Zachary Seiff

November 14, 2019

Pacitto

English 101

An interview with Abdalrazaq

Popular culture serves as an intercultural bridge between the two nations younger

generations. This profile aims to investigate the differences and similarities between American

and Kuwaiti culture. I conducted an interview with Abdalrazaq, an international student from

Kuwait, with first-hand experience concerning the cultural shock and transcultural

communication between the two nations. This interview covers the perception of popular and

traditional cultures in Kuwait, and is compared and contrasted with American culture. The

cultural differences reflected in fashion and cuisine. Even though gaps remain, an egalitarian

intercultural bridge is visible in the future.

My first encounter with Abdalrazaq was when I met up with him a little before our

interview, he impressed me as an open-minded international student, who spoke English very

well. He was an interesting candidate to initiate an interview with, he had a passion for his home

country and a strong cultural identity. He was a perfect interlocutor for an interview studying how

an international student views American culture and remains in their own cultural identity

through the transcultural experience.

After I sat down with Abdalrazaq we discussed the differences and similarities between

our cultures. He talked about the lifestyle change that he went through after moving from Kuwait

to America in pursuit of an education. He discussed his transition from the education system in

Kuwait to the education system in America. I initiated the interview and started off by asking

“How would you compare your school life in Kuwait with your school life in America?”
Abdalrazaq said “It is very different. I get much more freedom here, in Kuwait I had to wear a

uniform every day in school. I was not able to choose what classes I took, because they were

chosen for me. Here I feel like I have much more freedom to do what I want.” It was the amount

of freedom that was awarded that made the largest difference between his education in Kuwait,

and America.

But not all aspects of American life were unfamiliar to him. Most international students in

the US become familiar with American popular culture even before they ever take their first step

on American soil. Abdalrazaq would always talk about the similarities between the two countries

in the aspect of popular culture such as music, movies, and TV shows, with which youngsters in

foreign countries are very familiar with, since American pop culture is followed globally. “Media

and communication technology in general have enabled cultural products to circulate more

freely between the different corners of the world. With the rise of the internet, and

advertisements both through television channels and social media, American popular culture

became more diffuse.” (medium.com, P3). The increase in technology over the years has

allowed the spread of American pop culture to different countries all around the world have

become more accustomed to what life in America is really like. Abdalrazaq believes that

American pop culture is a large part of life in Kuwait. I asked him “how does American pop

culture impact Kuwait?” He responded with “I grew up with American pop culture, I listened to

American music, played American video games like call of duty, World Of Warcraft, and League

of Legends. American movies, and tv shows are also very popular. I've always loved the Marvel

superhero movies, and my favorite tv show is Naruto.” Although Naruto is originally a Japanese

show, it has firmly instilled itself into American pop culture.

There may be many similarities between our countries in terms of our sources of

entertainment, but Kuwait has a deep rich culture which deeply contrasts Americas. Kuwait’s
young generation may follow pop culture from other countries, but ​Kuwaiti cultural

characteristics and practices remain mostly the same. One thing Kuwait is often recognized for is

its hospitality towards guests. I asked ​Abdalrazaq​, “Kuwait is known for its hospitality towards

guests, what are your opinions on this? Do you agree or disagree?” He responded with “I

definitely agree, it's part of our culture to be generous to guests, it's just the way I was raised.”

The tradition of generosity to guests may not seem like a culture shock, but that is just the tip of

the iceberg.

One part of Kuwaiti culture that is very different from ours is how they have much more

defined gender roles. At a young age Men are taught to model themselves after their fathers and

must learn to work and support their families. Women are also expected to model themselves

after their mothers and they have their own specific roles of looking after the house, doing

different chores such as cooking, and taking care of the children. Women are recognized as the

main caretakers, while men are recognized as the main providers.

Fashion in Kuwait also reflects its traditional culture. In Kuwaiti society, women wear

loose clothing that covers the majority of their body, and they cannot express themselves through

fashion like women in America. Men also cannot express themselves through fashion to the level

that they can in America. When I asked ​Abdalrazaq “Describe Kuwait's fashion for both men,

and women?” He told me, “Men often wear a dishdasha which is a long robe that comes down to

your ankles, and women usually wear a long black dress that also comes down to their ankles,

and they cover their hair. Although there is no law on dress code, you don't really see people

wear any revealing clothing, it is looked down upon, especially for women.” However, as the
world evolves, people are slowly becoming more open minded and optimistic of new social

norms. “Many women still go veiled and wear the traditional black, but many girls in the

younger generation follow the dictates of western fashion. Female students are a majority at

Kuwait University, and women are prominent in the country's commercial life and in the civil

service. Women are openly agitating for the relaxation of social restrictions on females, more

women's rights, and an increase in job opportunities.”(everyculture.com, P30) Modern Western

society is having an influence on Kuwait, and they are slowly becoming more lenient, and

accepting of different practices, especially for women. The new generations of society are much

more open minded, and accepting of breaking societal, and cultural norms.

