2nd Interview

Interview #2

Eng 191

11/10/2011

Interviewer: Huan Yu

Interviewee: Sim Chenkeat 

Date of Interview: 11/09/2011

Country Report

Malaysia, located in Southeast Asia, a federal constitutional monarchy. It has thirteen states and three federal territories. Malaysia covers an area of 329,847 square kilometers, equals 127,350 square miles. Because of separated by the South China Sea, Malaysia has two main regions. One is Peninsular Malaysia and the other is Malaysian Borneo. Malaysia is bordered by Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei on land. Also, Malaysia is bordered with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines on Ocean. The capital city of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur which is a famous tourism city.

Geography

Link

As I said, Malaysia has a land area of 329,847 square kilometers. With this, it is the 66th largest country in the world. In West Malaysia, there is a land border with Thailand. And in East Malaysia, there are land borders with Indonesia and Brunei. Also Malaysia links to Singapore with a narrow causeway. There are hundreds of islands around both of the two parts of Malaysia. The largest one is Labuan. Here is the picture of Labuan.

Biodiversity

Malaysia has a high number of species. About 20% of the world’s animal species are in Malaysia. There are about 210 mammal species in Malaysia. More than 620 species of birds are found in Malaysia. 250 reptile species have been recorded in Malaysia with about 150 species of snakes and 80 species of lizards. What is more? Around 600 coral species and 1200 fish species also have been recorded in Malaysia.

Link

Malaysia is also been considered as the heaven for plants. There are around 14,500 species of flowering plants and trees. There are almost 8,500 species of vascular plants in Peninsular Malaysia, with another 15,000 in the East. In the forest in East Malaysia, there are around 2,000 tree species. The largest flower in the world, Rafflesia genus, is also from Malaysia.

Link

Climate

    The climate of Malaysia is equatorial. From April to October, the climate affected by southwest monsoons; from October to February, the climate affected by northeast monsoons. As Malaysia is rounded by oceans, the temperature is not too high, between 26 to 30℃. The humidity is usually high. And it rains a lot in Malaysia; the average annual rainfall is around 250 centimeters. The climates of the Peninsula and the East are different. Because the climate of peninsula is affected by wind from mainland, and the climate of East is affected by wind from ocean. There are mainly three regions of climates in Malaysia, highland, lowland, and coastal.

Education

As Malaysia is a multi-culture country; Malayans, Chinese and Indians all have their own special culture, the education system in Malaysia is quite unique. There are three kinds of primary schools. The first kind schools are schools based on the Malay. The second kind schools are schools based on Chinese. And the last kind schools are based on light meters.

Wikipedia says: “The education system features a non-compulsory kindergarten education followed by six years of compulsory primary education, and five years of optional secondary education. Schools in the primary education system are divided into two categories: national primary schools and vernacular schools. Vernacular schools use either Chinese or Tamil as the medium of instruction, whereas national primary schools use Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction for all subjects except English, Science and Mathematics. Before progressing to the secondary level of education, pupils in Year Six are required to sit for the Primary School Achievement Test."

Malaysia is a kind country. It keeps a positive relation between China. My country has economic and culture connections with Malaysia. Also, Malaysia is a wonderful place for visiting. From the two interviews, I think people in Malaysia are very kind and helpful.

Work cited

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia

http://baike.baidu.com/view/7009.htm

Transcript of




the interview
H: Huan Yu


S: Sim Chenkeat


H: Hi, I am
Huan. I am from China. Nice to meet you. And thank you for helping me with the
interview. Shall we start?


S: Nice to me
too. Shall, you can start whenever you want.


H: Ok, first,
what is your name? And can you spell it?


S: Sim Chenkeat.
(He spelled it to me.)


H: Got it. Thank
you. Where are you from?


S: I am from
Malaysia.


H: Can you tell
me more?


S: Oh, sure, I
am from Sepang. It is in the southern part of the state of Selangor in Malaysia.


H: Ok, could you
please tell me something about the education system of your country?


