Interview preparations:
As I prepared I thought of the good and bad of my first interview. I knew that I needed to make the environment as comfortable as possible for my interviewee. I had previously talked to my interviewee during class, so I was able to contact her easily, her name is LZ. Setting up a time I thought would be difficult but it was not at all. We decided to meet on March 23, 2012 at 2:30 in the afternoon. We met in the Miller Resource Center, and I have also learned throughout this experience how to reserve a study room on one of the floors. We had a room on the 3rd floor, and it was very easy to find and use. Before the interview we talked about classes and our schedule during the week. I had printed out the sheet of questions for my interviewee and during my social problems class at the high school; I was given some more ideas for questions. We had read an article about an outsider looking inside another society, and going from that perspective, gave me good ideas of questions that I was able to ask. Overall I used my checklist from my previous interview, and all was ready to complete my 2nd interview.
Interview report:
My 2nd interview went very well. My interviewee was very open from the very beginning, which I assume to be part of us talking in class previously. I made sure to have an “icebreaker” conversation before I started asking questions and she seemed to have no problem answering. We talked fairly easily, and I felt like I learned a lot about the culture of China, and my interviewee. I was surprised to know that she was an only child, but she does have a cousin. School here is harder for her, because of the language change, which makes sense. I loved how open she was about issues that she doesn’t like here at SCSU and also in general life. I felt like we communicated efficiently, and I received a lot of information. I think interviews if they are done alone and in private really make the interviewee and interviewer connects and the interviewer gets a detailed first-hand look inside another culture which is important to realize. If I hadn’t taken this particular English class I wouldn’t have realized that even though there are many differences between cultures, we are all the same too. Overall I enjoyed my second interview and felt that it went well.
Country Report:
China is in Eastern Asia between North Korea and Vietnam. China borders the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Korea Bay, and the South China Sea. Population is more than 1.3 billion. Because of the geography of China, 94% of the population lives in the eastern third of the country. Its total area is 9,596,961 sq km. The climate of China is extremely diverse, in the south there is a tropical climate, and in the north it is subarctic. Highest point is Mount Everest. China has many natural resources, including coal, iron ore, petroleum, mercury, natural gas, lead, zinc, and many more. Agriculture includes rice, wheat, potatoes, pork, and fish. Air pollution is high in China and also China has high risks of typhoons. They get on average 5 per year. Language is mainly Chinese or Mandarin. The capital city is Beijing, and it is the second most populated city, Shanghai is the first. Like the United States, China also has a national holiday celebrating independence. It is the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. This holiday takes place on the 1st of October. Originally took place in 1949. This day is celebrated with government-organized festivities. China is a world leader in gross value of industrial output, a few including mining and ore processing, consumer products, textiles and apparel, telecommunications equipment, and petroleum. Its primary trading partners are USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan. A few military branches include the Navy, Ground Forces, Air Force, and People’s Armed Police.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/china-facts/
Transcription:
T (Me)
L (LZ)
T: So I’m Tiffany, thank you for meeting with me!
L: Yes.
T: I’ll tell you a little bit about myself, I am still in high school, doing PSEO trying to get some free college out of the way. I’ve only gotten two classes done, but some is better than none at all. I have siblings, two sisters and a brother. And, I play music, flute and saxophone. So, that is a little bit about me. What is your family like?
L: I am just a single child, in my family. Because in China most of the family just have one children. It is our policy. Because a child from much population, so they should control much population.
T: Is there anyone in your family that has had more than one child?
L: Yes, my uncle was the American that so he can have two children.
T: Okay. What is a typical day like for a child in China?
L: A typical day. Like, we eat breakfast, and they go to school, and lunch, and then have a lunch nap in school. Then you have afternoon class. After that parents will go to school, to take them home, and then you eat dinner, and do class homework. After they finish their class homework, the parents will give them the extra homework.
T: When you came here were the classes harder, or the same for the education value?
L: I think it’s harder. Because maybe, our thinking is very high, but when we do it we can’t express ourselves, I think what we see and what we think is different. So the language is very difficult for us. And then the education I think the teacher don’t require us to do much, but we really should do very high, try very hard by our self. Try research after class, group meeting too.
T: What was your first week here? Was your mind completely blown?
L: I just cried through all weekend, I think. I already know the friends but I still, like, I am uncomfortable I think.
T: Like you should be in a new language I guess. Coming here did you come with a group of people?
L: No just alone, so it’s very horrible.
T: Oh! Were you’re very nervous, or a little excited?
L: Very exciting.
T: That’s good! The transportation here I’m sure is different, what are the differences and what are the similarities?
L: The transportation, we have a bus, and the train and the subway. It’s in every city, and like here it’s just bus or taxi. I think it is very inconvenient.
T: Does anybody have cars?
L: Yes, my friend has. Sometimes I can have and have them take me somewhere. And the shopping mall is close, that’s amazing. I just feel there is nothing to do in the night. I really think.
T: Oh yeah.
L: It is very inconvenient.
T: What is one think that surprised you coming here, that you didn’t think you would see.
L: The American people are very enthusiastic.
T: Really?
L: It is very friendly! They do a lot of criticisms in the class time. Like they put their legs behind the other student’s chair, like in the class. But they just go to the outside and they are very free. Like in China we can’t do this. That really surprised me.
T: For religion, do you practice anything here?
