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Interview- Carlos Marín
Carlos Marín lived in Colombia until he was 7 and then moved to the United States. He is a freshman at Emory University, just like the other two interviewees. I decided to make Carlos my last interview because I thought it would be interesting to have a perspective in which the Latino has lived more than half of his/her life in the United States.
Alexandra: "So first of all, I want to start by asking you the difference between the food in Colombia and the food here in the United States. With what type of food are you more familiar?
Carlos: "Well, even though I only lived in Colombia for 7 years, I consider myself completely Colombian and have a lot of pride in it. I don't know much about the food here in Atlanta because of the fact that I'm a freshman and my usual meal consists of cafeteria food, but I must say that from where i'm from in Florida, the food was pretty good. There is a lot of fishing so fish and shrimp is typical. I have to admit that this is not the case at all in all parts of the United States though. If I'd have to compare this to Colombian food I'd say I prefer Colombian food. My parents always made Colombian food at home and although far away, I still got to grow up with this aspect of my hispanic culture."
Alexandra: "Okay, after interviewing Pablo and Jose I've come to realize that we all prefer food that represents our ethnicity and culture, even if it's not the culture we've been living with for most of our lives, as in your case. So since I know you've been basically raised within the American culture, when you first came to college, would you say that you were inclined to befriend people that shared your Latino culture, or would you consider your choice of friends completely unbiased when it comes to background and ethnicity?"
Carlos: "I think I was and still am pretty unbiased when it comes to cultures and choosing friends. I really don't have a problem being in a space with no Latinos, but I have to admit that after befriending some of them here at Emory my experience definitely became even better than what it already was, which was awesome!"
Alexandra: "Cool! So now I'm curious to know, 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 in Colombia? Is there any difference in your attitude or do you have any different expectations?"
Carlos: "Yea, definitely. I feel much more American when in Colombia surrounded by people who have been living in that culture for almost all if not all their lives. I though feel comfortable around them and I don't really feel excluded or simply not as Colombian as them. My way of acting though definitely changes when I'm around my friends back home in Florida compared to when I'm with my friends and family in Colombia. I can't say which one is more representative of me because I literally feel comfortable in both situations."
Alexandra: "It's funny that you mention that because in my last interview, my interviewee, which lived longer than you did in a Latin American country, feels that when he goes back he is not as Latino as his friends there."
Carlos: "Well I mean I guess it just depends on how you interpret your situation. I really enjoy going back to Colombia and spending time with friends and family so I don't really pay attention to feeling "not as Colombian".
Alexandra: "Okay, yea I totally understand. Well I've got one more question for you. How do you feel about the Latino community at Emory?"
Carlos: "It definitely exists. Although it's very weak and unstable because I feel that there is no initiative towards enlarging it. I joined a Latino organization when I first came to Emory thinking that it would be completely full of Latinos and it would be a great opportunity for me to expand and grow as a hispanic, but it dissapointed me in a way because it really wasn't as strongly suppported by Latinos here."
Alexandra: "Well then hopefully you will continue to expand it and encourage other Latinos, including myself, to join it and become active member by spreading the word around."
Carlos: "It's much easier said than done but it's definitely possible and I believe slowly but progressively in the making."
Interview- Carlos Marín
Carlos Marín lived in Colombia until he was 7 and then moved to the United States. He is a freshman at Emory University, just like the other two interviewees. I decided to make Carlos my last interview because I thought it would be interesting to have a perspective in which the Latino has lived more than half of his/her life in the United States.
Alexandra: "So first of all, I want to start by asking you the difference between the food in Colombia and the food here in the United States. With what type of food are you more familiar?
Carlos: "Well, even though I only lived in Colombia for 7 years, I consider myself completely Colombian and have a lot of pride in it. I don't know much about the food here in Atlanta because of the fact that I'm a freshman and my usual meal consists of cafeteria food, but I must say that from where i'm from in Florida, the food was pretty good. There is a lot of fishing so fish and shrimp is typical. I have to admit that this is not the case at all in all parts of the United States though. If I'd have to compare this to Colombian food I'd say I prefer Colombian food. My parents always made Colombian food at home and although far away, I still got to grow up with this aspect of my hispanic culture."
Alexandra: "Okay, after interviewing Pablo and Jose I've come to realize that we all prefer food that represents our ethnicity and culture, even if it's not the culture we've been living with for most of our lives, as in your case. So since I know you've been basically raised within the American culture, when you first came to college, would you say that you were inclined to befriend people that shared your Latino culture, or would you consider your choice of friends completely unbiased when it comes to background and ethnicity?"
Carlos: "I think I was and still am pretty unbiased when it comes to cultures and choosing friends. I really don't have a problem being in a space with no Latinos, but I have to admit that after befriending some of them here at Emory my experience definitely became even better than what it already was, which was awesome!"
Alexandra: "Cool! So now I'm curious to know, 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 in Colombia? Is there any difference in your attitude or do you have any different expectations?"
Carlos: "Yea, definitely. I feel much more American when in Colombia surrounded by people who have been living in that culture for almost all if not all their lives. I though feel comfortable around them and I don't really feel excluded or simply not as Colombian as them. My way of acting though definitely changes when I'm around my friends back home in Florida compared to when I'm with my friends and family in Colombia. I can't say which one is more representative of me because I literally feel comfortable in both situations."
Alexandra: "It's funny that you mention that because in my last interview, my interviewee, which lived longer than you did in a Latin American country, feels that when he goes back he is not as Latino as his friends there."
Carlos: "Well I mean I guess it just depends on how you interpret your situation. I really enjoy going back to Colombia and spending time with friends and family so I don't really pay attention to feeling "not as Colombian".
Alexandra: "Okay, yea I totally understand. Well I've got one more question for you. How do you feel about the Latino community at Emory?"
Carlos: "It definitely exists. Although it's very weak and unstable because I feel that there is no initiative towards enlarging it. I joined a Latino organization when I first came to Emory thinking that it would be completely full of Latinos and it would be a great opportunity for me to expand and grow as a hispanic, but it dissapointed me in a way because it really wasn't as strongly suppported by Latinos here."
Alexandra: "Well then hopefully you will continue to expand it and encourage other Latinos, including myself, to join it and become active member by spreading the word around."
Carlos: "It's much easier said than done but it's definitely possible and I believe slowly but progressively in the making."