Cultural Interview Free Essays

My cultural interview was with a coworker, 28 years of age and of Hispanic descent. While conducting the interview I learned a lot about the Hispanic culture. Many Hispanics like to be called Latino (a). We will write a custom essay sample on Cultural Interview or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some do not like to be referred to as Mexican when they are from other countries other than Mexico. Hispanics also use slang within their culture just like African Americans. Within the culture the male is the dominant figure in the household. All the decisions that affect the family go through the father. If there is no father in the house, the oldest son fulfills that role. The older son may drop out of school so that they may assist the mother at the house in the absence of the father. Many Hispanics usually marry fairly young and start to raise a family. When they get older they usually do not marry, but live together like husband and wife. The average number of members within the family is 7 including the mother and father. The mother is usually the caregiver and stays home to look after the children. The oldest daughter steps in and helps the mother out whenever she can. The grandparents are considered the second mom and dad. Their cousins are regarded as an extension of their siblings. My interviewee has 2 brothers who she is very close to. If her brothers tell her to do something even at age 28 she really makes sure she follows their directives. Her mother is divorced from her father, but he still plays an active part in her and her brothers’ life. The relationship between the mother and father is still very close even though they are not married. The relationship between the mother’s new boyfriend and ex- husband is very cordial and respectful in an attempt to maintain a loving and positive environment for their family. The Hispanic family is outgoing and likes to have fun. Usually they have many gathering and invite friends, family and extended members to these functions. Drinking is considered a social event at these gatherings. My interviewee felt that her family was similar to other families within the Hispanic culture. Their family got together every opportunity they could. They had many traditional things they did as a family such as a gathering of family every year for her grandmother’s death, but as a celebration. Every year on Christmas Eve her family would also draw together to exchange gifts at different relative’s ouses. The interviewee stated this became a tradition for her family because the married people in the family had to attend festivities at their spouses’ relatives. English and Spanish are both spoken in the Hispanics households. The majority of the older members of the family only speak Spanish. My interviewee stated that she did not know how to speak Span ish, but her mother did and fluently. She stated that her mother has always told her that she needed to know Spanish because that was her heritage, but she never felt it very necessary. The Hispanic culture celebrates the coming of age which is called a 15 or Quinceaneras. The Quinceanernas is usually a big production for the girls. The girls have escorts and dress in a formal type ballroom dress and have many of her friends and relatives there for the celebration. My interviewee stated that she did not have a Quinceaneras because she did not really get into it. She also stated that she got pregnant and did not want her parents to spend all that money for the celebration. The boys on the other hand do not go all out with this type of celebration, but instead celebrate at their homes with friends. The Hispanic view of interracial dating is different amongst the households. Generally speaking, the oldest members of the family do not agree with interracial marriages and are very protective. The younger generation feels you should be happy and it does not matter the ethnicity of the person. If they are involved in an interracial relationship then they gravitate more to one type of ethnicity. My interviewee stated that she dated mostly African Americans. She also stated that her family was a little reluctant to this situation, but eventually came around as long as she was happy. Even though one of her brothers was friends with the guy, he was also hesitant for her to date the African American guy. She stated when her brother really realized that she really like the guy he was okay with it. She stated her family was really only concerned with her happiness and well- being, thus making it okay to look past color. This culture believes in working for a living. Hispanics are hard workers and will do whatever it takes to supply their family needs. My interviewee stated that her father worked in a printing company and he has worked their since he was 17 years old. She stated her mother did not have to work, but instead stayed home and was a housewife. Hispanics have longitivity within their career. The common field for these workers is construction workers. Hispanic men are known to do jobs that involve manual labor, such as cutting lawns, automobile mechanic, or laying tile. The Hispanic women are known to do domestic type work, such as babysitting, maid service, or food service. Education is very important to the Hispanic culture even though many do not go on to complete higher education. The younger siblings are pushed to get a good education by their older brothers and sisters. The younger generation sometime have an â€Å"I don’t care â€Å"mind frame and don’t put forth the effort into their education. They either devote their time to going to school or working to provide for the family. My interviewee did go on to college to pursue a career in education. She did not complete this endeavor because she needed to get a job to help support her child. Her brothers and mother continued to support her in her decisions, but preferred her to continue on with her education. The predominant religion within the Hispanic culture is Roman Catholic. Within this religion they must confess their sins to priest and go to confessionals. The members of