Second Interview

Describe my preparations.

 

I was really excited when I got this task as I love to learn about new cultures and people. I thought that I should interview people belonging to a different culture so as to better understand the perception of different people and also to bring a diversity.

When I came to the St. Cloud University I was able to befriend a Chinese girl who was ready to help me out with the interview. I had a feeling she might feel awkward or shy with the whole process but I was proved wrong by bubbly and helpful nature as we got ready to set up the interview. Every question that I asked, I received a friendly response that was answered in detail. She did not have any reservations about talking about their families or friends, and was more than ready to discuss part of her personal life as well. She was well versed with the positives and the negatives of her country and did not make an attempt to hide it. Along with the interview I had it taped as well so that the interview would not miss out on any important point.

Interview report on how the interviewing went

 

I conducted the interview at St. Cloud University with Momo Wu. She is a Chinese girl who willingly agreed for the interview. I spent 45 minutes taking to Momo Wu during the interview. We had the interview on 25^th of October. She is an extremely cooperative person who is very responsive too. Although she had her test that day she still gave me some of her precious time. Overall it was very positive interaction with her. She is well aware of Chinese traditions and is proud of her culture as is evident from her responses. I think the interview went great and we both thoroughly enjoyed communication.

 

COUNTRY REPORT



 

 

The country that I choose is China because as a nation china has always awed me because of its heritage, diversity, culture, food and history. China is a very highly developed country, and with the way it is raising, it is highly possible that it will come to the number one in the world. China is an extremely diverse country with basic language Chinese, although people speak Mandarin too. Its climate is varied with different temperatures in different areas. In winter most of areas become cold and dry, summer in many areas is rainy and hot.

China has extremely diverse culture. Chinese people celebrate various festivals throughout the year. They have festivals such as the Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat festival and Mid-autumn festival. The people of China are very friendly and hospitable. The people of China love to wear their traditional robes.  These robes usually called Dragon robes are embroidered and are designed in bright colors.

The family life is very important for every Chinese. Chinese families are very close-knit. Children tend to stay with their parents even after they get married and have children of their own, so that you often see three or four generations living under the same roof. However, everyone is well organized within this compact family each member of the family help each other when there is any problem and they will suffer together. It is very dangerous for the old people, if there is any accident happened. Nobody can help them if the old people live alone.

China’s growth has dazzled the world, but the waste of money has not been as publicized. The profits from export trade and captive savings from its people China can invest recklessly. More that $3 trillion is placed inside Chinese banks, earning paltry interest, because the country’s capital controls and undeveloped capital markets prevent savers from investing it elsewhere (Engardio 205).

Deng Xiaoping, the leader of China disbands communes who had already died, allowing farmers to freely sell their products and introduces profit incentives for factories. From there, many of the farmers start to sell their lands, and move to the big cities like Beijing, or open shops instead of farm. Under Jiang Zemin s leadership who is the leader after Deng Xiaoping s dead, the 15th Party Congress reveals its plan to sell most state-owned industries. It becomes privatize. In the coming years, tens of million of workers will be laid off; with no social protection is sight. Now, is this still socialism, no it is the raw capitalism. For the average Chinese, it might be the worst of both worlds.

 

My interview was supposed to help gain an understanding of the students in the university and by no means did I want any question to become too personal or too offensive to anyone. Hence, for the interview I decided to use the questions that I felt would not have thrown the Questionnaire off balance. The fifteen questions which are as follows:

1-Do you like the weather in St.Cloud? Please explain 

2- What do you do for leisure? 

3- Could you please tell me about yourself? 

4- How often do you communicate with your family back at home? 

5- What is the biggest holiday in your country? Please explain about the holidays (Activities, Food, Date, Origin, and etc,) 

6- In what ways might it are difficult to practice your religion here in the U.S? 

7- Tell me some important things from your culture? 

8- What is the biggest difference between the American culture and your culture? 

9- What are your goals for the future; after you graduate, what are you going to do? 

10- What is your favorite sport?

11-What is your major? Why you chose this major?

12-What is your language? How many languages do you speak? How many languages in your country?

13-What do you like to do when you hang out with your friends and/or family?

14-Where do you prefer your home country or here? Why?

15- Do you have any questions for me? I have asked so many of you!

Whenever we talked about China, there would be smile on Momo’s face, as it showed how much she loved her country. I was a bit surprised that she had a sister, as I had read that China did not allow more than a single child per couple. However, it was not the case as she was from an area that did not enforce this rule. China has a very family oriented lifestyle as it showed from the warmth of her voice that she loved her family and took pride in helping them out with the work, unlike so many other families which look for an opportunity to run away from chores.

Hence, the Interview gave me a lot to think about China and its people. There are always a few thoughts that are created before an interview, and Momo was able to clarify them in detail. Hence, I believe that this was an important interview to gain valuable insight about the country and its people.

 

 



 



References:

-Shanghai Xinhong Cultural Development Co. Ltd (n.d.). Cultural China. Retrieved from http://www.cultural-china.com/

-The Decline of the Mediterranean and Chinese Civilizations." 12HelMe.com. 30 Oct 2013
    http://www.12HelMe.com/view.asp?id=107963

 

Interview transcription of my interview with Momo Wu

Interviewer: Alzoabur 

 Interviewee: Momo Wu 

 Location: University of Saint Cloud, USA, 12.00 PM 

 A-Alzoabur 

 M: Momo Wu

 

 

A) First, I would like to thank you for giving me your time and for letting me do the interview with you. 

