Interview #3

Ryan Krebs

ENGL 191 sec 21

Preparations for the interview

For my interview I came up with ten questions along with three addition points of interest about Germany and its culture. My objective for the interview was to have Wilma give me as much information she could about Germany and about being an international student. I wanted to learn about the pros and cons of the German and American university system. I also wanted to learn more about German traditions like Oktoberfest and the Christmas markets. I researched on the Internet about Germany and that is where I came up with my additional points of interest that I formed into questions during the interview. To record the interview, I brought in my computer and recorded the whole interview on GarageBand.

How Did You Approach People?

To secure three people for my interview I simple asked the three German students in my economics class if they would be willing to let me interview them. Luckily for me, they are all very nice people and agreed to be interviewed. I asked them what times would work best for them to do the interviews because I wanted to make it as little of an inconvenience as possible.

When, Where, and How did you Conduct the Interview?

I conducted the interview with Wilma after our economics class on the first floor of Stewart hall. There was a table set up with chairs, so we had a nice comfortable place to conduct the interview. It was quiet there since it was 5 o’clock and most classes were over for the day. I conducted the interview by showing Wilma the list of questions I had while I was setting up my computer. I told her that I would also be asking her a few questions about Germany and its culture.

Whom did you Interview?

I interviewed Wilma. She is 21 years old. She is a finance and human resource major. She studies at the university of applied sciences in Ingolstadt. She is from the city of Ulm, which is located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is two hours away by train from Munich. She lives with her sister, who will be graduating this year from high school, and both of her parents in a house outside of the big city. Her family likes horses and donkeys; they own one of each and keep them in a stable away from their house, since there is no room to ride them there. All of her aunts, uncles, and grandparents live in northern Germany. Her family enjoys going hiking and skiing, so they go to Austria almost every weekend.

Describe the Interview

I thought that the interview went well. I learned a lot more about Germany. One thing I learned from this interview that I didn’t from the previous two was that at a German university they don’t really have a campus. She told me that most activities were done outside of school and that the University was mostly just for lectures. They have no dorms at the university and your life is mostly centered on your home and not school like it is here. Another thing I learned about was the difference in the high school systems. Wilma studied in St. Louis during her 11^th grade year of high school. She told me that they couldn’t pick their classes in high school like we can here. They have to take all of the same classes with the same classmates for nine years. The social life is different in high school too. All of the music clubs and sports teams are not associated with the school. High school is just a place to study in Germany. I also learned about a holiday in Germany that the other two elected not to tell me about. St. Martin’s day in Germany is a day to remember St. Martin because he gave his coat to someone who was poor. Today people walk around with candles through the city and sing songs about St. Martin. Then there is a reenactment of the original St. Martin and then everyone shares a pretzel. I was told that this holiday is for the little kids but Wilma and her friends introduced it to their university, so this year they were celebrating it in Ingolstadt.

Why I didn’t transcribe

I chose not to transcribe this interview because I thought that the first interview with Dan was much better. I thought that the interview with Ann went just as well as this one. Since I had already transcribed the interview with Ann I decided not to transcribe this one.

Report on Country and Culture

Germany is a country in Europe. Germany is made up of 16 different states¹, each with their own customs, traditions, and dialects². The capital city is Berlin and is located in north east Germany. Germany is a member of the European Union and uses the Euro as its currency. The climate is temperate and marine². 82.3 million people live in Germany with about 19% of those people not being German². Germany is a huge economic powerhouse; it has the fifth largest economy in the world and the largest in Europe¹. It is one of the largest trading nations in the world. Germans enjoy a high standard of living with an average income of $35,400¹. The geography of Germany consists of low lands in the north and mountains in the south². Germany has a total land area of 357,022 square kilometers¹.

Germany has a very rich culture with some very unique traditions and celebrations. The most famous of all German traditions is Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest takes place every year at the end of September, running into early October. Oktoberfest lasts 15 days and was started back in 1810 when prince Ludwig was married and had a celebration for it². Today people come from all over the world to experience beer drinking at its finest. Another important event that takes place every year in Germany is its Christmas markets. All throughout Germany, in most cities and towns, you will find a Christmas market for the four weeks leading up to Christmas². Germans also like to play sports. The most popular sport in Germany is soccer. In 2006, Germany hosted the World Cup, and from my interview I now know that the World Cup brought back a lot of pride to the Germany people. Other than soccer, ice hockey and basketball are gaining popularity across Germany. Germans love their beer. There are over 1300 breweries in Germany². Drinking in Germany is seen as a social experience rather than the American way of partying. Germans are allowed to drink beer at age 16, and because of this, they view drinking differently in Germany than we do in America.

Works Cited

¹Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency. September 30, 2009. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html (accessed October 20, 2009).

²German Missions in the United States. Welcome to Germany.info. http://www.germany.info/vertretung/usa/en/startseite.html (accessed October 20, 2009).