ThanhTen191f12s27: November 2012

Monday, November 26, 2012

Final Paper Sources

China:

http://www.irespect.net/Untold%20Stories/Chinese/Chinese%20Values.htm

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/china/chinese-culture-family-life/1781

http://www.china.org.cn/english/Life/57071.htm

http://chinaunique.com/educate/culture.htm#family

Outline for Final Paper

Family Values in China and America

Introduction

Differences between Chinese and Ameican views on family values

Growing up

China
America

Gender Equality

China
America

Roles in the Family

China
America

Conclusion

The people I have been interviewing all came from China and in all 3 of the interviews, we all talked about how different the family values are between Chinese families and American families. I have decided to do my final paper on those differences.

Spreadsheet for Interview 3

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ave4NlzwRzqZdFZHOWtacEExbTZsV2VSTl9oZGE2aEE

Top Three Interviews:

Gerry, Jonathon M

Louzolo-Nkindou, Chancelvie B

Phung, Trang T

Spreadsheet for Interview 2

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ave4NlzwRzqZdEZoM1VGTExPUTRsRHBfTkRiX3g2OXc

Top Three Interviews:

Alsaffar, Dhurgham M

Gerry, Jonathon M

Louzolo-Nkindou, Chancelvie B

Monday, November 12, 2012

Interview 3

Preparations for Interview:
I was having some difficulty finding my last person to interview, but luckily, I was able to ask a classmate to do a quick interview with me. Since I have done two interviews already, this third one seemed to come more easily for me. The questions I have prepared also came with sub topics that could be lightly touched on before moving onto the next main question, making it a lot less choppy of an interview and much more comfortable for the both of us.

Post Interview Thoughts:
I really learned a lot during this interview. The questions were answered and even though my interviewee didn't speak perfect English, we were able to communicate very well. After interview 2 other people, this one came a lot easier with feeding the questions and listening to their answers.

country report:

China is the largest and most populated country in the world, currently home to over 1 billion people. "The population of China is not easy to calculate, in spite of the existence of a sophisticated bureaucracy from early times" (Morton 8). According to the CIA's World Fact book Website, the death rate for China is at 7.17 for every 1,000 people while their birth rate sits at 12.31 for every 1,000 people. This means that there are more people who are being born everyday, but not enough people are dying to balance out their quickly growing country.

Chinese history and all of the traditions that are carried over to the next generations is one of the most fascinating things someone could study. Written Chinese history could be dated as far back into the Shang Dynasty, which began in 1600 BC. Old Chinese traditions are also carried over carefully into the younger generations. “A custom is often an established behavioral pattern that prevails through years. It is commonly the result of social influences on the people of a society. Traditional customs have their own analogies. They associate certain things or actions with certain happenings in life. Traditional customs are meant to invite good omen while warding off the evils” (Ancient Chinese Traditional Customs, Buzzle). Along with traditional customs, comes traditional holidays that are widely celebrated through the whole country. One of the biggest holidays that are celebrated in China is Chinese New Years. Chinese citizens live off of two different calendars. They have the regular calendar that is used throughout the whole world and they have their own special calendar, called the Lunar Calendar, which is used for special holidays. “The ancient Chinese calendar, on which the Chinese New Year is based, functioned as a religious, dynastic and social guide. Oracle bones inscribed with astronomical records indicate that it existed at least as early as 14th century B.C., when the Shang Dynasty was in power. The calendar's structure wasn't static: It was reset according to which emperor held power and varied in use according to region” (Chinese New Years, History). With Chinese New Years, it actually begins in the middle of the 12^thmonth and would come to a conclusion in the middle of the 1^st month. Unlike New Years that is celebrated around the rest of the world, Chinese New Years actually is celebrated in a lengthier time span.

Since China is such a large country and has such a huge population living there, knowing the basics of the culture and their history could even be a difficult thing. By doing these 3 interviews, I hope to expand my knowledge on the country and how their people live their daily lives.

Work Cite:

"Ancient Chinese Traditional Customs." Buzzle.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.< http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ancient-chinese-traditional-customs.html>.

"Chinese New Year." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Jan. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://www.history.com/topics/chinese-new-year>.

Morton, Scott, and Charlton M. Lewis. China Its History and Culture. 2nd ed. United States of America: McGraw Hill, 2004. Print.

Interviewer: Hello. Thank you for doing this interview for me. Can you please tell me you name and a little about your home country?

Jay: My name is Jay. I am from China. Sorry, I don’t speak English good.

Interviewer: That is okay. You are doing very well. I just wanted to ask a couple of question. First, I wanted to know a little bit about your country and how your family structure is like.

Jay: My family? I have my mom, dad, and an older sister. They live in China. Both my mom and my sister have to go to work and I come here to go to school.

