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Name: Olivia Yetter
Date: October 31, 2021
Interviewee: Jaquline Denise
Interview Length: 1 hour 15 mins
Bibliography: Jaquline Denise, Interview by Olivia Yetter, Oct 10, 2021
Interview Background:
I chose to meet Jaquie, a friend I met on campus through one of my teammates. She
grew up speaking a different language and has experienced a different type of cultural
background than myself. She is a first generation immigrant. Her parents moved to the US when
they were teenagers. Her mother is from Columbia and her father from Mexico. I was able to
just sit and listen to Jaquie as she talked about the beauty of her cultural background and how
that shaped who she is. It was incredible to hear about the vast cultural differences even within
her own house because of her parents differing origin. She described how despite both her
parents speaking Spanish at home they weren’t the same dialects, there are many words for the
same thing. I gained perspective in the value of seeing beauty in other cultures. Our
conversation gave me a new appreciation for the ways God creates our backgrounds to bring
Him glory.
Ethnographic Observation #1: Eating Customs
After talking with Jaquie she explained to me the different foods her and her family are
used to making compared to traditional American foods. Because her mother is from Colombia
she has been taught how to make some foods that are specific to where her mother grew up.
The ingredients and spices they use are very different from her fathers tradition meals he ate
growing up. This has allowed her to be aware of not only two different cultures, but three. Meals
in both of their cultures also hold the importance of fellowship and meals to a higher importance
than we do in America. They use times of eating as a time to fellowship together and share what
they have with one another. They show their care and appreciation for each other by cooking
and eating meals as one big family.
Ethnographic Observation #2: Social Structures
I was intrigued to listen to what Jaquie described as her social life. It was sad, yet not
entirely surprising to hear her describe the struggles she faced in school because of her cultural
background. Some students in her primarily white highschool did not accept her because of the
way she looked while others in her mother’s home country didn’t because they thought she was
too <white.= Yet she experienced and connected to both cultures, neither culture fully accepted
her. Her Hispanic friends called her names and made fun of her American accent. She struggled
to understand their lack of acceptance yet calling themselves Christians. We are supposed to be
united and encourage diversity, yet she experienced the exact opposite just because she was
different. She shared with me her longing for people to be able to open themselves up to the
beauty of others.
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Ethnographic Observation #3: Language
Hearing about Jaquie’s ability to speak Spanish and how she learned to become fluent in
both English and Spanish amazed me. She described the ways her parents spoke in their
dialects and therefore she was able to learn words that meant the same thing yet differed
between Colombia and Mexico. One example she gave was having dinner with her parents and
they would be speaking in Spanish and her mother would say one word that would mean one
thing and her father would say what and give the word he would use if he was using it in
Mexico. I loved how she talked about the sweet conversations that made with her family and
how it brought them closer and they were able to share their own uniqueness with each other
that then made them united as a family.
Ethnographic Observation #4: Family Structure
Jaquie described family not only in the aspect of her primary family, but how her culture
experienced what family means to them. She described to me the differences in hospitality and
the openness of her culture compared to the traditional American tendencies. Like I mentioned
before, cooking meals and eating together was a way to have fellowship with one another.
Jaquie attended a Spanish-speaking church and explained to me how after every service on
Sunday’s that the congregation would get together and eat. They would make meals and bring
dishes from their cultures. This was a beautiful example to me how God brings His people
together and they are able to see the beauty in others backgrounds.
Ethnographic Observation #5: Life as an American with Immigrant Parents
What amazed me the most was the impact Jaquie’s parents had on her worldview. She
felt strongly about continuing the diversity in her own family as she thinks about starting her own
in the future. Despite the obstacles she faced in her schools or in Columbia she acknowledged
the growth it produced in her. I think that this brings to light again the way God uses this for His
glory. The struggles produced a fire in her to have a heart for pushing others to open up their
minds to the acceptance of others no matter their cultural background. She is so open to
sharing her story and it was beautiful to see how having the background that she does helps her
to see other cultures as an opportunity to spread the Gospel and be a light to in the Kingdom
that brings unity rather than an obstacle or inconvenience.
