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Interview #1 (prep, interview & country report, Interview transcript)

For those who know me, they would describe me by telling  you that I am someone who will always welcome any opportunity to learn about other people, other cultures, other traditions, and anything else that will enhance my knowledge and satisfy my intellectual curiosity. So, I embraced this task to conduct an interview with an international student, as a great opportunity to interact with someone else with a different view than mine, and also to have an insight about how other people think and do things in a different part of the world.

Preparations:

Step 1:

I can’t begin to describe, how excited I was when I was told to complete this fulfilling task, but also quiet challenging of interviewing an international student. As soon that I heard about it, one thing came into my mind: I need to think and come up with few objectives in order to be efficient with this assignment. After processing my thoughts, I came up with these few objectives:

•  Getting to know my interviewee
• To understand the differences between the educational system in Guinea and the one in North America

             To gain knowledge about the political system in Guinea

              To have an insight about the culture in Guinea from a native of Guinea

               To understand how religion influences different aspects of life in Guinea

               To answer any questions that my interviewee might have for me

Step 2:

Once that I was able to figure out what I wanted to achieve by having some clear objectives that are listed above, I started to think about the outcome of my interview and one clear thing was in mind, which was that I am hoping that everything goes well and that I will gain enough information about my interviewee and his country to the extent where I am able to pass it on to my friends or anyone else seeking knowledge about Guineans and their country (Guinea).

Prior to setting up my interview, I brought out some old notes of mine on Guinea that I have gathered when I went there on vacation few years ago, to help me refresh my memory and also to avoid looking clueless in front of my interviewee.

I have to say that going through my old notes made me better prepared for the interview, and it also allowed me to come up with some questions that I will be adding on the list of questions that my classmates and I created and will be asking during our different interviews.

The list of questions being established , I contacted a gentleman from Guinea who is pursuing his second master’s in education at Saint Cloud State University, named Mr. Mohamed .S (received the permission to mention his name) that I met a year ago during a Muslim students gathering at the same university . I called him on the phone on Monday October 16^th, 2012 around 5 pm. I explained to him what I was trying to do, and without any hesitation, he accepted to meet with me on Saturday October 20^th, 2012 at noon, at the Miller Library.

On Thursday October 18^th, 2012, I re-contacted him again as a reminder for our meeting and he reconfirmed it. On Friday October 19^th, 2012, I went to the library (Miller) to reserve a room for the next day at noon, checked out a digital recorder, and made copies of the list of questions for my interviewee.

On Saturday October 20^th , 2012 , before leaving my apartment to go pick up Mr.Mohamed .S , I checked the digital recorder to see that it was properly working ,then reviewed my list of questions one more time to make sure everything was accurate on it . I drove to his apartment complex, picked him up, and we headed to the library at St. Cloud State University. Once at the library, I checked out a room to conduct the interview. We entered the room and we took place by seating to face each other.

I thanked Mr.Mohamed.S for taking time out of his busy schedule and giving me the opportunity to conduct this interview. I initiated the conversation by talking about the weather as icebreaker, and then went on to offer him some tea or coffee, but he politely declined my offer by stating that he was fine. We had a 6mn conversation about him (things he likes to do, the weather in Guinea and Minnesota, his involvement with student organization on campus, politics in America) as a build up to the core of the interview.

Interviewee bio:

My interviewee Mohamed.S is a 38 years old male and a grad student from the Republic of Guinea completing his 2^nd Master’s in Education at St. Cloud State University. He’s married to a woman from Minnesota and they have a year old daughter. Mohamed.S is a very religious person and Islam is his religion. He is involved with the student government at St. Cloud State University, fighting for student when there’s a dispute with faculty or the university administration. He’s a very humble man and he seems to be very knowledgeable about not only what’s happening in his country , in America , and around the world, as we discussed about different topics involving Guinea, America , and the rest of the world.

Interview report:

I really enjoyed my interview with Mr.M.S. After the preliminary steps of my interview where I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to conduct this interview, handed out the list of questions, and started a conversation to get to know him as an icebreaker. I proceeded with my questions. I was really pleased with his focus and his knowledge about the different topics we were able to talk about from my list of questions. Mr.M.S gave me a valuable insight about Guinea’s system of education, the culture, religions, etc… He was able to explain these different aspects of Guinea in simple terms that are easy to comprehend and easy to remember. I was moved by his composure and willingness to answer my questions to the best of his abilities.

