First Interview

Interview.
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Preparation

My interviewee is one of my international friends. We knew each other was in my friends’ house. Last week, I talked about the interview with him. He would like to help me do the interview. Then we decided to meet at Library on Monday afternoon, because it was quiet and close to his house. I printed twelve questions into 2 papers and prepared some paper in order to note what he said. In addition, I took my electronic dictionary to the library that day in case of some words I don't know. When the interview came, I went there 15 minutes early to ensure everything is ok and it is polite to wait for the interviewee.

Personal review

This is my first interview, it is really unforgettable. As a whole, the interview went well and both of us had a good time. However, I think my communication skill still need to be improved; the interviewee sometimes misunderstood my meanings. During the interview, if you want to know more details, you should make your questions more logic, organized and easy to understand. Because it can let interviewee remember more things and told you. In addition, I think being polite and smiling can help us have a better communication. Because when we interview with people from different culture, it is possible to say some offensive words or conflict with their belief, so polite behavior and smile can let interviewees know you are not offense and make interviews easy to go on. We also need to listen to carefully what interviewee said or their eye contact; it can let you know the interviewee’s condition better. Finally, you can prepare a few extra questions to face some emergency like some questions you prepared the interviewee don't know. In a word, I learned a lot from this interview such as Korean culture, food and communication skill. I believe I will do better next time to interview. 

Interview transcription

My first interview is too short.it's failed.

Country Report 

  My interviewee is from Seoul, the capital of Korea. 

 The Republic of  Korea  located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. The other place is called North Korea. "South Korea lies in a humid continental and humid subtropical climate region with a predominantly mountainous terrain"(Wikipedia). The populataion in Korea is almost 50 million. The Seoul which my interviewee's homeland is the largest city in Korea, with a population of 10,421,782.

    South Korea is divided into sixteen administration, the president is in power to the country.  In addition, Korean economy is the fourth largest economic country in Asia. The economy is output market, with most production in field of  electronics, automobiles, ships, machinery etc. South Korea is a member of the United Nations, WTO, OECD and G-20 major economies. It is also a founding member of APEC.

Geography

 Topography of South Korea

South Korea occupies the southern portion of the peninsula . Korea is next to my country China to the west, Japan to the east and the East China Sea. It covers about 99,392 square kilometers. "This mountainous peninsula is flanked by the Yellow Sea to the west, and Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the east. Its southern tip lies on the Korea Strait and the East China Sea"(Wikipedia).

Climate

South Korea tends to have a humid continental climate and a humid subtropical climate, which begins end of June through the end of July. Winters can be extremely cold with the minimum temperature dropping below −20 °C in the inland region of the country. Winter temperatures are higher along the southern coast and considerably lower in the mountainous interior. Summer can be uncomfortably hot and humid, with temperatures exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) in most parts of the country. South Korea has four distinct seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring usually lasts from late-March to early- May, summer from mid-May to early-September, autumn from mid-September to early-November, and winter from mid-November to mid-March.

Economy

South Korea has a market economy which ranks 14th in the world by nominal GDP and 12th by purchasing power parity (PPP), identifying it as one of the G-20 major economies. It is a high-income developed country and is a member of OECD. South Korea is one of the Asian Tigers, and is the only developed country so far to have been included in the group of Next Eleven countries. South Korea had one of the world's fastest growing economies from the early 1960s to the late 1990s, and South Korea is still one of the fastest growing developed countries in the 2000s, along with Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, the other three members of Asian Tigers. South Koreans refer to this growth as the Miracle on the Han River.

Religion

As of 2005, just under half of the South Korean population expressed no religious preference. Of the rest, most are Buddhist or Christian. According to the 2007 census, 29.2% of the population at that time was Christian, and 22.8% were Buddhist. Other religions include Islam and various new religious movements. The earliest religion practiced was Korean shamanism.Today, freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, and there is no state religion.

Culture

South Korea shares its traditional culture with North Korea, but the two Koreas have developed distinct contemporary forms of culture since the peninsula was divided in 1945. Historically, while the culture of Korea has been heavily influenced by that of neighbouring China, it has nevertheless managed to develop a unique and distinct cultural identity from its larger neighbour. The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism actively encourages the traditional arts, as well as modern forms, through funding and education programs.

works cited:

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

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

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_South_Korea#Climate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_South_Korea