Describe the preparations
My preparations for my second interview were pretty minimal. I had the questions already picked out from my last interview, and just reprinted them off my computer. I used the same recorder from my first interview, so I was pretty set. I talked to Tiffney in class and she set me up with one of her friends. We decided to meet in the library on Friday at three. I liked the way I had things set up for my first one, so I tried not to change things. Overall I left things set up the same way as the first one.
How did you approach people?
Tiffney helped me out by asking one of her friends if I could interview her. This worked out really well and I’m really glad at Tiffney helped me out.
When, where, and how did you conduct and record the interview?
I did my interview Friday, March 18th in the library. We went up to the third floor and found a spot where no one was at. I conducted the interview in a very casual way. My interviewee was very nice and things went smooth.
Whom did you interview?
He Yan
Describe the interview. What did surprise you?
The interview was actually really fun. I got a lot of information from Yan and she was very open in answering my questions. Things went very smooth and often she was answering my questions without me having to ask them. The library was a nice place to interview because I think my interviewee was comfortable there, yet it was hard not to disturb people and to be quiet. What surprised me was how awesome Yan was. I thought she’d be really shy, but she was very willing to share information which helped me a lot. Another thing that really surprised me was that I could tell how much better things went from the first one. I wasn’t a rookie at it anymore, so I kind of knew what was coming. Overall this was a very good experience.
Transcribe the interview
Chris: Are you sure it’s ok if I record this? It’s a requirement for the class.
Yan: Yes that is ok.
Chris: Well these are the questions I’m going to ask. I don’t normally go in order, but just so you have a copy.
Yan: Ok, Thank you.
Chris: Well why don’t we start with what your name is and where your form.
Yan: My Yan, I come from the south part of china. It’s called quen en its nearby quan Joe. It’s in the middle land of china. The weathers warm. I come hunes province, I come from the middle of hunen, it’s a small city, and it’s called loe dee.
Chris: How many people live there?
Yan: Like five million.
Chris: How many people are in your family?
Yan: Three, I live with my parents. I’m the only kid in my family. I also have a grandpa and grandparents, but they live in another place. They live in my city, but in a different house.
Chris: What are your parents’ names?
Yan: My parents’ chines names are, my dad is called Hu Te Gua, and my mom is called Hufam.
Chris: How old are they?
Yan: My dad was born in 1958 my mom was born in 1962.
Chris: So they’re pretty close to the same age?
Yan: Yes.
Chris: You have a lot of cousins?
Yan: No not too much, I have a one cousin from my dad. My dad has four sisters. So they also have like one two kids. My mom has four younger sisters; they also have only one kid.
Chris: Does your family get together at all?
Yan: In the big celebration like spring fest tiver, like big holidays we get together and eat lunch and talk about what’s going on these days.
Chris: So what are your big holidays?
Yan: Spring fest tiver. It’s like Christmas. Looks like Christmas. It’s the chines year, end of the year. It’s like the last day.
Chris: So do you guys celebrate New Year’s too?
Yan: Yeah, Usually with celebration spring fest tiver like young generation likes to celebrate in the New Year.
Chris: So it’s like different generations celebrate different times?
Yan: Yes.
Chris: Does your family have any other traditions you do every year together?
Yan: In china we have a lot of holidays, and we celebrate every big holiday. Moon fest tivers, spring fest tivers, New Year.
Chris: Whats moon fest tiver?
Yan: it’s a traditional holiday. This holiday has like five thousand year old history, so it’s very very old.
Chris: So what’s some of the history of it?
Yan: This holiday is to remember one person. He is very famous and he lives a thousand years ago. He wanted to build new china, but because at that time Chinas policy he was against the oldest policy. He was killed by the king.
Chris: So you celebrate that every year?
Yan: Yeah, actually every time the moon is the biggest of the whole year. It’s called moon fest tiver. It’s at the same time every year.
Chris: So what at these celebrations do you guys do for fun?
Yan: We eat moon cake, because in the history of china the people think that the moon has some annuity, or some power to transfer to the people. So we eat this cake in the shape of a moon, and it’s called moon cake.
Chris: Is it good?
