For my international interview, I chose to interview nineteen year old Rachel Anne Macalintal. Rachel is originally from the Philippines, but is currently residing in Belgium, Germany. Her native language is Tagalog, but she also speaks English and French. Rachel is also a part of the Catholic faith. She is pursuing her secondary education at the University of Maryland University College (SHAPE) or UMUC, and she is currently in her freshman year of university majoring in primary education. Rachel is also currently unemployed.
I began the interview by asking Rachel what other languages are spoken in Germany. Rachel’s response to this question was interesting. I was surprised by how many different languages are spoken in Germany. There is German, Turkish, Polish, Russian, English, French, and Latin. While there is a wide variety of languages spoken in Germany, Rachel said the top three languages used are German, English, and France. Rachel can speak both Tagalog, English, and French, so there is not as much of a language barrier for her.
The second question I asked Rachel is what type of food is most popular in Germany. Rachel’s response was actually surprising because, while bratwurst is a popular food in Germany, the area of Belgium that she resides in is on more of the Italian side. Rachel said that there is mainly pizza places and bakeries around the area in which she lives. So, while bratwurst and beer are both very popular in Germany, so is pizza. I think this also goes to show how Germany is sort of stereotyped, because when you thinking of food in Germany bratwurst is what comes to mind, not pizza.
The third question I asked Rachel is what type of sports are popular in Germany. Rachel’s response to this question was not very surprising. She said that the biggest sport in Germany was soccer or futball. This answer was expected because soccer is a very popular sport in not only Germany but also the rest of Europe. However, there was also mention of ice hockey being pretty popular in Germany. This was surprising to me, because the only sport I knew was popular in Germany was soccer. Also, to go along with this question, I asked Rachel if she played any of the sports herself. Rachels responded with “Oh heck no!” which I found quite funny. It wasn’t funny that she did not play any sports, it wa funny because of the way she said it.
The fourth question I asked Rachel was about what kind of local public transportation is available in Germany and whether everyone uses the public transportation. Rachel said that the main source of public transportation in Germany is the metro. She mentioned that there are also cars, but that since the roads are very narrow there it is easier to catch a train. I actually found this quite interesting, mainly because there is not a metro here in Huntsville that I know of. Here, everyone either drives or walks. I also did not know that there was a metro in Germany or that that it would be used more than a personal car.
The fifth question I asked Rachel was whether she knew of any of Germany’s heroes or heroines. Rachel told me about Bert Trautmann, who was a Nazi that became a futball hero in 1956. I was very surprised when I learned that someone who was once a Nazi is now a famous futball hero, who has a film being made about him. Rachel said that Bert Trautmann was a goalkeeper for German Manchester City, and he is best known for the 1956 FA Cup Final. Apparently, with only seventeen minutes left in the match, Trautmann dove to block the ball from going into the goal. During this dive, Trautmann hurt his neck, but he continued playing the game, which led Manchester City to win three to one. It was then discovered that during the game, Trautmann had actually broken his neck, but continued to play anyways. I thought this was actually a very interesting story to learn about, which was surprising because once again he was a former Nazi. There is also Angela Merkel who was elected Chancellor in 2005. Merkel was the first woman to hold the office in Germany. I found this both surprising and really interesting. I think it is really cool to have a woman hold office.
Overall, I learned quite a bit about Germany from this interview that I did not know beforehand. Honestly, the only things I really knew about Germany before this interview was that it was famous for football, it had Oktoberfest, and that there was a lot of bratwursts. I think this interview helped me to understand that there is a lot I don’t actually know about other places in the world, and has peaked my interest into what else I could learn about other countries. I was particularly surprised by how many different languages are spoken in Germany, and by how more people use the metro than driving their own car. I was really interested in learning how different the languages spoken in Germany were to the languages spoken in the United States. Despite both having a wide variety of languages, the languages were different. For example, here in the United States the most common languages are English, Spanish, and Chinese, but in Germany the most common languages are German, English, and French. I was also surprised to learn about Bert Trautmann. I found it hard to understand how a former Nazi was considered to be a hero, but he was considered a hero because he helped win the 1956 FA Cup Final in futball. I think this interview taught me that there is more to the world than what I know or hear about on television. This interview taught me that you do not get the full story from the media or others around you. The only way to truly understand another country or culture is to ask questions about it, to read about, to learn.
International Interview Questions
Name: Rachel Anne Macalintal
Age: 19
Home Country: Philippines
Native Language: Tagalong
Religion: Catholic
Education: University of Maryland University College (SHAPE) or UMUC ; Primary Education Major
Job/Employment Status: Unemployed
1) Are other languages spoken there besides the dominant language?
I speak Tagalog, English, and French. There is also Turkish, Polish, Russian, and Latin spoken, but the main languages spoken are German, English, and French.
I chose this question because I was curious about what types of languages were spoken in Germany. I know here in the United States we have a variety of languages spoken. I was also curious to see what different languages were spoken in Germany than in the United States.
2) What foods are most popular?
Where I am located in Belgium, it is more of the Italian side, so there are mainly pizza places and bakeries.
I chose this question because I was curious to what type of food there was in Germany. I was also curious to see if there was more than just bratwursts that were popular in Germany.
3) What sports are popular? Do you play any of the sports yourself?
Soccer (futball) is the big sport, but there is also hockey. No I don’t play (“Oh, heck no!”).
I chose this question because I was curious about what type of sports were the most popular in Germany compared to the United States. I know that in the United States baseball, basketball, and football are some of the most popular, but in Germany it is different.
4) What kind of local public transportation is available? Does everyone use it?
The metro is the big transportation for getting everywhere. There are also cars, but the roads are very narrow so it’s easier to hop on a train.
I chose this question because I was curious about whether they actually had modes of public transportation like buses or a metro, and I was curious as to how many people actually used the public transportation versus driving their own car or just walking. I was curious because I have never used any mode of transportation other than a car, besides when I rode the bus to get to school.
5) Who are the country’s national heroes and heroines?
Bert Trautmann, former Nazi and famous soccer player who won 1956 FA Cup Final with broken neck.
Angela Merkel, MP in 1990, minister for women and youth 1991, leader of Christian-Democratic Union, elected chancellor in 2005 (first women to hold the office).
I chose this question because I was curious about what types of heroes/heroines there were in Germany compared to the United States. I know that a lot of heroes in the United States are those in the military or astronauts, etc, but I was unsure about what type of heroes were in Germany.
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