Hannah Motschke
Eng 191 Sec 21
China Report
China is located in the eastern part of Asia. It is a very large country, and is one of the most populated areas on earth. Because of the considerable population, the “One-Child Policy” was implemented by the government in 1979. “This policy states that families are permitted to only have one child.”1 Due to China’s great mass, it encompasses a variety of different landforms, climates and natural resources. China also shares borders with many different countries. “The official language of China is Mandarin; however, only about 53% of the population speaks Mandarin.”1 There are many other dialects spoken throughout the country.
Buddhism is a major religion that is practiced in China. However, there are other religions present in the country including Christianity. The communist government in China has tried to deter people from religious practices; therefore, much of the population say they are a part of a religion but do not practice it regularly.
China is controlled by a communist government. The government is divided into three branches including the National People’s Congress, the president and the state council. Hu Jinato is the current president of the country.
Education is a very important facet of life in China. The Chinese people take education very seriously, including with children. “Chinese take children education very seriously since they know that a person's personality is mould in the early childhood.”2 The people work hard to graduate and find a steady, high paying job in which they can provide for themselves and give back money to their parents. Chinese citizens are required to attend school for nine years. Schooling starts in preschool, continues through elementary and high school and finally ends at the university level. Students have to take a national entrance exam before being accepted into a university. Students can choose whether they want to focus their studies in the area of math and sciences or art.
Cuisine is another essential part of the Chinese lifestyle. Cooking styles can be divided into northern and southern styles. According to a Chinatown Connection article on “Chinese Cooking,” pasta is a staple food ingredient in the North while in the South rice is a primary ingredient of dishes.3
1http://asianhistory.about.com/od/china/p/ChinaProfile.htm 10/20/09
2 http://www.index-china.com/index-english/education-s.htm 10/22/09
3http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese_style_cooking.htm 10/20/09
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Interview 1
Hannah Motschke
Eng 191 Sec 21
Interview Report
To prepare for the interview, I created potential questions to ask the interviewee. The questions were open ended and designed to encourage conversation. Some examples of my questions were: “How is the lifestyle in your country different from the lifestyle in the U.S?”, and “Do you feel the St. John’s University professors are supportive and willing to provide sufficient assistance with the contents of the class curriculum considering English is your second language?’’ I also looked at my classmates’ questions they posted on their blogs to obtain more ideas and topics for conversation. In an effort to organize and plan the steps of the interview, I created objectives. The objectives provided me with clear guidelines of what my interview process should entail such as creating questions, recording the interview and writing a paper. I do not own any devices to audio record the interview, so I arranged to use my friends Mac computer to record the interview. The computer had both video and audio recording capabilities. Through email, I also arranged with the interviewee to conduct the interview in a quiet area of an apartment.
I do not have many connections with international students; therefore, I found my interviewees through friends. I have a friend who attends St. John’s University. He is physics major and has many international students in his classes. He was very helpful and acquainted me with a few of his international classmates. Through email, I contacted the first international student, Hao, and explained to him that for my global communications class I am required to do three interviewees with international students. I asked if he would be willing to partake in an interview with me. I explained that the interview would last about 30 min and that he would be conversing with me about his home country, his reasons for coming to the United States, ect. Fortunately, Hao responded and was very willing to meet and talk with me. We arranged to meet the following week to perform the interview.
On Thursday, October 22 at 8:30pm Hao and I met at our mutual friend’s apartment. Before the interview, I made sure the computer was set up to record and that two chairs were placed in the interviewing room. When Hao arrived, I shook his hand and thanked him for giving me the opportunity to interview him. We then went upstairs, in a quiet area of the apartment, to conduct the interview. I again explained to Hao the purpose of the interview. I told him it would be very laid back, basically like having a conversation with me about his country and lifestyle back home. I gave him a copy of the questions I had prepared for the interview, but I told him that they were just a guide and I may not follow them. I then asked him if it would be okay to audio record the interview. I explained to him that my professor required that the class record the interviews so that we could later transcribe them. After making sure Hao was comfortable, I started the recorder and began asking him questions. I made sure to give Hao time to think and to talk. I also tried not to interrupt him as he was providing his answers.
My first interviewee’s name is Hao Lei. He is from Chengdu which is located in the southwestern part of China. It is a very large metropolitan city with a population of about 10 million people. Hao lived in China his whole life before coming to the United States two years ago to attend St. John’s University. His family still lives back in China; however, his step brother, who is the same age, came to the U.S. to also attend St. John’s. Before coming to the United States, Hao did not speak English fluently. He states he knew phrases like “Hi my name is…” and “How are you?” but he was not able to hold a conversation. Hao said he learned English by being fully immersed into the culture and by being forced to speak the language. Hao is a very intelligent young man. He enjoys studying and learning about subjects related to math and science. He is currently a math and physics major at St. John’s. Hao hopes to get a job in the related field after he graduates in two years. He is indecisive as to whether he wants to find a job in the U.S. or move back to China.
When we were assigned the interview project, I was very nervous. I did not know any international students I could interview. After talking with my friend from St John’s and arranging an interviewee from his major, I felt relieved; however, I was still anxious about conducting the interview. To prepare for the interview, I created potential questions I could ask, wrote objectives for the interview and took some time to research information about China. I made sure to keep in contact with the interviewee through email to make sure he knew what time and where we were meeting.
