Anthropology 10 Step #4 Project for a Mini-ethnography

Interview - First job

This write-up is a brief exposure to the contents of an interview faced by Joanna Albano , a

female in her mid thirties . I had posed a few questions before her , on her experiences during the

first job , and she had replied in a very informative way . The focus of this write up is on the

anthropological aspects of her experiences . Joanna worked with a Non Government

Organization (NGO ) and her first posting , after completing her Masters in Social Sciences , was

in India

My first question

to her , required her to describe the compare two phases . One , from the last

months of the student life , and two , the first few months of the professional life . She was to focus

upon the changes she experienced in terms of work environment and the life style . She replied

that from the time when she had studied Indian civilization , she was interested in experiencing

this culture . She had not even hoped that an opportunity would come so easily and so fast in her

life . With regards to life style and the work environment , she began with one word reply ' sea-

change . The work environment during her final year studies in the USA was completely

different from what she experienced in India . As a student in USA , life had no restrictions of any

kind . There were hardly any responsibilities on her shoulders as a student . All her concentration

and efforts were focused upon getting good results . On the other hand professional life meant `

`responsibilities , right from the word go , she remarked , rather impressively . Another important

point she made was that as a student , she lived in an environment which was mix of various

cultures . Her student group consisted of Europeans , Chinese , Japanese and Latin Americans

This was not the case when she began her first job in India . All the members of the group , which

she headed , were of Indian ethnicity . She was the only foreigner amidst all locals . Another

major contrast she saw in the two working environments was related to the ease of verbal

communication . As a student , she had experienced that however hard the Europeans or Chinese

or Japanese try , they just cannot speak or write good English . On the other hand , Indians were

very fluent in both spoken and written English . A good percentage of he literate Indians , excel in

English . In USA I did not feel I was studying in a country whose official language is English

but in India , I felt as if I was working in a country whose official language is English , though it

was not , was her sharp reply . Her answer clearly reflected the ` adaptive mechanism ( O 'Neil

Dennis ) of Indians . They had realized , much ahead of other non-English speaking communities

that tomorrow belongs to English , and the democratic government freely supported and

promoted education in English medium

With regards to the shift in her life style , several contrasting features were also cited . She

revealed that as a student in her final years...