Final paper

Obesity Affecting the World Today

By: Emily Schleif

” You couldn't open up a magazine, you couldn't read a newspaper, you couldn't turn on the TV without hearing about the obesity epidemic in America” (Spurlock).  This quote is all truths. Where ever you go in society today there is always some form of advertisement to help lose weight and live healthier lifestyle. In the world today there are several factors that go into obesity, lifestyles, classifications, history, health issues and the solutions. Obesity is all around us the only thing we need to change is trying to make a healthier world.

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems (Wikipedia). One way to check if you are over-weight according to a scientific method is to use the BMI (Body Mass Index). The way to check is weight 703 (height (inches). That will give you a number between zero and over forty.  After finding this number you will be able to classify yourself as severely underweight less than 16.5 (which is less the number you got from BMI), under-weight from 16.5 to 18.4, normal weight from 18.5 to 24.9, overweight from 25.0 to 29.9, obese class 1 from 30 to 34.9, obese class 2 from 35.0 to 39.9, and obese class 3 from 40 and above. As previously stated there are several types of classifications of body sizes, but there is a flaw to them as well, you could be very muscular and have a high BMI and not be overweight just fit and weight more _because of muscle mass. According to the Article “Differences in the relationship between BMI and percentage body fat between Japanese and Australian-Caucasian young men” different countries have different standards for BMI. In Australia when compared to the United States more people would be overweight in Australia because they have lower number standards for weight classification. You would be classified obese at BMI of 23 when in the U.S. that would be considered normal weight. In the world today obesity is affecting every race and culture. A way that it is affecting culture is what the type of food they consume. One aspect that is being discussed more and more is child obesity. There are reasons behind child obesity but the biggest is because poor nutrition.

During the Middle ages and Renaissance because food was scarce and humans struggled to get by, it was a sign of wealth and prosperity to be bigger because it showed you were able to eat (Wikipedia).  During this time period being obese or overweight wasn’t looked upon as a health risk. Another time that having a high BMI was beneficial to have was during times of war. The type of soldiers the military wanted were big body size and strength. Height and weight thus both increased through the 19th century in the developed world. During the 20th century, as populations reached their genetic potential for height, weight began increasing much more than height, resulting in obesity (Wikipedia). When it was realized that weight was increasing more than height, insurance companies started to realize that and they raised their premiums for the population that was obese. One surprising fact stated was “Obesity is still seen as a sign of wealth and well-being in many parts of Africa. This has become particularly common since the HIV epidemic began” (Wikipedia). This statement took me by surprise because whenever I think about Africa, I think about how several Olympic athletes come from there so I pictured in my mind they majority of Africans are fit and active. Another reason I found this statement to be surprising is because, everywhere in the world you go today being in good shape, losing weight is talked about and not praised for being bigger.

When it comes to the causes of obesity there are the obvious reasons and the hidden ones. The biggest hidden reason is genetics. According to the website Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the obesity epidemic is related with our genes. “Genes do play a role in the development of obesity. Most likely, genes regulate how our bodies capture, store, and release energy from food” (CDC). Some of the obvious causes that people become obese are: health conditions, emotions, inactive lifestyle, family history of obesity, low esteem, and smoking.  A couple reasons that can affect a person’s weight that they might not even realize are: the environment, pregnancy, and lack of sleep. There are several health risks that come with being overweight.  One of the main health issues of obesity is cardiovascular disease. Another main issue is diabetes. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that fifty five percent of adults with diabetes are obese (Sterns). Even though obesity and diabetes is on the rise they are both preventable the only problem is sticking to it wanting to change. Some other health risks that come from being obese are, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease, hard time breathing, and having troubles sleeping at night. One of the biggest obesity epidemics hitting our world today is children obesity. In the past years child obesity has grown at a significant rate.  According to the CDC Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1% (National). These statistics show that obesity is increasing and if we keep letting it increase its going to drastically affect our world’s future. Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem (National). All these risks for children will hurt them later on in life and cause them pain. Overall, Medical science has not yet found a way to control childhood obesity. It must be done one family, one child at a time (Ashworth).