On the day of the interview, I made a copy of the questions for the interview so I could give a print to Hao. I read through them many times to make sure I was familiar with them. I tried to think of other questions I might ask during the interview to branch off of the ones I had already thought of. When the time of the interview came, I felt very nervous. I had the interview room set up with two chairs and the computer ready to record. I tried to stay calm when Hao came. I started off by introducing myself and thanking him for coming. I, again, explained to him the purpose of the interview and that it was for a global communications class.
As we started the interview and I began asking questions, I felt more relaxed. I focused on displaying proper body language by not fidgeting, giving Hao time to talk and feeling comfortable if there was a moment of silence. To my surprise, the interview process was a very enjoyable experience. It felt as if I was having a natural conversation with a person I had just met. I was impressed with how open Hao was in his responses to my questions. He never just gave me one word responses. He always expanded on the topic and answered my questions thoroughly. The part of the interview that I found most interesting was when Hao explained the Chinese family life and how the children work very hard to pay back their mother and father for the support they receive during childhood. The whole interview process was a moving experience for me because it helped me appreciate cultural differences and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and converse with an international student.
Hannah Motschke
ENG 191 Sec 21
Interview Transcript
(Interview 1)
Hao Lei
China
10/22/09
H: Hannah (Interviewer)
I: Interviewee
H: Alright, so, what country are you from?
I: China.
H: China
H: And where in China?
I: Southwestern China. There’s a city called Chengdu there are 10 million people. It’s a city, very nice.
H: A lot bigger than here.
I: Yes, probably three times bigger than Minneapolis, I guess. A lot of tall buildings and places to go.
H: So when did you come to the U.S.?
I: Two years ago, yes two years ago.
H: Just specifically to go to school at Saint John’s?
I: Yes.
H: Or for...
I: Yeah, but I took language in the University of St. Thomas, for like three months, and that wasn’t very helpful, actually I didn’t learn a lot. But when I first came hear I could say “hello,” “what’s your name,” “how are you,” and my English was really bad.
H: So you never, did you take English back in China or not?
I: Uh, I, yes I took English back home but the education there was not qualified for studying abroad in the United States you know? The English level was really low and I was like bottom of my class you know?
H: Wow.
I: So I was pretty good at like math and physics probably because that’s my major.
H: Uh huh.
I: That stuff, but my English was like, well wasn’t really good I guess, so I’m not really good at linguistic stuff.
H: So was it scary coming here, like thinking that you didn’t know a lot of English, or were you just…
I: Sort of, yeah, sort of scary. I think. There was a lot of culture shock.
H: Oh I’m sure.
I: Yes.
H: So what do you think is, not the main difference but how is the lifestyle from here different then.
I: Lifestyle.
H: In China.
I: Before I came here, I never experienced a place like this, there is only a college and you cannot really do anything.
H: Oh yeah.
I: Because see there is a lot of stuff to do.
H: Uh huh.
I: But it’s quite the same, the reason is that when we were in high school we studied a lot, you know, every day. We didn’t have time to, even in the cities where living is nice.
H: Yeah.
I: All the place to go but we just didn’t have time.
H: Yeah you focus on school?
I: Yes, we stay in. Stay, you know, at school for a whole day, over like 12 hours.
H: Wow.
I: Yes, we start from 7:30a.m. to 10:00 at night.
H: That’s such a long day!
I: Yes. You only have one hour for lunch, and one hour for, one half hour for lunch and one hour for dinner. And there are ten minute intervals between each class.
H: Wow.
I: So each class really has 14 min.
H: So you just go class boom, boom, boom.
I: Yes, five classes in the morning, four classes in the afternoon and two longer period classes at night.
H: And they are just like general reading and math classes? Or how do have that many classes?
I: There are like I guess seven subjects. You can either choose linguistics or science.
H: So you can choose what area…
I: Yes, you have to decide when you are in your second year of high school. We only have three years for high school.
H: So education is taken a lot more seriously would you say?
I: Like in China we view education as a job when we are in high school. In China we think going to school is part of our very important thing to do. It is part of our job. But here when you were in high school is just part of… it is not mandatory you know.
H: It is kind of a sluff time.
I: Yeah.
H: Do you do sports in high school? Are there different parts of high school or do you just mainly focus on academics?
I: Basically if you want to join a professional sports team in high school you are just going to kill tons of your time. Kill tons of your time and you basically can’t do well, no. There is no chance you can do well in academics.
H: So younger kids, even in elementary school, do they have that long of days?
I: In elementary school right now they have a ranking system. You know after you take a test you are ranked.
H: In elementary school?
I: Yes, in elementary school. There is a huge competition in China. Even if you graduate at a top university in China you still can not find a job.
H: Wow, just because there are that many people?
I: Yes there are a lot of people. There are a lot of people without employment. It’s just kind of crazy. The unemployment rate is not that high, but there are a lot of people who graduated from universities that can not find jobs. The reason is those people tried so hard to get in to a university, ten percent of people go to the university, they try so hard you know and after they graduate they want to find a job with higher payment. The problem is there are not a lot of jobs with the higher payment and they don’t want to go to a restaurant and do some like…
H: Work in the kitchen
I: Yeah and work in the kitchen. You know they are university graduates.
H: They want to make money to pay back their school loans.
I: That’s why a lot of people don’t find jobs. The other reason is they graduate from high school and try so hard while they were in high school. Their parents push them so hard and when they go to a university, they go to different states. We call them provinces. They go to different places and people are like “oh right now parents can not do anything.” They just don’t go to class you know, and skip their classes, play computer games or whatever.
