CULTURE SHOCK INTERVIEW 4
How do people criticize you as a person since here in the United States there's this idea of
individualism?
I always find it quite strange when coming to America and having people criticize me for
who I am as a person and how they look at me closely. In America, people do not believe in
janteloven, and it is very hard for them to accept. When moving from one country to another,
there is always a period of adjustment, which is really confusing because you are not used to the
differences (Furnham and Bochner, 1986). When I was young, it was worse because I did not
understand why things were different to me. In Norway cannot question you or judge on your
gender but here in the United States, it is difficult to be your own.
What have you been surprised most by the food, tome and routine here in America?
In Norway, we go by the military time which is different from the United States, and I
found it confusing for communication purposes. For the food, here in the United States, there is a
heavy fast-food culture whereas in Norway there is not food culture, but we eat a lot of fish,
dairy, and bread. In Norway, fast food is not popular, and there is no much dependency on it.
Discussion and class concept
During the interview with Susan, she seemed to be a good listener, and whenever I ask
any question, she could first smile before responding to my question. This was a good indication
that Susan was more than willing for the interview and responded in a respectful manner (Oberg,
1960). I never got worried about getting ready to be judged by Susan because I approached her
politely and asked if I could interview her.