 M) (Laughs) it is perfectly fine, I am really excited about the interview.

 

 

A) Do you like the weather in St.Cloud?

M) The Weather over in St. Cloud is gorgeous; I have never seen weather with so many different seasons. It rains, and it snows and it is cool and it is hot, I am really enjoying something new every day.

A).And what do you do for leisure?

M) Since the time I have come here I have made a lot of new friends who are just lovely to me. With them I am getting an opportunity to learn not only about them but about their countries as well. Their culture always brings something new for me to explore, hence I try to spend as much time with them as I can. However, sometimes, I like to go out for long walks throughout the campus and outside as well. I enjoy exercising, so I play my iPod and go out for a walk or a jog at times. Apart from that I love to experiment in the kitchen. Cooking is a good way for me to spend the rest of my time so my friends and I try to have cooking competitions with one another so we are learning as well as having fun at the same time. It is really fun; I would love to invite you some time.

A) Could you please tell me about yourself?

M) Hi! I am Momo Wu (Giggles) and I from China and I come from a beautiful family consisting of my mother and a sister. I am the oldest and hence got the opportunity to come to St. Cloud through my school, where I completed my high school. I am a wacky girl, who loves to have fun no matter what and always like to keep a smile on someone’s face. So with me you are always going to have a fun time. Except when I am studying. Then I am dead serious.

A)  How often do you communicate with your family back at home?

M) After my father left us a few years ago, we all have become very close. It was not easy for me to leave my family to study in St. Cloud but I had their wishes and their support and so I came. I am very talkative, and there is nothing better that I like to do than to talk to my mother at least 3 times a week. Since we can use Skype here, it is not difficult for me to talk to them too.

A)  What is the biggest holiday in your country? Please explain about the holidays (Activities, Food, Date, Origin, and etc,)

M) Well in China we have a lot of festivals that are celebrated on different days. For example, we have the Chinese New Year’s eve, which is celebrated on the last date of the lunar calendar as well as the New Year celebrations that happen exactly at midnight, where there is a traditional meeting of the families and a lot of fireworks. For women we have a special event known as the Shangsi festival where we go for picnics and pluck orchids. However, my favorite one by far is the Dongzhi festival which we also call the Winter Solstice Festival as it is usually held in the last ten days of December. In it, there is a traditional meeting of the family members and eating traditional dumplings, known as tangyuan. They are made up of glutinous rice and are served in a broth. The event is known to be the most important as it is considered to be the night when the sunlight is the weakest. It symbolizes that there will be a flow of positive energy in the later days to come. Personally, this is the holiday that I enjoy the most.

A)  In what ways is it difficult to practice your religion here in the U.S?

M) In China, we do not have a particular set of beliefs in a particular religion and   would consider them to be known as “Different schools of thoughts” or “Philosophies”. By this definition, I follow the cultural beliefs of my family and can be considered an atheist. However, as far as the time I have spent in U.S., I have not faced much difficulty in practicing my beliefs, as there are plenty of Chinese here who share my thoughts and we happily meet one another on the day of the event to celebrate.

 

A)  Tell me some important things from your culture?

M) Our Culture is extremely diversified; because of the many kinds of people who are living in china have their own ways of expressing themselves. However, the respect for the elders and the closeness of our families is the highlight of the Chinese Culture.

A) What’s the biggest difference between the American culture and your culture?

M) The difference between the American and the Chinese Culture is as different as the night and the day. From the Food to the clothing, to the perceptions and the thinking, each aspect is treated differently by both the cultures. However, each of the cultures has their strengths and I believe we can learn from them as well as teach them as well.

A) What are your goals for the future; after you graduate, what are you going to do?

M) After I complete my Bachelors, I would like to gain some experience while working as well as make sure I am able to study for my MS in Finance. After that, who knows?

A) What is your favorite sport?

M) I am not really much for sports, but I used to enjoy playing badminton and table tennis with my sister back in China.

A) What is your major? Why you chose this major?

M) My major is finance. I love playing with numbers and I am good at it too. There will always be a need of people who are good with numbers and numerical concepts and I would want to be working in a field that I like and can excel at.

A) What is your language? How many languages do you speak? How many languages in your country?

M) Well even though we have a lot of dialects in our country, we predominantly speak Chinese, properly known as Mandarin or Standard Chinese. There are about more than 200 languages that are spoken in my country, and I am proud to say that can understand and speak the most commonly used ones, such as Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur and the Zhuang.

A) -What do you like to do when you hang out with your friends and/or family?

M) In the U.S there are a lot of things to do, such as going out with friends and enjoying the nightlife by going to bars and clubs and having a great time. With family, we usually talk a lot while going out for shopping or prefer to go to some eatery for some snacks.

A) Where do you prefer your home country or here? Why?

M)  Even though I enjoy the atmosphere and the love that has been showered upon me by the people living in the U.S, if given the choice, I would always wish to come back to the land of my birth. It may sound sentimental or patriotic, but I would wish to work for my country as it is through that country I was able to get a chance to come here.

A) Well that’s all from my side, do you have any questions for me?

M) Well Yes, Thank you. Yes, I do have a question for you. What do you think about the Chinese people?

A) I think they are beautiful (laughs). They are calm and a peaceful people that are willing to go the extra mile in order to achieve something they have set their minds on.