Monday, January 28, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Interview with KoKou
Interview Questions:
Back Ground Info-
Name: KoKou Hodin
Country: Togo, West Africa
Age:34-moved here at age 31
Gender:Male
Marital Status: Single-engaged
1) Which elements of your culture do you value and wish to maintain and pass-on to your children? African Dance
2) How do your native cultural practices interact with existing American cultural practices? They are very different. The social life is very different. Africans are friendly with their neighbors, they rely on their neighbors. They depend on each other to survive and call on each other for help, and offer help. In the US people are very selfish. In Africa there is a Brotherhood.
3) Which holidays are most important to you, and how do you celebrate them? Christmas-New Years-Easter---New Years is the Most important to his Family but here Christmas seems more important. Not many people have trees in Africa because Spruce trees don’t grow there, but some people have artificial trees, but they are very expensive. They give gifts, some are hand made some are bought, give a lot of food-kill goats and chickens to give to their neighbors.
4) Do you require any specific space with in your home for worship? No, he does not go to church here he has no time because he works a lot, but he has a bible at home that he reads and prays at home. Kokou was raised Catholic but chose to become a Christian.
5) What was the biggest challenge you faced when you moved to the US? To get into the system and to learn about the economy
6) Do you plan to move back to your native country? Do you visit often? No he does not plan to move back to his Native country, he wants to move his family here. He works to send them money home to take care of them. He wants to visit because he doesn’t want to forget about his family.
7) Is the majority of your family here with you or back in your native country? He is here alone.
8) Why did you move to the US? Opportunity- he got a special Visa called a Lottery Visa- He joked and said president Bush wrote him a letter asking him to come!- To get a lottery Visa you have to have a high school diploma or have a trade skill.
9) What are your goals or dreams did you plan to achieve when you moved here, and are you in the process of achieving them? Goal is to have family here, he has a fiancé and children at home-and his mother and brother- he wants to go to school and then start his own business
10) What types of work have you taken since moving to the US? He immigrated first to NY and then moved to NC with a construction company, and he plans to stay here. He has worked in Restaurants and currently works in a gas station at night and does construction(flooring) during the day.
11) How have you tried to blend with the culture here? Blending in wasn’t a problem. When he moved to NY there were a lot of Africans there. He talked about how he thought of moving to Germany but in Germany he would stand out, as the only black man no matter where he went. But in America he feels he blends in, because there are so many different people. He said here, unlike in Germany, Black is Black. The skin color is the same weather he is in Africa or weather someone is from the US. The skin color is the same and there is a Kinship. With other Africans there is a brotherhood.
12) Was learning English and slang difficult for you? No, he speaks his native language EWE, French, and English.
Personal Preferences:
1) What is your favorite type of public building and interior design style? He likes small houses with fences and a garage.
2) Favorite type of home style and interior design style? He likes Green, pictures of Nature (coconut trees and beaches), and lots of carpet.
3) Favorite type of clothing style? He dresses to fit the situation, no favorite style.
4) Favorite music? Soul, 1970’s
5) Favorite sports? Soccer and basketball
6) Favorite food? FuFu (flour and hotwater mixed and eaten with the hands with soup) and Spicy Tomato Soup
7) Favorite climate or natural environment? Tropical
8) Favorite Car? He likes Jeeps, Toyota Camry’s, and when he gets rich wants a Benz.
9) If you could have the perfect place to socialize with friends and neighbors of different cultures what type of building or environment would you choose? A round table, Surround sound for a tv system, open area, windows, and an outside area. He wants a CALM environment. Having a calm environment is most important.
Patterns in Architecture>
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