My third interview!

Interview #3

3/31/2011

ENGL 191

Interviewer: Xiaoping Zhao

Interviewee: Junxu

Preparation of interview

For the third interview I changed some of my interview questions, because I noticed that some of my old interview questions are really boring to answer. I have 10 questions for my interviewee.  (1.How long did you speak English?  2. What do you like to do for fun in your own country and here? 3. Do you think it will be easy to find a job after college? 4. What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the U.S.? (Culture shock) 5. Why did you decide to come to SCSU instead of studying or working in your own country? 6. What are some cultural differences between your country and here? 7. Do you have a religion? What is that? 8. What kind of job are you looking for? 9. What is the most important thing in your life? 10. Do you want to stay here after college?)

Before the interview I have print two copies of these ten questions out. One is for my interviewee and one is for me. I hope this action can help him feel more comfortable with the interview.

How did I approach people? When? Where?

To find my third interviewee I went to CIS to get help. I told them that I want to make friends with a Korea student and have a small interview with them. CIS officer let me write down my e-mail address and told me that they will let Korea friends e-mail me. After few days, a Korea boy e-mailed me and wants to make friends with me. We exchanged our phone number and make a time for interview also. We want to have the interview on 3/31 at 8pm in library.  We will meet at the first floor and borrow a study room to finish our interview.

How did I conduce and record the interview?

Based on we will borrow a study room for the interview I will bring my Iphone to recorder our conversation. Firstly, I gave him the list of questions that I have prepared. I hope he was able to have a preview about the questions. Secondly, I told him that I would record the whole interview by my cell phone and make sure about his agreement. Thirdly, I started the interview from simple questions. I thought this may be make him feel relax.

Who did I interview?

<Junxu and his twin sisters>

Junxu is a boy who comes from Korea. He lives in Cheju-do that is a very famous island in Korea.  He loves his hometown and told me a lot of things about his hometown. In his family there are 5people. There are His parents and his twin sisters and him. They are a really fun family and have a really happy life in Korea. He comes here for a full time student. He will stay here for 4-5years to finish his master. His parents are business man and woman. His twins sisters are in Korea take them high-school. His major in St. Cloud State University is marketing.  He hopes after college he can back to his hometown to take his father’s business and take care of his family by himself.

Transcription of my third interview:

M: hello, nice to meet you, my name is Xiaoping Zhao. You can call me Tiffney. Thank you gives me the chance to interview you. What is your name?

J:Nice to meet you, my name is Junxu. I’d like to help you.and we will become good friends too.

M: Ok, I knew that you come from Korea and live in Cheju-do. How is there in you opinion?

J: oh, Cheju-do is a very pretty place. Every day has a lot of visitors went there and love there. If you have chance you need to go there and take a look the beautiful island.

M: Ok, I hope I have the chance to go there. Do you know Hainan in China? I think Hainan in China is Cheju-do in Korea. They are all small island and very pretty. You also can come to China and I will be your guide and translation.

J: That is so great.

M: How long did you speak English?  I think your English is so nice.

J: When I was 8 yearsold, my father let me start to learn English. He think English is very important for me and in Cheju-do there are a lot of foreigners. We need to learn English if we want to do business with them.

M: that is so nice. I start to learn English when I was in middle school. I think that is a little bit later for me. So my English is not well.

J: oh, no. Your English is good. You just need some time to practice.

M: Thank you!  What do you like to do for fun in your own country and here?

J: I like to do some sports with my friends here and in korea too. I really like sports.

M: Ok, I think the boy who like sports and good at sports is really handsome. Do you think it will be easy to find a job after college?

J: I didn’t think about that because I will help my father to do his business in the future. I want to help my father to expand his company and let him take a break. He is really busy and have no time with family.

M: My father too. I have the same wish with you. What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the U.S.? (Culture shock)

J: The most difficult thing for me is too far away from my family. I never leave them as far as this time. I miss them really much. The second thing is the life habit. I don’t like party night and drink. However my friends here are all like have party at midnight and drank.