Interviewer: Does your sister also go to school too while she is working? Or does she just work.

Jay: My sister only works. She go to high school, but after she did not go to college. Only I go to college in my family.

Interviewer: Okay. How do you like the United States and college so far? Is it a big difference from China?

Jay: I like it here! It is really different from my home country, but I like the people and school here. I miss my family and home, but I really like it here. Everything is really clean and the people are really nice to me.

Interviewer: That is great. I am glad that you are enjoying yourself here. When will you be able to see your family again? Are they coming to visit you soon?

Jay: My parents are coming here. They are coming during Christmas holiday to see me. And they have never been to America before so I am excited to see them and show them around.

Interviewer: Oh that is going to be really exciting! And I am glad that you will get to see your parents soon. Are you guys really close to each other?

Jay: Yes, my family is close. We all live together and we tell each other everything.

Interviewer: That is awesome. Now, can you tell me a little bit about the difference between your culture and how things are in the United States that you have noticed so far?

Jay: Oh. There are a lot. The holidays, I feel like, are really different. In China, when there is a big holiday, the whole week, people would go outside to celebrate. I don’t think a lot of people do that here. They just stay at home and celebrate, but in China, everyone is outside and there are a lot of kids running around and playing. There would be fireworks and firecrackers. Everywhere would be busy. Not here.

Interviewer: Yeah. I think during Christmas, it gets quite busy in the mall, but on Christmas Eve and day, everyone is indoors enjoying the holiday with their families. It sounds like a lot of fun in China though! I wish it could be like that here, but I think it would be way too cold to be outdoors all the time. It is already starting to slowly snow and it is not even December yet.

Jay: Yeah! I like the snow. It is really pretty and I like to watch it snow outside. It is cold so I stay inside but I like to watch the snow fall.

Interviewer: Yeah, I like the snow, but I hate how cold it gets. If only we can only have snow on Christmas, I would be okay with that! What is the biggest holiday that you celebrate in China?

Jay: We celebrate Chinese New Years. It is really big and everyone would go outside to watch the fireworks at night. I really like it. And my whole family would come to my house to eat.

Interviewer: Is there a particular food that you eat for Chinese New Years.

Jay: We just eat what my mom and grandmother cooks. A lot of rice. We always make a lot of food for everybody to share.

Interviewer: That sounds like so much fun. I love it when my whole family gets together to celebrate something and all my relatives are together. So, I know that you are currently attending St. Cloud State, but do you know how the education system over in China is like?

Jay: Yeah, in China, school is different. Do you have to pay for school here?

Interviewer: Yeah. We have to pay for college.

Jay: No, like not in college. In the younger schools.

Interviewer: Oh, no we don’t have to pay for elementary up to high school. It depends though. If you go to a public school, then it is free, but if you go to a private school, then you have to pay every year.

Jay: Yeah, in China, you use to have to pay. I have to pay when I go to school back in China. People don’t have money in China so a lot don’t get to go to school and they go work. They have to work for money for the family.

Interviewer: Yeah. It is really hard when you have to pay for school for your whole life. Especially when a family has more than one child to focus on.

Jay: My sister did not like school so she did not go to college, but I like to go to school so my mom and dad saved money to send to me college here. I am lucky.

Interviewer: You are very lucky. It is really important to get a higher education in order to secure a good job to take care of your family.

Jay: I think so too.

Interviewer: So besides education and going to school, what do you and your friends like to do for fun in China?

Jay: I like to go shopping. Me and my friends go to the shops a lot and we hang out there. There is a lot to do in China. You could go to the sauna too. A lot of people I know like to go there a lot when they have nothing to do or they go with their family.

Interviewer: I have heard that there are a lot of sauna places in China. Is it a new thing that a lot of people are starting to go to those places? Like a spa?

Jay: Yeah. I do not go to it that much, but I know a lot of people that like to go.

Interviewer: Besides going to the mall, is there anything else that you enjoy doing in your free time?

Jay: I like to play sports with my friends. Like badminton and I go swimming sometimes too.

Interviewer: I love to play badminton! Well, I have had all the privilege to ask you questions about your home country and yourself, is there any questions that you would like to ask me?

Jay: Nothing I can think of. Thank you. Sorry, I speak English not good.

Interviewer: It was perfect. I understood everything and your English is actually really great. Thank you again for letting me ask you questions about China. It was really nice meeting you today, Jay.

Jay: Thank you. It was nice meeting you.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Interview 2

Preparation for interview:
What I did to prepare for this interview was continue up on my research with the culture and history of China. My friend helped me meet up with this person to do the interview with. I took some of the questions from the first interview that I did and added some of my own onto it so that the whole interview process could flow easier.