I have to say that I was a little surprised about what I found out from him in regard to people being offended when they see people eating in the street. The reason why I was surprised , is that when I went to Guinea in 2008 , it didn’t seem to be an issue , or should I say that it wasn’t brought to my attention that it was an issue ?

Conducting this interview helped me get some answers that I was looking for about Guinea from someone who has been exposed to the Guinean culture and the American culture. Without any hesitation, if I am giving an opportunity to conduct another interview with Mr.M.S , I will do it in a heart bit.

(1) www.google.com

Country report: 

Formerly known as French Guinea, Guinea is an old French colony. It became officially independent on October 2, 1958 after a referendum was held on September 28, 1958 and the people of Guinea chose their independence rather than staying under the French colonial system. Ahmed Sekou Touré, first president of Guinea (1958-1984) led the fight for independence with many other heroes of the country. Guinea is bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Mali, on the south by Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. The country is divided in four (4) natural regions: Lower Guinea (French: Basse Guinée), Middle Guinea (Moyenne Guinée), Upper Guinea (Haute Guinée), and Forest Guinea (Guinée Forestière). French is the official language of the country and multiple dialects such as: Susu, Fula, Mandingo, Kissi, Toma etc…. are also spoken in Guinea. Due to the fact that my father and my mother are from different ethnic groups, as the population of Guinea consists of around 24 ethnic groups. The Fulani represent 40% of the population, the Mandingo 30%, the Soussou 20%, 10% of other small ethnic groups. I am able to speak my father’s dialect which is Mandingo, my mother’s Fula, and Susu as I was born in Conakry the capital and largest city where Susu is the dominant dialect. People are very friendly and welcoming in Guinea. 85% of the population is Muslim, 10% Christian, 5% Animist. Religion plays a big part in people’s way of life, as families focuses on their kid’s religious education on top of the school one. Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Guinea. Guinean cuisine is quiet unique and tasty. Some of the popular dishes are grilled meat and fish along with a spicy sauce served over rice. Music holds a very important place in the heart of Guineans as they are a joyful people.

(2) www.google.com

Guinea has a population estimated at about 10 million people and the climate is a tropical humid climate. The current president is Alpha Condé and the regime is a presidential regime with the president having pretty much all the power. There’s a national assembly for checks & balances but it is controlled by the seating president .There’s an opposition , but they seem to be more concern about trying to be next in power than fighting to bring changes to have a stable democracy .

Information obtained during my trip in Guinea (2008).

Work cited: (1) (2) www.google.com

Transcript of my interview:

Interviewer: Mohamed Toure

Class:  ENGL 191

Interviewee: Mohamed.S

Interview date: Saturday October 20^th, 2012 at noon (Miller Library Center) SCSU

Intro:

Me: My name is Mohamed Toure; I am a Travel & Tourism major student at SCSU. I am conducting this interview with Mr.Soumah who is originally from the Republic of Guinea.

Mr.Soumah, I would like to thank you for giving this opportunity to conduct an interview with you and how are you feeling today?

 M.S : Well, I am very good. I am feeling very fine and I praise God for everything he has done for me. The main important thing that I need to thank him for is that I am healthy.

Me: How do you feel about the weather out there?

M.S : Well, I think it is quiet good. As you know, the raining season has just finished and we are fast approaching the dry season in Guinea. As far as Minnesota is concerned, we are approaching the snow season.

Me: Are you ready for the snow season?

M.S : Yes, it is inevitable. We just have to be more prepared for it, as we have no way to escape from it.

Me: What do you usually do to keep yourself warm?

M.S : As you know in this country, the technology is there to prepare us for winter. Houses and cars have heat.

Me: Since it is little cold out there, can I offer you anything warm, coffee, tea?

M.S : We are used to coffee back home, as we have coffee shops all over town. But, I am good for now.

Me: What can you tell me about the activities that you do to keep yourself busy?

M.S : Well, I am a very dedicated student. I consider my academic responsibilities as a priority. I am not too much into social affairs .But, I am very engaging, as I am a student senator with the student government body. And I am also engaged in different student organizations and it keeps me very busy.

Me: What can you tell me about your involvement with the student government?

M.S : Based on my experience , I was elected as a student senator and with my experience in education , I was assigned to work with the academic affairs committee dealing mostly with things or problems that students are facing with grading .How to appeal a grade, how to resolve and settle dispute between students and their professors.