Around this time of year, people start to make their New Year’s resolution and the one that is most prevalent around the globe is weight loss. Millions of people will try to go after their goal but after a couple of weeks or months people will give up. Still, at any given time of the year, an astonishing 15 to 35 percent of Americans are trying to lose weight (Kassirer). In the world today there is always a new medication, pill, or new dieting routine that come out to try to get people to lose weight.  When it comes to dieting no matter what size you are the main objective is being self discipline. When starting a new diet there are two things that you need to stick to, exercise and the diet. It’s not easy to do both alone when you’re looking for one result when you do both correct they work together to produce the results you would like to see. No matter the amount of weight you lose it can all improve your health. Some other behaviors that would need to be adopted when starting a new diet its avoiding bad foods, making time to work-out, not giving in to temptations, and thinking about the positive and the end results. One of the most important aspects of dieting is that you need to have patients. One surgery that helps with weight loss is Gastric Bypass Surgery. Gastric Bypass Surgery help you lose weight by changing the size of your stomach and how the small intestine handles the food you eat. This type of surgery is considered a major surgery and with any major surgery there are complications that come along with it.  Some of the common types of complications are infection, hemorrhaging, hernia, and bowel obstruction.  The overall result of gastric bypass surgery is to lose sixty five to eighty percent of excess body weight.  Even thought losing a significant amount of weight can have a great ending result it is still an emotional time. The types of emotions that one can experience are, depression in the following months because they are not able to eat the same amount of food as previous, not amount of energy they have will be lower because they will not be consuming as much food as before. The physical complications that result in the negative emotions in the months following the procedure that one could face are, muscle loss, weakness which could cause balance problems, trouble walking up stairs and lifting heavy objects. Even though these are some of the physical complications that can happen but don’t always, after a couple of months of losing all weight and keep losing these side effects will go away once you are use to your new weight. If you compare the struggles to the end result, the end result will always prevail and win.  When it comes to losing weight one of the most important things to have is support. If you talk to anyone about losing weight one of the things they will say is that it is never easy. One reason it is important to have a support system is that that it is hard to lose weight and eat healthier on a daily basis. It has also been proven that you can lose more weight and feel better about yourself when you have people there to help you along the way. Many experts have stated that having a buddy or someone there to support makes a difference between if you’re going to fail succeed.  When looking for a support buddy there are some important aspects to look for, someone that encourages you, always there for you, gives you positive feedback, and guidance.  One thing that might not work-out when looking for a buddy to lose weight with is someone who has the same qualities you see in your in your best friend or spouse.

The world needs to deal with the epidemic of obesity head on. There are too many health issues, and related deaths to obesity and its affecting our children. If we don’t deal with the issue now, when will we? There are several programs implemented into communities that will give everyone a jump start to making and transforming the world, the only issue stopping everyone is excuses and the willingness not to try. There are several benefits that come with losing weight that make you feel better about you on the inside and out. Overall, obesity is a problem in the world today that needs to be solved. We all need to do apart to help everyone out. It will all take time but we can all do it if we work together.  

 

 Work Cited  

1)     Ashworth, Carolyn D. Defeating the Child Obesity Epidemic: a Pediatrician (and Mom) Tells How to Fight Fat, Save Your Children. Dallas, Tex.: PSG Books, 2005. Print.

2)     Kagawa, Masaharu, et al. Differences in the Relationship between BMI and percentage body fat between Japanese and Australian-Caucasian young men. 10 January 2006. 14 December 2010 <http://eprints.qut.edu.au/12067/1/12067.pdf>.

3)     Kassirer, Jerome. "Losing Weight — An Ill-Fated New Year's Resolution." The New England Journal of Medicine (1998): 52-54.

4)     Office of the Associate Director for Communication, Division of News and Electronic Media. Obesity & Genetics. 19 1 2010. 17 December 2010 < http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Obesity/>

5)     National Center for Chronic Prevention and Health. Childhood Obesity.  3 June 2010. 19, December 2010 <http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/index.htm>

6)      Spurlock, Morgan. Brainy Quotes . 1 January 2001. 14 December 2010 <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/obesity.html>.