H: And parents can’t…
I: And parents can not do anything. Parents call on the phone and they are like “hey I am doing well” and the parents can not see their transcript either. You can go to whatever company and fake transcripts you know. It is easy for them right?
H: Yeah that is interesting. So do they have public and private universities like they do here?
I: In China?
H: Yeah
I: We do have private and public, but the public universities are the best.
H: The public ones?
I: Yes.
H: And are the public ones more expensive?
I: No.
H: No.
I: Actually the tuition is really cheap. There is a very high qualification to get in.
H: To get into the public ones.
I: Yeah to get into the public ones. Most of the universities are public ones and there are only a few, one or two percent of the universities are private and those universities are not very good. Those universities are founded for students who can not go to the public university. They pay tons of money to go to the private university.
H: Ok so they are actually more expensive?
I: Because you think about it actually and professors want to work at a public university because it is easier for them to become popular. They want to teach more students, do more research, and get more resources from the government.
H: And they can do that at a public university rather than a private one. So that is kind of like the opposite of here. I mean, well, public are not bad, but a lot of people go to the private ones because they think they will get a better education.
I: Yes.
H: How would you say like family life in China is? I don’t know if you have really experienced family life here, but just from your observation how is it different?
I: Family life, it is really different actually. Let’s talk about this first though. You know China is a community. The whole society is based on a community.
H: On a community?
I: Yes. The states are based on the individual. It is right on the constitution. It is opposite.
H: Very true.
I: But, people in the United States are more considered like a community. People in China are more considered like individuals. They try to pursue a different thing. At St. John’s we consider being a community much more than individualism. We are talking about community everyday like in the Benedictine values. In China, people want to be individuals. It is totally opposite, you know.
H: Yeah so we are known as one thing but…
I: Yes the individual. Yes, I think in both societies the individual and the co value of the society are just opposite. They are the opposite direction. So in China the family life…… Like in my family we are very connected. I think because of the influence of Confucius that still sticks in our minds, we think supporting the family is a very important part of our lives. In China, a lot of people do not believe in God or Christianity. In Christianity people think that the gods give birth to children not the moms and dads, but in China people view your life is given by your mother. So you have to pay back.
H: Family is very important.
I: If you don’t support your family, people will be very ashamed. People will talk behind you. They will say “this guy is not a good guy” because of this reason.
H: Do you pay back just by working hard in school and getting a good job?
I: Right now China is kind of money oriented.
H: The economic boom.
I: Yep, you get money, you try hard, you get a good job and buy stuff for your mom. If your mother has an emergency, you try your best to drive her to the hospital. Do things for your family.
H: So it is mostly just focusing on your mom?
I: Both mom and dad. Mom is as important as your dad sometimes. Yeah, but dad always makes the decisions.
H: Like the head of the house?
I: Yes.
H: Is it common to live with extended family like with grandparents, or is it just mostly brothers, sisters, mom and dad?
I: I think it is a trend in China. From my own experience, when I was young, I used to live with my grandparents and my mom and dad. As we get older, we have much more money to buy apartments and houses. We want to live alone. It depends on the situation though. Right now, my grandpa got sick so he is living in our house. He is sleeping in my bed.
H: Because you’re not there.
I: Yep. I’m not there and my parents have to take care of him so I think it depends on the situation. But as I said before, people trying to be independent individuals do not want to stick together.
H: They want to be themselves.
I: But the mind set of taking care of the parents is still sticking in their minds. So when a family member gets sick or needs help, they will try their best to help.
H: How did you pick St. John’s out of any university in the U.S.?
I: How did I pick St. John’s? Basically for me I applied at a bunch of schools and at some schools I didn’t get any scholarships. For example, Carlton I didn’t get any scholarships or at Stanford either. I didn’t know what I was going to do and my English was really bad so that was one of the reasons the schools didn’t give me scholarships. I did a great job on the tests and participated in a lot of national competitions in China with math and psychics stuff and did a pretty good job. So that is why a lot the schools accepted me but they didn’t give me scholarships because my English was bad. I was not qualified and I understand, but St. Johns was… I don’t know why, but they gave me the most money. I found out it was a great place and that is why I came here.
H: Did you visit here before you came?
I: No
H: No, so it was a total culture shock. They took you out to the wilderness.
I: Yes, it is a culture shock I guess. I think it’s cool.
H: Do you like the American culture or what is your feeling on it?
I: Oh I like it. I mean I learned a lot. A lot of stuff we don’t have and you guys don’t have a lot stuff we have either. I define myself as a bridge person between China and the United States. I always want to make connections. I always want to find out the differences. I also try to combine something together.
H: Yeah, so do think the professors at St. John’s, even if your English isn’t that great and considering you have to learn all of the scientific terms, are more lenient and understanding that English is your second language, or do they just treat you like you are a regular student here? Are they more lenient with grades?
I: No, not really.
H: So you just have to work hard to learn the terms?
I: Yes, you have to work hard to overcome that. I think it is a great thing. A lot of Chinese people are very ambitious and want to overcome this.
H: Yeah.
I: If you just say that because someone’s English is not very good I am going to speak slower, people will actually get mad.
H: Really?
I: Yes.
H: Your English is amazing right now.
I: For example, if you say my English is just kind of bad I guess. People do not want to loss face. Even if they don’t understand you, they still will say “Yes, I do understand you.”
H: Yeah they are not going to….
I: If they do it and find out actually I don’t understand, they probably will not come back. If they do come back, they probably will not ask you the same question directly. They will probably inquire it a little.
H: Make sure they understood it.
