top three:
Nicholas:19 points
KelseyR: 18 points
TiffanyS: 18 points
Evaluation : here
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Reflection on comparison of my two interviews
Honestly, I finished my first interview a little bit hurried so I think it was not good enough. The preparation stuff such as recorder, pens, etc.of my two interviews are the same. Compared to my first interview, my second interview was prepared earlier so I had enough time to complete the whole assignment and I also list some extra questions in order to learn more about the America. My first interviewee is from Mozambique but he moved in America at the age of three so he is not really know about his home country. So I think he is pretty much an American. My second interviewee is from America. Because I interviewed two of my American classmates and they shared the same culture with me, so I added some record information like education, sports and transpotation, etc. from my first interview to my second interview because what I added is actually the same thing that each of them told me.
Because my first interviewee is not religious so I did not get much information about religions. But I got it from my second interviewee. My second interviewee is a Catholic so I learned some information about the Easter, the Lent, and rituals. I think there is no contradictory because they shared the same culture with me.
Actually I spent about 3 hours on my transcription because it was so long and I almost transcribed every single sentence from the record.
I'm not really satisfied with my first interview and I think I did a really bad job about that one. But I think my second interview is better than the first. Compared to other American students' second interviews, my interview is still not very good due to some mistakes about grammar. And also, sentences in my report are pretty simple compared to other American students.
Because my first interviewee is not religious so I did not get much information about religions. But I got it from my second interviewee. My second interviewee is a Catholic so I learned some information about the Easter, the Lent, and rituals. I think there is no contradictory because they shared the same culture with me.
Actually I spent about 3 hours on my transcription because it was so long and I almost transcribed every single sentence from the record.
I'm not really satisfied with my first interview and I think I did a really bad job about that one. But I think my second interview is better than the first. Compared to other American students' second interviews, my interview is still not very good due to some mistakes about grammar. And also, sentences in my report are pretty simple compared to other American students.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Country Presentation (America)
American is the world’s third largest country located in North America with about 300 million populations. America possesses the top technology of the world, the highest reputation of education, and also the financial center of the world.
Education
America has the top quality of education and the highest reputation of its Universities. According to prominent international rankings, 13 or 15 American colleges and universities are ranked among the top 20 in the world like Harvard University, Stanford university and Columbia University.
- Children are required to attend school from the age of six or seven. (Kindergarten, or First Grade)
- Students finish the 12th Grade or high school usually at the age of 18.
- Children do not have much homework to do, so they could have more activities after class.
- Students would not feel stressful about their classes until high school.
- Because some of the students want to go to some top ranking universities or colleges, they need to work hard on SAT, so they are under much stress of study.
- There are usually 5 classes a day in high school.
- Courses in Universities are usually harder.
Religion
There are a lot of different religions in America so there are a variety of beliefs among American people and people feel free to choose what they believe. In a 2002 study, 59% of Americans said that religion played a "very important role in their lives", a far higher figure than that of any other wealthy nation.
- The majority of Americans (60% to 76%) identify themselves as Christians, mostly within Protestant and Catholic denominations.
- The main religions in America include Christianism, Catholicism, Mormonism, and Judaism.
- For religious holiday, Christmas is a big deal in America.
- Christmas is a Christian holiday, but people not really care if you are a Christian.
- If you are a Catholic, then the Easter is pretty big to you.
- If you are a Catholic, you will experience a time period about 40 days called the Lent which you give up something you really like.
- Not every American is religious so some of them do not have daily rituals.
References:
My Second Interview (about 30-45 minutes in length)
Interview Preparation
This is my second interview and I really care about this interview. Last time I did my interview not very well because of my carelessness. So this time I started my preparation earlier to make sure that I have enough time to write a better report. So I started my interview preparation on Thursday morning. I also list some extra questions on a piece of paper in order to go deeper into the American cultural. I double checked my stuff such as recorder, question sheet, pen, and some pieces of paper, etc. to make sure they were in my bag. Then, I contact my partner TiffanyP who is one of my ENGL191 classmates. We talked about when and where would we meet each other. Eventually, we decided to meet in the library at 7 p.m. After we found each other in the library, we started interview right away. She interviewed me first, and I interviewed her.