S: Ok, the Malaysia
pays lots of attention on education. The government considers it as one of
their responsibilities. Primary schools and secondary schools
are free to public. And non-compulsory is a feature in the education system.
Primary schools take 6 year to finish and secondary schools take 5years. Then,
we go to high schools for 2 year. After the high schools, you can go to
universities. By the way, it takes 3 year for undergraduate.


H: Ok, how has
your culture influenced your people/family values?


S: I think culture
has a big influence on my family. In the culture, men are always more social
than women. The same as the culture, in my family, my father goes out for work;
at the same time my mother does the house work. Also, my father makes the
important decisions, such as investments. Another example is when we are
celebrating the holidays. At those times, each member of my family should
attend. We have dinner together. Also, we will visit our relatives.


H: That is
pretty like China, so what is the weather like in your hometown?


S: Not as cold
as here. Actually, we don’t have winter in our hometown. The temperature
doesn’t change a lot. And the average temperature is around 27℃. Another difference between my hometown’s
weather and here’s is there is more rain in my home town.


H: So you like
the weather here or your home town?


S: That must be
my home town. It is too cold here in winter.


H: I have the
same feeling. Let move to government, will this kind of questions ok fo you?


S; Yes, go
ahead.


H: Ok, what is
the form of government in your country?


S: My country is
a federal constitutional monarchy and Federal parliamentary democracy. Yang
di-Pertuan Agong is the same as the head of country. Now, the Yang
di-Pertuan Agong is Mizan Zainal Abidin. And     Prime
Minister is Najib Tun Razak, Deputy Prime Minister is Muhyiddin Yassin. Quite
different from the U.S.A.


H: Who has the
highest right in Malaysia?


S: Yang
di-Pertuan Agong.


H: What is a
traditional food in your country?


S: We eat rice
and noodle for our main food. We also eat meat like beef, pork, chicken;
vegetable and fruits. Nasi Lemak is a famous Malaysia food. Oh, you
make me feel hungry.


H: Sorry, is the
food in your country spicy?


S: Compares to
the food in America, the food in our country is much spicier.


H: Could you
tell me what festivals you celebrate?


S: Oh, we have
Hari Merdeka, it is the Independence Day on 31 August. Maulidur Rasul is
another important holiday. We also celebrate Chinese New Year.


H: How do you
celebrate these holidays?


S: Usually, we
don’t need go to work or school. And we will have the entire family member
attend for dinner. Then, we will go to visit our relatives.


H: Tell me one
thing that makes you proud of your country.


S: Petronas Towers. It is the world highest twin towers which is located in Kuala Lumpur. It is finished in 1998. It has 88 levels. And its height is 452 meters. Amazing, right?
H: Sure. What is the most popular sport in your country?
S: Oh, soccer, badminton, field hockey, bowling and tennis are very popular in Malaysia. And I can’t tell which is the most popular.
H: Do you have any recommendations for visiting?
S: Penang, Malacca, Kelantan are famous for visiting. 
H: Have you ever been to these places?
S: I have been to Malacca. It is a beautiful city. I will not forget the beautiful view I have seen there.
H: Nice, Ok, let move on, how old are people get married?
S: Maybe 25 years old. I am not very sure. I think it is around 25 years old.


H: How about
you?


S: Oh, I have no
idea either.


H: How many children
are there in your family?


S: I am the only
one. 


H: Ok, I see. I
think that is all. Thank you again for helping me with the interview.


S: You are
welcome.


H: See you.


S: See you.
Preparation


To do the interview, I visited Jason again. With his
help, I met Sim Chenkeat, my second Interviewee. Sim is a friend of
Jason. They came here for study together.


Based On the
experience of first present, I did some improvements. First, I have prepared
all the questions I am going to ask, and printed them out for several copies.
In this way, I don’t need to spend time on reflecting on what is the next
question. Another improvement is to find a quiet place to do the interview.
Last time, the place is not so quiet. And when I went back and check the
recorder, there is lots of noise in the interview. Although, I have a recorder,
I need to make some notes. It can help me to remember the details. With these
improvements, the second interview went smoothly. And it becomes much easier
when I do the transcript of the interview.
Personal Review


Sim Chenkeat is so nice. And the interview
is a very wonderful time for both of us. He pays serious attention to my
interview. His answers are good and more helpful. By the way, I don’t mean
Jason’s answers are not good. Both Jason and Sim helped me a lot. I want to
thank you Jason and Sim here.