I: So I guess, because they don’t want to loose face. They do not want people to look them down.
H: Yeah. That is really cool. Well, thank you. I think I got a lot of good information.
I: Oh yeah.
H: So, thanks a lot.
I: Yeah no problem.
Hannah Motschke
Eng 191 Sec 21
Country Report (China)
China is located in Eastern Asia. It borders 14 different countries and is the third largest country in the world. The geography of China is very diverse consisting of many different landforms such as mountains, plains, and basins spread throughout areas of desert and jungle. “The official language of China is Mandarin, however, only about 53% of the population speaks Mandarin.”1 Many different languages are spoken in China including: Jin, Hakka, Min and Cantonese. More than 80 different dialects and community languages are employed throughout the country.
China is the most populated area of any country in the world. It has a population of more than 1.3 billion people. Due to the concern of the population growth, the government established the "One-Child Policy" in 1979. “This policy states that families are permitted to only have one child. Couples who have a second child may face forced abortions or sterilization. There are exceptions to the policy for ethnic minorities and rural families”1
The religious beliefs of China are immensely diverse. The three major religions are Buddhism, Taoism and Islam. “Religious leaders and leading organs of the various religious bodies are selected and ordained in accordance with their own regulations.”2 The religions and their organizations are managed independently and are not controlled by the government. However, under the communist government, religion has been downcast in China. Much of the Chinese population is Buddhist or Taoist, but do not practice the ordinances of the religion.
The Chinese government is comprised of the People's Republic of China. It is ruled by a single party, the Communist Party of China. The authority of the People's Republic is divided into three separate branches: The National People's Congress, the president and the state council. Hu Jintao is the current President of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party.
Cuisine is an important aspect of the Chinese culture. It is one of the “Chinese cultural treasures.”3 Depending on the area of the country, northern or southern China, the styles of cooking differ. “Pasta plays an important role in Northern Chinese cooking. While rice and rice products such as rice noodles, rice cakes, and rice congee, are the usual accompaniments to Southern style cooking.”4
Education is another crucial aspect of the Chinese culture. The educational system is run by the government. It is a law that all citizens attend school for at least nine years. “Chinese take children education very seriously since they know that a person's personality is mould in the early childhood.”5 Education starts at the preschool level, then proceeds to six years of primary education, high school, and finally university studies. To be admitted into a university, Chinese citizens have to pass a national college entrance examination. The exam is designed specifically for your area of study, either art or science.
1http://asianhistory.about.com/od/china/p/ChinaProfile.htm 10/20/09
2http://chineseculture.about.com/library/china/whitepaper/blsreligion.htm
10/20/09
3 http://www.chinatoday.com/culture/chinese_food_cuisine.htm 10/22/09
4http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese_style_cooking.htm 10/20/09
5 http://www.index-china.com/index-english/education-s.htm 10/22/09
Eng 191 Sec 21
Interview Report
To prepare for the interview, I created potential questions to ask the interviewee. The questions were open ended and designed to encourage conversation. Some examples of my questions were: “How is the lifestyle in your country different from the lifestyle in the U.S?”, and “Do you feel the St. John’s University professors are supportive and willing to provide sufficient assistance with the contents of the class curriculum considering English is your second language?’’ I also looked at my classmates’ questions they posted on their blogs to obtain more ideas and topics for conversation. In an effort to organize and plan the steps of the interview, I created objectives. The objectives provided me with clear guidelines of what my interview process should entail such as creating questions, recording the interview and writing a paper. I do not own any devices to audio record the interview, so I arranged to use my friends Mac computer to record the interview. The computer had both video and audio recording capabilities. Through email, I also arranged with the interviewee to conduct the interview in a quiet area of an apartment.
I do not have many connections with international students; therefore, I found my interviewees through friends. I have a friend who attends St. John’s University. He is physics major and has many international students in his classes. He was very helpful and acquainted me with a few of his international classmates. Through email, I contacted the first international student, Hao, and explained to him that for my global communications class I am required to do three interviewees with international students. I asked if he would be willing to partake in an interview with me. I explained that the interview would last about 30 min and that he would be conversing with me about his home country, his reasons for coming to the United States, ect. Fortunately, Hao responded and was very willing to meet and talk with me. We arranged to meet the following week to perform the interview.
On Thursday, October 22 at 8:30pm Hao and I met at our mutual friend’s apartment. Before the interview, I made sure the computer was set up to record and that two chairs were placed in the interviewing room. When Hao arrived, I shook his hand and thanked him for giving me the opportunity to interview him. We then went upstairs, in a quiet area of the apartment, to conduct the interview. I again explained to Hao the purpose of the interview. I told him it would be very laid back, basically like having a conversation with me about his country and lifestyle back home. I gave him a copy of the questions I had prepared for the interview, but I told him that they were just a guide and I may not follow them. I then asked him if it would be okay to audio record the interview. I explained to him that my professor required that the class record the interviews so that we could later transcribe them. After making sure Hao was comfortable, I started the recorder and began asking him questions. I made sure to give Hao time to think and to talk. I also tried not to interrupt him as he was providing his answers.
My first interviewee’s name is Hao Lei. He is from Chengdu which is located in the southwestern part of China. It is a very large metropolitan city with a population of about 10 million people. Hao lived in China his whole life before coming to the United States two years ago to attend St. John’s University. His family still lives back in China; however, his step brother, who is the same age, came to the U.S. to also attend St. John’s. Before coming to the United States, Hao did not speak English fluently. He states he knew phrases like “Hi my name is…” and “How are you?” but he was not able to hold a conversation. Hao said he learned English by being fully immersed into the culture and by being forced to speak the language. Hao is a very intelligent young man. He enjoys studying and learning about subjects related to math and science. He is currently a math and physics major at St. John’s. Hao hopes to get a job in the related field after he graduates in two years. He is indecisive as to whether he wants to find a job in the U.S. or move back to China.