After ​Abdalrazaq and I discussed gender roles in Kuwait, I wanted to bring up Kuwaiti

style cuisine, something you cannot go without mentioning when discussing their culture. For

many years Kuwait's passion for food has been well known all around the world. They are

known for using a large variety of spices, which makes their food extremely flavorful and

delicious. After I mentioned Kuwait's food to ​Abdalrazaq it did not take much to get him to start

rambling about all of his favorite foods from home. I asked ​Abdalrazaq “If you could pick one

food item to represent Kuwait what would it be and why?” He said “I would have to choose

Machboos, it's like a bed of spiced rice, it is usually done with chicken on top.” I followed this

up by asking him “describe your experience so far with American cuisine, and how does it

compare to Kuwaiti food”. He said, “I think the food from Kuwait is much better, a lot of the

food here is very flavorless, and I really don't like it.” He says his only positive experience of

American cuisine was at an Outback Steakhouse in Ohio, besides that ​Abdalrazaq has a strong

opinion on Kuwaiti food being superior to American food.

 Abdalrazaq shared with me a lot about Kuwait, but I wanted to learn about his new life in

America, and how it compares from his life in Kuwait. First I wanted to know what attracted him

to come here in the first place. “What drew you to come to America?” He responded by telling

me “I knew I was going to college since I was young, I had to score high on a really big test for

me to be able to go, called the IELTS exam. After I got a high enough score, I was able to get a

scholarship, I wanted to come here because the Universities in America are the best.” People in

Kuwait take education very seriously, but as ​Abdalrazaq told me a lot of the kids that go to

college leave the country to pursue a higher education. “There is only one university in the

country, but because of the great value placed on education, the government awards scholarships

for many Kuwaitis to pursue higher education. There are also several post-secondary technical

institutes where one may pursue knowledge of electronics, air-conditioning, and diesel and petrol

engines, all necessary to the major industries of Kuwait.” (everyculture.com, P35) Since there is

not that many options to choose from for pursuing a higher education, it makes sense why many

college bound students choose to take their education to a different country. As we discussed his

education experience in America, I started to get more personal, and I wanted to know how his

new in America. In what aspects did his everyday life change, if any. “How does your day to day

life in America compare and contrast to your life in Kuwait?” He responded by saying “It really

has not been that different for me in my day to day life. A lot is the same. I still play the same

video games and watch the same movies and shows. I still spend most of my time studying,

hanging out with friends, and playing video games.” Since I wanted to find out how his life

contrasted that of Kuwait, I followed up by asking “What parts of American life is different than

Kuwait’s, and did you experience any culture shock?” He responded to me by saying “I never
really experienced any culture shock, but I definitely noticed a difference in the way people

dressed. In Kuwait, a lot of people from America would be judged because of the way they dress,

I also feel like some people in America can be very judgmental. When I'm with my white friends

I get a lot of stares, but when I'm with my friends that are also from the Middle East, no one

seems to notice, but a lot of people here can also be very kind.” He told me that just like

anywhere else in the world you will find kind, giving people, along with negative, and

judgmental people. Many people judge others by their exterior and have preconceived notions

about what type of person they are. This is never a correct way of thinking, and if this

assignment has taught me anything it’s that you can’t judge anyone without walking a mile in

their shoes.

I came into this assignment expecting to have little to no similarities with ​Abdalrazaq​, but

as time went on and I got to know him I realized we are more alike than we are different. We

spent a lot of time post interview just discussing relatable things like our favorite video games,

and movies, going over all spectrums of life. So many similarities between us, but also, a large

amount of differences. We grew up in different families with different religious, and cultural

beliefs, with different ideologies on how to live life. I previously thought that American Pop

culture was exclusive to the western society. However, I now realize that pop culture serves as an

intercultural bridge to unite us under a common interest, to connect us all.

 WORK CITED
Interview with Abdalrazaq

Oussayfi, Taieb. “The Global Reach of US Popular Culture.” ​Medium​, Medium, 24 July
2018,
medium.com/@taieboussayfi/the-global-reach-of-us-popular-culture-d31be4aaeb4b.

Loew, Heather. “Kuwait.” ​Countries and Their Cultures​,

www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Kuwait.html.