Yan: No, for me it’s to sweetie it’s like cheese cake probable.
Chris: So what else do you do for fun?
Yan: I like to watch T.V. or movie with my friends. Normally the girls like to shop online, and the boys usually play online games. Always play online games. Like all day all night whole semester, whole winter vacation, whole spring break all the time. They don’t need sleep, they just play their games.
Chris: So what do you like to shop for?
Yan: Clothes, shoes, hat.
Chris: So you buy all your stuff online or you go to stores too?
Yan: All of my stuff comes from stores, but sometimes I buy something from internet, but the clarity is not good. The picture looks good, but actually the clarity is not good. But it’s cheaper, so we prefer to do it online.
Chris: Do you like to travel at all? Have you traveled anywhere else?
Yan: America is my first country ever. I never went to another country. When I came to America I went to Seattle, los Vegas, Miami, Chicago to visit my friends.
Chris: So did you travel there for fun?
Yan: I went to see my friends, and Miami to visit beach and sea. In my life that is my first time sort of beach and sea.
Chris: Did you go back to any beaches in Miami?
Yan: I went to north beach and south beach. It was a lot of fun, and I like sea food. I like Spanish sea food. I got sunburnt when I went swimming in the city. I didn’t use any sun cream. I bought that but when I went to the airport they said I couldn’t bring the lotion over the three ounces, so because of that it threw my sun cream. I think maybe the sun wasn’t very strong. It very very hurt. And I couldn’t fall asleep. I went back home and some part is black, some part is red, some white, but two months later it was all better.
Chris: What’s the climate like where you’re from?
Yan: The temperature is like forty all year round. We have four clear seasons. Spring, winter, autumn, and summer. We have four very clear seasons.
Chris: The temp gets warmer the forty in the summer?
Yan: In the summer the temperature gets over the one hundred.
Chris: Within your family who takes care of the finances?
Yan: My mom, but my dad earns the money and my mom does the finance.
Chris: Is this something that’s traditionally a male role?
Yan: Like twenty years ago the man takes care of the money. My parents’ generation when they married, my mom always controlled the money. For our generation the girl always does. The man is responsible to earn the money, because in chines culture we think the male has a lot of money they will go looking for the new girl. Because they have enough money to spend for new girl. So we have to control the money.
Chris: What does your dad do for a living?
Yan: My dad is the chief for a government organization for communicating china to another country.
Chris: So what time does he normally work at?
Yan: Nine to twelve, then again at three to five. This is very stable work time.
Chris: Do chines people eat their biggest meal at lunch?
Yan: Yes.
Chris: What’s something that chines people eat all the time?
Yan: China is big so different parts have different habits. In my city usually we eat the spicy food. Very very spicy food, huge spicy.
Chris: So what’s something you normally eat that’s spicy?
Yan: Green peppers very very small green peppers. Those are spicy.
Chris: So you like spicy food?
Yan: Yeah I like spicy food; I cook by myself down here. I don’t hate American food, I just don’t like because no spicy, and don’t like cheese because cheese can make me fat. You know all girls like to control their weight. So I cook rice, and some soup.
Chris: What kinds of sports are popular in china?
Yan: Soccer for boys, and basketball. And for girl, we stay at home, we don’t like sports. You know these days we have to keep clean and control our weight, so sometimes we work out, go to the gym, or do some exercise.
Chris: When did you first come over here?
Yan: 2010.
Chris: So what did you study first?
Yan: I went to English intensive center.
Chris: And that was where?
Yan: Building 51.
Chris: So you’re like new here?
Yan: Yeah
Chris: What are you going to major in?
Yan: Marketing.
Chris: Do you think you’ll find a job? Or do you think it’ll be hard?
Yan: I choose marketing because I believe it is better than mass communication. Because I want to stay here two or three years to get some work experience after I graduate then go back to china. Because if I have America work experience it is easier to get a good job in china. If I just get America education then go back to china I might not be able to get a good job, because a lot of people are starting go to go America to get an education instead of staying in china. I want to live in china though because my parents.
Chris: So what kind of government does china have?
Yan: Communist.
Chris: What’s the guy’s name?
Yan: Que Te Hau.