When we were assigned the interview project, I was very nervous. I did not know any international students I could interview. After talking with my friend from St John’s and arranging an interviewee from his major, I felt relieved; however, I was still anxious about conducting the interview. To prepare for the interview, I created potential questions I could ask, wrote objectives for the interview and took some time to research information about China. I made sure to keep in contact with the interviewee through email to make sure he knew what time and where we were meeting.
On the day of the interview, I made a copy of the questions for the interview so I could give a print to Hao. I read through them many times to make sure I was familiar with them. I tried to think of other questions I might ask during the interview to branch off of the ones I had already thought of. When the time of the interview came, I felt very nervous. I had the interview room set up with two chairs and the computer ready to record. I tried to stay calm when Hao came. I started off by introducing myself and thanking him for coming. I, again, explained to him the purpose of the interview and that it was for a global communications class.
As we started the interview and I began asking questions, I felt more relaxed. I focused on displaying proper body language by not fidgeting, giving Hao time to talk and feeling comfortable if there was a moment of silence. To my surprise, the interview process was a very enjoyable experience. It felt as if I was having a natural conversation with a person I had just met. I was impressed with how open Hao was in his responses to my questions. He never just gave me one word responses. He always expanded on the topic and answered my questions thoroughly. The part of the interview that I found most interesting was when Hao explained the Chinese family life and how the children work very hard to pay back their mother and father for the support they receive during childhood. The whole interview process was a moving experience for me because it helped me appreciate cultural differences and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and converse with an international student.
Hannah Motschke
ENG 191 Sec 21
Interview Transcript
(Interview 1)
Hao Lei
China
10/22/09
H: Hannah (Interviewer)
I: Interviewee
H: Alright, so, what country are you from?
I: China.
H: China
H: And where in China?
I: Southwestern China. There’s a city called Chengdu there are 10 million people. It’s a city, very nice.
H: A lot bigger than here.
I: Yes, probably three times bigger than Minneapolis, I guess. A lot of tall buildings and places to go.
H: So when did you come to the U.S.?
I: Two years ago, yes two years ago.
H: Just specifically to go to school at Saint John’s?
I: Yes.
H: Or for...
I: Yeah, but I took language in the University of St. Thomas, for like three months, and that wasn’t very helpful, actually I didn’t learn a lot. But when I first came hear I could say “hello,” “what’s your name,” “how are you,” and my English was really bad.
H: So you never, did you take English back in China or not?
I: Uh, I, yes I took English back home but the education there was not qualified for studying abroad in the United States you know? The English level was really low and I was like bottom of my class you know?
H: Wow.
I: So I was pretty good at like math and physics probably because that’s my major.
H: Uh huh.
I: That stuff, but my English was like, well wasn’t really good I guess, so I’m not really good at linguistic stuff.
H: So was it scary coming here, like thinking that you didn’t know a lot of English, or were you just…
I: Sort of, yeah, sort of scary. I think. There was a lot of culture shock.
H: Oh I’m sure.
I: Yes.
H: So what do you think is, not the main difference but how is the lifestyle from here different then.
I: Lifestyle.
H: In China.
I: Before I came here, I never experienced a place like this, there is only a college and you cannot really do anything.
H: Oh yeah.
I: Because see there is a lot of stuff to do.
H: Uh huh.
I: But it’s quite the same, the reason is that when we were in high school we studied a lot, you know, every day. We didn’t have time to, even in the cities where living is nice.
H: Yeah.
I: All the place to go but we just didn’t have time.
H: Yeah you focus on school?
I: Yes, we stay in. Stay, you know, at school for a whole day, over like 12 hours.
H: Wow.
I: Yes, we start from 7:30a.m. to 10:00 at night.
H: That’s such a long day!
I: Yes. You only have one hour for lunch, and one hour for, one half hour for lunch and one hour for dinner. And there are ten minute intervals between each class.
H: Wow.
I: So each class really has 14 min.
H: So you just go class boom, boom, boom.
I: Yes, five classes in the morning, four classes in the afternoon and two longer period classes at night.
H: And they are just like general reading and math classes? Or how do have that many classes?
I: There are like I guess seven subjects. You can either choose linguistics or science.
H: So you can choose what area…
I: Yes, you have to decide when you are in your second year of high school. We only have three years for high school.
H: So education is taken a lot more seriously would you say?
I: Like in China we view education as a job when we are in high school. In China we think going to school is part of our very important thing to do. It is part of our job. But here when you were in high school is just part of… it is not mandatory you know.
H: It is kind of a sluff time.
I: Yeah.
H: Do you do sports in high school? Are there different parts of high school or do you just mainly focus on academics?
I: Basically if you want to join a professional sports team in high school you are just going to kill tons of your time. Kill tons of your time and you basically can’t do well, no. There is no chance you can do well in academics.
H: So younger kids, even in elementary school, do they have that long of days?
I: In elementary school right now they have a ranking system. You know after you take a test you are ranked.
H: In elementary school?
I: Yes, in elementary school. There is a huge competition in China. Even if you graduate at a top university in China you still can not find a job.
H: Wow, just because there are that many people?