After these two interviews, I have a rough
image of Malaysia. Malaysia is a multi-cultural country. There are mainly
Malayans, Chinese and Indians live in Malaysia. And Malaysia is a federal
constitutional monarchy and Federal parliamentary democracy. This is the first
time I have heard about it. Also, both Jason and Sim told me some interesting
things, delicious food, and tourism cities in Malaysia. I think when I have time;
I will go to Malaysia for visiting.


From the second interview, I still found
some shortages. First, I am not good at note-taking. When I am taking notes, I
can not pay attention to what Sim is saying. For the third interview, I need to
learn some note-taking skills. Second, I am still a little shy to talk to
someone I don’t know. In the interview, there are still some awkward situations.
Even Sim is much outgoing than me. I need to be more outgoing when I do my
third interview.

evalsheet

My evalsheet is here
And the top three are:Puspak
                                 Rukhshod
                                 Hanquan
                               

1st Interview

English 191

Interviewer: Huan Yu

Interviewee: Jason

Date of Interview: 2011/10/24

Country Report

Malaysia is a multi-cultural country which is located in Southeast Asia. Why I say Malaysia is a multi-cultural country? Because people live in Malaysia are mainly Malayans, Chinese and Indians. Also, there are four common languages on Malaysia, Malay, Cantonese, Chinese and English. Definitely the national language is the Malay.

Geography       

Malaysia is consisted of 13 states and the Malaysia is divided into two parts. One of these parts is the Western Malaysia which is located in the Malay Peninsula; it is bordered by Thailand on the north side. Another part is Eastern Malaysia and located in the north side of Kalimantan Island; it is bordered by Indonesia on the south side. And the total area of Malaysia is around 330 thousand square kilometers.

Climate

As Malaysia is not far away from the celestial equator, the climate of Malaysia belongs to the tropical rainforest climate. In other word, the four seasons in Malaysia is not so obvious, the changes of the temperature in a year is very small. And the average temperature of Malaysia is between 26—30℃. The rainfall in Malaysia is abundant.

Education

Because Malaysia is a multi-culture country; Malayans, Chinese and Indians all have their own special culture, the education system in Malaysia is quite unique. There are three kinds of primary schools. The first kind schools are schools based on the Malay. The second kind schools are schools based on Chinese. And the last kind schools are based on light meters.

Wikipedia says:"The education system features a non-compulsory kindergarten education followed by six years of compulsory primary education, and five years of optional secondary education. Schools in the primary education system are divided into two categories: national primary schools and vernacular schools. Vernacular schools use either Chinese or Tamil as the medium of instruction, whereas national primary schools use Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction for all subjects except English, Science and Mathematics. Before progressing to the secondary level of education, pupils in Year Six are required to sit for the Primary School Achievement Test."

Malaysia is a kind country. It keeps a positive relation between China. My country has economic and culture connections with Malaysia. Also, Malaysia is a wonderful place for visiting.

Work cited

http://baike.baidu.com/view/7009.htm#8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia
The flag of Malaysia:                   The emblem of Malaysia:

Preparation

  When I get this assignment, I need to decide a country. And Jason is the first person comes into my mind.

 Jason is a Malaysian. His name is Foo Leen and Jason is his English name. We got to know each other when I lived in campus. At that time, He is the CA of my floor. And he helped me a lot.

  After I decided the country, I borrowed a recorder from my friend; it can help me to record the entire interview. In that way, I don’t need to worry about forgetting the details.

  At last, I did some research on Malaysia. By doing this, I have a general knowledge on Malaysia. The general knowledge can make the conversation more smoothly. And we met at Jason’s dorm.