Chris: He’s the only one who runs the government?
Yan: Yeah.
Chris: Before you came here what did you think about the United States before you came here?
Yan: Actually, it’s not any different. I think it’s not different then what I thought before I came here. Before I came here I though America was freedom and the communist won’t be here. I thought it was more casual. When I came here and talked to American people this is not any different. They are very friendly, and when I work at first it was strange. Everyone say hello to me but I don’t know him. So I think do I know him? Then I go no I do not know him. Why did he say hello to me? What happened? Because this does not happen in china. Some people say hello to me and if he or she doesn’t know me I think maybe him or she is crazy.
Chris: So when you first came here you thought everyone was crazy?
Yan: Yeah, because I was a little bit confused. I think why did he say hello to me. When I go to class everyone open the door and I have to say thank you or something, but in china this does not happen. I think here I can feel more comfortable more freedom and more friendly.
Chris: Is there anything else different between the cultures?
Yan: Yeah, a lot. When I walk on the street if there’s cars they will stop and look to make sure no other cars are coming. In china everyone wants to go first, so they just go. I think here the people are more honest. I can easily have a friend.
Chris: Did you meet a lot of people then?
Yan: Yeah.
Chris: So you haven’t even been here a whole year?
Yan: Yeah almost one year.
Chris: You staying here this summer too?
Yan: Yeah I stay here almost a whole year and a half.
Chris: Do you have summer classes?
Yan: Yeah I take English intensive class.
Chris: How many days a week you have that?
Yan: Everyday, it keeps me pretty busy. But I still have time for fun. The biggest thing here that can happen is I fail the class. In China University, you can you cell phone to text during class. We just don’t disturb teacher, the teacher will ignore you. If you don’t pass the class you just don’t disturb the teacher and you will be fine. So for class you do the homework and the final exam and you can pass the class.
Chris: So do guys play video games during class too?
Yan: No we can’t, we can just test secretly, under the chair or under the table. You can sleep on the class and you don’t have to pay attention to what the teacher say in the class. Here it’s different we have a lot of small quizzes. We cannot sleep on the class. We have to listen to what the teacher says, and do homework every day. In china it’s totally different.
Chris: So if you keep your grade up the teacher won’t worry about you?
Yan: Yeah. You know in china I use to study in a university to get my bachelor’s degree, but like I just went to the library like ten times to study.
Chris: You come here a lot?
Yan: Yeah, every night to do homework.
Chris: Do your friend’s do anything fun on the weekend?
Yan: Sometime we watch a movie, or sometimes we go Waite Park, and sometime we’ll go shopping, or cash wise to get some food.
Chris: So do you guys have cars down here?
Yan: No we take the bus. The winter is the hardest time for us. Because we have a lot of heavy food and we have to take it on the bus and it’s really heavy. There’s just no way.
Chris: How do you carry all your stuff?
Yan: One hand has a least three bags. That must be hard. Yes very hard.
Chris: Where do you live?
Yan: Fifth Ave.
Chris: Do you live with tiffany?
Yan: Yeah.
Chris: So what buss do you take to get food?
Yan: We have to first go to the library to take university live to go downtown, then we take west side, for twenty minutes to go to cash wise, and we take the bus to go back downtown. Then take university live to get back home.
Chris: Must be kind of a head ach?
Yan: Yes it is.
Chris: So you live with just tiffany?
Yan: No, that other girl too, and one more.
Chris: You guys have house?
Yan: No, Four bedroom apartment.
Chris: Is it pretty nice?
Yan: Yeah, sometime you can come to our apartment and we can cook for you. We make very very spicy chines food. I have to American friends and when they come over to eat our food they have tears because it is so spicy. I feel sorry to them because too spicy.
Chris: So do you and your roommates get along pretty well?
Yan: Yeah we do, we look out for each other, but when it comes to moving heavy furniture it is very difficult.
Chris: Does china have a lot of racisms like here in America?
Yan: Kind of, but it’s more of a racist toward people of different cities.
Chris: So how can you tell?
Yan: How people pronounce. We have different languages. Different pronunciations and I can tell where people come from. So people think they’re better than some people if there from a larger city.