I: Yes there are a lot of people. There are a lot of people without employment. It’s just kind of crazy. The unemployment rate is not that high, but there are a lot of people who graduated from universities that can not find jobs. The reason is those people tried so hard to get in to a university, ten percent of people go to the university, they try so hard you know and after they graduate they want to find a job with higher payment. The problem is there are not a lot of jobs with the higher payment and they don’t want to go to a restaurant and do some like…
H: Work in the kitchen
I: Yeah and work in the kitchen. You know they are university graduates.
H: They want to make money to pay back their school loans.
I: That’s why a lot of people don’t find jobs. The other reason is they graduate from high school and try so hard while they were in high school. Their parents push them so hard and when they go to a university, they go to different states. We call them provinces. They go to different places and people are like “oh right now parents can not do anything.” They just don’t go to class you know, and skip their classes, play computer games or whatever.
H: And parents can’t…
I: And parents can not do anything. Parents call on the phone and they are like “hey I am doing well” and the parents can not see their transcript either. You can go to whatever company and fake transcripts you know. It is easy for them right?
H: Yeah that is interesting. So do they have public and private universities like they do here?
I: In China?
H: Yeah
I: We do have private and public, but the public universities are the best.
H: The public ones?
I: Yes.
H: And are the public ones more expensive?
I: No.
H: No.
I: Actually the tuition is really cheap. There is a very high qualification to get in.
H: To get into the public ones.
I: Yeah to get into the public ones. Most of the universities are public ones and there are only a few, one or two percent of the universities are private and those universities are not very good. Those universities are founded for students who can not go to the public university. They pay tons of money to go to the private university.
H: Ok so they are actually more expensive?
I: Because you think about it actually and professors want to work at a public university because it is easier for them to become popular. They want to teach more students, do more research, and get more resources from the government.
H: And they can do that at a public university rather than a private one. So that is kind of like the opposite of here. I mean, well, public are not bad, but a lot of people go to the private ones because they think they will get a better education.
I: Yes.
H: How would you say like family life in China is? I don’t know if you have really experienced family life here, but just from your observation how is it different?
I: Family life, it is really different actually. Let’s talk about this first though. You know China is a community. The whole society is based on a community.
H: On a community?
I: Yes. The states are based on the individual. It is right on the constitution. It is opposite.
H: Very true.
I: But, people in the United States are more considered like a community. People in China are more considered like individuals. They try to pursue a different thing. At St. John’s we consider being a community much more than individualism. We are talking about community everyday like in the Benedictine values. In China, people want to be individuals. It is totally opposite, you know.
H: Yeah so we are known as one thing but…
I: Yes the individual. Yes, I think in both societies the individual and the co value of the society are just opposite. They are the opposite direction. So in China the family life…… Like in my family we are very connected. I think because of the influence of Confucius that still sticks in our minds, we think supporting the family is a very important part of our lives. In China, a lot of people do not believe in God or Christianity. In Christianity people think that the gods give birth to children not the moms and dads, but in China people view your life is given by your mother. So you have to pay back.
H: Family is very important.
I: If you don’t support your family, people will be very ashamed. People will talk behind you. They will say “this guy is not a good guy” because of this reason.
H: Do you pay back just by working hard in school and getting a good job?
I: Right now China is kind of money oriented.
H: The economic boom.
I: Yep, you get money, you try hard, you get a good job and buy stuff for your mom. If your mother has an emergency, you try your best to drive her to the hospital. Do things for your family.
H: So it is mostly just focusing on your mom?
I: Both mom and dad. Mom is as important as your dad sometimes. Yeah, but dad always makes the decisions.
H: Like the head of the house?
I: Yes.
H: Is it common to live with extended family like with grandparents, or is it just mostly brothers, sisters, mom and dad?
I: I think it is a trend in China. From my own experience, when I was young, I used to live with my grandparents and my mom and dad. As we get older, we have much more money to buy apartments and houses. We want to live alone. It depends on the situation though. Right now, my grandpa got sick so he is living in our house. He is sleeping in my bed.
H: Because you’re not there.
I: Yep. I’m not there and my parents have to take care of him so I think it depends on the situation. But as I said before, people trying to be independent individuals do not want to stick together.
H: They want to be themselves.
I: But the mind set of taking care of the parents is still sticking in their minds. So when a family member gets sick or needs help, they will try their best to help.
H: How did you pick St. John’s out of any university in the U.S.?
I: How did I pick St. John’s? Basically for me I applied at a bunch of schools and at some schools I didn’t get any scholarships. For example, Carlton I didn’t get any scholarships or at Stanford either. I didn’t know what I was going to do and my English was really bad so that was one of the reasons the schools didn’t give me scholarships. I did a great job on the tests and participated in a lot of national competitions in China with math and psychics stuff and did a pretty good job. So that is why a lot the schools accepted me but they didn’t give me scholarships because my English was bad. I was not qualified and I understand, but St. Johns was… I don’t know why, but they gave me the most money. I found out it was a great place and that is why I came here.
H: Did you visit here before you came?
I: No
H: No, so it was a total culture shock. They took you out to the wilderness.
I: Yes, it is a culture shock I guess. I think it’s cool.
H: Do you like the American culture or what is your feeling on it?
I: Oh I like it. I mean I learned a lot. A lot of stuff we don’t have and you guys don’t have a lot stuff we have either. I define myself as a bridge person between China and the United States. I always want to make connections. I always want to find out the differences. I also try to combine something together.
