Running head: CULTURAL ETHNIC INTERVIEW

Cultural Ethnic Interview Madeline Webb Ivy Tech Community College

Running head: CULTURAL ETHNIC INTERVIEW

Research On Pakistan Pakistan - Language, Religion, Culture, Customs and Etiquette

Facts and Statistics Location: Southern Asia, bordering Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km Capital: Islamabad Population: 159,196,336 (July 2004 est.)

Language in Pakistan Urdu is the only official language of Pakistan. Although English is generally used instead of Urdu in this regard. English is the lingua franca of the Pakistani elite and most of the government ministries. Urdu is closely related to Hindi but is written in an extended Arabic alphabet rather than in Devanagari. Urdu also has more loans from Arabic and Persian than Hindi has. Many other languages are spoken in Pakistan, including Punjabi, Siraiki, Sindhi, Pashtu, Balochi, Hindko, Brahui, Burushaski, Balti, Khawar, Gujrati and other languages with smaller numbers of speakers. Pakistani Society & Culture Islam Islam is practised by the majority of Pakistanis and governs their personal, political, economic and legal lives. Among certain obligations for Muslims are to pray five times a day - at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening. Friday is the Muslim holy day. Everything is closed. During the holy month of Ramadan all Muslims must fast from dawn to and are only permitted to work six hours per day. Fasting includes no eating, drinking, cigarette smoking, or gum chewing. The Family The extended family is the basis of the social structure and individual identity. It includes the nuclear family, immediate relatives, distant relatives, tribe members, friends, and neighbours. Loyalty to the family comes before other social relationships, even business. dusk

Running head: CULTURAL ETHNIC INTERVIEW

where working with people one knows and trusts is of primary importance. The family is more private than in many other cultures.

Nepotism is viewed positively, since it guarantees hiring people who can be trusted, which is crucial in a country

Female relatives are protected from outside influences. It is considered inappropriate to ask questions about a Pakistani's wife or other female relatives. Families are quite large by western standards, often having up to 6 children. Hierarchical Society

Pakistan is a hierarchical society. People are respected because of their age and position. Older people are viewed as wise and are granted respect. In a social situation, they are served first and their drinks may be poured for them. Elders are introduced first, are provided with the choicest cuts of meat, and in general are treated much like royalty. Pakistanis expect the most senior person, by age or position, to make decisions that are in the best interest of the group. Titles are very important and denote respect. It is expected that you will use a person's title and their surname until invited to use their first name.

Etiquette & Customs in Pakistan

Meeting and Greeting Greetings are therefore often between members of the same sex; however, when dealing with people in the middle class, greetings may be across sex lines. Men shake hands with each other. Once a relationship is developed, they may hug as well as shake hands. Women generally hug and kiss. Pakistanis take their time during greetings and ask about the person's health, family, and business success. Pakistani names often include a name that denotes a person's class, tribe, occupation, or other status indicator. They may also include two names that have a specific meaning when used together, and the meaning is lost if the names are separated. . It is best to ask a person how they wish to be addressed. In general, this is not a culture where first names are commonly used, except among close friends.

Gift Giving Etiquette If invited to a Pakistani's home, bring the hostess a small gift such as flowers or good quality chocolates. Men should avoid giving flowers to women. Do not give white flowers as they are used at weddings. If a man must give a gift to a woman, he should say that it is from his wife, mother, sister, or some other female relative. Do not give alcohol. Gifts are not opened when received. Gifts are given with two hands.

Dining Etiquette

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not, remove yours at the door. Dress conservatively.

If invited to a home you will most likely have to remove your shoes. Check to see if the host is wearing shoes. If

Arrive approximately 15 minutes later than the stipulated time when invited to dinner or a small gathering. You may arrive up to one hour later than the stipulated time when invited to a party. Show respect for the elders by greeting them first. In more rural areas, it is still common to eat meals from a knee-high round table while sitting on the floor. Many people in urban areas do not use eating utensils, although more westernized families do. When in doubt, watch what others are doing and emulate their behaviour. Guests are served first. Then the oldest, continuing in some rough approximation of age order until the youngest is served. Do not start eating until the oldest person at the table begins. You will be urged to take second and even third helpings. Saying "I'm full" will be taken as a polite gesture and not accepted at face value. Eat only with the right hand.

Running head: CULTURAL ETHNIC INTERVIEW Cultural/Ethnic Interview Assignment 1. Where your parents and grandparents were born? Pakistan 2. What language(s) do they speak? (Native Language) Urdu 3. How did you happen to come to live in the community where you grew up?

Family has lived in the same community for generations. He now is living here, in Indiana, with his brother and his parents are planning on immigrating in the future. 4. How did your parents meet or other interesting information about them? Their marriage was arranged. They were childhood friends and then as they grew older they were arranged to be married. 5. What life was like for them as children, teenagers? Life in Pakistan has been hard especially with wars. It is a lot more relaxed now but still has some scary incidents due to Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. His father worked away in Saudi Arabia to get more money and would leave for a year at a time leaving his mom to look after the children. 6. What values are important to your family? Having family meals and making sure everyone contributes to them and is not distracted by TV. He is also quite religious and follows the Muslim faith. 7. How does your family celebrate rituals and/or holidays? Big family dinners are usually used to celebrate. 8. What kinds of foods does your family enjoy together? He is forbidden to eat pork or consume alcohol, they concentrated on other areas of food such as beef, chicken, fish, and vegetables.

Running head: CULTURAL ETHNIC INTERVIEW

Mughal , typically includes such ingredients as herbs and spices, almonds, and raisins. Mughal cooking remains an important part of Pakistani cuisine. Foods such as shahi tukra , a dessert made with sliced bread, milk, cream, sugar, and saffron (a type of spice), and chicken tandoori are still enjoyed in the twenty-first century. Chicken tandoori is chicken that is cooked at a low temperature in special large clay ovens called tandoors. 9. Can you list or name one positive thing that has happened to you since you have been in America? Having a lot more freedom and everyone has equal freedom to be what they want and do what they want. Pakistan is still quite conservative. 10. Do they want to remain in this country or return to native country? At this point he wanted to return to his country due to personal reasons not sue to anything that has happened in America 11. List or provide anything exceptional that was discovered or discussed during the interview. Our interview was a little different as our initial meeting was set up as a way for him to meet other international students here at Ivy Tech. It fit well for the project as I needed to talk to somebody who is from another culture and that I did not know very well. A part from the interview questions we discussed many other topics. He was a little upset about being away from home and personal issues so some of the time was talking about personal problems rather than about this culture in general. I really enjoyed talking about what it was like to live in Middle East. The media sheds such a bad light of countries there and Sal Man stated that it is in fact no that bad and that he loved growing up and living in Pakistan. It definitely gave me another perspective of Middle Eastern countries.