Interview Transcription

(H=Huan, J=Jason)

H: It is so nice to see you again. And thank you for help me with this.

J: You are welcome.

H: I know your English name is Jason, but what is your Malaysian name?

J: My Malaysian name is Foo Leen. (I didn’t know how to spell, so he spelled it.)

H: Where are you from?

J: Malacca, one of the main cities in Malaysia.

H: Could you please describe the education system of your country?

J: Sure. We have 6 darjahs in primary schools. I went to primary school when I am 7 years old. And I graduated from primary school when I was 12. Then I went to the secondary school. There are 5 tingkatans in secondary school. When I graduated from secondary school, I was 17. Then, I came here to finish my undergraduate studies. And I am senior now. By the way, we have three kinds of primary schools, and two kinds of secondary school. After secondary school, we can take Tertiary education.

H: How has your culture influenced your people/family values?

J: Eh, influenced by the culture, my father makes the important decisions in the family. And all the money is managed by my father. Both my father and mother have jobs. But my father has more wages than my mother. My mother takes the responsibility for the major housework, my father and I also do some housework.

H: So it must your father influenced you to come here, right?

J: Yes, my father makes important decisions.

H: How old are people in your country by the time they got married?

J: I think around 25 years old.

H: Ok, What is the form of government in your country?

J: Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. The king of my country is Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He is the head of state. But the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's role has been mostly ceremonial since changes to the constitution in 1994. Most power is divided between federal and state legislatures.

H: Tell me one thing that makes you proud of your country?

J: Malaysia is one of the countries to found the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

H: If I want to visit your country, do you have some recommendations?

J: Yes, of course. My country has a pleasure climate, so you can visit whenever you want. Sabah is a great place for visiting. PangkorLaut is a famous tourist attraction, it is in Sabah. In PangkorLaut, you can see the beauty of nature. Kuala Lumpur is also a good choice. Kuala Lumpur is the capital of our country. It is a modern city. I think you will have fun there.

H: Do you have some traditional festivals, and how do you celebrate it?

J: We have lot of festivals. Id al Fitr is one of the most important festivals. Did I tell you that most of us are Moslems? Before that day, people are not at home will go back home and meet the family members. On the morning, each family needs to clean their house. And everyone needs to have a shower. After that, we will visit the mosque.

H: What's the weather like in your hometown?

J: Ooh, the weather in my country is very pleasant. The four seasons in Malaysia is not so obvious, the changes of the temperature in a year is very small. And the average temperature of Malaysia is between 26—30℃. The rainfall in Malaysia is abundant.

H: What is a type of sport in your country?

J: Soccer is a very popular sport in my country.

H: What's a traditional food in your country?

J: Nasi Lemak is a very famous food. It is really delicious. You should try it if you have the chance.

H: Ok, I will, I love delicious food. What do most women do after they get married in your country? (house wife, working?)

J: I think women after married will do the most housework and also will go to work.

H: What is the taste of your food? Is it spicy?

J: There are some food spicy and some food not spicy. Different people have different tastes.

H: Have you ever been homesick? And what do you do when you are homesick?

J: Yes, I am homesick at some times. I will talk to my Malaysian friends. I often talk to my parents through Internet and telephone. Every summer holiday, I will go back to Malaysia.

H: Do you like living in St. Cloud?

J: Sure, Saint Cloud is a very pleasing small town. People here are so kind and helpful. It is not as prosperous as cities, but St. Cloud is very peace, I think it is a great environment for studying. And living in St. Cloud is a challenge for me. I need to face and deal with all the problems by myself, without my parents’ help. It is a great experience; it will make me more confident.

H: I agree, I have the same felling. I think that all. Thanks for your time. You are so nice. You have a nice day.

J: Thanks, you too.

H: Thanks. Bye bye.

J: Bye.

Personal review

  So, I have done my first interview.  I think it is a good chance for me to learn something new about the other country. At the same time, I can promote our relationship between me and Jason.

  What I have learned now is just a little; the cultures of a country are huge treasure for everyone, as the cultures are the essence of ancestors’ experiences. In order to learn more about the country, I need to take more interviews and talk to more natives.