H: Yeah, so do think the professors at St. John’s, even if your English isn’t that great and considering you have to learn all of the scientific terms, are more lenient and understanding that English is your second language, or do they just treat you like you are a regular student here? Are they more lenient with grades?
I: No, not really.
H: So you just have to work hard to learn the terms?
I: Yes, you have to work hard to overcome that. I think it is a great thing. A lot of Chinese people are very ambitious and want to overcome this.
H: Yeah.
I: If you just say that because someone’s English is not very good I am going to speak slower, people will actually get mad.
H: Really?
I: Yes.
H: Your English is amazing right now.
I: For example, if you say my English is just kind of bad I guess. People do not want to loss face. Even if they don’t understand you, they still will say “Yes, I do understand you.”
H: Yeah they are not going to….
I: If they do it and find out actually I don’t understand, they probably will not come back. If they do come back, they probably will not ask you the same question directly. They will probably inquire it a little.
H: Make sure they understood it.
I: So I guess, because they don’t want to loose face. They do not want people to look them down.
H: Yeah. That is really cool. Well, thank you. I think I got a lot of good information.
I: Oh yeah.
H: So, thanks a lot.
I: Yeah no problem.
Hannah Motschke
Eng 191 Sec 21
Country Report (China)
China is located in Eastern Asia. It borders 14 different countries and is the third largest country in the world. The geography of China is very diverse consisting of many different landforms such as mountains, plains, and basins spread throughout areas of desert and jungle. “The official language of China is Mandarin, however, only about 53% of the population speaks Mandarin.”1 Many different languages are spoken in China including: Jin, Hakka, Min and Cantonese. More than 80 different dialects and community languages are employed throughout the country.
China is the most populated area of any country in the world. It has a population of more than 1.3 billion people. Due to the concern of the population growth, the government established the "One-Child Policy" in 1979. “This policy states that families are permitted to only have one child. Couples who have a second child may face forced abortions or sterilization. There are exceptions to the policy for ethnic minorities and rural families”1
The religious beliefs of China are immensely diverse. The three major religions are Buddhism, Taoism and Islam. “Religious leaders and leading organs of the various religious bodies are selected and ordained in accordance with their own regulations.”2 The religions and their organizations are managed independently and are not controlled by the government. However, under the communist government, religion has been downcast in China. Much of the Chinese population is Buddhist or Taoist, but do not practice the ordinances of the religion.
The Chinese government is comprised of the People's Republic of China. It is ruled by a single party, the Communist Party of China. The authority of the People's Republic is divided into three separate branches: The National People's Congress, the president and the state council. Hu Jintao is the current President of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party.
Cuisine is an important aspect of the Chinese culture. It is one of the “Chinese cultural treasures.”3 Depending on the area of the country, northern or southern China, the styles of cooking differ. “Pasta plays an important role in Northern Chinese cooking. While rice and rice products such as rice noodles, rice cakes, and rice congee, are the usual accompaniments to Southern style cooking.”4
Education is another crucial aspect of the Chinese culture. The educational system is run by the government. It is a law that all citizens attend school for at least nine years. “Chinese take children education very seriously since they know that a person's personality is mould in the early childhood.”5 Education starts at the preschool level, then proceeds to six years of primary education, high school, and finally university studies. To be admitted into a university, Chinese citizens have to pass a national college entrance examination. The exam is designed specifically for your area of study, either art or science.
1http://asianhistory.about.com/od/china/p/ChinaProfile.htm 10/20/09
2http://chineseculture.about.com/library/china/whitepaper/blsreligion.htm
10/20/09
3 http://www.chinatoday.com/culture/chinese_food_cuisine.htm 10/22/09
4http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese_style_cooking.htm 10/20/09
5 http://www.index-china.com/index-english/education-s.htm 10/22/09
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
preliminary report (China)
China is located in Eastern Asia. It borders 14 different countries and is the third largest country in the world. “The official language of China is Mandarin, however, only about 53% of the population speak Mandarin”
(http://asianhistory.about.com/od/china/p/ChinaProfile.htm 10/20/09).There are more than 80 different dialects and local languages spoken in China including: Jin, Hakka, Min and Cantonese.
China is the most populated area of any country on earth. It has a population of more than 1.3 billion people. Due to the concern of the population growth, the government introduced the "One-Child Policy" in 1979. “This policy states that families are permitted to only have one child. Couples who have a second child may be forced have an abortion or sterilization. There are exceptions to the policy for ethnic minorities rural families” (http://asianhistory.about.com/od/china/p/ChinaProfile.htm 10/20/09).
“China is a multi-religious country. Buddhism, Taoism and Islam are the three major religions” (http://www.muztagh.com/china-information/index.html 10/20/09). However, under the communist government, religion has been officially discouraged in China. Many Chinese are nominally Buddhist or Taoist, but don't practice regularly.
The People's Republic of China is ruled by a single party, the Communist Party of China. The power of the People's Republic is divided into three separate branches: The National People's Congress, the president and the state council. Hu Jintao is the current President of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party.
Food is an important aspect of the Chinese culture. “Chinese culture food can be roughly divided into the Northern and Southern styles of cooking. In general, Northern Chinese cooking dishes are oily without being cloying, and the flavors of vinegar and garlic tend to be more pronounced. Pasta plays an important role in Northern Chinese cooking. Rice and rice products such as rice noodles, rice cakes, and rice congee, are the usual accompaniments to Southern style cooking. (http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese_style_cooking.htm 10/20/09)
(http://asianhistory.about.com/od/china/p/ChinaProfile.htm 10/20/09).There are more than 80 different dialects and local languages spoken in China including: Jin, Hakka, Min and Cantonese.
