Preparations for the interview
For the first interview I have 14 questions for my interviewee. I hope when I finish those 14 questions I can know more about the interviewee and her country. I have to have a recorder and so I can record the whole interview, I bought some drink for the interview and I hope it can make us more relax.
How Did I Approach People?
I told my friends that I have an assignment for interview three international students. And I hope they can introduce their friends to me to have an interview with me.
When, where, and how did I Conduct the Interview?
We have the interview in library on 2/20/2011 at 2:00pm. We sit at the very last row of the first floor of the library. There is really quit and we will not disturb others. We greet each other first and start to have the interview. During the interview I used a recorder to record the dialogue of us. After that I have listen to the record for several times. Then I write down them.
Whom did I Interview?
I interviewed Yona Choie. She is 21 years old. She is come from Korea and she is an exchange student in SCSU. After this year she will back to Korea and graduate. She lives in Seoul with her parents. She is the only child in her family. She is Christen since she was 8 years old. She wants to become a teacher after she graduate.
Interview transcription :
Me: hello, nice to meet you, my name is Xiaoping Zhao, you can call me Tiffney. Thank you gives me the chance to interview you. And what is your name?
Yona: nice to meet you, my name is Yona Choie.
Me: Ok, Yona, Thank you that you give me the chance to interview you. Where are you from?
Yona: I come from South Korea. And I live in Seoul.
Me: Ok, you got all my questions and is there any question that you feel uncomfortable to answer with?
Yona: That is Ok; all the questions are comfortable for me.
Me: That is great. So the first question for you is: Do you think it will be easy to find a job after college?
Yona: oh, I have not thought about that, because I will back to Korea when I finish study here. I am an exchange student. However I thought it is not really difficult to find a job here. It is depend on what kind of job I am looking for. If I want to be a teacher here I think that is really difficult, but if I want to work in a market or something that is a part time job that will be not hard for me.
Me: ok, so you will back to Korea and be a teacher? What kind of teacher you will be? A High school teacher?
Yona: No, I will be an elementary school teacher.
Me: That is good for you I think you will be a really good teacher. The second question is: What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the U.S.?
Yona: what is the question mean? You mean cultural shock?
Me: yes.
Yona: At first, I was surprised that boys and girls living in the same dorm and they can go each other’s room. That was the biggest cultural shock for me.
Me: Actually for me that is also a really big cultural shock and I feel inconvenience to live with boys in the same dorm. Because in china we have separate the boys and girls in different dorms and they can’t go each other’s dorm only if the teacher allow them.
Yona: the same in Korea and that is really rude.
Me: yes I agree with you. So, why did you decide to come to SCSU instead of studying or working in your own country?
Yona: I choose to come here because that is better for me to have experiences of study abroad. Now, in Korea more and more people have education abroad. That is good for our professional skills and life experiences.
Me: OK, That is good. I think the same situation in china. Yes, next question is What are some cultural differences between your country and here?
Yona: food is really different, American food is more sweaty and salty but Korea food is not that sweaty and salty and really spicy. Another different is the age to married. Here people normally married when they are really young. But in Korea people normally married more lately like for girl the age for married is 28 or 29. For boy is more than 30 years old.
Me: Oh, yes I also aware of that. American people do marry really young and the same in china. But now, china has a trend that marries lately. Ok, so next question is who takes care of the finances in your family?
Yona: my father take cares of the finances but my mother also have a small store to sell milk and other small things.
Me: ok, what were your preconceptions about the US before coming here and how have they changed?
Yona: before I came to US I saw a lot of American movies that give me a felling that American are really open. Like they will kiss in the street al something like that. However, when I came here I found that people in American is not like the same in the movies. I did not saw any person that kiss in the street or in any other public space.
Me: that is funny. In my opinion, American is a really free country though. So, do you have any personal experiences with racism since coming to the US?
Yona: no, I did not have, everyone here is so nice to me.
Me:oh, good for you. Do you have a religion? What is that?
Yona: yes I am a Christian, since I was 8 years old.
Me: oh, ok. One of my roommates also is a Christian. She is really nice person, the same as you. So, what is the most important things in your life?
Yona: the most important things? I think they are God, family and friends.
Me: Oh, for me is family, lover and money. That is a big difference between us. I think you English is really good, how long did you learn English?
Yona: since I was 5 years old. My mother sent me to a learning center. So I have learned English for 16 years.
Me: that is a really long time and you have a really good education. I thought. You came here for one year, right? So what do you like to do for fun in your own country and here?
Yona: I do the same thing in Korea and here. I like to watch movies and chat with friends.
Me: oh, I like to chat with friends too. Ok, all of the questions are done now. Thank you for come to my interview and answer my questions.
Yona: you are reaaly welcome. I am glad to help you.
Me: Thank you really much.
Describe the Interview
I thought this is a really good interview. This is the first time that i have a interview with people. That is a really good experience for me. The interviewee is really nice to me. She answered all of my questions and told me the thought from her heart. I can feel that everything that she told me is the real feeling that she had. In this interview, I have knew that in Korea the marriage age is later than American. I also knew that in school, boys and girls do not live in the same dorm and they never go each other’s room. That is rude. I like to interview people because I can learn a lot of things from them. I hope my next interview is more successful.
Report on Country and Culture
Yona is a girl from South Korea. She loves her country and she thought her country is a really good place to live.“South Korea is a country in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, which is also its largest city. South Korea lies in a temperate climate region with a predominantly mountainous terrain. Its territory covers a total area of 99,392 square kilometers and has a population of 50 million.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Korea)
Yona also told me a lot information about South Korea. She told me that South Korea and North Korea have a lot of sharing culture. And she hope one day South Korea and North Korea can unite. So, they can get along with each other friendly. “South Korea shares its traditional culture with North Korea, but the two Koreas have developed distinct contemporary forms of culture since the peninsula was divided in 1945. Historically, while the culture of Korea has been heavily influenced by that of neighboring China, it has nevertheless managed to develop a unique and distinct cultural identity from its larger neighbor. The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism actively encourages the traditional arts, as well as modern forms, through funding and education programs. The industrialization and urbanization of South Korea have brought many changes to the way Korean people live. Changing economics and lifestyles have led to a concentration of population in major cities, especially the capital Seoul, with multi-generational households separating into nuclear family living arrangements.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Korea#Culture)
Sources:
02/28/2011, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Korea)
02/28/2011, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Korea#Culture)
