Kelly Nishimura
HUM 105
Due: 07/17/10
Cultural Interview and Listening Assignment
Overview:
For my cultural interview, I interviewed my friend Chalantorn Jan Janssen on Monday,
July 12, 2010. I knew right away when I received this project that I wanted to interview Jan. Jan
is originally from Thailand. I have known Jan for a few years now and she has always celebrated
her Thai culture and heritage. She has always beamingly volunteered information about her Thai
culture with a smile. When I asked her if she was available to help me with this project/ cultural
interview she said “Yes.” And so we met in a fairly quiet place (amenable to recording) that
invited conversation – Starbucks.
Jan and I are comfortable talking to one another. Nevertheless I noticed, with the element
of recording, both of us were a little nervous. Nervous as we were and awkward as it was to have
some people stare at us because we were recording a conversation/interview; we started with
great gusto. It took us a few minutes to get used to the voice recorder and relax. As for the few
stares, we didn’t notice after awhile.
For the interview I used some prepared questions and then as the interview progressed I
added some spontaneous questions. Because of the prepared questions and knowing that the
interview was recorded, it became easy to listen to what Jan had to say without thinking of what
question I was going to ask her next.
Before we knew it, the interview went on for hour. Jan and I fell into this great groove
where she comfortably went into teacher mode and I the student. Because of this, we added a
few more minutes to the interview; the entire interview lasted close to 80 minutes.
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Even though our interview lasted quite long, we encountered what would be considered
“stumbling blocks” as noted by LaRay Barna. One stumbling block we encountered is the
language difference. I know there were a couple of times in the interview that Jan wanted to
explain a concept to me but had some difficulty. She probably knew how to explain it in Thai but
couldn’t find the English translation for the word(s). This is when I would hear her say verbally
to herself, “What do you call?”
Another stumbling block I encountered was the tendency to evaluate. There was one part
of the interview when I noticed this about myself. It was when Jan talked about America;
specifically, when you go over to someone’s house, they offer you water (something to drink).
Versus Thailand, when you go over to someone’s house, they offer you not just water but an
entire meal that is ready made. This made me think (re-evaluate my thoughts) that the American
culture is not as generous as I thought it was. Also, when she told me about Vegetarian Day in
Thailand, where some people, who are seen as protected spiritually, put blades through the
cheeks of their mouths purposefully. I thought it was bizarre (a mental judgment). But the
thought of the blades through people’s cheeks seems so fantastic that I had to see it for myself on
YouTube. I had to remember that blades through cheeks are just as odd to one culture as offering
only water is to other cultures.
Analysis of Culture
There are multiple things that I learned about the Thai culture. I learned that the Thai
people are very generous. They are also very accepting of other cultures and religions due to
their Buddhist religion. I feel this might makes them more susceptible to European and American
influence that is rapidly changing their Thai culture. For example, if I were to date a man before
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we were married, I could not hold his hand or kiss him, or live with him until we married. Jan
said if she did this when she went to school, she could have gotten kicked out of school because
it is not a social norm of Thailand. However, she said nowadays, things are becoming a little
relaxed in Thailand. Public displays of affection are still not allowed before marriage, but may be
a little more relaxed inside the home.
I learned that in Thailand, they still have a monarchy. And it is the job of the king and the
royal family to get as much education as possible to bring back the knowledge to help lead their
people. I was surprised to know that the king and princesses of Thailand have Ph.D.’s and other
doctorates from studying in England and the United States. This was surprising to me because I
never hear of Prince Charles of England or his sons having advanced degrees.
I was not surprised to learn that the Thai people have a very collectivistic culture. My
friend wanted me to remember, if anything, the three institutions of Thai culture that are
treasured deeply by the Thai people – king institution, religion institution, and the family
institution. For the king institution, Thai people must always respect the king. The king provides
peace for his country. When in the presence of the king, no one can be physically higher than the
king. Jan mentioned if the king is in a motorcade and there is a pedestrian overpass, no one can
be on the pedestrian overpass when the king goes under it because no one can be physically
higher than the king in his presence. I honestly expected her to say no one can be on the overpass
for security purposes for the king’s safety. I presumed incorrectly.