Me: Could you tell me about yourself? (Your full name, home country)

M.S : First my name is Mohamed .S ; I am from the Republic of Guinea. I came to this country as a graduate student. I was born in Conakry, so that is what I have to say as far where I am from.

Me: What are you planning to do after school?

M.S : I want to be a global educator. I want to make sure to train or to be involved in teaching in every country, but primarily in Guinea, as it is my home country and I think there’s a demand for reforms in the educational system in Guinea. So, I am here to learn and see how I can impact and bring a dynamic change into my country.

Me: Why did you choose to study at St. Cloud State University?

M.S : Well, as you know St .Cloud State is one of the regional Institutions, higher Institution that recruits higher number of teachers as far as the Midwest is concern. And the way they recruit teachers here, it kind of attract a lot of students from Guinea, but also students from other countries as well. That’s one of the reasons I chose St. Cloud State.

Me: What can you tell me about your country history?

M.S: Well, this very important question. Due to the time of the interview, I am not going to be able to touch all aspects of my country’s history. But, as you know Guinea has a rich history, politically, socially, culturally and economically. As you know, Guinea is a French speaking country. The French came in Guinea in 1885. Then we voted to claim our independence on October 2^nd 1958. You can’t talk about the history of Guinea without talking about the Mandingo Empire. As you know, in the Mandingo Empire, the empire of Mali was the last empire and it was made of nine countries and Guinea was part of it. As far as politically, we had about 5 presidents and the first president led the country for about 26 years, the second for about 25 years .We had some political instabilities. As far as economically, we had a very challenging economic period .Guinea was imposed an embargo by western countries, mainly France. France imposed an embargo on Guinea, so that delayed some process of things.

Culturally, we speak about 34 different languages in our country which makes the country rich in culture compare to the United States where we only speak one language. Each tribe in Guinea have their own way of doing things which is very common in Guinea and each of them are able to understand one another as far knowing what to do and what to expect from each other.

Me: How is the political system of your country structured?

M.S: Well, as you know, presently we have a political system different than the one from the United States where it is mostly the executive system .In our country, our president is seen as the supreme leader. He has the decree; he has the full power to nominate his ministers, his ambassadors, and whoever he wants. It’s not like everything is through an election. Presently, we have a kind of…, we practice democracy. We have a young democracy that we are trying to practice at our level. Our political system is different, as it is influenced by our culture.

Me: What do you perceive as differences between your culture and the American culture?

M.S : First of all , my way of speaking , my way of dressing , my way of eating food , everything are different in the American culture. My culture, my way of perceiving things, my languages are different. There are similar things, there are differences. For instance, the way marriage is done in my culture is different than the way marriage is done in America. The way we treat elders is different than the way it is in the U.S .How about home education? Home education in Guinea is different than home education in the U.S. We think that kids have certain rights to exercise, but home education comes first. The way we dress is different. When I dress in my country, people will know which tribe that I am from even though that they are some similarities, people will know exactly which tribe that I am from.

Me: What are your country major religions?

M.S : Guinea is predominantly Muslim country . We have about 85% Muslims, 10% Christians, 5% Animists .

Me: Can you tell me about activities that young people do or people of your age like to do in your country?

M.S : well, these are some of the similarities. As we know, some of the young are involved in education and they considered sport as something they can succeed in. They are also involved in music. Football what we call soccer here is very popular. They play basketball and other type of sports.

Me: What’s considered offensive in your country?

M.S : Well, there are many different things that are considered offensive in my country. First of all, in our country you don’t eat while you are walking in the street. As soon that people will see you do that, they will consider you as someone who’s not respecting his culture, insulting society .Also, seeing an elderly without greeting him or without having respect for hierarchy are considered offensive .You need to know that this person is like my dad, so I need to respect him like my dad .This person is my teacher, so I need to respect him as my teacher or professor. If you know these things, you need to obey by them. I f you don’t know, you need to ask, so that you can obey by them.

Me: Can you tell me about your country traditional food, different meals?

M.S : Well, first of all, I would say rice .Rice is our staple food; it is accompanied by different sauces that vary from tribe to tribe. I am from the Soussou tribe and a smoked fish sauce called “konkoue” is very common in my tribe. And also, all the other tribes are familiar with it. We have “kansiye” which is a peanut butter soup that is common in our culture, and also the other tribes are familiar with it. For instance, the Mandingos and my tribe share similar things. They have a dish called “lafidi” which I can’t explain how to prepare it .But is a common dish and all the other tribes are familiar with it.

