Final Project: Interview Transcription

Shortened/edited version of interview with Rundell Darlington

Kyle Louks: Is it okay if I record this?

Rundell Darlington: Yes.

Kyle Louks:  okay, I just needed to get that on record. So how long have you been here? How long are you planning on staying?

Rundell Darlington: Really long, I can’t remember I was really little. I’m planning on staying here pretty much my entire life every once in a while I’ll go back to visit family and friends.

Kyle Louks: And how do you spell your full name?

Rundell Darlington: R-u-n-d-e-l-l D-a-r-l-i-n-g-t-o-n.

Kyle Louks: and you’re a freshman this year right?

Rundell Darlington: yupp.

Kyle Louks:  What do you miss from your native country? What don't you miss?

Rundell Darlington: Food. I miss the food and a lot of stuff to do. You don’t need a car there it’s a small area in the city so. The cities are small so everyone wants to stay in the city so you’re close to everything. You can move around easily without having to drive anywhere you can just walk places. And there’s a lot of stores.

Kyle Louks:  What are some cultural differences between your country and here?

Rundell Darlington: Cultural differences um, food, clothes, the way we act, um… parents act totally different, they tend to be more strict than U.S. a lot more rules that you need to follow and kids get whoopings. You go outside and pick your switch and then you get beat with that switch.

Kyle Louks: Can any adult discipline you?

Rundell Darlington: Parents’ friends discipline you and then tell your parents and you get disciplined again.

Kyle Louks:  What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the U.S.? (Culture shock)

Rundell Darlington: Culture its somehow similar and somehow different, we speak broken English so coming here we had to learn a new language but since I came in elementary school so it was an easy transition.

Kyle Louks:  How does the climate in your home country compare to here?

Rundell Darlington: Really hot humidity is off the wall, two seasons; rainy and dry. It rains a lot for like months. Some houses have iron roofs with holes in it so you have to put buckets out to catch water. Clean water is hard to come by.

(I accidentally skipped number six)

Kyle Louks:  What is something unique to where you are from?

Rundell Darlington: Pretty much, this is a free country; everyone looks out for themselves there. Cops are corrupt put there. If you get in a car accident you can buy out a cop, if you pay a cop moneu he’ll be on your side and will tell the judge your innocent.

Kyle Louks: Why did you decide to come to SCSU instead of studying or working in your own country?

Rundell Darlington: It’s close to home first of all, I didn’t wanna go far away and my parent wanted me to come here. I wanted to be away from home but still go back.

Kyle Louks:  What was the education system like in your native country?

Rundell Darlington: It’s not up to U.S. standards. Every year you have to take an exam and if you don’t pass you get held back. No tests on computers you have to write out your answers there’s no A, B, or C. You can’t cheat off your neighbor. You have to sit down and study and take notes.

Kyle Louks: Is there special education?

Rundell Darlington: No special education, either you go through it or you don’t. 

Kyle Louks: What are your personal experiences with racism since coming to the US?

Rundell Darlington: I had a lot of personal experiences. I was called a lot of names, or you don’t belong here. Which I feel I have overcome; I hang out with any type of race not much racism now. It made me stronger. There’s little racism in St. Cloud here too.

Kyle Louks: Is religion more open where you’re from?

Rundell Darlington: Um… yeah, there’s Muslims and Christians. My great grand aunt or great aunt, people on my mother’s side, were Muslims and now they are Christians which is pretty interesting to me. Pretty much two religions. They don’t think about it, it’s not a big deal.

Kyle Louks: Who takes care of the finances in your family?

Rundell Darlington: My dad. My mom just works; she doesn’t know how to pay bills my dad pays bills and teaches me when I go home. He gives me money and tells me to go pay bills.

Kyle Louks: At what age do men and women spend private time and at what age do they consider marriage?

Rundell Darlington: Anywhere from 20 up. Its not specific time just when you find someone and if you have the resources that’s in the city. In the country there are arranged marriages, he could see her, and go ask her parents and they talk to elders, and then he’s buying stuff for her family to get married to her, women have more choices in city.

Kyle Louks: What is your favorite food/meal that you wouldn't commonly find in America?

Rundell Darlington: Potatoe greens. They are creamy leafy, you grind up and made like soup.

Kyle Louks: What kind of foods do you eat where you’re from?

Rundell Darlington: A lot of vegetables, everything we eat is with vegetables. Farming is bug that’s a good thing about it, theres always fresh food at the market.

Rundell Darlington: For livestock theres chicken, goat, cow. Chicken, goat and cow are big. If you buy cow you basically have money to spend. They kill livestock fresh and take to the market every day.

Kyle Louks: What were your thoughts about the U.S. before you came here and how have they changed since coming here?

Rundell Darlington: I was little so I wasn’t thinking. Now that I’ve been here…. I like it here ‘cuz I’ve grown up here. I don’t know anywhere else, my parents say they want to take me back but I have yet to go back yet. Kwaku wants to go back next year. Probly take a trip, and I’ll probly take a trip with him. Cuz and Ghana and Liberia are not that far from each other so...

Kyle Louks: Is crossing borders easier there?

Rundell Darlington: Yeah, it’s pretty easy like going from here to Chicago or Texas or Wisconsin.

Kyle Louks: So do you just show them your passport?

Rundell Darlington: You don’t really show them anything.

Kyle Louks: So you just cross freely?

Rundell Darlington: You can cross freely even though there’s like checkpoints, checking for like drugs and all that other stuff. But you don’t need a passport or anything like that.

Kyle Louks: So you don’t need an I.D. or anything?

Rundell Darlington: Not really. ‘Cuz the roads are really bad between countries so you have to be patient. It takes like almost a day or so to get from Liberia to Ghana.

Kyle Louks: Alright well, were getting towards the end of the interview so if you have any questions for me, you can ask me some questions.

Rundell Darlington: I don’t have questions for you Kyle.