7)     Sterns, Judith S. and Alexandra Kazaks. Obesity: A Reference Handbook. San Barbara: ABC- CLIO, 2009

8)     Wikipedia contributors. "Obesity." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

9)     Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 Dec. 2010. Web. 14 Dec. 2010.

10)  Stearns, Peter N. Fat History: Bodies And Beauty In The Modern West. New York: New York University Press, 1997. Print.

Second outline- Final paper topic changed

I. INTRODUCTION:

·                     Introduction and Thesis:” You couldn't open up a magazine, you couldn't read a newspaper, you couldn't turn on the TV without hearing about the obesity epidemic in America” (Spurlock).  This quote is all truths. Where ever you go in society today there is always some form of advertisement to help lose weight. In the world today there are several factors that go into obesity, lifestyles, classifications, history, health issues and the solutions.

II. BODY PARAGRAPH 1: What is Obesity?

·                     Detail 1: Definition

·                     Detail 2: Classifications

·                     Detail 3: Type of people it affects

III. BODY PARAGRAPH II: History of Obesity

·                     Detail 1:Epidemic

·                     Detail 2: Size acceptance

·                     Detail 3: Historical trend

IV. BODY PARAGRAPH III: Health hazards

·              Detail 1: Causes

·              Detail 2: Effects

·              Detail 3: Survival

 V. BODY PARAGRAPH IV: Solutions

·                     Detail 1: Dieting

·                     Detail 2: Surgery

·                     Detail 3: Support

VI. CONCLUSION:

·                     Reconfirmed Thesis: The world needs to deal with the epidemic of obesity head on. There are too many health issues, and related deaths to obesity and its affecting our children. If we don’t deal with the issue now, when will we? There are several programs in communities that will give a jump start to making and transforming the world, the only issue stopping everyone is excuses and the willingness not to try. 

Outline

I. INTRODUCTION:

• Introduction and Thesis: Everyone is different. From the way we look, act, how we grew, and who we are, but the one thing that we all can relate with is we all have an identity and family from somewhere.

II. BODY PARAGRAPH 1: Self Identity

• Detail 1: Race and Ethnicity
• Detail 2: Who to Associate with
• Detail 3: Heritage

III. BODY PARAGRAPH II: History of Immigration

• Detail 1: Immigration: When people came to America
• Detail 2: Why they immigrated
• Detail 3: Location: Where they settled

IV. BODY PARAGRAPH III: Family tree dynamics

• Detail 1:Why are they important
• Detail 2: Find our your background
• Detail 3: Family History

 V. BODY PARAGRAPH IV: About Me

• Detail 1: Where my Family Immigrated from
• Detail 2: When my Family Immigrated
• Detail 3: My Heritage

VI. CONCLUSION:

• Reconfirmed Thesis: Overall, no one is alike even if you’re a twin. It is important to know who you are and where you came from because that will never stop in life and it will be passed on to your children. We are the preserved history of our family and where we immigrated from. Everyone comes from somewhere, and it’s the past that we need to find out to prove everyone is different no matter what.

Final Project

     For my final project, I’ve decided to write about Self Identity and the Family Tree. I hope to find out my own background and self identity throughout this project and where my family came from. I plan on having my outline for my final project posted my Decemeber 2nd.

3rd Interview Results

Results

Review of Best Interview

            For the third interview the winner was Khalid Alotaibi. To start off I just want to say that I absolutely LOVE his background.  Every single time I go to his page I just love it more and more. I love to look at the background and it gives a warm feeling to the page and I love reading anything on his blog because the background is fabulous.

            I find Khalid’s blog to be a very neat and organized. Whenever I go to his blog it is simple to find everything that you are looking for. The font and white background for the writing was a good idea because it is clear to read and there are no distractions. Also the font size was perfect, it wasn’t too small and wasn’t too big, just right.  What I also found very interesting was the way his interview was organized. It was easy and clear to read the questions he was asking his interviewee and wasn’t a struggle to read the response.

            In his preparations for the interview there seemed to be a little bit of difficultly trying to find a time that worked for both of them. Khalid was seemed to be very patient and flexible to find a time that would work for both of them. One thing I found very admirable was that Khalid went out of his way for the interview. He went to Saint Thomas to conduct the interview. Many other students including myself, we all found people on campus and conducted our interview on campus also.  This was a very personal touch and showed me that he cares about the project and for the interviewee.

