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Interview: Pablo Santiago- Venezuela
Before starting this interview, I decided to talk to Pablo for a while about the Venezuelan culture. I was very interested because I have family from Venezuela but have never really learned much about it. Pablo, unlike Jose and I, was raised half his life in Venezuela and the other half right here in Atlanta. I thought that having someone as exposed as he was to these two cultures would be the best informed to be able to talk about this subject.
Alexandra: "How does the food in the United States, or at least here in Atlanta, differ from the food with which you grew up with?"
Pablo: "Venezuelan food is much more typical than Atlanta food."
Alexandra: "But would you say that there is typical food here in Atlanta?"
Pablo: "Atlanta is a center of diverse cultures so I'd have to say that it does not necessarily have typical food, but as for the South I'd say that grits, fried chicken, chicken biscuits, etc. are definitely some foods that distinguish it."
Alexandra: "Okay, well I know that you have basically been raised in Atlanta for almost more than half of your life, but when you first came to college, would you say that you were inclined to befriend people that shared your culture, or would you consider your choice of friends completely unbiased when it comes to background and ethnicity?"
Pablo: "I was definitely inclined to befriend people that shared my same culture. At first, since Emory has such a small Latino community, I was not able to find people with my same background and I was even highly considering transferring, but after I finally met them, my Emory experience has changed drastically. Right now, I wouldn't change my place at Emory for anything."
Alexandra: "That's interesting because you've been living in the United States for a long time already so I would not have expected this. I can't say I felt the same way because I always felt very included and welcome among the Emory community, but I can definitely agree with the fact that my experience here got much comforting after meeting and being able to form a good group of friends that share my background. Okay so I have a few more questions for you. When socializing, be it in a party or simply hanging out with some friends, how do you differ in the way you interact with your friends here and the way you interact with your friends back home? Is there any difference in your attitude or do you have any different expectations?"
Pablo: "There is definitely a difference in the way I interact. I have some Venezuelan friends here in Atlanta from highschool and I'd say that with them I feel much more Venezuelan than with my friends that actually live in Venezuela. My friends back in Venezuela call me a gringo even though I consider myself completely Venezuelan. I definitely feel much more lost interacting with them though, because I have managed to create a fusion between two completely different cultures and that is who I am.
Alexandra: "I can see how this happens. Your Venezuelan friends living in Atlanta are in your same situation, they have as much of a culture blend as you have and for that reason it's easier for you to identify yourself as Venezuelan with them than with your friends currently living in Venezuela. This never really happened to me since I have lived all my life in Puerto Rico, but I can definitely see it starting to happen with my Puerto Rican friends here at Emory. Okay so one more question or better yet, give me your opinion on the Latino community here at Emory."
Pablo: "I personally think there's no Latino community here. I do feel we all get along fine and I've got a bunch of Latino friends now but I just don't see the community aspect. It's sad for me to say this but I'd have to say it's the truth."
Alexandra: "It's funny that you say that because Jose said exactly the same thing. We all know each other and some of us are closer to each other than others, but I guess we're still missing something, maybe motivation, to create a larger group. Who knows but I know many of us feel the same way.
Interview: Pablo Santiago- Venezuela
Before starting this interview, I decided to talk to Pablo for a while about the Venezuelan culture. I was very interested because I have family from Venezuela but have never really learned much about it. Pablo, unlike Jose and I, was raised half his life in Venezuela and the other half right here in Atlanta. I thought that having someone as exposed as he was to these two cultures would be the best informed to be able to talk about this subject.
Alexandra: "How does the food in the United States, or at least here in Atlanta, differ from the food with which you grew up with?"
Pablo: "Venezuelan food is much more typical than Atlanta food."
Alexandra: "But would you say that there is typical food here in Atlanta?"
Pablo: "Atlanta is a center of diverse cultures so I'd have to say that it does not necessarily have typical food, but as for the South I'd say that grits, fried chicken, chicken biscuits, etc. are definitely some foods that distinguish it."
Alexandra: "Okay, well I know that you have basically been raised in Atlanta for almost more than half of your life, but when you first came to college, would you say that you were inclined to befriend people that shared your culture, or would you consider your choice of friends completely unbiased when it comes to background and ethnicity?"
Pablo: "I was definitely inclined to befriend people that shared my same culture. At first, since Emory has such a small Latino community, I was not able to find people with my same background and I was even highly considering transferring, but after I finally met them, my Emory experience has changed drastically. Right now, I wouldn't change my place at Emory for anything."
Alexandra: "That's interesting because you've been living in the United States for a long time already so I would not have expected this. I can't say I felt the same way because I always felt very included and welcome among the Emory community, but I can definitely agree with the fact that my experience here got much comforting after meeting and being able to form a good group of friends that share my background. Okay so I have a few more questions for you. When socializing, be it in a party or simply hanging out with some friends, how do you differ in the way you interact with your friends here and the way you interact with your friends back home? Is there any difference in your attitude or do you have any different expectations?"
Pablo: "There is definitely a difference in the way I interact. I have some Venezuelan friends here in Atlanta from highschool and I'd say that with them I feel much more Venezuelan than with my friends that actually live in Venezuela. My friends back in Venezuela call me a gringo even though I consider myself completely Venezuelan. I definitely feel much more lost interacting with them though, because I have managed to create a fusion between two completely different cultures and that is who I am.
Alexandra: "I can see how this happens. Your Venezuelan friends living in Atlanta are in your same situation, they have as much of a culture blend as you have and for that reason it's easier for you to identify yourself as Venezuelan with them than with your friends currently living in Venezuela. This never really happened to me since I have lived all my life in Puerto Rico, but I can definitely see it starting to happen with my Puerto Rican friends here at Emory. Okay so one more question or better yet, give me your opinion on the Latino community here at Emory."
Pablo: "I personally think there's no Latino community here. I do feel we all get along fine and I've got a bunch of Latino friends now but I just don't see the community aspect. It's sad for me to say this but I'd have to say it's the truth."
Alexandra: "It's funny that you say that because Jose said exactly the same thing. We all know each other and some of us are closer to each other than others, but I guess we're still missing something, maybe motivation, to create a larger group. Who knows but I know many of us feel the same way.