Full Text of the Excerpt

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

And I watch TV, because when I come here, my English is (was) not good. People don't understand me, I don't understand them. So, I watch the CBS-, Daytime Show-, and I learn English from this TV show.

ANDREW JILANI:

Uh-huh. Is it-, is it a TV-, lesson on the TV.

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

No. It's a story. It's a movie, it's a daytime show. Soap opera!

ANDREW JILANI:

It's a soap opera? Aaah….

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

Some people watch ABC, but I like CBS because I like—.

ANDREW JILANI:

What's-, er… what is you favorite soap opera?

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

Oh. It's-, er… Young and the Restless.

ANDREW JILANI:

Young and the Restless—. Okay.

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

As the World Turns, Guiding Light.

ANDREW JILANI:

Uh-huh.

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

They're so—. You learn about this culture, this society, what they believe, what they (are) doing. And everything—.

ANDREW JILANI:

What was the-, what were the other ones after the Young and the Restless? You mentioned two—.

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

As the World Turns.

ANDREW JILANI:

As the World turns….

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

And-, Guiding Light.

ANDREW JILANI:

Guiding Light? Okay.

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

That-, in that soap-, soap opera, teach(es) you about this culture, this country. How people-, er…. Use people, cheat, and lie-, and there is no morality.

ANDREW JILANI:

You think the-, the life, the stories which are on soap opera, they connect with the real life?

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

I think so. Because, I read in the talk show—. I watch that-, Hard Copy, Inside Edison, America's Most Wanted-, and that-, [pause] Extra!

ANDREW JILANI:

Extra?

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

The talk show-, come on the CBS-, on CBS seven o'clock-. That-, er… Inside Edison comes seven to seven-thirty, and seven-thirty to eight-, Extra.

ANDREW JILANI:

Extra?

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

Yeah. And NBC-, they have a show, (called) Hard Copy. In Hard Copy, they bring some true stories—.

ANDREW JILANI:

Uh-huh.

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

True murder cases, or criminals, or all kind of things-, they bring it-, and then, you think (that) whatever happen(s) in the soap opera-, all these shows-, it's a real life of America. Because I heard in the news-, I heard in the movies-, sometimes they bring on the TV true stories. And I (am) always interested when they say that movie (is) based on a true story. I just watch this movie, and just realize there is a-, you see this culture-, so understanding-, you know? Because you can't go and talk with people and find out like this. So, you just watch this-, er… TV—.

ANDREW JILANI:

TV—.

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

Or the true story movie(s), then you know this culture is different than our culture.

ANDREW JILANI:

Uh-huh.

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

But then you learn about this culture, too.

ANDREW JILANI:

Uh-huh. But you-, you don't think that these stories on the soap operas are made up?

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

No. They bring some real stories!

ANDREW JILANI:

You think they're real stories?

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

I think so. They make that stories-, but some reflection-, they put the light on this-, in this-, society, and this American culture. I think it's real. It's not-, all-, all-, all is not-, wrong.

ANDREW JILANI:

Uh-huh.

CHANDRIKA DALAL:

Something is truth in these stories, and it's happened in real life. It's come on that-, er… talk shows, and it's come on the news, or America's wanted. Where they bring that stories (from)? You know?