The religion institution, which is Buddhism, holds their values, beliefs, life norms and
standards. A lot of the Thai culture is centered on Buddhism. There are many scenarios where
she said one must become like a monk or a nun. Before a man gets married, he must become like
a monk and shave off his hair and eyebrows. The women do not need to become a nun before the
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wedding. This ritual of becoming a monk happens again when there is a funeral. And at this
time, a woman can become like a nun (dress like a nun). Jan also mentioned that a picture of the
king or the Buddha appears in every household and on almost every street corner. This
strengthens their belief in the king and religion institutions.
Lastly, the family institution is of great importance to Thai people. This goes back to the
collectivistic culture. Jan said the family comes first in Thailand. You are responsible for your
parents even in you move away. She mentioned one big difference between American and Thai
cultures – when the parents get old, they live with their children. It is not because Thai people
like living in a crowded house. It is because the parents take care of you, and when they get old
you take care of the parents. Parents are not sent to nursing facilities or assisted living places like
in America. The Thai family makes room for their parents and for aunts and uncles who are
getting older but never married and never had children.
Analysis as a Listener
With your teaching on listening learned on the first day of class, I consciously made and
effort to become a better listener at work, at home, and with my friends. I was one who always
wanted to keep the conversation going so I almost always had something to say in response to
what someone had said. I guess I’m a really good American – always reloading.
Nonetheless, with my interview with Jan, I utilized my listening skills and gave more
non-verbal than verbal cues to show that I was listening intently and to encourage her to keep
talking. I also re-learned that when you focus on listening, the person you are listening to is more
likely to divulge more information.
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There were parts in the interview that I feel were helpful and not helpful at the same time.
For example, when I had spontaneous questions, I did such a good job listening that I didn’t
think about what I was going to say next. So it was helpful in that I listened intently to my
interviewee, but it was not helpful/ difficult for me to formulate my question when Jan
completed what she was saying. I wanted to keep the momentum of the conversation going, so in
the interview you can hear me talk through to an eventual question. Luckily my friend is kind
and understanding. Still, I would like to gain a better balance of listening and still being able to
formulate good spontaneous questions while maintaining the momentum of the conversation.
Reflection
I learned many things about Jan, Thai culture, and myself during this cultural interview
and assignment. I will always remember my smart, generous, and cheerful friend Jan and her
Thai culture. I will remember the three Thai institutions – king institution, religion institution,
and family institution.
As for things that I haven’t already mentioned in this assignment about Thai culture, I
will remember that Thailand is known as the ‘Land of Smiles.’ I will remember that there is a
very low percentage of child molesters in Thailand. This is because if you are a child molester in
Thailand, you are sentenced to life in prison. Unlike the United States where we offer counseling
and therapy for child molesters to become cured of or treated for their “illness”, Thai people
believe that child molesters are incapable of being cured so they are sentenced to life in prison.
I will remember that Thai people further away from the cities believe in black magic
superstitions that cause illnesses, but Thai people living closer to cities who are more educated
believe less so. I will remember the royal ritual with the cow – the royal symbol – that
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determines the next abundant crop for the upcoming farming season by eating preference from
the many crops it is offered. I will remember that you will not find any tanning salons in
Thailand, as their idea of beauty for the female is white skin and skinny with straight long hair.
I will remember this entire interview because it was memorable and special. Overall, this
was a wonderful experience. I was able to learn more about my friend’s Thai culture in this one
interview than during entire time that I’ve known her. I am glad that we did this interview; it has
helped me immensely to better understand my friend and the culture that she is coming from. I
also feel that this interview and listening assignment has helped me become a better multicultural
communicator. I feel that if I can be successful with my listening skills with my Thai friend,
there is a good chance that my listening skills may be transferable to other cultures including my
own.
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