Second Interview

1. Interview Preparations:

There are many different aspects to an interview.  Since this was my second interview I already had a list of questions that I wanted to ask.  However, I changed a few of them because their wording was confusing.  The majority of the questions remained the same.  Susan Lu introduced me to another person she knew from China named De Jian Tao.  This interview took place at the same place as my previous interview.

The day before the interview was to be conducted, I charged my laptop and tested the program that would record the interview.  I also made copies of my revised questions and reviewed them.

When I arrived at the interview, I set up my laptop. De Jian Tao arrived and I introduced myself and again explained why I was conducting this interview.  I made sure the microphone on the laptop was pointing towards him.  We began to talk about his day.  This opening was similar to my first interview  After a few minutes I asked him where he was from. While asking the remainder of the questions, I tried to incorporate them in an order that made sense to where the previous question had left off.

Following the interview I wrote the transcript. The program I was using broke the audio into five minutes sections. I used the same process that I had used to write the transcript for my first interview.  I began with the first section. While the audio was playing I typed what was being said.  After a few seconds I would replay what was previously said once or twice to make sure everything that was said was typed.  This process was repeated many times throughout each section of the interview. 


2. Interview Report:
         On February 18, 2010, I interviewed De Jian Tao. He is an international student from China. The interview lasted approximately 35 minutes.  I feel that the interview went very well.  De Jian Tao was very open.  He answered every question openly and without hesitation.

One of the questions I asked was about relationships.  The response I got surprised me.  My first objective was to learn about a new culture.  In the interview, like the previous one, I learned a lot.  However, in the next interview I would like to go more in depth.  Another objective I had was to conduct a successful interview that obtains good information.  I feel that I reached this objective, but there is always room for improvement.  I am open to feedback that will help improvement my interviews.  The next objective that I have was to learn types of experiences international students have had in the United States so far and whether of not they have been positive.

I also thought that the part of the interview where we talked about sports was very interesting. Some sports that are popular in China are not very popular in the United States. De Jian Tao's seemed very interested in talking about sports.  I feel that I improved during this interview.  However, the ending to this interview was not as good as the previous interview.  I plan to improve this by thinking ahead of time for ways to end the interview.

3. Country Report:

         China is located in eastern Asia and is home to 1,330,141,295 as of July 2010 according to the World Factbook. China has unique climates, an interesting form of government, a changing economy, and rich history.

         Firstly, China is slightly smaller then the United States with concern to area. From the U.S. Department of State, China has 9,596,961 square kilometers which makes it the fourth largest country in the world. A few of the natural resources that China has include coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, lead and zinc. The climate varies between north, central, south, and northwest China. In northern China the winters can be extremely cold and the summers bring a lot of rain. In central China the summers are humid and the winters can become as cold as northern China. While the south receives typhoons in the summer and the winters tend to be short. Lastly, northwest China has hot, dry summers with little rain and the winters severely cold.

         Next, the form of government for the People’s Republic of China is the Communist Party. China’s capital is Beijing. According to The World Factbook, China received their independence on October 1st, 1949. This day has become a national holiday in China.
      
         Like almost every other country, China’s economy is constantly changing. “In 2010 China became the world’s largest exporter.” (The World Factbook) This shows that China is working to expand their economy, especially since they have changed their economy to be market-oriented. China has been striving to play a more major role in the global economy.

         China is full of rich history and many traditions that have been passed on from generation to generation. Unlike the United States, China is an ancient civilization and country. They have thousands of years of history that has helped for the country China is today. They strive to remember and practice ancient Chinese myths and cultural traditions in their everyday lives.

         Essentially, China has a very rich history that has been growing for thousands of years. They also have a booming economy and a Communist Party as government. China is also a fairly large country with many natural resources.


"CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html

"China." U.S. Department of State. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. http://www.state.gov/p/eap/ci/ch/
"China's Climate." China Travel Tour Guide - China Travel Guide, Information & Tips. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. http://www.china-travel-tour-guide.com/about-china/index.shtml




4. Transcription

N: Where in China are you from?
D: I am from very south of China Kuangon just near Hong Kong.

N: Is it a big city?

D: No my city is small

N: What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the united States?

D: It was not that hard. I think the hardest thing was more economic.

N: Why did you decide to come to SCSU instead of staying at a college in China?