Anyway, everything is okay except the place. The coffee shop is a little bit noisy, so next time, I will change a place.
Interview Report
The entire interview went very well. This time, I interviewed TiffanyP who is one of my American classmates. Since I want to go deeper into American culture, I interviewed an American student again. TiffanyP is from Wisconsin and comes to Minnesota for college.
We started our interview with introducing ourselves. As I did it before, we went over the eleven core questions and a list of my extra questions.
Since I am not religious and I do not really know about religion thing like religious practices. So what surprised me were Tiffany’s religious practices. TiffanyP is a Catholic so she goes to church with her family or her roommate every week. Also, she would experience a 40-day period of time called the Lent. Lent is a time period about 40 days in Catholic that a person would give up something that he/she really like, such as Facebook, candy, fast food etc. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on the Easter. And also, Tiffany told me that majority of American people are religious including Christian and Catholic, etc. There are a lot of different religions in America so there are a variety of beliefs among American people.
The record was clear and I could listen to every single sentence clearly when I worked on my transcription. Then, I post it on my blog.
Country Report
American is the world’s third largest country located in North America with about 300 million populations. America possesses the top technology of the world, the highest reputation of education, and also the financial center of the world.
This time, I learned something about the religions in America. There are a lot of different religions in America so there are a variety of beliefs among American people and people feel free to choose what they believe. The majority of the religions are good for people, but there are few religions which mislead people. The main religions in America include Christianism, Catholicism, Mormonism, and Judaism. According to TiffanyP, as a Catholic, she would experience a 40-day time period called Lent which people give up something they really like. For religious holiday, Christmas is a big deal in America. If you are a Catholic, then the Easter is pretty big to you. Majority of people in America are religious but some of them are not, probably a good mix.
Education in America is world famous. America has the best university of the world which is Harvard I think. There are a lot of people come to America to study every year. Children in America usually start school at the age of three. As typical American children, they do not have much homework to do when they after school. They never feel stressed out until they go to high school. Students in high school feel relatively stressed because maybe some of them want to go to some famous universities so they would work hard on SAT. A high school student usually has 5 classes a day and stays in school for about 7 hours. I am from China and I have never dream about that when I was that age. In China, we had a lot of homework to do so we really under a lot of stress of study since we were children. Until graduate from high schools and we went to college, we were just like the children in America who feel so relaxed about study. Contrary to China, American students feel stressed out when they go to college.
Democracy is charged well by government in America. People can feel free to chase their dreams and they could say something against the President or government if they are not happy with the policies. People have more rights to do want they want to do. Freedom is the symbol of America. It is one of the most important reasons why America has so many elites.
The most popular transportation in America is car. Most people drive instead walk. But not everywhere is the same. For instance, people who live in big cities like New York, they might prefer to taking subway and buses or they just go somewhere on foot. On the contrary, people who live in small town drive more. It is quite similar to other countries of the world.
Greeting in American is really simple. People just say ‘hi’, ‘hello’, ‘what’s up’ etc. to each other when they meet. Sometimes they may shake hands. I think most people in other countries use that way as well. Food in America is really convenient and simple compared to other countries like France, China. These countries usually make food better than America. Fast food is popular in America like hot dog, burger, but they are not healthy which contain too much calories and fats. America is good at sports. The most famous sport in America is football. Other sports like basketball, baseball are also popular among people.
All in all, my two interviewees’ descriptions of America are almost the same, except the religion due to one of them is religious and the other is not.
Sources: The country report is based on my interviews. Additional information may be found at:
1. http://www.usa.gov/
2. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
3. http://www.wikipedia.org/
Sources: The country report is based on my interviews. Additional information may be found at:
1. http://www.usa.gov/
2. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
3. http://www.wikipedia.org/
Transcript
W=WentingC
T=TiffanyP
W: Hi, my name is Wenting, nice to meet you.