  But from the interview, I also found my shortage. Fist, the communication is a problem. I need to learn some communication skills. We can learn a lot from the communication, and the communication skills can help exploring this treasure. Also, the writing is a headache for me. I think if I can use some writing skills, and then the writing will not be a problem. So I need to pay more attention in class.

  All in all, this is an unforgettable experience for me. Hopefully, the next two interviews also will be wonderful.

Reference and Facts

Group6:Eliza Pokharel, Jiayin Pan, Huan Yu, Wenda Qian

Reference and Facts

1.     Have you ever needed to know the?

• Population of a city?
• Major achievements of a famous individual?
• Definition or a term or phrase in an unfamiliar subject?
• Date of an important event?

2.     These types of questions are best answered by reference sources, which provide quick, factual information on a topic. There are many types of reference sources. For example,

• Dictionaries contain definitions of terms.
• Encyclopedias contain concise, factual information on topics or concepts.
• Handbooks contain practical information (e.g., how to do something) on a topic.
• Almanacs contain calendars, basic facts, and statistical information relating to people, places, and events.
• Biographical sources contain biographical information on individuals such as birth and death dates and major achievements.

3. Why use reference sources?

Reference sources are often the best place to start your research because they:

• Provide a good introduction to a topic.
• Provide brief, factual information.
• Summarize and clarify issues.
• Define unfamiliar terms.
• Identify additional relevant sources such as books and periodical articles.

That will make our paper be reliable, more informative, unbiased and broad. It is good for back ground information on topics.

4. How can you find reference sources or cite the reference?

There are several different ways to find reference sources on your topic:

1.     We can search on-line to find the reference on web-site.

2.     We can go to library to find books, journals or magazines, probably, to ask help at Help Desk. 

3.     Websites can be cited by different formats two of which are covered here; "MLA bibliography citation style" first, and then the "APA in text citation" secondly. Citations in the APA style are commonly used for research papers and the like.

Interview questions

Huan Yu

Interview questions

2011/10/5

1.      Where are you from?

I want to know where they come from.

2.      Tell me something about your country.

I want to know some basic information about your country, such as name, location, capital.

3.      Do you have a religion? If does, what is your religion? How many religions are there in your country?

I want to know some information about the religions in the country.

4.      What kind of National organization forms does your country belongs to?

I want to know the National management form and structure of the form in your country.

5.      What kind of economy is in your country?

I want to know the economic system in your country.

6.      A role your country plays in the international society.

I would like to know how what role your country plays in the international society.

7.      How many levels of schools are there in your country? What are they?

I want to know the levels of schools.

8.      Are the children required to study? Which level is required? Will the country pay for the tuition during the required levels?

I want to learn how much the country invested in student’s education.

9.      What are the colleges like in your country?

China’s colleges are quite different from USA’s, so I want to know how the colleges in other countries will be.

10.  How many children are there in a family usually?

I want to know the fertility rate, and how the government deals with the global over-population problem.

11.  How old are people in your country by the time they get married?

I think the appropriate age for marriage has a great impact on the population.

12.  What are some group activities in your country?

I want to know what they do in their free time.

13.  Does the country oppose or support giving birth after each family had a child?

I want to know how the government reacts towards the fertility rate in their country.

14.  There is much input or much output in your country?

I want to know what kind of economy their country belongs to.

15.  How people dress in daily life? How people dress formally?

The dresses are very interesting, different dresses have different meanings.

16.  What kind of food do you eat?

I want to learn the diet in their country.

17.  What are some traditions in your country?

The traditions are the wisdom of ancestors. I would like learn something about that.

18.  What is the most popular sport in your country?

“Life is exercise.” So exercise is an essential part of your life. I want to know what king of exercise they do.

19.  Your opinions on the developments of your country.

I want to know what do you think the developments in your country, are those heath or not, fast or not and so on.

20.  What is your country’s national flag?

The flag represents the whole country, and the pictures on it are meaningful and it is the special thing in each country.