            During the Interview Khalid asked very interesting questions to the interviewee. The questions weren’t pushy at all they were all very intriguing and great questions to ask an international student. 

            In the end, I believe Khalid conducted a great third interview. The way he went out of his way to conduct an interview was extraordinary, the questions he asked were interesting, his blog has a fantastic appearance, and everything worked together great, that is why I choose Khalid to win the third interview.

Results of Interview 2

Results

Review of Best Interview

            I decided that the best interview two was Mohammed  Alhajri. When I begun reading his second interview, I found it to be interesting. The reason I gave him a perfect score on the personal consideration was because when he was discussing with his second interviewee about when they both had time to meet they decided on a time but when something came up with her schedule they needed to change the time that they met and he was more than willing to change it so that he could meet with her when it was more convenient for her. I found that to be a very personal touch because it seemed very heartfelt.       

            When it came time to explain how the interview went between them, Mohammed stated that his interviewee gave him a great amount of information that was very useful for him. Having an interview like that is very helpful and I was pleased to find out that his second interview went well for him.

            One thing I found very intriguing about reading Mohammed’s interview with his interviewee was the certain questions he asked and how he came about them. This was interesting to me because I interviewed him and I knew stuff about him and his country. Some of the questions he asked came from his perspective of his country and it gave a good feeling that I knew what he was talking about and why he asked the questions he did. An example of how he asked “So, do you live in the same house as your family” and he found out that for the country that his interviewee came from that it was the same, that family lives together for a long time, even when they are married.

            Overall, I believe Mohammed did a great job on his second interview and there were several interesting things that I read about and I was pleased to see and read that.  

Interview 3

Preparations for the interview

            I first began making a list of what my objectives were:

1)      Learn about the Country Saudi Arabia

2)     Learn about the religious customs

3)     Schooling system

4)      Family dynamic

5)      Special holidays and Traditions

6)     How America compares to the United States

7)      Clothing

8)      Learn about their diets

After I figured out my objective, I came up with more questions than the core questions. I was very interested in the core questions and majority of the time I expanded my other questions off of the core questions.  When we were doing the fake interview in class, it gave me a good idea that I would like to learn more about Saudi Arabia. From the little information that Mohammed talked about I was very intrigued.

How Did You Approach People?

            As previously stated, after hearing what Mohammed was talking about, I wanted to learn more about Saudi Arabia.  It was a country that I’ve never learned about or really talked about except from the news. And the news doesn’t always tell the full truth or information about what is really going on and doesn’t portray a place a certain or right way.  Since I wanted to learn more about Saudi Arabia I decided to email Mohammed and Mutaz to find out if they could help me with my interviews. Lucky for me, they were very helpful.

When, where, and how did you Conduct the Interview?

           On October 28, 2010, Hailey Eder and I met in the Miller Center to conduct an interview with Mohammed Alhajri.  When we both arrived we decided to find a place to have the interview and we choose the second floor.  Once Mohammed arrived we decided to start the interview. Since Mohammed is in our class we had no need to go over why we were conducting this interview and how it was going to help for English class. He was more than ok with recording the conversation, so Hailey recorded it with her recorder.  We both had our own set of questions for Mohammed after our core questions.

Whom did you Interview?

                I decide to interview Mohammed Alhajri.  He is Saudi Arabia and is from the East side. He is 25 years old and he has brother 5 and 10 sisters and he still lives at home with his father. In Saudi Arabia it is perfectly okay for the husband to have more than one wife. Mohammed’s father has four wives.  His father used to work the oil company and has now retired. His mother is a stay at home mother.