this religion attend church on Sunday’s as well as other times throughout the week. During their church services, food is served before and after the service. My interviewee stated that she does attend services, but not on a regular basis. Religion is very important to her family despite the fact that she does not attend consistently. The person I interviewed felt that within her culture it is important to be successful and be respectful. To some degree this expectation is followed because many own their own businesses. They also are very close-knit and have respect for each other because of their race. She was most proud of the fact that they stuck together. Also another proud moment for her was that they didn’t mind putting in hard work to provide for the family. Some things that she would like to change would be the involvement in gangs and violent behavior. Another change that she would like to make would be the stereotypes associated with them. She stated Hispanics men were viewed as having bandanas wrapped around their head, constantly calling each other â€Å"ese† and all involved in gangs. She stated that the women are seen as always pregnant with 5-10 kids and one on the way. My interviewee felt that the greatest challenge ahead of her culture was getting a higher education. She felt that her culture needed more individuals to go to school and get that Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degree. While conducting this interview I felt very comfortable because the person was a coworker and I was use to associating with Hispanics. Many of the things that were disclosed were not unfamiliar to me because I have associated with this race on a variety of levels. The information obtained helped me further understand this culture. When counseling with students of Hispanic descent it is very useful to know that because respect is very important to them, I would have to gain their trust to be useful. While interviewing my coworker I realize that her culture was very similar to mines. Counseling someone within the Hispanic culture doesn’t seem to pose any problems for me because of this connection. I plan to use my knowledge and ethical conduct where as not to create any biases. How to cite Cultural Interview, Papers Cultural interview Free Essays Adriana was going to react to certain topics/questions and this made me apprehensive about conducting the interview. I was nervous that she might feel vulnerable about her hearing impediment since she is a private individual. She was ridiculed in school and did not have many friends. We will write a custom essay sample on Cultural interview or any similar topic only for you Order Now I was unaware if Adriana would avoid questions or become emotional about her childhood. I was also apprehensive about mentioning her nationality and if she felt that she had experienced racism. I remained empathetic and nonjudgmental throughout the entire interview. Adriana is currently a 33-year-old Mexican American left handed female with a hearing disability. She currently has no hearing in her right ear and has only 10% in her left ear. She has two hearing aids and is able to communicate by reading lips, text messaging, and by email. She is not able to communicate utilizing a telephone. She has been bilingual (Spanish and English) since the age of about five. Adriana lost most of hearing at the age of seven because she was afflicted with polio. She mentioned that she was sick for a week and was never hospitalized. She suffered from high fevers and lost the majority of her hearing over the course of a eek. She went from being able to hear the chirping ofa bird to only being able to hear muffled voices! She obtained hearing aids about two weeks after being afflicted with polio. She went through extensive amounts of speech therapy during and outside of the school setting. However, she has always excelled academically in school. She claims that most of the teachers were accommodating and let her sit in the front of the class. However, she did mention that she was ridiculed throughout her grade school years. She claims that her classmates would throw â€Å"spit balls† at her and make fun of her speech impediment. She never lashed out at people and tried to ignore their immature behavior. She mentions that she was lucky to have older brothers that were very protective. Many people felt that she was â€Å"freeloading† because of her Mexican heritage and did not get to know her or even recognize that she was also an American. She mentioned that her parents came to America legally n their green cards) and became Mexican American citizens. Adriana mentioned that she was not popular and only associated with a few friends. She was very emotional during this topic! She would â€Å"tear up† at times because she felt like she was reliving bad memories. She felt like no one could relate to her because no one else had a disability and was a â€Å"minority. † It was also hard for her to realize that her hearing was gradually deteriorating! She currently has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and the Fine Arts and an Associate’s Degree in Medical Billing and Coding. She is currently working at a doctor’s office part time utilizing her Medical Billing and Coding degree. She does not seem passionate about her Job because she is in a private office (by herself) doing computer coding. She feels excluded because she cannot fulfill the entire Job description. She is only able to complete the paperwork/ omputer portion of her current position. She is unable to communicate by telephone and feels incompetent because of her speech/hearing impediment. She always dreamt about becoming a nurse and wanted to follow in the footsteps of her older siblings. She knew that she would be unable to fulfill her dream because her hearing loss would affect her Job performance. Despite struggling and having a low self esteem, she found a husband that is able to look past her disability. Her body language and tone of voice seemed to change when we were talking about her husband. She seemed to be very comfortable talking about him and was very open bout