D: I think because of my major. My major is graphic design and compare US and China, here people study and learn here they can get more idea and new ideas in graphic design and i want to improve myself that way and also improve my English.

N: How does the climate in your home country compare to here?

D: Its totally in my city it is very hot and no winter and maybe sometimes just windy. No snow this is my favorite snow here.

N: Do you like the snow?

D: Yup i like the snow its just pretty cold then.

N: What have been some big cultural differences you have seen?

D: I think its the food. the food here is very different. i don't like it american food

N: What do you not like about it?

D: Everyday it is the same thing like pizza sandwiches and hamburgers. another thing is here is kind of a global family they are from different country and they have different skin and speak different language most of them

N: Who takes care of the finances in your family?

D: My father.

N: Is that common?

D: Its common cause maybe this type of thing is different from here between China. Normally until we are 20 or 22 the father will take care of the finances

N: At what age do men and women spend private time and at what age do they consider marriage?

D: I don't really know. for the men are around 27 and the women are around 22 to 23.

N: Are the men always older?

D: Ya its kind of a law.

N: Are your parents involved in who you date?

D: For my parents they don't care. my family is very opening and they can share idea about each other. if i want to date someone i can talk to my family and they will give me some ideas.

N: What experiences with racism have you had since have come to the United States?

D: No but I have in japan an England.

N: Like when you traveled there?

D: Ya I did like Japan and England and another part of China

N: Are they just not as open there?

D: Some of them they are just not as open. it is very different here.

N: What do you guys do for fun on the weekends in china?

D: For boys they boys play computer games and online. its the same as here. Sometimes chinese boys have broken up with their girlfriend. young boys say they don't have a mind to control. another thing that is more popular they go to KTV its kind of like a bar where they sit there with friends and can sing a song. its called karaoke. you can order a popular song and sing it with friends. Its very cheap and popular.

N: Have you been to a different state since you have been here?

D: I have been to Chicago. ya it is a big city really big. i went to big square the center part I think. I also went to the very tall building and the floor and a part of it is invisible.

N: Are the houses similar here to China?

D: They are very different. I know here the houses are built by wood. In China it is different. There the houses are tall and a lot of people live there. If you go there it may seem kind of crazy. Because of the big population we do not have room for one house then one house then one house. So we have to live in an apartment and tall buildings. But rich people prefer to live in house. Their houses are located in the suburbs. The tradition in China is to not have carpet. They don't really like it, but I like it. It isn't that good quality there. The wives don't really like to clean it and they like to be really clean.

N: What kind of floors do you have then?

D: Mostly we have wood or tile. People use expensive. In some times the wood is very expensive. They get it to show how much money they have in their family. Its different from in America. I think here people care about detail. Here it looks wow cool and very nice, but in China it is not like that.

N: Also the clothes made in China are different. The clothes sold are less quality but they are made from the same factory. the better quality sell in america and the second hand quality are sold in China.

D: Do you have a job here?

N: I want to have an on campus job, but my schedule is not fit for the requirement to work there. I'm not going to make money here i just want a social security number so i can get an iphone without a deposit. I don't have a credit card here. If I want a phone we need to pay more then 500 to get the iphone for a deposit. That cell phone is too expensive for me. One year you can get some money back. You can also use a phone from China but you have to buy a syme card.

N: What kind of sports are popular in China?

D: The NBA is really popular, but when you come America likes Football and Hockey and Lacrosse. When I was here I went to a baseball game but I only knew some of the rules but its not very clear. In my old school like high school we did not have baseball on campus.

N: Did you have any sports on campus?

D: Just basketball, soccer, volleyball, and ping pong. Baseball is not popular.

N: What sports are popular for people to play professionally?

D: Soccer but we watch a lot of NBA in China. When are athletes are in China they are really strong but when they come to play in the United States they are not the strongest one comported to other people.

N: Do you have pets in China?

D: I use to have one when I was here. I use to have a rabbit. The landlord said that you can't have rabbits so I brought my rabbit back to the pet store, it was really sad. But I don't have pets in China, My mother did not like pets. Also my father didn't. They think they make too much noise especially in the middle of the night.

N: What do you like to do here on the weekends for fun?

D: I have gone to a lot a places with friends such as the Mall of America and Valley Fair.

N: That sounds like fun I hope you get to do all of the stuff here that you would like too.