Describe the Interview

            I believe the interview with Mohammed and Hailey went very well. Because we all knew each other before the interview took place it was easy and very relaxing to conduct an interview with him. The practice interviews in class also helped a lot because that’s when we mainly started talking and without that we wouldn’t have been able to conduct this interview. One topic that we discussed was marriage. Mohammed stated that Saudi Arabia weddings are very long. When it comes to the reception the men and women are segregated. They have traditional dances but they do not dance together. He said that a lot of people like to go to the weddings because it is a time where a lot of friends and relatives come together that haven’t seen each other in a long time. One thing that struck me as surprising was that when they say their vows that they will protect and pay for everything to be a good husband and man but at the end of the saying the vows in the United States the priest would say “You may kiss the bride” but in Saudi Arabia the couple would go to a different room and kiss. Mohammed said that it is uncommon for anyone to kiss in public.  I found it very interesting that Mohammed’s father has a camel farm. He explained that they are very nice and that they know who their owner is and a personal relationship between them.  Mohammed’s father has one camel that when someone else calls for her she doesn’t come but when his father calls she comes running to him. I also found out that they don’t have two hump camels only one hump because two hump live in Australia.  The most interesting topic that we all discussed was a miss conception that Americans have of Middle Eastern people.  He stated that Middle Eastern people do like Americans. That why would they come here if they didn’t care for Americans. Also that there are several Americans working in Saudi Arabia and that they all get along and work together.  Overall, the interview went great with Mohammed. It was a great experience to have and to learn about Saudi Arabia. He was very open to every question that Hailey and I had. 

Interview #3

Interviewee: Mohammed

October 28^th 2010

6:30 PM, Campus Library

H: Hailey
E: Emily

M: Mohammed

E: Is there any difference in the way a man and women contact each other?

M: So for relatives and cousin, men and women can talk to each other and hang out ya know if they are cousins cause they know each other and there would be no problems but for people that are just friends and they like each other and they ya know sometimes they can date at like a mall or restaurant, eat or hang out but it is not common like here in the United States.

E: Is it looked down on?

M: Actually people do not care, they will not ask you. They just look out for themselves

H: So they would just mind their own business?

M: Yeah but like if someone knows that something is wrong between couples they would come and ask what’s wrong like if they fight with each other, I remember a small story. I was out with my friends and we were just at the mall talking and I found a couple I thought they were husband and wife talking I guess and then they fight with each other, and ya that is not common to fight in public, so I knew there was something so my friend said, I should ask the guy, I know him he works in this company I have seen him many time I don’t know his name but I know his face and when he went to ask him what was wrong he said, this is not your business! So my friend said no this is my business, so the women said he wants to date. The man wanted to take the women home and she said no I don’t want to go with you anymore. So my friend said if you don’t leave her alone I will call the police or mall security so the guy left. So this is what I mean if there is not something abnormal people won’t ask.

H: That’s so awkward when you see couples fighting

M: Yeah and when you see that in my country it’s really something weird, everybody would notice it’s not a common thing. If you have problems between friends, couples, or family you would try to not fight in public you would just fix it at home, away from the public.

E: What are weddings like?

M: They are long

H: Are they segregated?

M: Yeah but like men and women from families could come and dance together

E: Could random people come dance together, like if I didn’t know you?

M: Some people they do but most of the people on my country did not do. Weddings I would like to say in my country are fun, most people like it but some do not, and I would say the majority of people like them. Because it is like meeting old friends and cousins you have not seen in a long time.

E: Are their cousins you don’t know?

M: No that is not common in my country, you know our families are very big, we are different countries so sometimes I know their names but I don’t know what they look like, so we have to meet each other for celebration or festival and we would introduce yourselves to each other, so we are really close to each other and if I did not know somebody I would just ask my dad and he would say oh I know his father or grandfather or something.

H: Do the bride and groom kiss at the end?

M: Yeah well the guy that is marrying them would ask them if they both agree to marry each other and if she say yes, he would ask the guy if he would be able to protect her and pay for everything to be a good man and be a good husband, and if he says yes then they would sign and kissing they could go and give a kiss in private.

H: So they wouldn’t kiss in front of everyone?

M: No it is not common to kiss in front of people

E: Do you think the guest would find it rude?

M: Well if the guests were not relatives of the husband and wife, they may find it kind of rude. Sometimes its fine if it’s in front of their cousins or relatives then it is not a problem.

E: What are some of your religious customs in your country?

M: Ya in my country I’m wearing like this what you see all the time, but sometimes, like my dad he don’t wear t-shirts or jeans he would wear a thobe and Ghutra and women they can wear whatever they want, but when they go outside they would cover themselves with a abaya

E: Do they have to wear it every time they go in public?