Chris: What are Chinas major things in their economy?
Yan: In china the most popular job has become the officer in government. For girl it’s stable and high benefit, and high salary. The boys normally pray to have their own business, so they can have money. China is more developing and the rich people are becoming richer while the poor people are becoming poorer, so everyone wants to earn the money. For me I want to marry a boy he needs to be able to support me, support our family, can earn a lot of money, better then poor people. Because of that chines boys want to have their own business, get very excellent job.
Chris: Is it harder for girls to get jobs than boys?
Yan: Yeah, Actually we won’t have a good job. We don’t need to support the family. This is the boy’s job. Like we just like doing something. Do some kind of easy job, just so we can support ourselves.
Chris: What does your mom do?
Yan: My mom works in the number one middle school in my city.
Chris: So she’s a teacher?
Yan: No she’s an accountant.
Chris: So how many people go there?
Yan: Like three thousand.
Chris: What age does education start at?
Yan: Because that school is middle school and high school together. In china high school and middle school are normally together. From middle school we start at twelve years old.
Chris: So you have a younger school too?
Yan: Yeah the kids start there at age six.
Chris: Do you guys have to learn another language before you graduate?
Yan: We just learn English.
Chris: What are you starting learning English at?
Yan: A long long time ago, but I’m not as good of a student so I didn’t learn well. I know some. In china we don’t work on speaking and listening, we work on grammar and vocabulary, so sometimes I can write excellent but I can’t write well because I only worked on my speech here. We don’t have too many native speaking chines teacher. So sometimes our English is Chin-Glish. Chines and English together. And we didn’t learn slang. We never learned anything about this. So when I came here and people talked slang I had no idea what they were talking about.
Chris: What made you decide to come here to SCSU rather than other schools?
Yan: My uncle and aunt live in the cities in Minneapolis, actually I want to go to the U but I didn’t get good enough grades. I still want to go to the U because I think it is better.
Chris: So where do your uncle and aunts live down there?
Yan: Minneapolis down town.
Chris: Do you go visit them?
Yan: O yes, I have to uncles and one aunt that live in Minneapolis.
Chris: Well that’s really all the questions I have. Do you have any questions for me?
Yan: No
Chris: Well thank you very much it means a lot to me that you helped to out like this.
Yan: Yes no problem.
Culture Report
China
Every country has something that they’re known for, something that makes them stand out from everyone else. China is no different; they are the most populated country in the world.1 As of July 2011, China had over 1.3 billion people.1 Also, In 2010 China became the world’s largest exporter.1 One would think that a country with so many people would struggle to fill the needs of everyone. This is kind of the opposite of who China is. When I look at the statistics of China I can’t help but to notice that they are top ten, or lead many areas. Actually, come to think of it, they are the whole package. They are the fourth largest nation in the world, lead the world in population, labor force, current account balance, internet users, exports the list goes on.1 Not to mention they are top ten in an endless amount of catigories.1 This is amazing to me. It’s one thing for a country to lead one or two categories, but China blows everyone out of the water. If China was a sports team overall they would be ranked number one. I would challenge anyone to try and find another country to come close to leading as many categories as China does.
Countries don’t become powerful just out of luck, normally it’s a proses that takes a very long time, and very thoughtful planning. China economy is one of the reasons why they can lead many categories. Chances are if you want something China makes it. Their economy ranges from clothing and toy cars to space satellites and military weapons.2 This is a huge benefit to a nations if they don’t have to solely rely on one export. Yet, the backbone of Chinas economy lies in its rice crops grown in rural China.2 This part of China reminds me a lot of the United States and their farming. It’s necessary for a powerful country to have a backbone like Chinas rice crops. Deng Xiaoping also played a huge role in helping in China’s rise.1 When he took over Deng concentrated on market-oriented economics this made Chinas economy quadruple.1 It’s astonishing to think that one guy could have such an impact on a Country. Overall China is a nation that many countries today are looking to for ideas on how to become successful.
References
1.CIA, Initials. (n.d.). China. Retrieved from http://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/goes/countrytemplate_ch.html
2. UNICEF, Initials. (n.d.). China. Retrieved from http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/88330
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