T: Hi, my name is Tiffany.
W: Thanks for coming.
T: yeah, no problem.
W: So, where is your hometown? Here? Or other cities?
T: Actually, I’m not live in St.Cloud, I just came here for the college. My home is about 2-hour away from here, in Wisconsin.
W: Do you like your country?
T: Yes, I do. I love America.
W: So, what are the typical greetings in your culture?
T: I think people just shake hands, say: “ hello, hi, what’s up, how are you, etc”, or sometimes give hugs. I usually say: “ Hi” when I meet my friends.
W: Okay, I think it is a simple way for greetings and it is common around the world.
T: yeah. I think so.
W: What about in some formal occasions?
T: You mean what kind of formal occasions?
W: Like meetings.
T: I think we just shake hands.
W: Okay. What different modes of transportation are used in your country?
T: Umm, I think most people drive. I mean auto. Sometimes people would go somewhere by bike or by bus.
W: What about trains?
T: I experienced trains very seldom. I think it is not quite popular in America. People usually drive to somewhere instead of trains.
W: Cool, train is one of the popular transportations in my country. So, what about the transportations in big city?
T: I don’t really know, because I don’t live in big city, I think people just drive.
W: Okay, So which country’s food do you like the most?
T: Italian food. I like a kind of Italian food called pasta. I think it’s really good.
W: I like it, too. What else?
T: Cheese, I think.
W: So, what are the similarities and differences between it and your own country?
T: I think the Italian food contains fewer calories than the American food. Eating American food could get fat easily.
W: Okay, so, do you like American food?
T: Yes, I like some of them, but I eat it occasionally because it is not very healthy, it contains too much calories.
W: Yes, I agree. So, can I ask what kind of American food do you like?
T: I like burgers. I eat them occasionally.
W: Okay, I like burgers, too.
T: Yeah, it tastes good unless you are not afraid of fats:
W: Yeah, have you ever tried the Chinese food?
T: Yeah, it’s good. I like it. I usually ate them in my hometown. There is a Chinese restaurant near my home. So I usually went there. Chinese food is really good.
W: I have been to England, so, I like British food very much, especially the dessert.
T: Really? That’s cool.
W: So, Could you tell me a secret about yourself that very few people here know about and that shows us well?
T: The thing that very few people know about me is that I’m adopted.
W: Oh, I’m sorry.
T: That’s okay. It’s not a bad thing.
W: So, do you mind me ask when have you been adopted?
T: It’s okay, when I was six.
W: Okay, do you like your family now?
T: I do, of course.
W: Do you have any memory about your original family?
T: Not really, umm…..Not really.
W: Sorry.
T: It’s okay.
W: Let’s change a topic.
T: Yeah, sure.
W: Can you tell me a typical day for a child in your country? You can take yourself as a example.
T: Umm….. For a child in United States, a typical day would be, getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, going to school for seven hours, then going home and doing homework, having dinner with family, if you still have homework then finish it, hanging out with family or watching TV, bed time.
W: Do you think American children have a lot of activities?
T: Yeah, there are a lot of activities.
W: What kind of activities?
T: There different sports for children, music, instruments.
W: Do you think American parents would force their children to do what they actually don’t want to do?
T: I think majority of them would not force their children to do things that they don’t want to do. But, there are probably few of them would.
W: Wow, I never dreamed about that when I was a kid, really. Because most Chinese parents sometimes would force their children to do things.
T: Really.
W: Yeah. So, how would you describe famous sports in your country?
T: The most famous sports in USA would be football. Also would be baseball, basketball.
W: Yeah, I know football is a big deal in America.
T: Yeah. It’s really big.
W: What is your favorite sport?
T: My favorite is football.
W: And what do you usually play?
T: Personally, I don’t really play any sports. Maybe badminton, it is fun.