answering questions. Her face lit up, there was excitement in her answers, and she appeared less tense. She has been married for five years to her husband named Gabriel and resides in Portage, Indiana. She has no children but has two cats and dogs! She constantly has nephews and nieces that spend the night. They refer to her as the â€Å"favorite† aunt. She stated, â€Å"l love spending time with my nieces and nephews, however when I have had enough then I can send them home. † They call her â€Å"Auntie Nana† and she displays their artwork proudly throughout her house and on the refrigerator. Adriana grew up in a single-family household in Whiting, Indiana. Her father was in her life for about seven years. She claims that he cheated on her mother and she kicked him out of the house. Adriana is a middle child of four brothers and sisters. Her mother worked at a nursing home as a Janitor and did not make much money. Her older brother and sister would often look after the younger children when her mother was at work. She was raised Catholic and presently attends church weekly. She grew up in a bilingual and strict household. She was expected to have chores and homework done by the time her mother was home. She still remains close with her family and sees them on a regular basis. I was shocked to find out that she has not spoken to her father for almost a decade. She also confided in me that she has about 15 half brothers/sisters from her father’s â€Å"mistresses. She has emailed four of them and does not know anything about the other siblings. I was also amazed that since she has such a large Mexican family, she only participates in some Mexican traditions. She mentioned that her large, extended family gathers together for birthdays, Cinco de Mayo, and holidays. They typically indulge in Mexican Cuisine, such as: tamales, guacamole, tacos, and flautas. She stated that growing up with a d isability and being Mexican was never easy. Adriana mentioned that she experienced racism when she was younger. She experienced racial profiling and was referred to as a â€Å"Spic. They would ask her if sne nad a green card and it sne was an illegal alien. Her mother’s lower socioeconomic status was reflected in Adriana’s wardrobe. She also mentioned she received free and reduced school lunches. Her classmates ridiculed her for all of these things. She did not socialize with many students and often sat by herself in the cafeteria. She felt alone because of her disability and race. She often felt that eople were making fun of her and talking behind her back. In her current work environment she often feels looked down upon because of her hearing disability. Adriana still has an upbeat personality despite all of the adversities in her life. She views herself as being successful and accomplished. She overcame the odds and went to college and obtained two degrees. She is married, has a Job, and owns a home. She credits much of her success to having a supportive and loving family. Her mother always encouraged and inspired her to pursue her dreams and never treated her differently from any of her other siblings (without disabilities). Adriana was raised with love and discipline. Her mother was never embarrassed to punish her or her siblings in public. They were taught that nothing is free and that they have to work hard for what they have. There are three nurses in her family and each of her siblings has their own homes and Jobs. She did mention that she grew up in a poverty stricken environment. Her mother was on welfare and food stamps throughout the course of her childhood. Her clothing was either from Goodwill and/ or second hand clothing from her older siblings. She lived in a three-bedroom house and shared a room with four of her sisters. As a counselor, I have learned not to have a pre-conceived notion about a client. I have also learned that you cannot Judge a book by its cover. Adriana has overcome many obstacles/hurdles in her life that most people could never imagine. She is legally â€Å"deaf† and has never once given up on pursuing her goals. She mentioned that she is a candidate for the cochlear implant but does not want to undergo the procedure. She assured me that she has learned to adjust her life around her hearing deficit. I have learned that she is not defined by her disability but by her ability! I felt empathetic towards the amount of bullying that she had endured. She was never once vengeful but was saddened that certain individuals could physically and emotionally torment someone. As a counselor, I would advocate for this client by helping her obtain information on disability and social security. Due to her socioeconomic status, transportation may need to be provided for appointments to/from the counseling sessions. I would also provide her with a list of vocational rehabilitation offices to help her obtain information related to employment, assistive technology, and transition services. Other resources that can be valuable to Adriana include a sign language translator and a videophone. I can also provide information on support groups for individuals with hearing disabilities. I feel that she would benefit from individual and family counseling despite having a positive outlook on her scenario. This interview made me realize that someone with a minority/disability can overcome obstacles that seem nonexistent to someone without a disability or a minority. She may have had many struggles throughout her life, but was fortunate to have the support of her mother nd siblings. Even though Adriana is a minority with a disability, she has a positive attitude towards life. She takes everything in stride and does not want sympathy. Adriana has always been successful and seems to excel despite her disability. Overcoming many adversities, sne remains optimistic about ner tuture. She is ag advocate and role model for minorities with a disability. She is a role model to her nieces and nephews. She constantly encourages them to pursue their dreams and a higher education. She does not let her disability limit her lifestyle or outlook on life. How to cite Cultural interview, Papers