L: No I don’t believe any religion. In China, like my family, most don’t believe any religions. Just have like my grandmother and grandfather, that generation they might believe some kind of religion. They like hope their grandchildren and granddaughter can have a better life. So just for that. But in my generation, the younger generation, don’t believe.
T: Oh wow.
L: Yeah.
T: Between your friends, do you talk about religion ever?
L: No. Never. Just sometimes about the person who believes religion, or just some crazy things. But that, we never talk much about that.
T: What about politics?
L: Politics, we do.
T: Do you think here, in the younger generation, we don’t talk about politics as much as in your country?
L: We have a politics class during middle school and the high school saying we should talk about it.
T: Here I don’t think we really do.
L: Because it’s different social structure.
T: In America they have two party, who always fight. In China there is one party. Every four years they just elect by people. So it is different.
T: Yeah, so how is the government different here than in China, besides the political parties?
L: Just have one party, because China have lots of population, they can’t elect the president by ourselves so they elect, every province and the city we, like my parents just choose one person that they think can properly represent ourselves, so that every different province have like a 10, its according to the different population size. So we choose a person, and they come to our capital Beijing, and they choose, elect our president.
T: Do you like the American way or do you like China’s way better?
L: Because I don’t know, I think the American is better than China. But, American, during the election there is much fighting.
T: Definitely.
L: The cities can tell their opinions, but in China it is very difficult.
T: Are you involved in any sports on campus?
L: No, just in my free time I like to play the badminton or the racquetball. I like to play the racquetball.
T: Oh fun, I am not good at badminton.
L: And the ping pong.
T: Oh I’ve played that before too. In China what is the major sport?
L: Ping pong.
T: In school do they have after school activities?
L: Yeah, they do. The sports and they hand make something. Most of the class is like Math class and English class. Or maybe piano, or drawing class.
T: Do you feel like in China there is more of a variety or here is there more?
L: I think China there is more of a variety. But the difference is that in China the parents require them to do something, but here they do not. The children are interested to do something, so this is different.
T: So in China your parents pretty much structure what you do?
L: Yeah, require me to do like the piano and math class. As for me, I do not want to do this, but if I don’t do this my parents will say the other children will be better than you.
T: Do they have any control or say in what you do and classes you take here? When you came here did you choose your classes?
L: No, because they don’t know English so they can’t require me.
T: That’s good. What do you think is the biggest freedom that you have here?
L: I don’t need to sleep before 10 o’clock. I can wear what I want as clothes, and I can sleep very late.
T: That’s good! What is a typical week like here at St. Cloud State for you? Do you have a lot of classes? What activities do you do during the week?
L: Not that much, I just finish my classes and just stay at my dorm to watch a movie and the drama. Always the same.
T: Okay, do you like your dorm?
L: Um, I am a single room, because my roommate just moved out so, it’s just one person.
T: Well that is nice!
L: Yeah.
T: What is the worst thing about the dorms?
L: The shared bathroom.
T: Really?
L: Yeah.
T: What is the best thing do you think?
L: It’s convenient! Because I live in Hill case, it’s in the middle of this school. It is close to Garvey and to anywhere. I like it.
T: What is the one thing St. Cloud State could do better for you?
L: Provide more Chinese food.
T: More Chinese?
L: Yeah, more Chinese food!
T: Do you miss your food a lot?
L: The Chinese? Yeah, the Chinese food they provide here, the restaurants, they are very different than China. Almost, but still like too sweet, too sweet.
T: What is your favorite food here?
L: American or Chinese food?
T: American.
L: American, I don’t know. Actually, I like pizza. I never eat pizza in China, but it’s not because they don’t have pizza. In China they put lots of things on the top. In America they just have like pepperoni, simple, but like in China too much things. I hate the pizza, but when I came here I found the pizza, it was good.
T: That is good. What is the most popular dish in China, or the most popular thing to eat?
L: Most popular thing to eat. The American, the restaurant is very convenient to find, and it is cheap. And popular, different place have different typical food. In Guangdong they have very popular breakfast sandwich, the Chinese, it is very good.
T: What is the one thing in China that you don’t like?
L: Too much people, pollute the environment.
T: Definitely, we have that here, but I am sure not as much. What would be one thing that you could share with somebody here to explain who you are as a person? And like what your values are?
L: Uh.
T: Or something that you stand for, or something that you really do not like?
L: Like here in America?
T: Yeah.
L: The class is very good the instructor. They have us open our mind to let us become ourselves. The think I do not like is the life here is boring. Just every day, I know they have many clubs/activities outside, but it’s like the people just talk, talk, talk to each other, the chat. But in China we have the KTV that is on in a special room. When we go shopping we have very convenient transportation and it’s not like American where they just have one floor. They have a very big shopping mall around us. The food, when we eat food we can eat and it is very convenient. Here there is just a single house like this, but in China we have where they connect together.
T: Okay, so here a lot of people are against abortion or against racism. What is one thing that you really for or against?
L: I know some black people, they are very nice. But some I do not like some of the black people. Mostly because I have some friends that live in the dorm, but they don’t ask and just take clothes and just steal their stuff. I hate that they didn’t ask them first. So I kind of a little bit hate black people.
T: I see. That is understandable. So do you have any questions for me at all?
L: Um, no.
T: Okay, well thank you for meeting with me, and taking your time!
L: Yes, see you!
T: Bye.
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