W: Really, I like that, too. Badminton is one of the most famous sports in China.
T: That’s cool. Badminton is fun to play.
W: Do you like to watch games like football games on TV?
T: Yeah, I do. When I was home, I watched it with family. My family is really into foottball. Sometimes I would scream when I watch the games.
W: I like football, too.
T: Yeah.
W: Do you think American people like sports?
T: I will say, yes. Especially young people. Boys like playing basketball, football, baseball…….
W: Okay, let’s talk about religion. What religious holidays or other cultural events do you celebrate?
T: For me, I’m a Catholic, so I celebrate Christmas and Easter and there is a season of Lent. I celebrate some holidays like Thanksgiving and New Year.
W: Could you tell me something about the Easter.
T: For me, I always go to church with my family and go to my grandmother’s house. We usually have a good time together.
W: And what is the Lent? I’m really interested about this.
T: It is a time period about 40 days in a Catholic. A person will give up something who really like, such as Facebook, fast food, candy or something like that for the 40 days. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. And we don’t eat meat on Fridays and Ash Wednesday during that time.
W: Wow, for me, I’m not religious, so it is really amazing for me to hear that, really.
T: Yeah.
W: So, what kind of things do you give up during Lent?
T: Umm… I give up Facebook.
W: Yeah, umm…. Do you think American people are religious?
T: Yeah, I think most people in America are religious, some of them probably not. Probably, it’s a good mix.
W: Okay, so how many friends of yours are religious?
T: Umm…..I don’t know, maybe most of them.
W: Okay. In China, most people are not religious, except old people.
T: Really?
W: Yeah. So, what kind of religions do most people believe?
T: I think most people are Christians, Catholic. There are a lot of religions in America, every one could choose what they want to believe.
W: So, do you have any daily rituals regards to your religious beliefs?
T: I don’t have daily rituals, I have weekly one. I just go to church every week on Sunday.
W: With your family?
T: When I at home I am. When I at school my roommate go with me.
W: What time do you go to church?
T: When I with my family we usually go in the morning. When I at school, I usually go at night.
W: Okay. So, I’m gonna move on to next question.
T: Sure.
W: At what age do you start school?
T: I start school at six.
W: Are you under a lot of stress of study?
T: As you get older, and classes that you take become harder, there is more stress. So, of course when you are in high school you will feel more stressful than you were in kindergarten.
W: Okay, how was your high school life?
T: I liked high school, I had a lot of friends. I was really into music and that was a big part of my life and I tried really hard in my classes.
W: How long would you stay in high school daily?
T: About 7 hours.
W: Did you have a long break during that time?
T: The longest break would be lunch break. And we only have 3 minutes between classes.
W: What about the teachers in your high school?
T: The teachers in high school were really nice. They were helpful. I always went to them when I had questions about what I learned.
W: Would they get angry if you had a bad grade of your class?
T: They wouldn’t.
W: So, they are very kind.
T: They are.
W: Did they give you a lot of homework to do?
T: Some teachers just gave more than others.
W: How many classes did you take?
T: 5 classes a day.
W: Do you think American parents would force their children to do what they don’t want to do.
T: I think majority of them wouldn’t force their children to do things. Probably few of them would.
W: what kind of government is in charge of your home country?
T: The government in charge is democracy, which means we get to vote for the President and political leaders.
W: Have you ever vote for someone?
T: No, not yet.
W: Do you care about the politics?
T: I’m not really into politics.
W: How did it affect your life?
T: For me, I have the freedom to say what I wanted to say.
W: Are you feeling free to chase your dream?
T: Yeah.
W: Do you think you have a lot of rights?
T: I do.
W: Can American people say something against the government?
T: Yeah.
W: Is there any bad consequences?
T: I don’t think so.
W: Wow, in my country, we cannot say something or do something against the government. There maybe some bad consequences.
T: Really?
W: Yeah.
T: America is freedom.