Post Interview Thoughts:
I thought this interview went great. It was a little bit rushed because the interviewee had to leave for class. She was tight on time that week so I was grateful that she was able to squeeze in an interview for me between her busy schedule.

Country Report:

Work Cite:

"Ancient Chinese Traditional Customs." Buzzle.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.< http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ancient-chinese-traditional-customs.html>.

"Chinese New Year." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Jan. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://www.history.com/topics/chinese-new-year>.

Morton, Scott, and Charlton M. Lewis. China Its History and Culture. 2nd ed. United States of America: McGraw Hill, 2004. Print.

Interviewer: Hi, thank you for doing this interview for me. Can you please start off by telling me your name and your country?

Lin: Yes, my name is Lin and I came from China.

Interviewer: It is very nice to meet you Lin. Can we start talking about your family first? I was curious about the different values that you and your family carry.

Lin: Values? We like to stay very close to each other. In the Asian culture, there families are very close to one another.

Interviewer: Yeah, that is really important in my family too.

Lin: Yes. Like, even when we grow up, we rarely move out from our parent’s house. We would all live together.

Interviewer: That is great. So then how is it like in your household? With your family structure and who would be in charge.

Lin: Well, everyone in my family has a say in most things. My parents take care of the children and it is not like my dad or my mom is in charge. They are kind of 50/50 when it comes to making decisions. They are equal.

Interviewer: Okay. Well, I would say that is how most of the families in America work. They view each other has an equal. Can you tell me some things that would be different culture wise, between China and the United States?

Lin: Well, earlier I said about how my family likes to stay close to each other. I think that is a big difference between China and here because here [America], once people turn 18, they would move out of the house. Or even if they go to college, and the school is close by, they would still move out instead of living at home with their parents. In China, everyone lives together. Even sometimes, when people get married, they would still live together with the parents. Everyone in China likes to stay close to each other. Even if they would move away, they would move to a new place that is close to their family.

Interviewer: I like how close families are to each other in the Asian community.

Lin: I like it too because I can be closer to my parents and there is a lot of trust between us.

Interviewer: That’s really good that your family has a really good communication system going. Now, can you tell me more about your culture? And all the different foods that people in China eat?

Lin: Well Chinese culture is very old. I think China’s history is one of the oldest histories that were ever recorded and there was a lot that happened. I don’t know too much about Chinese history because I don’t like learning about old history, but with our food, we have a lot of different types that we eat. I like to eat peaking duck with white rice.

Interviewer: What would you say China is most famous for, food wise?

Lin: Famous for? I think a lot of people in China like to eat dim sum. It is a meal that is usually eaten as breakfast. My family and I really like to go eat dim sum as a family sometime on Sundays.

Interviewer: I love dim sum! It is really good and I wish I could make it, but there are so many different types in it.

Lin: Yeah, that is one of the reasons why I like to eat it. I don’t get tired of eating the same thing over and over.

Interviewer: I have that issue too. So for your meals in China, how many times would you eat a day over there and how is the portions compared to the ones here in America?

Lin: We eat three times a day, just like over here in America, but I think our meals are a lot smaller compared to here. Americans eat a lot, I think. And when we eat, we also eat it family style most of the time. Everyone would have their own plate and there would be different dishes on the table and we would all sit together to eat as a family.

Interviewer: Okay, and how is your education system in China then? Is it different from here, in America?

Lin: Our education system is really different compared to here. We have to pay for school after elementary school. And there are a lot of families who cannot afford that so their children have to drop out of school and go work to help out the family. I was lucky that I got to go to college here in America.

Interviewer: So I would guess that there are not a lot of people who get the chance to attend college in China then?

Lin: No. A lot of people over there can’t afford to go to school, but I think now, more people are able to go to college.

Interviewer: That is really good because college is really important. Well, I know you have to leave early, but thank you again for being able to do this interview for me! Since I have had the privilege to ask you all of these questions, are there any questions that you would like to ask me before you have to leave?

Lin: I have a question about your culture. You’re Vietnamese right?

Interviewer: Yeah!

Lin: I know Vietnam is pretty close to China. Do you know if the culture is pretty close with the Chinese culture at all?

Interviewer: Well, I would say that it is similar. I can’t fully answer that because I am not too sure with the Vietnamese culture because I was born in America, but from my understanding, it is very close and we do eat almost the same types of food. And rice is also our main crop as a food source.

Lin: Oh, okay. I have never been to Vietnam, but I have always wanted to go there.

Interviewer: Yeah, you should when you have the chance! I have only been there once when I was younger, but it is pretty awesome. It really is different from America.

Lin: Yeah, China is really different from America. Okay, I have to go now. Thank you for interviewing me and learning more about my country.

Interviewer: Thank you! And it was really nice to meet you Lin.