My First Interview

Preparations: I approached Min Jie after class and asked if she would be willing to let me interview her.  She accepted, and we agreed to meet in the Library at her earliest convenience.

Interview report: The interview went well, we started by making light conversation, which made it a lot easier and more comfortable to talk with each other.

Country Report: Min Jie is from China, specifically Shanghai.  China has the highest population of any country, holding over 1.35 billion people.  China is a Communist nation (led by the Communist Party of China), with Beijing as it's capitol. Unfortunately, with China being so populous and industrial, air pollution has become a serious health concern, especially in urban areas. Being the second largest country by land area, China has a very diverse landscape.  It ranges from forest steppes, deserts, woods, and a wetter southern area.  They also have the fastest growing economy, being the largest exporters and importers of goods to the rest of the world.  China also possesses the world's largest standing army, and is second in spending money on their defense.  Shanghai, specifically, is their China's largest city by population.  Shanghai is also the commercial and financial center of China, and has one of China's best educational systems.

Wikipedia Contributors. N.p.. Web. 27 Oct 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai>.
Wikipedia Contributors, . N.p.. Web. 27 Oct 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China>.

Interview Transcription:

V=Victoria
M=Min Jie

V: So how are you liking the weather in St. Cloud?
M: I don't like the weather. Yeah, it's so cold! My country is warm, so we have no chance to see the snow. When I first came to St. Cloud, I was suprised! So much snow!
V: Did you see the snow yesterday (Sunday)?
M: Oh, yeah. When I worked with my friend, he said "Oh, whats wrong with you? You're always falling down on the floor!" I don't know, it's so slippery! I don't like the winter, I don't like the wind.
V: I'm sorry! I don't have much fun then either. So what do you usually do for fun in your free time?
M: I listen to music, or surf something on the internet. But I never do homework, never do homework on my free time.
V:Could you tell me a little bit about yourself?
M: Okay! So my name is Min Jie, I am twenty years old, and this is my first year at the St. Cloud University. I am a freshman. Do you want to know something about my family?
V: Yeah, definitely!
M: Okay, I have a small size family. My family size includes my mom, my father, and me. I am the only one child in my family.  Most Chinese families have only one child, because of the government policy.
V: How often do you talk to your family back in China?
M: Yeah, we Skype. I phone call my mom once a week. I have a friend, she phone calls every day to her mother. Yeah, every day, sometimes for hours.
V: My roommate does the same thing, she calls her mom every day when she lives about an hour away from her family.
M: *laughs*
V: So what's the biggest holiday in China?
M: It's the Spring Festival, kind of like the American Christmas. To celebrate we have lots of food.  We just stick together and have food.
V: So the holiday celebrates eating together?
M: Yeah.
V: Do you practice any religion? And if you do, do you have any problems practicing it in America?
M: I don't have a religion. So no, it's no problem for me.
V: Could you tell me a little about China?
M: The interesting things or the boring things?
V: Whatever you would like to talk about.
M: Hmm...Culture...I think, uhm. It's not interesting. *laughs* It's true! I don't know, the education was kind of different.
V: How so?
M: The education is very different. The primary school students will take maybe eight hours class every day.
V: And is primary school like elementary school year? Like with 5 year olds and up.
M: Yeah! It's just the Chinese culture.
V: So do they start teaching English in China at a young age? I know some countries do that.
M: Yeah, it's tough though. The grammar is very different.
V: My little sister is trying to learn Japanese, she's having a really tough time with it because the structure is completely different.
M: Oh yes, it's very different.
V: Do you have any goals for your future?
M: I don't think about the goals too much. I just want to learn and get more English skills.  After I graduate, I will go back to China maybe and get high pay. Yeah, that's the goal.
V: So you're just figuring out what you want to do for school right now?
M: Yeah, get past the winter.
V: Hopefully we can survive! Do you have any questions for me at all?
M: I wanted to ask you about your family.
V: I have one sister, she's 15. I really need to call my mom and my dad more though, I'm so bad at calling people! We don't come from a huge city like you, we live in more of a suburb.  Our home is about twenty minutes away from the Twin Cities. Well thank you for talking with me!
M: Yes, thank you