W: Yeah. So, here is the last question. What could SCSU do to make your stay on campus better?
T: I think they could have more variety of food in Garvey.
W: What kind of food?
T: I don’t know. Just let us experience more food.
W: I think so.
T: Yeah.
W: So, I think that’s it. We are done.
T: Finally.
W: What is your major, by the way?
T: Now I have not decided yet. Maybe, Science.
W: That’s cool.
T: Thank you.
W: Well, all right, we are done, thank you for coming.
T: No problem.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
My first interview (30-45 minutes in length)
1. Interview preparations
America is a developed country located in North
America with about 300 million populations. I think US is famous
for its top science and technology, top quality of education, and the center of
finance.
I began my interview preparations after I came back from Chicago Chicago
When I finished my interview, I started write the transcript
according to the record first, and finished the main points one by one.
Anyway, I interviewed JosephR who is from Mozambique
but moved in America
2. Interview report
The entire interview went very well. We started the interview with
introducing ourselves and what really shocked me is that JosephR is from Mozambique Africa . He moved in America south Africa Alabama Mozambique
2.
Country report
Since JosephR is not really
know about his home country because he left his own country when he was three,
I think he is pretty much an American boy so I mainly describe the America
Education in America America America America China China America China
Democracy is charged well by
government in America America America
The most popular transportation
in America New York
Americans celebrate the
Christmas. Christmas is a big deal in America
Greeting in American is really
simple. People just say ‘hi’, ‘hello’, ‘what’s up’ etc. to each other when they
meet. Sometimes they may shake hands. I think most people in other countries
use that way as well. Food in America
is really convenient and simple compared to other countries like France , China America America America America
All in all, America
Transcript
W=WentingC (me)
J= JosephR
W: Hi, my name is Wenting. I’m from China
J: Hi, I’m Jo. I was born in Mozambique
and I lived in Mozambique
for three years and I moved in America
W: When did you move in Saint Cloud？
J：Last year.
W: So you just came here for going to St.Cloud State
University
J: No, I came here for living with my mom. Before I came to Saint Cloud , I lived in Alabama
W: So what do you think of Saint
Cloud
J: Saint Cloud
W: So you like the big city or small town like Saint Cloud
J: I’m in the middle. I mean I like big city but I also like living
far away from the city not surround by the city.
W: Allright. Let’s get to the core questions. So what could SCSU do
to make your stay on campus better?
J: Well, I think they could have more online classes and more
parking lots. And have more opportunities for students to get involved.
W: Yes.
J: I mean sometimes, people just said: no, I’m not doing that. So
nothing really fun to get together to do things and I think it will be better
if people are more social and not just do their own things.
W: Yes, definitely.
J: I mean everything will be better if students get involved like
when they were in high school.
W: Yes. So could you tell me a secret about yourself?
J: Umm, most people just don’t that I am African; I mean I was born
in Mozambique South Africa
W: Yeah, that’s really shock me.
J: Yeah, most people don’t believe coz I am from Africa
but I’m not black people.
W: Yeah, I can’t believe that unless you tell me coz you are so
American.
J: Yeah, I know that.
W: So, what is your favorite food? The British food?
J: Italian food I wanna say. I don’t really have a specific country.
I like tender food. French food is really good, too. I like steak. It’s really
good.
W: Yeah, I like steak, too. Have you ever tried the Chinese food?
J: Yeah, Chinese food is good.
W: So what are the similarities and the differences between it and
your own culture food?
J: Umm, In America, food is more convenient.
W: Like fast food.
J: Yeah, like hot dog, burger. They are very simple. Food in other
countries is done better and well.
W: Yeah, I think so.
J: Yes.
W: What are the typical greetings in your culture and what do they
mean?
J: Umm, I think people just say ‘hello’, ‘hi’, ‘what’s up’ when they
meet.
W: Yeah, I think it is a common and simple way to greet others in
other countries, too.
J: Yeah, I think so.
W: What kind of government is in charge of your home country, how
did it affect your life and how has democracy in America
J: South Africa Mozambique just are copied from America America
W: Do you feel free to do what you want to do in your home country?
J: You mean in south
Africa
W: Yes.
J: Yeah, it’s pretty free. But it is not always free. Like they
separate the blacks and whites.
W: So do the black people have more rights or the white people have
more rights?
J: I think neither of them deserves more rights.
W: So what different modes of transportation are used in your
country?
J: Umm, in America
W: You like motorcycle that’s pretty cool.
J: Yeah. I mean most people like driving. But it depends. If you
live in a big city and the traffic is really bad, you probably not prefer to
driving but take buses or subway. Or just go to somewhere on foot.
W: Yeah, I think driving is convenient.
J: Yes, that’s true.
W: When I just came to America
J: So, it is not convenient at all. It’s good to drive because I
could get to somewhere as fast as I can.
W: Yes, that is ture.
J: Yes.
W: So when do you start to school?
J: About 3.
W: Are you under a lot of stress of your study?
J: I think high school was relatively stressful. But before that, I
never felt stressed out.
W: So what did you usually do when you were in high school?
J: Usually, in high school I just went to school and I would not do
much homework coz I could get away with it so I would still do well on the
test.
W: Really, you are smart.
J: Thank you. But in college I would keep up homework much better
for the test. In average day, I try to wake up early and take a shower and make
breakfast for 1 hour (it depends how much time I have).
W: How many classes did you take when you were in high school?
J: You mean in Minnesota or Alabama , coz I did high school 1 year in Alabama
W: What about in Minnesota
J: In Minnesota
W: What about Alabama
J: In Alabama Minnesota
is about 40-minute or 50-minute long and each class in Alabama
W: So which class is your favorite?
J: In Minnesota
W: What religious holidays or other cultural events do you or others
celebrate?
J: We celebrate Christmas. And I think Easter is a pretty big
holiday if you are religious, but I am not religious at all. You know Christmas
is a big deal in America
W: Do you have any daily rituals in regards to
your religious beliefs?
J: I don’t have any rituals during a day; I just wake up and…….
W: Are you religious?
J: No, I am not religious at all.
W: Yeah, me, too. So, how would you describe famous sports in your
country?
J: I think football is the most famous sport in America South Africa
W: So what is your favorite sport?
J: Last year I played rugby for a year, so I think probably rugby is
my favorite sport to play. But, for watching, I think football is the most
interesting sport to watch. I am not really watching many sports. I think rugby
is really really fun to play. It is just it is really physical. But it is easy
to get injury when you play rugby so sometimes I think it is not worth it.
W: Wow, that’s really cool. I like football as well.
J: Yeah, it is.
W: Can you describe a typical day for a child in your country?
J: Kids usually have a lot of free time in here I thought. I wake up
in the morning, have breakfast, go to school, after school come home and have
dinner with my family, play toys for a while.
W: You don’t have any homework to do?
J: As a child, not really. I was home-school for second, third and
forth grade. I don’t think we get that much homework for school.
W: Yeah, I have never dream about it. Kids in China
J: That’s bad.
W: Yeah, so, we are done. Thank you very much.
J: You’re welcome.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Prioritized Interview Questions
1. What could SCSU do to make your stay on campus better?
2. Could you tell me a secret about yourself that very few people here know about and that shows us well, who you are and what you stand for?
3. Which country`s food do you like the most? What are the similarities and differences between it and your own culture`s food?
4. What are the typical greetings in your culture and what do they mean?
5. What kind of government is in charge of your home country, how did it affect your life and how has democracy in America been a change?
6. What different modes of transportation are used in your country?
7. At what age do you start school? Are you under a lot of stress in school??
8. What religious holidays or other cultural events do you or others celebrate; can you explain your traditions for each?
8b Do you have any daily rituals in regards to your religious beliefs?
9. How would you describe famous sports in your country?
10.Can you describe a typical day for a child in your country?
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