M: Yeah when they go in public, adult people

H: Were you surprised to see some of the clothing worn here?

M: No, cause you know for me and for the most of the people in my country we have gulf countries there are 6 countries and they have exactly the same cultures and you know there are a lot of commons between them and this country so, it’s just like 20 min from my country, and they have alcohol and clubs, bars and women dress just like you so it is not a big deal.

H: Do the women wear makeup?

M: oh yeah, all women love makeup

E: What are some other religious customs, like prayer?

M: Yeah we pray 5 times

E: What happens if you don’t pray 5 times a day?

M: Nothing it is your choice no one will ask you why you did not pray, it is just my religion and if I believe in my religion I will pray

H: Can you pray anywhere like your apartment?

M: Yeah in my country there are a lot of Mosques but here there are not as many, and it’s too hard to get there with classes, so I pray at my apartment

E: Is there a certain direction you need to pray?

M: yeah we pray to Mecca it’s like the holy place and yeah you know Abraham the profit he way there and his wife and son, so our Islam starts there so each Muslim around the world prays facing there. For like me I am in the United States so I face East South. And when I was in New Zealand I would pray West North. There are a lot of websites they will show you from your home which way to face.

H: What about Medina?

M: It’s the second holiest Mosque, the prophet Mohammed was there and while he was alive he moved from Mecca to medina

H: Are they close to each other?

M: yeah they are close like 200 KM

E: is there a certain pray you say when you pray?

M: No we have like for mornings, and uh how do I explain this to you. For each time you have a specific pray so the one in the morning is not like the one in the evening.

E: Do you have any different rules on eye contact and body language in your country?

M: I would say we have the same between these countries, I couldn’t see a difference, like for me I cannot talk to someone without making eye contact because I think it’s rude, and it’s not respectful

E: What do you do for your diet, do you eat camel?

M: yeah we eat camel

H: Do you own camels?

M: Yeah we have a farm, my dad has a farm and we have like 5 camels

E: Do they have 2 humps or 1 hump?

M: Only 1 Hump, 2 hump camels is just in Australia, but Australia government started killing camels because they destroy everything

H: Are they nice animals?

M: Yeah they nice animals but they can destroy farms if there is no control but for me our camels are controlled. They know their owner I remember we have a very old camel and sense it was young I remember this camel and when we talk to her sometimes she would come but when my dad would say her name she would just come because she know my dad and she loves him and she would just follow him and do what he says, and they don’t forget.

H: Do you ride them around town?

M: Only when we have like festivals

E: So do you get the milk from the camels then?

M: Yeah the milk of a camel is very strong from a camel, and I will tell you something people who own camels and drink camel milk they are very strong people, their bodies are strong

H: does it taste different then the milk here?

M: I don’t think there is a difference between cow milk, for me I love camel milk

E:  What do you eat for breakfast?

M: It’s not a big deal we have like bread and cheese

H: Do you have cereal?

M: Yeah my family will have corn flakes, easy to make and for lunch we have rice and chicken and beef or fish

E: Do you have any questions for Hailey and I?

M: before you meet Saudi friends what was your background about Saudi Arabia, honestly?

E: I didn’t know where it was located at

H: I didn’t know the difference between all of the countries around Saudi Arabia

E: I just thought it was a lot of camels and dessert and hot and oil

H: I think of mirages, like stuff from movies

M: What about people?

E: I just know appearance, skin color, dark hair, but I have never honestly talked to someone from Saudi

H: I thought a lot of them didn’t like Americans

M: See this is the part that I really want you to talk about, I want to talk about the comment you said. You know the 1^st oil company in my country, Americans helped to find, not its one of the biggest things in my country, but who is the main reason my country is one of these biggest countries in the world? Americans, so why do we hate them? Plus we have a lot of Americans, teaching, working and even living there and we have no problem, there are some people that are really strange and they don’t belong to my country even though they have our nationality they don’t even belong to themselves, so we don’t trust these people because they are very strange, if we didn’t like Americans why would we come to America or live with Americans. We have choices on where want to go study but I chose Americans because I like them I’m talking about myself and for sure all the guys here. Unfortunately some people here hear stuff from people or news and they just summarize and think bad things and for me and my life I never ever listen to stuff from one side.