Me: listening to you, I am already hungry. With all the meals that you have just talked about, which one is your favorite?

M.S: “Kounkoue” (Smoked fish sauce) is my favorite. First of all, when you eat kounkoue, you don’t think about flu shots, because as soon that you are done eating it, you’ll start sweating and you’ll feel like that you have eaten something that will take care of certain diseases in your body.

Me: I hope that you’ll invite me one day to your place and we will eat some kounkoue.

M.S: Sure, of course.

Me: Did you have any hard time or difficulties to adapt in your new life in the United States?

M.S : Yes, if I say that I didn’t face any difficulties, I might not be telling the truth. The reality is that I have faced a lot of problems .Problems in the sense of cultural shock when I first arrived. I was so eager to come to the United States, and after 2-3 months, I started to ask myself is this the U.S that I was told about? So, I started realizing that they are many, many things that I missed. My friends, my family , my food , all these things .So , that was very, very challenging for me . The educational system, our educational system is somehow similar .But, they are some differences. The way I used to teach, the ways we learn things are different. Also the weather had an impact on me.

Me: The Minnesota weather (laugh)

M.S : Laugh

Me: What do you find as a link between the American people and the Guinean People?

M.S : Well, first of all, I would say acceptance. There are a lot of Americans who are accepting, and also if you see a Guinean coming here, he has accepted a lot. For him/ her to abandon his /her food, culture, environment, to come here and obey by the law and accept the system, the way of talking is based on acceptance.

Me: Based on your own experience, would you advise other Guinean students to come study at St. Cloud State University?

M.S : Yes, yes, I will .First of all, I think St. Cloud State is quiet different. I respect the authority, the professors, and the administrators as they have respect for diversity. Based on that, I would advise not only Guineans, but other students from around the world to come study at St. Cloud State.

Me: Mr.Soumah, since we are heading toward the end of our interview, is there anything that you would like to add before we end our interview?

M.S : Well, I would say that whatever thing that you are doing in your life, whether it is going to somebody country, somebody community. First of all, you need to be patient, to be courageous, to be prudent, and be a law obeying citizen. Courageous in the sense that you need take as a priority what you want to do and what you need to do. Be patient. Everything is not going to happen the same day .Just know that things will happen as time goes by.

Me: I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to conduct this interview. Before we end it, do you have any questions for me? Since, I had the pleasure to ask you so many things.

M.S : No, I have no questions .I am just kind of revived, kind of delighted to hear people asking me questions like those that you have asked me. It is not only educational, but it helped me figured out how to overcome some challenges and how to find solutions to some of the challenges and cultural differences that we are currently facing.

Me: Again, the pleasure was mine. And trust me, I learned a lot of things from you today and I am hoping to put this in perspective and that it will give me a different outlook about what I am trying to do in the United States. I am looking forward to that kounkoue sauce that you talked about (laugh).

M.S : Thank you very much and I will be at your disposal any time that you’ll need me to do things like this.

Me: Thank you

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                       

Challenges and Benefits of interviewing

Topic: Challenges and benefits of interviewing an international student (or an US student)

First essay:

Conducting an interview with an international student or an US student can be stressful and rewarding as well. An interviewer must be fully prepared in this process to be more efficient by having a clear objective about what he/she is attempting to gain from the interview .For challenges and benefits of interviewing an international student or an US student, here are a couple of  ideas (some are mine and some others are from a research that I have conducted on-line) : I believe that a culture shock, language barrier, icebreaker, finding an appropriate person to interview, stress, learning new things, and with the words of Quyen  “discovering how other people think” (1) , reflection on your own culture, gaining knowledge about a different culture, not knowing what to expect from the interviewee, questions being misunderstood, interacting with someone from a different country , and being exposed to someone with a different way of thinking are things that you might come across during the process of the interview.

I strongly believe that a good preparation by doing some research and cross-referencing what was found on the chosen topic and questions is a good approach. As an interviewer, you must be relaxed and help put at ease the interviewee. Finding a quiet place and checking the equipment being used are a most in order to be efficient in the process of conduct an interview. We must keep in mind that our attitude and demeanor have an impact on how the interview perceives us . So, it is important to be properly dressed and approachable during the interview as it helps to create a pleasant environment to be in for the interviewee and brings up confidence in the person conducting the interviewee.

Work cited:
(1)   http://quyenten191f12s27.blogspot.com/2012/10/individual-thought-on-challenges-and.html 10/16/2012.

Mohamed Toure

Group: Abdulmohsen A., Jonathan O., Mohamed T.,




Here are our brainstorming ideas:

• Challenges

1.       Cultural shock (salutation, welcoming, …);
2.       Uncomfortable behaviors (like eyes contact);
3.       How to make it flow from the warm-up to the heart of the interview;
4.       Make yourself understandable if there is a language barrier;
5.       Bring up topics that are not offensive to the person;
6.       How to make the person feel comfortable and cooperative.

• Benefits

1.       Meet someone from a different country;
2.       Learn from one’s culture;
3.       Learn how to behave in a professional environment;
4.       Learn how to be in charge by letting the interviewee feel like he is in charge;
5.       See how you conduct the interview and find where there is room for improvement;
6.       Gain experience as an interviewer.

• Challenges:

1. Cultural shock
2. Language barrier
3. Icebreaking moment
4. Finding a person to conduct the interview with
5. Stress
6. Not knowing what to expect from the interviewee

• Benefits:

1. Learning new things
2. Discovering how other people think
3. Gaining knowledge on a different culture
4. Reflection on your own culture vs others
5. Getting to know someone else
6. Building public speaking skills

 Parameters to describe strengths and weaknesses:

Mohamed

1. Clear objective
2. Quotes used are cited , cross-checked , and referenced
3. Spelling and grammar checked
4. Having an introduction , body text, and a conclusion

Objectives for my interview

This is an assignment that I am very excited about , as I strongly believe that it could help me get the answers about different things that I have been dying to know about the Republic of Guinea that I couldn't get the answers from the internet and books that I came across .

My objectives for this interview are:

• Geeting to know my interviewee
• To understand the differences between the educational system in Guinea and the one in North America
• To gain more in depth knowledge about the political system in Guinea
• To have an insight about the Guinean culture from a native of Guinea
• To understand how religion influences different aspects of life in Guinea
• And finally, answering any questions that my interviewee might have for me

These are some of the questions that I will be asking :

1. Could you tell me about yourself?(your name, home country)
2. What are you planning to do after school?
3. Why did you choose to study at St.cloud University?
4. What can you tell me about your country history?
   
5.  How is the political system of your country structured?
6. What do you perceive as differences between your culture and the American culture?
7. What are your country's major religions?
8. Can you tell me about activities that young people like to do in your country?
9. What’s considered offensive in your country?
10. What is your traditional food?
11. 14. Is there anything you would like to add before we end our interview?
12. Do you have any questions for me, now that I have had the pleasure of asking you about so many things.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Country report (step1)

My parents are originally from West Africa and my family was very much involved in politics during a certain period before and after the independence of the Republic of Guinea. Growing up, I was exposed to politics and became very fascinated by it.

I am writing this report on West Africa to have a more in depth knowledge about the area and to have a better understanding about the political system that is in place in two (2) French speaking countries of the region: Guinea and Mali. I will also write about Saudi Arabia for religious reasons as Islam is my religion.

GUINEA:  Formerly known as French Guinea, Guinea is an old French colony. It became officially independent on October 2, 1958 after a referendum that was held on September 28, 1958 and the people of Guinea chose their independence rather than staying under the French colonial system. Ahmed Sekou Touré, first president of Guinea (1958-1984) led the fight for independence with many other heroes of the country. Guinea is bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Mali, on the south by Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. The country is divided in four (4) natural regions: Lower Guinea (French: Basse Guinée), Middle Guinea (Moyenne Guinée), Upper Guinea (Haute Guinée), and Forest Guinea (Guinée Forestière). French is the official language of the country and multiple dialects such as: Susu, Fula, Mandingo, Kissi, Toma etc…. are also spoken in Guinea. Due to the fact that my father and my mother are from different ethnic groups, I am able to speak my father’s dialect which is Mandingo , my mother’s Fula , and Susu as I was born in Conakry the capital and largest city where Susu is the dominant dialect .

Guinea has a population estimated at about 10 million people and the climate is a tropical humid climate. The current president is Alpha Condé and the regime is a presidential regime with the president having pretty much all the power. There’s a national assembly for checks & balances but it is controlled by the seating president .There’s an opposition , but they seem to be more concern about trying to be next in power than fighting to bring changes to have a stable democracy .

MALI:  “Formerly the Sudanese Republic (French Soudan) , it holds the lands where the most famous of the early West African empires were centered-Ghana, the Mandingan empire of Mali and the kingdom of the Songhai.”(1) (Lucile Carlson, Africa’s Lands And Nations, Mc Graw-Hill Book Company, 1967 Chap 10-page163). Mali became independent on June 20, 1960 from France. French is the official language of the country and Bambara is the dominant dialect of the country. Mali has multiple ethnic groups such as: Mande, Shongai, Tuareg etc…. and some of its ethnic groups are also found in Guinea (Fula and Malinke or Mandingo). The government in Mali is similar to the one in Guinea with a president as head of State, an acting prime minister who’s the chief of the government and national assembly for checks & balances.

Saudi Arabia:  “ Saudi  Arabia is a country of startling contrast--- a huge land mass and small population; a barren desert terrain situated over great oil wealth; a traditional Islamic society undergoing rapid modernization; a closed society that is often in the news.”(2) (David E. Long, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, University Press of Florida, 1997 Chap 1-page1)

It is the largest Arab State in Western Asia by land and the Kingdom was founded in 1932 by HRH King Abdul-Aziz bin Saud. The government attempts to functions as an Islamic system of government which is contested by many due to its basis on Wahabbism and Salafism that ere two school of thoughts in certain Muslim countries.

Work cited:

(1)   (Lucile Carlson, Africa’s Lands And Nations, Mc Graw-Hill Book Company, 1967 Chap 10-page163)

(2)   ( David E. Long , The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, University Press of Florida ,1997 Chap 1-page1)

Mohamed .T

Referenced five class mate picks

On October 2nd ,2012, while completing an exercise assigned by my english 191 professor, I selected five different books previously  selected by my classmates that I will briefly reference here.

My classmate Yazeed Al Ali selected the book titled "The Wandering Falcon"(1). This book is about the" story of  a young boy who wanders between different tribes in Pakistan and Afghanistan and witnesses a world full of brutality ,humanity, deep love, honor ,poverty, and grace"(page 2) from the beginning. On page (15) of the book , I found the first sentence "His arrival was so unexpected that it left them no time to hide" very interesting as I believe that it showed the brutality that the author is attempting to describe.

My second book was from my classmate Sultan Alnawmasi and it titled "Now is The Time For Running"(2). The book "is a staggering story of survival that follows Deo and his brother on a transformative journey " (page 2) from the beginning of the book. On page (15), I found the first sentence "You know what sacrifices were made for the freedom we now enjoy" as an interesting point .It is a true reflection on how people struggled and the price they paid for their freedom in Africa.

My third book was from Sengwiza Loris and it is titled "U.S.Eonomic Policy Toward Africa" (3). This book talks about the evolution of the U.S economic policy in Africa and the Aid policy . On page(15) , I found this quote "to help the poor majority of men and women in sub-saharian Africa to participate in a process of long-term development through economic growht that is equitable, participatory,environmentally sustainable, and self-reliant". It helped me understand the goal intended by the U.S economic policy toward some countries in Africa.

My fourth book was from Ouedraogo Jonathan and it is titled "How to talk Minnesotan AVisitor's Guide"(4) .It is about how to speak many different words in Minnesota . On page (15) of this book , I found this quote "Hand me another napkin ,please. This taco is not too bad, but it's running down my arm. It sort of reminds me of the barbecues we had yesterday". I didn't find anything particular in this quote as it sounded like something that would be said in other states .


My fifth book was from Abdul Mohsen .It is titled "Horse Thief " (5) . It's a novel that talks about a teenager who lost his fingers while on a bull and his courageous act of saving his thirteen horses that were going to be slaugthered for dog food. On page (15) , the first sentence "Only merritment as they nipped and nuzzled one another "didn't make any sense to me , as I couldn't understand it .



Works cited
(1) Ahmed Jamil, The wandering falcon, Penguin Group,2011 page 1
(2)  Micheal Williams, Now is Time For Running, Little Brown and Company , New York Boston ,2009
(3) Herbst, Jeffrey Ira, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS PRESS, New York 1992
(4) Howard Mohr, How To Talk Minnesotan (A Visitor's Guide), Penguin Group,1987
(5) Robert Newton Peck , Horse Thief, Harper Collins Publishers, 2002