M: I don’t either like that. Why did you decide to come to SCSU instead of studying or working in your own country?

J: Just like I told you. In Cheju-do there are a lot of foreigners.  I have to know what is their habit and culture. I also need to improve my English as well. The most important reason for why I came here to have college is I think American has the best education in the world.

M: That is the reasons why my father want me come here. However I don’t like here. What are some cultural differences between your country and here?

J: Actually, Korea and America has a lot of similarities. The only different between them is the food and the language.

M: My sister told me the same thing about Korea. Do you have a religion? What is that?

J: I don’ have any religion.

M: ok.  That is the same with me. What is the most important thing in your life?

J: I think is my family my job and my friends.

M: oh. Completely the same with me.  I am so happy that we can be froends and thank you to come to have the interview.

J: you are very welcome.

Country report:

Geography:

“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)

“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)

South Korea occupies the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula, which extends some 680 miles (1,100 km) from the Asian mainland. This mountainous peninsula is flanked by the Yellow Sea to the west and Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the east. Its southern tip lies on the Korea Strait and the East China Sea. The country, including all its islands, lies between latitudes 33° and 39°N, and longitudes 124° and 130°E. Its total area is 38,622.57 square miles (100,032.00 km2).  South Korea's terrain is mostly mountainous, most of which is not arable. Lowlands, located primarily in the west and southeast, make up only 30% of the total land area.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Provinces_of_South_Korea.svg)

Climate:

South Korea has four distinct seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring usually lasts from late-March to early- May, summer from mid-May to early-September, autumn from mid-September to early-November, and winter from mid-November to mid-March. In Seoul, the average January temperature range is −7 °C to 1 °C (19 °F to 33 °F), and the average August temperature range is 22 °C to 30 °C (71 °F to 86 °F). Winter temperatures are higher along the southern coast and considerably lower in the mountainous interior. Summer can be uncomfortably hot and humid, with temperatures exceeding 30 °C in most parts of the country.

Government:

Like many democracies, South Korea's government is divided into three branches: executive, judicial, and legislative. The executive and legislative branches operate primarily at the national level, although various ministries in the executive branch also carry out local functions. Local governments are semi-autonomous, and contain executive and legislative bodies of their own. The judicial branch operates at both the national and local levels. South Korea is a constitutional democracy. Lee Myung-bak is a president of South Korea. The government type is republic. The national holiday is Liberation Day, 15 August (1945). “The nationality flag of Korea, the blue section represents the negative cosmic forces of the yin, while the red symbolizes the opposite positive forces of the yang; each trigram (kwae) denotes one of the four universal elements, which together express the principle of movement and harmony.”

Cuisine:

Korean cuisine originated from ancient prehistoric traditions in the Korean peninsula and southern Manchuria, evolving through a complex interaction of environmental, political, and cultural trends.

Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, noodles, tofu (in Korean, dubu), vegetables, and meats. Traditional Korean meals are noted for the number of side dishes (banchan) that accompany steam-cooked short-grain rice. Kimchi is usually served at every meal. Commonly used ingredients include sesame oil, doenjang (fermented bean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and gochujang (fermented red chili paste).

Ingredients and dishes vary by province. Many regional dishes have become national, and dishes that were once regional have proliferated in different variations across the country. The Korean royal court cuisine once brought all of the unique regional specialties together for the royal family. Meals are regulated by Korean cultural etiquette.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_cuisine)

Description of interview
This time is a really good interview for me. The interviewee is a really nice person. I think he is hust like a super satar. He is really handsom, however, he is never like other handsome boy. He loke to talk and like to sharing his stories to others. This is the third interview that I took. I like to do that and I think I will take more interview with students who are in SCSU. I think nexy time I will interview an American that I can know how American thought about international students. I am so appreciate that everyone is so nice to me. Thank them and I hope they will have a really good life in the last time.

Sources:

03/31/2011, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Korea)

03/31/2011, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Korea#Culture)

03/31/2011,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Provinces_of_South_Korea.svg)

03/31/2011, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Korea)

03/31/2011,( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_cuisine