H: did you feel any prejudice from people when you came here?

M: No and you know if you nice to people they will be nice to you but if you make trouble there will be trouble that’s the same in every country.  When I went to New Zealand a lot of people told me oh they are so racist and British and blah blah blah but one of my friends studied there and told me to come that it was great so I went and I lived there for 1 year and it was wonderful.

M: I have a question if you see two guys together eating somewhere, and one of them pays for the whole meal what do you think of these guys?

E: It depends on what they look like, if they are just two guys’ friends, but if they look guy then it’s cool I guess, I don’t care

M: this is the point I used to pay or my friends would pay for me and we used to go to star bucks and the girls that worked was a friend of mine and she asked me hey Medo can I ask you a question, I don’t want to bother you I’m just asking a question but are you gay? I say No why do you think this? And she said Cause you always pay for your friend and he always pay for you, I told her this in my country you would never see two or three guys go get food and pay individual yeah if I hang out with my friends sometimes I pay for them and then next time they pay for me, you would never see individuals pay.

E: was it hard coming here and being around all English speaking people?

M: yeah for sure it was difficult but if you want to learn a language you should be in that situation because otherwise you will never ever learn that. If you live with an English speaker after a while you will at least understand them, like for me it is hard but it’s good.

E: Is it hard still today?

M: No I can understand and talk its fine but at first it’s hard, and like in my country they are getting better at teaching English because there is a special school. My friend he is from Pakistan but he grew up in Saudi and he was taught English they you take here so they will transfer a lot of credits. If the class is taught in English they can transfer some credits but for me they would not because they classes were taught in Arabic.

H: What is the average size of a family?

M: We have large sized families, I would say between 6 to 7 kids but my family we have 15 but 4 moms, there are some families that from 1 dad and 1 mom they have 15 kids or more

H: In your country can men marry more than one woman?

M: Yeah it has to do with my religion, you are allowed to get 4 women but you have to respect each wife and pay the same then you are allowed to get married. For me I would never think to get to wives

H: You will only have 1?

M: yeah for my opinion I will only have one

H: How many wives did your dad have?

M: 4

H: did you call them all moms?

M: yeah

E: Why did you choose Minnesota?

M: well before I came here I had no idea about Minnesota then my cousin was in Michigan then he moved to St. Paul and he told me just to come here, but he didn’t explain everything exactly, like the weather I was in shock and surprised by how cold it was here. He told me it was cold but now this cold. When I came here I told him I cannot stay here anymore this is crazy, from the dessert to the snow

E: How was it seeing snow?

M: Its cool a good experience, I remember one day it was really really windy and I woke up late and the bus was gone so I walked to class and I remember when I got to class I tried to touch my nose and I could feel it seriously.

E: how did you feel about Americans before you came, did it change at all?

M: I have friends in my country from America, most young people 20 and younger they totally have no problem with Americans.

H: ok well that’s all my questions

E: Thank you for your time and for meeting with us

M: yeah thank you, let me know if you need anything else

Report on Country and Culture

            Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab in the Middle East and has an estimated population of 27,136,977 people. The capital of Saudi Arabia which is also the largest city is, Riyadh.  Riyadh means “garden” in the official language Arabic. The capital city alone has an estimated population of 4,878,723. Most of Saudi Arabia’s land is uninhibited and consist of deserts.  Saudi Arabia lies on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, which is home to a rich marine life on the coral reefs. One thing I found interesting about Saudi Arabia compared to the Minnesota, home of the 10,000 lakes is that is has no permanent year-round rivers or lakes. Most of Saudi Arabia’s economy is petroleum based because of all the oil.  Because of how big the oil industry has on the country, it is the biggest stock market in the Middle East.  This is the flag of Saudi Arabia. Green is used because it is the traditional color of Islamic.  In white Arabic letters it means “There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God".

Works Cited

C.I.A. The World Fact Book. 7 April 2007. 3 November 2010 <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sa.html>.

Wikipedia. Saudi Arabia . 3 November 2010. 3 November 2010http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia.