Ethnic Groups	Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers
Religions	Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity
Languages	Official languages : Sinhala and Tamil Link language : English
Currency	Sri Lanka Rupee
GDP-Real Growth Rate	8.2% (2010)
Per Capita GDP	US$ 2,375 (2010)
Exchange Rates (An average as at 31 March 2011)           Rs./US $
	Rs. 112.00
Rs./Rand	Rs. 16.00

Source Cited :

      De Silva, K. M. (1981). A history of Sri Lanka. University of California Pres. ISBN 978-0520-043-20-6

      Nubin, Walter (2002). Sri Lanka: Current issues and historical background Nova Publishers ISBN 978-1590-335-73-4

        Corea, Gamani; Kelegama, Saman (2004). Economic policy in Sri Lanka: Issues and debates. SAGE. ISBN 978-0761-932-78-9