China is the most populated area of any country on earth. It has a population of more than 1.3 billion people. Due to the concern of the population growth, the government introduced the "One-Child Policy" in 1979. “This policy states that families are permitted to only have one child. Couples who have a second child may be forced have an abortion or sterilization. There are exceptions to the policy for ethnic minorities rural families” (http://asianhistory.about.com/od/china/p/ChinaProfile.htm 10/20/09).
“China is a multi-religious country. Buddhism, Taoism and Islam are the three major religions” (http://www.muztagh.com/china-information/index.html 10/20/09). However, under the communist government, religion has been officially discouraged in China. Many Chinese are nominally Buddhist or Taoist, but don't practice regularly.
The People's Republic of China is ruled by a single party, the Communist Party of China. The power of the People's Republic is divided into three separate branches: The National People's Congress, the president and the state council. Hu Jintao is the current President of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party.
Food is an important aspect of the Chinese culture. “Chinese culture food can be roughly divided into the Northern and Southern styles of cooking. In general, Northern Chinese cooking dishes are oily without being cloying, and the flavors of vinegar and garlic tend to be more pronounced. Pasta plays an important role in Northern Chinese cooking. Rice and rice products such as rice noodles, rice cakes, and rice congee, are the usual accompaniments to Southern style cooking. (http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chinese_style_cooking.htm 10/20/09)
Monday, October 12, 2009
Some ideas for suitable goals beyond what I have already have....
-Give an opportunity for the interviewee to learn a little bit about my culture also
-Make sure my recording equipment is functioning properly so the interview does not have to wait through technical difficulties
-Keep a conversation going so there are not awkward pauses
-Be enthusiastic about giving the interview and learning about another culture instead of just going through the motions because it is a class assignment
-Help the interviewee expand on a topic by asking more questions even if they are not questions I prepared
-Make sure my recording equipment is functioning properly so the interview does not have to wait through technical difficulties
-Keep a conversation going so there are not awkward pauses
-Be enthusiastic about giving the interview and learning about another culture instead of just going through the motions because it is a class assignment
-Help the interviewee expand on a topic by asking more questions even if they are not questions I prepared
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Interview Objectives
-To successfully partake in an interview with an international student
-To create and ask thought provoking questions that lead to an interesting conversation with the interviewee
-To prepare for the interview by researching information about the native country of the interviewee and talking to other people about their knowledge of the country
-To find an interviewee who is willing to talk openly about his/her culture and beliefs
-To perform the interview with an international student and bring the necessary materials (pen, paper, recorder)
-To learn about the interviewee’s culture and his/her home country by asking questions and through conversation
-To not limit myself to only the questions I am prepared to ask……expand on topics
-To make sure the interviewee feels comfortable and does not feel like he/she is being put on the spot
-To audibly record the interview
-To thank the interviewee for his/her time in conversing with me
-To transcribe the recorded information from the interview
-To write a paper with the information collected from the interview
Group 1 pgs 530-540
Conducting Research:
-Pose questions worth exploring: Make sure the questions aren't too broad, too bland or too speculative. (i.e. What are the hazards of fad diets (too broad), What are the hazards of low-carbohydrate diets (narrow))
-Challenging questions: Avoid questions that fail provoke thought or engage readers in debate (i.e. What is OCD? (too bland), What treatments for OCD show the most promise (too challenging))
- Grounded question: The central argument of a research paper should be grounded in facts and not be based entirely on believes(i.e. Is it wrong to share files on the Internet (too speculative), Has Internet file sharing affected the earning potential of musicians (grounded))
- Map out a strategy: Ask a reference librarian for help to get started. Try not to do your whole work out of the Internet (Use books). Make sure you search information in newspapers, magazines, website, etc (have a wide variety of sources). Use a search database to locate articles (library) i.e. EBSCOhost and LexisNexis. Use keywords when searching (narrow search).
Hannah M, Brad H, Nicolas HR
-Pose questions worth exploring: Make sure the questions aren't too broad, too bland or too speculative. (i.e. What are the hazards of fad diets (too broad), What are the hazards of low-carbohydrate diets (narrow))
-Challenging questions: Avoid questions that fail provoke thought or engage readers in debate (i.e. What is OCD? (too bland), What treatments for OCD show the most promise (too challenging))
- Grounded question: The central argument of a research paper should be grounded in facts and not be based entirely on believes(i.e. Is it wrong to share files on the Internet (too speculative), Has Internet file sharing affected the earning potential of musicians (grounded))
- Map out a strategy: Ask a reference librarian for help to get started. Try not to do your whole work out of the Internet (Use books). Make sure you search information in newspapers, magazines, website, etc (have a wide variety of sources). Use a search database to locate articles (library) i.e. EBSCOhost and LexisNexis. Use keywords when searching (narrow search).
Hannah M, Brad H, Nicolas HR
Questions for international students
2. What is your native language? At what age did you first learn English?
3. Why did you choose to study in the
4. Do you feel the professors at SCSU are supportive and willing to provide sufficient assistance with the contents of the class curriculum considering English is your second language?
5. What about your country to you think would surprise Americans the most?
6. Would you recommend studying at SCSU to a student in your country? Why or why not?
7. What is your favorite aspect of the American culture? What is your least favorite aspect?
8. How is the educational system in your country different from that of the
10. Are there both private and public universities in your country? Is it expensive to attend a university?
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